Wisconsin Historical Society
A Wisconsin state agency and membership organization that preserves, researches, interprets, and shares the history of Wisconsin, the trans-Allegheny West, and North America.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Wisconsin Historical Society, officially named the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, is a public historical institution and private membership organization headquartered on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison. Founded in 1846 and chartered by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1853, it is recognized as the oldest historical society in the United States to receive continuous public funding. Its mission combines collecting and preserving historical evidence with public education, scholarship, historic preservation, museum interpretation, and broad access to historical information. The Society’s principal geographic emphasis is Wisconsin and the trans-Allegheny West, although its collections and programs cover the wider history of the United States, Canada, and North America. Its library, archives, museum collections, publications, historic sites, educational programs, and digital resources serve researchers, teachers, students, genealogists, preservation professionals, tourists, and the general public. The institution also functions as the official repository for Wisconsin state and local government records and works with affiliated local historical organizations throughout the state. The Society began during the territorial period, when Wisconsin leaders worried that the region’s early history, Indigenous histories, pioneer accounts, and documentary records might be lost. Organizational efforts began in 1846, were revived after statehood in 1849, and received a formal legislative charter and initial state appropriation in 1853. Under corresponding secretary Lyman Draper, the Society developed systematic collecting practices and began publishing documentary material. Its early collections included books, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, letters, Indigenous artifacts, and accounts of settlement and political development. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Society became a major research institution. Reuben Gold Thwaites expanded the collections, copied Wisconsin-related documents held elsewhere, improved public museum displays, strengthened ties with the University of Wisconsin, and encouraged the development of local historical societies. A monumental Neoclassical Revival building shared with the university was constructed between 1896 and 1900. After the Wisconsin State Capitol fire in 1904, the Society was given additional responsibility for preserving and distributing state records. In 1907 it established a museum division. Its work broadened substantially after the Second World War. The Society supported local historical organizations, developed youth history programs, advised on roadside historical markers, opened historic properties to the public, created the traveling Historymobile, expanded broadcasting and educational media, and developed regional Area Research Centers. It also became involved in historic preservation and, following the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, assumed a significant advisory and administrative role concerning National Register of Historic Places nominations in Wisconsin. From the 1970s onward, the Society expanded its living-history and public-history work through sites such as Old World Wisconsin, increased its genealogy and educational offerings, produced major scholarly reference works, and modernized its cataloging and collection systems. It began computerizing collections in the 1980s, placed its catalog online in 1993, and launched its website in 1997. In 2001 it adopted the shorter public name Wisconsin Historical Society, while the longer State Historical Society of Wisconsin remained its official statutory name. The Society is organized into divisions covering library, archives and museum collections; museums and historic sites; historic preservation and public history; and administrative services. Its holdings include millions of books, documents, newspapers, photographs, films, architectural drawings, posters, and other historical materials. The institution continues to combine statewide public service with national and international research relevance. As of 2024, it was replacing its older museum on Capitol Square with a new facility planned for opening in 2027.
History
The Wisconsin Historical Society originated in the territorial period. In 1845, Wisconsin leaders began advocating for a historical society after observing that the early records of older American regions had not always been preserved. During the 1846 constitutional convention, organizers held meetings, adopted a constitution, and selected A. Hyatt Smith as the first president. The initial organization was inactive for several years, but it was revived in 1849 after Wisconsin achieved statehood. Nelson Dewey became president, while Increase A. Lapham served among the officers. The revived organization stated that it would preserve materials concerning Wisconsin’s history, antiquities, Indigenous peoples, settlement, and institutions. The Wisconsin Legislature chartered the Society in 1853 and provided an initial appropriation of $500. Lyman Draper became corresponding secretary and gave the organization a more systematic collecting program. He solicited books, pamphlets, newspapers, letters, pioneer narratives, military records, descriptions of Indigenous sites, and other documentary and material evidence. In 1855 the Society began issuing Wisconsin Historic Collections, a recurring publication that made selected historical sources available to the public. The Society’s physical facilities developed slowly. Its materials were kept at various times in a bookcase at the state Capitol, in Draper’s basement, in a church basement, and again in the Capitol. As the collections grew, these locations became inadequate and vulnerable. The Society and the University of Wisconsin eventually sought a shared library