Wisconsin Historical Society facts for kids
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1846 |
| Jurisdiction | Wisconsin |
| Headquarters | 816 State Street Madison, Wisconsin 53706 |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | State of Wisconsin |
The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) is a special organization. It works as both a state agency and a private group. Its main goal is to collect, share, and teach people about the history of North America. It focuses a lot on the state of Wisconsin and the areas west of the Allegheny Mountains.
The society started in 1846 and was officially recognized in 1853. It is the oldest historical society in the United States that has always received money from the government. The main office of the society is in Madison, Wisconsin. It is located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Contents
How the Society is Organized
The Wisconsin Historical Society has four main parts, called divisions. Each division helps the society do its important work. These parts are:
- The Division of Library, Archives and Museum Collections
- The Division of Museums and Historic Sites
- The Division of Historic Preservation-Public History
- The Division of Administrative Services
Discovering History: Library, Archives, and Museum Collections
This division collects and keeps books and documents. These items are all about the history of Wisconsin, the United States, and Canada. The society's library and archives work together. They serve as the main library for American history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The society has almost four million items in its collection. This makes it the largest collection in the world focused only on North American history. Its newspaper collection is the second largest in the United States. Only the Library of Congress has more newspapers.
The archives also hold many visual items. These include about three million photos, films, drawings, and posters. The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research is also part of this division. It helps preserve films and theater history.
The society's archives also keep official records from the state and local governments. The society has a special network called the Area Research Center Network. This network works with University of Wisconsin campuses across the state. It helps people in different parts of Wisconsin access the historical collections.
Exploring History: Museums and Historic Sites
This division runs the Wisconsin Historical Museum in downtown Madison. It also manages 11 historic sites across the state. The museum has a program that studies old artifacts. It works with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources. They research, collect, and save historical items.
The other historic sites are popular places to visit. They show old buildings that tell Wisconsin's story. They also have exhibits and demonstrations about the state's history. You can learn about early settlers, mining, farming, fur trading, and pioneer life.
Sharing History: Historic Preservation and Public History
This division manages programs that protect historic places in Wisconsin. It also runs a program to protect old burial sites. The division also has its own publishing company, the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. This press publishes books about Wisconsin and American history. It also puts out a magazine four times a year. This magazine is called the Wisconsin Magazine of History. The division also helps local historical groups.
Wisconsin Magazine of History
The Wisconsin Magazine of History (ISSN 1943-7366) is a magazine published by the WHS. It comes out every three months. It has been published since September 1917. The society has made all its past issues available online. This means you can find over 2,000 articles and more than 30,000 pages of history.
Supporting the Society: Administrative Services
This division helps all the other parts of the WHS run smoothly. It provides support and plans for the entire organization.
The society's website is a great resource. It has a large collection of historical images that you can search through. It also has a huge online archive. This archive contains thousands of scanned documents about Wisconsin history.
All employees of the Wisconsin Historical Society are also employees of the State of Wisconsin.
Notable People
- John Givan Davis Mack, a professor of engineering and a curator for the WHS library.
- F. Gerald Ham, a former Wisconsin state archivist and director of the Library-Archives Division.
See also
- Google Books Library Project
In Spanish: Sociedad Histórica de Wisconsin para niños
