Wisconsin Council for Local History
The Wisconsin Council for Local History is an association of over 440 local, county, and specialized history and cultural organizations that are affiliated with the Wisconsin Historical Society. The Council promotes the work of local historical societies in Wisconsin and advises the Society on its services to local affiliates. A complete list of affiliated organizations appears in the Local History Affiliate Directory.
About the Wisconsin Council for Local History
In 1899, Reuben Gold Thwaites, director of the Wisconsin Historical Society, traveled by train to Green Bay and Ripon to participate in the affiliation of Wisconsin's first two local historical societies. Since then, more than 440 additional local history and cultural organizations throughout the state have organized and affiliated with the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Affiliated local historical societies and the Wisconsin Historical Society have a special relationship defined in the Wisconsin Statutes. The Society offers organizational and educational assistance to local affiliates. The local affiliates, in turn, share in the mission and responsibility of preserving Wisconsin's history.
Local history or cultural groups become a member of the Council by becoming an affiliate of the Society. For information on becoming an affiliate of the Wisconsin Historical Society and a member of the Wisconsin Council for Local History, please click here.
Mission
The mission of the Wisconsin Council for Local History is to promote communication and cooperation among local history and cultural groups. The Council provides opportunities for history and cultural organizations in Wisconsin to discuss mutual problems and promote wider interest in local history.
Through its Administrative Committee, the Council also advises the Wisconsin Historical Society on its local history programming and serves as a voice of local historians.
Each year, the Council and Society organize regional meetings that offer educational programming, roundtable discussions, and tours of the host organization's museum, sites, or historical features of the area. The Society and Council also partner to offer an annual mini-grant program and to plan the annual Local History & Historic Preservation Conference, the largest gathering of its kind in the state.
Administrative Committee
The Administrative Committee is the Council's representative decision-making body. It is composed of a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, six members at large, one representative of the Society's Board of Curators, and ten regional representatives. The director of the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Society's Local History Outreach representatives serve as ex-officio members of the Administrative Committee. The Administrative Committee meets in the spring and at the state conference in the fall. The current Administrative Committee is listed below.
| President: | Cody W. Schreck Ephraim Historical Foundation 3060 Anderson Lane, PO Box 165 Ephraim, WI 54211-0165 920-854-9688 cschreck@ephraim.org |
| Vice President | Mia Phifer America's Black Holocaust Museum 401 W. North Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53212 414-209-3640 mphifer@abhmuseum.org |
| Treasurer | John Harry Portage County Historical Society PO Box 672 Stevens Point, WI 54481 715-600-1352 jharry@pchswi.org |
| Secretary | Chris Connors Norskedalen PO Box 235 Coon Valley, WI 54623 608-452-3424 chris.connors@norskedalen.org |
| Directors at Large | Jamila Benson Wisconsin Black Historical Society & Museum 2620 W. Center Street Milwaukee, WI 53206 414-372-7677 jamilabenson@wbhsm.org Karen Sailer Eagle River Historical Society PO Box 231 Eagle River, WI 54521 715-479-4357 karenjsailer@gmail.com Sara Tomilin Forest Home Historic Preservation Association 2405 W. Forest Home Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53215 414-645-2632 sarat@foresthomecemetery.com Vacancy Vacancy Vacancy |
| Board of Curators Representative | Cody W. Schreck |
| Ex Officio Directors (without vote): | Christian Øverland, Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO, Wisconsin Historical Society 816 State Street Madison, WI 53706 608-264-6440 christian.overland@wisconsinhistory.org Janet Seymour Director of Outreach, Wisconsin Historical Society 105 Garfield Avenue Eau Claire, WI 54701 715-836-2250 janet.seymour@wisconsinhistory.org |
| Capital | Jennifer Gurske Madison Trust for Historic Preservation PO Box 296 Madison, WI 53701 608-441-8864 info@madisonpreservation.org |
| Northwestern | Brenna Weston Polk County Museum 120 W. Main Street Balsam Lake, WI 54810 715-485-9269 director@polkcountymuseum.org |
| Central | John Harry Portage County Historical Society PO Box 672 Stevens Point, WI 54481 715-600-1352 jharry@pchswi.org |
| Northwoods | Ben Clark Marathon County Historical Society 410 McIndoe Street Wausau, WI 54403 715-842-5750 bclark@marathoncountyhistory.org |
| East Central | Jim Frasier Princeton Historical Society 630-632 W. Water Street Princeton, WI 54968 920-295-9008 jim.frasier28@gmail.com |
| Southeastern | Merrilee Lee William D. Hoard Museum 401 Whitewater Avenue Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 920-563-7769 mlee@hoardmuseum.org |
| Metropolitan | Mia Phifer America's Black Holocaust Museum 401 W. North Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53212 414-209-3640 mphifer@abhmuseum.org |
| Southwestern | Chris Connors Norskedalen PO Box 235 Coon Valley, WI 54623 608-452-3424 chris.connors@norskedalen.org |
| Northeastern | Cody W. Schreck Ephraim Historical Foundation 3060 Anderson Lane, PO Box 165 Ephraim, WI 54211-0165 920-854-9688 cschreck@ephraim.org |
| West Central | Rachel Lange Chippewa Valley Museum 1204 E. Half Moon Drive, PO Box 1204 Eau Claire, WI 54703 r.lange@cvmuseum.com |
Learn More
Resources for Local Historical Societies
Have Questions?
Contact: