Did you know that the Wisconsin Historical Society is two years older than the state itself?

People who lived in Wisconsin in 1846 realized how important it would be to collect materials that tell the stories of Wisconsin, the Great Lakes region, and the whole United States.

The headquarters building on the campus of the University of Wisconsin - Madison has one of the world's greatest collections of American history. There you can find books, maps, diaries, letters, paintings, and photographs that give us a direct view of how places looked, what people thought about, and the way they lived in the past. The State Historical Society also has historic sites and museums around the state that give people a chance to see some things and visit some places that are important to Wisconsin's past. These clues collected from Wisconsin's history give meaning to our present and future - the part of the Wisconsin story that includes kids today.