building. Designed by Ferry & Clas and constructed from 1896 to 1900, the resulting Neoclassical Revival building on the Madison campus housed both institutions. A second wing was added in 1914, and the University later moved to a separate library, leaving the building entirely to the Historical Society in 1952. Reuben Gold Thwaites, who became the Society’s leading administrator in 1887, greatly expanded its scholarly and public role. He identified gaps in the holdings, traveled through Wisconsin to acquire materials, arranged for Wisconsin-related documents in distant repositories to be copied, opened the library to University of Wisconsin students, and improved museum interpretation. He also promoted local historical organizations and helped establish a statewide network of affiliated societies. The Society’s collections and visitor traffic grew substantially during this period, and by the late nineteenth century it was regarded as one of the leading historical societies in the United States. The 1904 Wisconsin State Capitol fire prompted an important expansion of the Society’s public responsibilities. In 1907 the legislature assigned it responsibility for preserving and distributing state records, and the Society created a museum division under Charles E. Brown. After Thwaites died unexpectedly in 1913, Milo Quaife became director, followed later by Joseph Schafer. The institution experienced resource constraints during the First World War, the interwar period, and the Great Depression, but it continued publishing and launched Wisconsin Magazine of History in 1917 as a quarterly intended to make historical scholarship accessible to a general readership. From the 1940s through the 1960s, the Society placed greater emphasis on statewide public service. Under Edward Alexander and Clifford Lord, it strengthened relationships with local historical groups, created junior historian programs, supported historical markers, and developed radio and television history programming. In 1952 it opened Villa Louis to the public, beginning a major expansion of its historic-site network. The Historymobile, introduced in 1954, carried changing museum exhibitions to communities around Wisconsin. The Society also developed Area Research Centers so that regionally important archival materials could be consulted closer to their communities of origin. The institution’s preservation role expanded during the same period. It assisted Milwaukee with a historic-preservation ordinance in 1963 and became Wisconsin’s designated adviser and gatekeeper for National Register of Historic Places work after the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Its collecting scope also extended beyond Wisconsin, including significant national archival materials and audiovisual holdings. The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research became part of this broader collecting and research infrastructure. The 1970s and 1980s brought new public programs and facilities. Old World Wisconsin opened as a living-history museum presenting the farms, buildings, work, and daily life of settlers from different ethnic backgrounds. The Society expanded genealogy instruction and reorganized its catalogs during the period of heightened historical interest surrounding the United States Bicentennial. It began producing the multivolume History of Wisconsin and took part in the Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, a major documentary reference project. In 1980 it acquired a former hardware store on Capitol Square and converted it into museum space; the museum moved there in 1986. Technological modernization followed. The Society began computerizing its collections during the 1980s, made its catalog accessible through the Internet in 1993, and launched its website in 1997. Digital access broadened the audience for its materials beyond Madison and Wisconsin. During the 1990s it also developed Wisconsin history textbooks and teacher resources for elementary education. In 2001 it joined National History Day, supporting student research and presentations, and in 2005 it began the Badger Biographies series. Today, the Wisconsin Historical Society operates as a multifaceted public institution with divisions for library, archives and museum collections; museums and historic sites; historic preservation and public history; and administration. Its holdings include nearly four million historical items, a very large newspaper collection, and millions of photographs, negatives, films, architectural drawings, cartoons, lithographs, posters, and related visual materials. It maintains historic sites and museums throughout Wisconsin while continuing to provide research, preservation, educational, publication, and digital services. In the 2020s it undertook plans to replace its older museum building on Capitol Square, with a new facility planned for 2027.
- 2024
Replacement museum project planned
[1]The Society was replacing its older museum with a new building on the same site, with completion planned for 2027.
- 2005
Badger Biographies series begins
[1]The Society began publishing a biographical series designed to support younger readers and Wisconsin history education.
- 2001
Public rebranding as Wisconsin Historical Society
[1]The institution adopted its shorter public name while retaining its statutory name under Wisconsin law.
- 2001
National History Day participation begins
[1]The Society joined the national student-history program for grades six through twelve.
- 1997
Wisconsin Historical Society website launches
[1]The Society established its principal online public presence and began distributing more resources digitally.
- 1993
Online catalog access begins
[1]The Society made its catalog available through the Internet, expanding remote research access.
- 1986
Museum moves to Capitol Square facility
[1]A former hardware store acquired in 1980 was converted into a museum and opened for that purpose.
- 1970
Old World Wisconsin develops as a living-history museum
[1]The Society expanded its interpretation of immigrant settlement, agriculture, architecture, and everyday life through a large outdoor museum.
