General Information

Connect with Local History Outreach

Support and Services for Local History and Cultural Groups in Wisconsin

Wisconsin was the first state in the country to emphasize the power of local history. Since 1898, because of dedicated community leaders across the state, the Wisconsin Historical Society's network of local history partners has grown to over 440 organizations and nearly 60,000 members and is written into the state's statutes as a vital responsibility of the Society.

The Society's Local History Outreach Program supports a diverse community of local history organizations throughout the state. Our local and regional partners are invited to:

schedule free consultations with Society experts
learn about webinars, workshops, and other professional development opportunities
attend regional meetings of peer organizations
participate in the annual Local History and Historic Preservation Conference
book events through the Society’s speakers bureau
host the Society's traveling exhibits
participate in the Wisconsin Council for Local History
contribute to planning the new state historical museum

Additionally, the Society encourages all non-profit community history and cultural organizations, including publicly funded museums and tribal museums, to consider formal affiliation to access additional services. For more information on the benefits of affiliation, click here.

Scroll down to explore ways to connect with the Local History Outreach Program and local history experts across the state.

Connect With Us

Email Local History Outreach

Request the Local History e-Newsletter

The Society's Local History Outreach quarterly e-newsletter provides timely updates and easy access to important information, events and resources. Contact whsaskoutreach@wisconsinhistory.org to subscribe or to suggest topics for future e-newsletters. We also welcome submissions of interesting events or new exhibits happening around the state.

Join the Local History Listserv

The Local History Listerv is for anyone interested in communicating with their local history colleagues throughout the state (and beyond). Members can ask questions, seek advice, post events and much more. Join by sending an email to localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu and typing SUBSCRIBE in the body of the email. Past messages to the Local History Listserv, sorted by email thread, are archived here. Questions or problems? Please contact Janet Seymour at janet.seymour@wisconsinhistory.org.

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Local History Outreach Staff

Map showing Local History Outreach coordinators for northern, west central, and southeastern regions

In addition to the regions delineated here, Sara Batkie, Mallory Hanson, Fitzie Heimdahl and Amy Norlin provide statewide services. Please see below for more information.

Have a specific question? You can contact Local History Outreach staff directly on any of the topics below.