General Information

Local History - Historic Preservation Annual Conference

Register now for the 2017 Annual Conference

Eleventh Annual Local History and Historic Preservation Conference

Join us in La Crosse this October 20-21 for sessions, workshops, tours, and special events. For the past ten years, over 300 members of the Wisconsin local history and historic preservation community have gathered in the fall to network and exchange ideas. You will meet and learn from professionals, board members, volunteers, and students who share your passion for preserving Wisconsin's local history and historic places.

Conference registration is now open. Early Bird discounts are available through August 18 after which regular registration rates will apply through the October 6 deadline. Members of the Wisconsin Historical Society receive a 10% member discount when they provide their membership number during registration. We also offer a special rate for students who provide a valid student ID.

Registration Rates August 19-October 6:

Friday & Saturday: $130 or $117 with Member Discount

Friday Only: $70 or $63 with Member Discount

Saturday Only: $65 or $58 with Member Discount

Student Rates (eligible with proof of valid student ID):

Friday & Saturday: $60

Friday or Saturday Only: $35

Registration Information

You can download the full brochure, a copy of the two day schedule and the registration form that you can print and mail to register.

Full Brochure (PDF, 14 MB)
Schedule at a Glance (PDF, 25 KB)
Registration Form (PDF, 37 KB)

Online Registration

You can also register and pay using our secure online registration form at http://www.whslocalhistory.com/.

Hotel Information

Conference sessions and workshops will be held at the La Crosse Center. There are seven nearby hotels that will offer a special conference rate. The approximate distance from each hotel to the La Crosse Center is included below. Participants will have access to public parking at or near the La Crosse Center.

To make reservations, please call the hotel and ask for the "Wisconsin Historical Society Conference" rate. You cannot access the conference rate through the hotel's reservation website.

If you have mobility concerns regarding how to get from your hotel to the conference center, please contact Amy Norlin at 608-264-6579 for assistance with hotel options.

Home2Suites
210 Jay Street (Across the street, 1 block)
Conference Rate: $109
608-881-6666

Fairfield Inn & Suites
434 3rd Street South (2 blocks)
Conference Rate: $119.99
608-782-1491

Courtyard by Marriott
500 Front Street (.2 mile)
Conference Rates: Single and Double for $139
608-782-1000 or Book online at http://wihist.org/2wJZluX

GrandStay Hotel and Suites
525 Front Street North (.4 mile)
Conference Rate: $82
608-796-1615

Hampton Inn La Crosse
511 3rd Street North (.7 mile)
Conference Rate: $91 king, $111 double queen
608-791-4004 or online at: http://wihist.org/2xNQSnA

Candlewood Suites
54 Copeland Avenue (1 mile)
Conference Rates: Single for $82 and Double for $92
608-785-1110

AmericInn Hotel
1835 Rose Street (3 miles)
Conference Rates: Thursday night at $82 and Friday night at $109.99
608-781-7000

Keynote Speakers

Richard L. Pifer, Ph.D. retired in 2015 as Director of Reference and Public Services for the Wisconsin Historical Society's Library-Archives Division. He received a PhD in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His historical research has focused on homefront history in Wisconsin during the First and Second World Wars. Dr. Pifer is the author of City at War: Milwaukee During World War II and the upcoming book The Great War Comes to Wisconsin: Sacrifice, Patriotism, and Free Speech in a Time of Crisis.

Sergio M. González is a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Grounded within working-class and immigration history, his research examines the religious communities Latino immigrants developed in Wisconsin throughout the twentieth century. Beyond his academic work, he serves on the boards of directors of the Wisconsin Labor History Society and the Madison-based Workers' Rights Center, and previously served as the co-president of the UW-Madison graduate worker union, the Teaching Assistants' Association. Mr. Gonzalez is the author of the upcoming book Mexicans in Wisconsin.

Tours and Special Events

Dark La Crosse Radio Show: The La Crosse Public Library Archives will present the debut performance of the 2017 Dark La Crosse Radio Show. Performed in the style of an old-time radio and variety show, the show uses live music and a multi-media experience to recreate true crime stories from La Crosse’s past including prohibition-era gangsters, unsolved murders, and the nationally reported yet unsolved kidnapping of Evelyn Hartley in 1953.

Hixon House Museum: Once the home of a wealthy lumber baron, the Hixon House was donated to the La Crosse County Historical Society in 1965 with 90% of its original furnishings. In 2004, with the help of a grant from the Jeffries Foundation, the historical society completely restored the interior to its 1910 beauty. The guided tour of this authentic Victorian and early 20th century home will tell the story of early La Crosse and the Hixon family.

Mary of the Angels Chapel: Enjoy a guided tour of The Mary of the Angels and Perpetual Adoration Chapels at St. Rose Convent. The chapel was completed in 1906 and serves as the place of prayer for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. The 6000 square foot Romanesque Revival building was designed by architect Eugene R. Liebert of Milwaukee based on early medieval architectural designs that were popular in 19th century Germany. Visitors will get an up-close look at the incredible artistic skills and the fine materials such as Bavarian stained glass, Italian marble altars, and inlaid mosaics of Venetian glass and mother of pearl that accomplished the convent's goal to build "as fine a chapel as means would allow."

Footsteps of La Crosse: Join the La Crosse Public Library Archives for a walking tour of the La Crosse Commercial Historic District which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded the city the Great American Main Street Award in 2002 for the successful revitalization of this district. The tour will cover the architectural evolution of the district from the boomtown riverboat era of the 1860s through the 1940s Art Moderne and will demonstrate the history of the city through its buildings.

Hear, Here History Tour: Bring your phones and your walking shoes to this tour of downtown La Crosse locations to hear history told by the person who experienced it. Hear, Here executive director Ariel Beaujot will introduce you to the newest stories of this award-winning public history project.

Trempealeau Mounds Tour: Step back in time with archaeologists Danielle Benden and Robert "Ernie" Boszhardt as you tour some of the most unique archaeological sites in the Driftless Area. In Trempealeau you will hike up Little Bluff to a series of Mississippian platform mounds built by Cahokians, nearly 1,000 years ago, and take in one of the most beautiful views of the Upper Mississippi River. Then it's onto an indoor exhibit at Perrot State Park that explores the region's natural and cultural history.