- 1966
Historic-preservation role expands
[1]After passage of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Society became Wisconsin’s designated adviser for National Register work.
- 1954
Historymobile introduced
[1]A traveling museum began bringing changing historical exhibitions to communities across Wisconsin.
Products and positioning
A statewide public-history infrastructure institution combining the functions of a research library, archives, museum network, historic-preservation authority, educational publisher, membership organization, and digital history provider.
Research collections · 1846
Library and archival collections
The Society maintains an extensive research library and archival repository covering Wisconsin, the United States, Canada, and North American history. Holdings include books, manuscripts, newspapers, government records, maps, photographs, films, architectural drawings, posters, and other primary sources. The collections support academic research, genealogy, teaching, preservation, journalism, and public inquiry.
Publication · 1917
Wisconsin Magazine of History
A quarterly historical publication founded in 1917. It presents research, documentary material, interpretation, and illustrated features concerning Wisconsin and related American history for both general readers and specialists.
Documentary publication · 1855
Wisconsin Historic Collections
An early Society publication series that began in 1855 and made selected manuscripts, recollections, correspondence, and other documentary sources available to readers studying Wisconsin’s past.
Museums and heritage sites · 1952
Wisconsin historic sites and museums
The Society operates a network of museums and historic properties across Wisconsin. These sites interpret architecture, settlement, industry, family life, agriculture, commerce, transportation, and the experiences of different communities through exhibitions, tours, demonstrations, and public events.
Living-history museum · 1970
Old World Wisconsin
An outdoor living-history museum presenting farms, buildings, tools, work, and everyday practices associated with immigrant and ethnic settlement in Wisconsin. Its interpretation emphasizes how people built communities and adapted agricultural and domestic traditions to the state’s environment.
Traveling exhibition · 1954
Historymobile
A mobile museum program introduced in 1954 that carried changing historical exhibitions to communities around Wisconsin. It extended the Society’s educational reach beyond its Madison buildings and fixed historic sites.
Digital research service · 1993
Digital collections and online catalog
The Society provides online discovery and access tools for its collections, including catalog records and digitized historical resources. Internet distribution has enabled researchers, teachers, students, genealogists, and the general public to use materials without traveling to Madison.
Special collection
Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
A specialized research center housed within the Society’s collections division. It preserves and makes available materials concerning film and theater, extending the institution’s collecting work into audiovisual and performing-arts history.
Marketing campaigns
- 2001National History Day participation
Wisconsin · United States
The Society joined National History Day, encouraging students in grades six through twelve to investigate historical subjects and present their findings.
Outcome. The program added a structured student-research pathway to the Society’s educational work.
- 1954Historymobile outreach
Wisconsin
A traveling museum brought rotating historical exhibitions to communities that could not easily visit the Society’s Madison facilities.
Outcome. The program made museum interpretation more geographically accessible across the state.
- 1947Junior historians program
Wisconsin schools
The Society encouraged history clubs and junior historian chapters in elementary and middle schools, distributing age-appropriate history material and student writing.
Outcome. The program broadened the Society’s educational audience and connected young students with local and state history.
- 1898Statewide local historical society network
Wisconsin
The Society advocated legislation and organizational support for a network of local historical societies, encouraging communities to preserve and interpret their own records and material history.
Outcome. Green Bay and Ripon became among the first affiliated local societies in 1899, and the Society’s statewide coordinating role expanded.
Brand decisions
2024
Plan a replacement museum buildingStrategyBackground
The Society’s museum facility had been in use for roughly four decades and was being replaced as part of a long-term modernization effort.
Action taken
The Society began replacing the museum on the same Capitol Square site.
Aftermath
The replacement facility was planned to open in 2027.
2001
Adopt the Wisconsin Historical Society public nameStrategyBackground
The institution had long used the shorter Wisconsin Historical Society name informally, while its formal statutory name remained State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
Action taken
The Society adopted Wisconsin Historical Society as its public-facing brand.
Aftermath
Some historians criticized the change for reducing the visible emphasis on the organization’s status as a state institution, but the statutory name remained unchanged.
1980
Acquire and convert Capitol Square hardware storeStrategyBackground
The Society’s museum and collections were outgrowing available space.
Action taken
The Society acquired the Wolff, Kubly & Hirsig hardware store building and converted it for museum use.
Aftermath
The museum moved into the renovated facility in 1986.
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