Local History - Historic Preservation Conference
2020 Annual Conference
Register now for the 2020 Local History and Historic Preservation Conference online from October 21 through 23!
Register and pay your conference registration fee at www.whslocalhistory.com. Your registration fee includes all live plenary events, sessions, and networking events on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as well as access to recordings of all sessions and plenary events for one month following the conference.
Registration is $50 for all attendees. Members of the Wisconsin Historical Society are eligible for a 10% discount. Become a member today!
This year's conference is presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Council for Local History, the Wisconsin Association of Historic Preservation Commissions, and the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board.
Learn More About the Conference
Explore the speakers, events, and schedule in this comprehensive brochure.
Download the Brochure!Schedule At A Glance
Wednesday, October 21
12 - 12:30 pm
Online Conference Orientation Optional
1 - 2 pm
Opening Plenary
Welcome message from Christian Øverland
The Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO, Wisconsin Historical Society
2020: Challenges and Opportunities
A panel discussion featuring historical society directors from across the country
2:15 - 2:45 pm
Wisconsin Historical Society Press Author Spotlight: Jerry Apps
Jerry Apps will read from and share a few highlights from his most recent book, When the White Pine was King: A History of Lumberjacks, Log Drives, and Sawdust Cities in Wisconsin.
Sessions 3 - 4 pm
Mothballing Historic Buildings: Continuing Constant Maintenance on Unoccupied Buildings
Daniel Stephans
AIA, Architect / DJ Stephans AIA Architect
Arlan Kay
FAIA, Architect
Historic Preservation Advocacy
Renee Kuhlman
Senior Director of Outreach and Support, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Digital Storytelling: Engaging Next-Gen Audiences
Panel discussion led by Angela Titus
Assistant Deputy Director and Chief Program Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
Developing a Collections Management Policy: Start Yours Here!
Danielle Benden
Owner, Driftless Pathways LLC
4:30 - 5:30 pm
Networking Events and Zoom Happy Hour
Join affinity groups for networking and conversation.
Thursday, October 22
Sessions 9 – 10 am
Doing Fieldwork in Underrepresented Communities
Arijit Sen
Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Why Old is Green: Sustainability in Older Homes
Natalie Heneghan
Education Manager, Rethos: Places Reimagined
Successful Fundraising Strategies for Uncertain Times
Kristin Borst
Development Director, Wisconsin Historical Foundation
Sean Lynch
Strategic Partnership Officer, Wisconsin Historical Foundation
Collection Development Basics: How to Responsibly Build a Historical Archive
Sponsored by the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory BoardSimone Munson
Collection Development Coordinator, Wisconsin Historical Society
SESSIONS 10:30 – 11:30 am
Mounds, Markers, and Monuments in Wisconsin’s Landscape
Dr. Amy Rosebrough
Archaeologist, Wisconsin Historical Society
Dr. Daina Penkiunas
State Historic Preservation Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
Fitzie Heimdahl
State Historical Markers Program Coordinator, Wisconsin Historical Society
Decision Making Processes for Historic Preservation Commissions
Heather Bailey
Ph.D., Preservation Planner, City of Madison
Tim Acklin
AICP, Senior Planner, City of La Crosse
Historical Trauma in Native American Communities
Liz Arbuckle Wabindato
Education Outreach Specialist, Wisconsin Historical Society
Strengthen Your Membership Program
Hannah Hankins
Annual Giving Manager, Wisconsin Historical Foundation
12 – 1 pm
Plenary Keynote
Dr. Turkiya Lowe, Chief Historian, National Park Service
Women's Voting at 100 Years: A Historical Perspective Amidst Today's Challenges and Opportunities
A presentation on how gender, race, and class have structured Women's voting rights struggles from the very beginnings of the United States' founding to the present. Learn more about the National Park Service's efforts to research and interpret the history of women's suffrage, the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, and the far-reaching legacies that impact women's equality today.
