Wisconsin Historical Society | Explore our historical collections, research your family history, teach and learn Wisconsin history, preserve historic properties, donate, volunteer and more.

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Graffiti'd wood panels from the Wisconsin Historical Museum, featuring colorful splashes and a printed poster of George Floyd Titled the George Floyd Museum, some hard to discern text. BLM in artful bubble letters and the phrase 'always lies'.

Collecting History as it Happens

The Wisconsin Historical Society connects people to the past by collecting, preserving, and sharing stories. Collecting history as it happens is a critical step in using the lessons of our past to inform the future. Learn More

COVID-19 continues to have a major impact on all of our lives. Explore resources that will take you on an adventure through the past to better understand today. Explore BIG History Is Happening

An Ojibwa woman, Francis Mike, harvesting wild rice in a boat on Totogatic Lake.

Discover Our Historic Images

Search more than 110,000 historical images online, with more being added every day.

Or hang history in your home by purchasing one of these most-loved historic images.

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Visit and learn more about WISCONSIN CENTER FOR FILM AND THEATER RESEARCH. The Wisconsin Historical Society works closely with the WCFTR in carrying out its mission. The Wisconsin Historical Society is actively developing plans for a new 21st-century museum which will serve as a hub for statewide history education and outreach. The Wisconsin Historical Society Press has been publishing lively narratives and engaging explorations of Wisconsin for history lovers, educators and young readers, since 1855.

On This Day

1862 - (Civil War) Cumberland Gap Campaign Begins in Virginia
1933 - Wisconsin Inventor Honored
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