Wisconsin Historic Preservation and Archaeology Month
Planning Guide
What activities can your organization plan for Historic Preservation
and Archaeology Month?
Wisconsin's Historic Preservation and Archaeology Month offers limitless
possibilities for celebrating your community's historic
landmarks. It also provides a structure for activities
that will increase your organization's visibility to
your membership, constituents, or the community at
large. You may already be planning activities that
will take place during Historic Preservation Month, such
as an annual awards presentation, a historic marker
or plaque dedication, or possibly a walking tour of
a historic neighborhood. These annual events can be
incorporated into an overall Historic Preservation
and Archaeology Month celebration in your community,
or stand alone as your Wisconsin Historic Preservation
and Archaeology Month activity. As such, the events will be placed
in the comprehensive Historic Preservation Month calendar, and will
be promoted throughout the state. Here are some ideas for you and
your group to consider.
Awards
Sponsor an awards program to honor outstanding historic preservation efforts in your community. Invite the media and local officials to attend the awards ceremony.
Walking Tour
Create a self-guided walking tour brochure for your community's favorite historic
district, mound group or archaeological site.
Historic Building Owner Workshops
Sponsor a "how to" workshop on rehabilitating older properties. Team up with local and state preservation experts for training and hands-on techniques.
Fundraising
Kick off a fundraising campaign to benefit your community's favorite historic
preservation project.
Historic Markers & Plaques Dedication
Sponsor a dedication ceremony for a new historic marker or plaque.
Lectures/Symposium
Host a lecture or symposium on a historic or archaeological topic.
Progressive Dinner Party
Plan a progressive buffet dinner party in historic homes or in appropriate historic sites in your community. Arrange for each host and hostess to offer a different course. To cover costs, sell tickets through your civic clubs and in markets and local shops.
A Night in a Historic Theater
Sponsor vintage films in a local historic theater as a fundraiser or to highlight
the beauty of a rare historic interior.
Pass a Historic Preservation Resolution
Contact a local government official about sponsoring a historic preservation
resolution to be adopted by the village board or common council.
House Genealogy
Knowing the history of a particular building can infuse its residents with a strong appreciation for their neighborhood. Organize a workshop to teach people how to research a building's history through available documents and research materials.
Open House
Open your laboratory, historic home, or historic site to the public for a day or weekend.
Preservation/Restoration
Clean up a local cemetery.
Write an Op-Ed Piece
"Op-Ed" is a newspaper's abbreviation for "opposite the editorial page," and it is fast becoming a standard feature of newspapers. The page usually carries columns, letters to the editor, cartoons and locally written opinion articles. Check with the page's editor several weeks in advance about writing an article describing the relationship between preservation and the community's "sense of place."
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