SESSIONS 1:30 – 2:30 pm
The Legacy of 150 Years of Logging and Its Effect on Wild Rice
Cindi Stiles
Archaeologist and Historic Preservation Consultant
Joe Graveen
Wild Rice Technician, Wild Rice Cultural Enhancement Program Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Greg "Biskakone" Johnson
Teacher, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Grants Available from the National Park Service
Megan Brown
Chief State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants, National Park Service
Clio: Bringing Local History Home
Catherine Arnott Smith
Professor, The Information School, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Making Sense of Archival Collections
Sponsored by the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board
Emil Hoelter
Processing Archivist, Wisconsin Historical Society
Sessions 3 – 4 pm
Researching the Social History of Historic Properties
Neil Prendergast
Associate Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Financing Rehabilitation Projects
Bob Klebba
historic building owner
Tom Landgraf
of Tom Landgraf Consulting, LLC and Dimension Development, LLC
Creativity: An Essential Human Need
Mike Hollander
Museum Deputy Director, Wisconsin Historical Museum
Nick Hoffman
Administrator of Historic Sites and Museums, Wisconsin Historical Society
50th Anniversary of the Hmong Diaspora
Mai Zong Vue
Author and Advocate
4:30 – 5:30 pm
Virtual Site Tours with Q&A
Friday, October 23
8 - 8:45 am
Coffee and Conversation
Join topic-based groups hosted by Wisconsin Historical Society specialists ready to answer questions.
Sessions 9:00 – 10:00 am
Uncovering Relevant Stories for Modern Audiences
Bethany Brander
Wisconsin Historical Society
Susan Caya-Slusser
Pendarvis Historic Site, Wisconsin Historical Society
Additions to Public Buildings
Jen Davel
Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
The Lands We Share Traveling Exhibition and Community Conversation Tour: A Panel Discussion About Community Collaboration Successes and Challenges
James Levy
Director, Lands We Share Project / Associate Professor, Dept of History, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Stephen Kercher
Co-Director, Lands We Share / Professor, Dept of History, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
21st Century Artifact Collecting
Estella Chung
Chief Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society
Joe Kapler
Lead Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society
Dave Driscoll
Curator of Economic History, Wisconsin Historical Society
Tamara Funk
Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society
Alan Hanson
Curatorial Assistant, Wisconsin Historical Society
Sessions 10:30 – 11:30 am
The Legacy of the Public Works Era in Wisconsin
Daina Penkiunas
State Historic Preservation Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
A Public-Private Partnership: Putting Shaw Point on the National Register
Charlene Roise
Historian, Hess, Roise and Company, Inc.
David J. Cooper
Archeologist, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Unvarnished: Restoring the Erased History of Exclusion
Dr. Sabrina W. Robins
Board Member, African Heritage, Inc.
Donna K. Sack
Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Naper Settlement
Nicholas Hoffman
Administrator of Museums and Historic Sites, Wisconsin Historical Society
Maximizing Mission Effectiveness Through Strategic Partnerships
Wes Mosman Block
Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, WHS
Mame McCully
President and Executive Director, Milwaukee County Historical Society
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Closing Plenary Keynote
Aaron Bird Bear (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Diné, enrolled Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold Indian Reservation), Tribal Relations Director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Settler Colonialism and the Objects Around Us
Twelve American Indian nations speaking six languages from three language families reside within Wisconsin’s boarders, making Wisconsin the most culturally and linguistically diverse state east of the Mississippi River—yet many of the historical narratives we share begin with European or European American settlement. Join Aaron Bird Bear, Tribal Relations Director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for a discussion of how the monuments, markers, and other objects in the landscape only tell a fraction of the more than 12,000-year human story of the place we now call Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Historical Society’s 2020 Board of Curator’s Awards
Closing remarks from Christian Øverland, The Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO, Wisconsin Historical Society
SAVE THE DATE FOR FUTURE CONFERENCES
October 22 - 23, 2021, at the Red Lion Hotel Paper Valley in Appleton
October 13 - 15, 2022, at the Central Wisconsin Convention & Expo Center in Rothschild
October 19 - 21, 2023, at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse
Have Questions?
Contact us at lhhpconference@wisconsinhistory.org.
Learn More
Preserve Your Homes and Properties
Resources for Local Historical Societies
- Local History e-Newsletter
Receive monthly updates on resources, events and more. Contact fieldservices@wisconsinhistory.org to subscribe. - Local History LISTSERVE
Ask questions, seek advice, post events and more. Email SUBSCRIBE to localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu.