History and Learning in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Historical Museum is the perfect place to visit if you would like to learn about the history of the state. The museum is located on Madison's capital square. There are countless exhibits about Wisconsin's heritage, as well as a vareity of American history displays. These include photographs, artifacts, video presentation, and multimedia programs. There are several permanent exhibits, as well as traveling and temporary ones.

Items at the museum include an eclectic mix of things that describe Wisconsin history. They may not make sense at first. For instance, there is a pink flamingo, a jar of skunk oil, and a 7-foot long bowie knife. Famous college pranks and seances are memorialized at the museum, as are a number of other state oddities in the Odd Wisconsin exhibit. There is also a temporary exhibit of the Ho-Chunk native American nation, that features literature, photographs, and other items from the heritage of these native people.

Permanent exhibits at the museum include the "People of the Woodlands: Wisconsin Indian Ways.'' This features stores of native Wisconsin people before and after the fur trade. Another ongoing exhibit is "On Common Ground: Two Hundred Years of Wisconsin History.'' This exhibit explores what makes Wisconsin unique from the other states, and examines the state's labor traditional and political makeup.

In the collections featured at the museum, there are over 110,00 historical objects and 400,000 archaeological artifacts. Collections include business and technology, anthropology, costumers, textiles, and items from domestic, political, and military life. This is the ideal environment for the Wisconsin scholar to enjoy a hands on examination of the materials they are studying. They aid in the understanding of trends and events in ethnic, religious, and social areas of life. Students and instructors can examine numerous databases and catalogs in search of materials that will be specific to their particular area of study. The website lists the appropriate expert from the museum to contact with questions and requests, depending on your area of work.

The museum hosts a variety of special events throughout the year and comes alive at Christmas time. Throughout the month of December, visitors to the museum can examine the celebration of an old world Christmas, Wisconsin-style. The museum is also a great resource for those interested in tracing their personal heritage. The museum operates a geneology research program that allows residents access to birth and death records, census information, newspaper, and naturalization records. They also run four geneology classes throughout the year, helping citizens get started on their family tree and teaching them the most efficient and effective ways to trace their family history. Joining the museum will get you a 30% discount on all geneological research materials.

The website featues a variety of items for sale that represent the museum and the collections within its walls. Visitors can purchase books, apparel, DVDs and CDs, geneological information, and gift items for themselves and loved ones. If you have a curiousity about your personal history or the history of the state of Wisconsin, a great place to begin your study is at The Wisconsin Historical Museum.