Wisconsin Historical Museum

Wisconsin Historical Museum Collecting, Preserving and Sharing Stories Since 1846. Exhibits at the Wisconsin Historical Museum are now closed to prepare for the new history center.
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But you can still shop with us in store or online! Shop NOW: https://wihist.org/3iawNop

04/14/2026

We believe history has the power to enrich and transform lives. And today, we're making it more accessible than ever.

The Wisconsin Historical Society is proud to unveil a fresh new brand identity and a fully redesigned website. We're also introducing a new nickname: WisHistory. Shorter, friendlier, and a little easier to fit into conversationโ€”but the same trusted resource Wisconsin and beyond has counted on since 1846.

The new website is built with you in mind. Whether you want to dig into the archives, plan a trip to one of our historic destinations, or read the latest news from the maritime archaeology team, the new website puts it all at your fingertips.

History is for everyone. Start exploring: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/

๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ! ๐—ช๐—ฒ'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—ช๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ! Here's your cha...
04/09/2026

๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ! ๐—ช๐—ฒ'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—ช๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ! Here's your chance to build your future with us and be part of history.

The Wisconsin Historical Society is entering a transformational moment with the opening of the 115,000 square foot Wisconsin History Center in late 2027.
Located on Capitol Square in downtown Madison, the History Center will serve as a flagship destination where people and communities connect across time through shared American experiences.

As the Societyโ€™s premier venue, the History Center will feature more than 30,000 square feet of exhibit space, including three permanent galleries, a 7,500 square foot changing gallery, and a 1,000 square foot community gallery. The facility will include classrooms, dynamic public programming spaces, and a top floor and rooftop event venue. The Center is expected to welcome more than 200,000 visitors annually and will serve as the hub for mission delivery across Wisconsin.
The History Center Attractions Director provides senior level leadership across all facets of operations. This includes guest experience, programming, retail and admissions, business operations, and financial performance. The Director plays a critical role in shaping how visitors experience the History Center from the moment they arrive.

This role leads all visitor-facing functions including Guest Services, Admissions, Retail operations, programming and education, and overall facility readiness. The Director is also responsible for managing key operational partnerships including private events, food and beverage, security, and custodial services, ensuring strong performance, compliance, and a high-quality guest experience.

The Director serves as a key member of the Societyโ€™s senior leadership team and works closely with executive leaders across programs, collections, learning, creative, marketing, and business services to deliver a cohesive and compelling visitor experience.

For more details and to apply: https://wihist.org/41ULv5O

Apply by 11:59 p.m. on May 29, 2026.

Lunch plans on Tuesday?! Here's a great idea! Join us for History Sandwiched In on select Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. โ€“ 1:3...
03/09/2026

Lunch plans on Tuesday?! Here's a great idea!

Join us for History Sandwiched In on select Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. โ€“ 1:30 p.m. this fall inside the U.S. Bank Building on Madisonโ€™s Capital Square.

๐Ÿ’ง ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ - ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ผ๐—บ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—œ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—จ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ: ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ-๐—•๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ, ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—›๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ-๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ, ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜… ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ก๐—ผ๐—ต๐—น

Recounting harrowing experiences with tangled air-hoses, hungry sharks, and painful cases of the bends, Thomsen recounts how Max Nohlโ€™s unquenchable thirst for adventure propelled him to transcend fear and become one of the fieldโ€™s great innovators. She will describe his early passion for the undersea world and his many groundbreaking contributions to the diving industry, including inventing the first self-contained diving suit, co-founding Milwaukee-based diving equipment company, DESCO, and developing early underwater film and photography techniques for Hollywood. This book is published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

The events are FREE, but advanced registration is recommended.

Learn more and register here: https://wihist.org/4ujryCT

๐Ÿ“ธ: Dean Witter

Are you ready for a historic camp adventure this summer? Roll dice and thwart monsters, tackle new challenges, innovate,...
02/09/2026

Are you ready for a historic camp adventure this summer? Roll dice and thwart monsters, tackle new challenges, innovate, create and learn during our exciting History Maker Space Summer Camps in Madison for learners of all ages!

๐ŸŒณ Wisconsin Adventures Summer Camp
๐ŸŽจ Innovation Creation Summer Camp
๐Ÿ’กForward Thinkers Summer Camp
๐ŸŽฒ Myths and Legends Summer Camp- SOLD OUT

Reserve your spot today: https://wihist.org/4rcSeTS

๐Ÿšง The holidays didnโ€™t slow us down at the future Wisconsin History Center! Weโ€™re charging ahead into 2026, and the build...
01/16/2026

๐Ÿšง The holidays didnโ€™t slow us down at the future Wisconsin History Center! Weโ€™re charging ahead into 2026, and the building is starting to take shape. ๐Ÿšง

The framing for the mezzanine and Level Two is complete, and steel for Level Three is arriving, with Level Four next.

Thanks to our construction partner JH Findorff for sharing this fun fact! ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„? The earliest steel products can be traced back 4,000 years ago. Since then, steel production has become so vast and economical that we could build 548 Eiffel Towers with the amount of steel that is produced daily.

Want a closer look? Check out our construction cam and watch the progress in action: https://wihist.org/49RmCgi



๐Ÿ“ธ: JH Findorff

12/15/2025

๐—ช๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ: ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—น๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†!

As construction continues at the site of the new Wisconsin History Center, the team has been traveling the state to film the centerโ€™s large-scale media productions that will amplify the exhibition experiences.

In September, the Wisconsin Historical Society partnered with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to film manoomin (wild rice) harvesting with Lac du Flambeau Tribal members Biskakone Greg Johnson and Wasanodae Johnson. The father-daughter ricing partners spent two full days filming with SideXSide Studios. Miigwech (thank you) to Greg and Nodae for taking the film crew across the waters of Island Lake with expert poling and knocking, and for sharing the cultural and spiritual significance of the food that grows on the water.

The footage will be featured in various media installations in the Wisconsin History Center, along with additional film captured throughout Wisconsin and across our varied seasons, highlighting the gatherings, cultural activities and landscapes that help share the stories of the state.

๐Ÿ“ธ: SideXSide Studios

Up for a little crafting? Create a mini tinsel tree, holiday banners, arts and more while sipping on hot cider and cocoa...
12/03/2025

Up for a little crafting? Create a mini tinsel tree, holiday banners, arts and more while sipping on hot cider and cocoa.

โ„๏ธ Join us for Make It Merry: A Family & Friends Crafting Event
Saturday, December 6 or Saturday, December 13
History Maker Space in Madison

Swing into the '60s at Gleam & Glow! Celebrate Wisconsin's iconic Evergleam aluminum Xmas trees with vintage vibes, fab drinks and groovy tunes at this holiday pop-up party.

๐ŸŒŸJoin us for Gleam and Glow: A 60's Holiday Celebration
Friday, December 19
History Maker Space in Madison

Book your tickets: https://wihist.org/3XuM2th

Check out what's been happening at the future site of the Wisconsin History Center!  .
11/21/2025

Check out what's been happening at the future site of the Wisconsin History Center! .

Canoe  #1, which is 1,200 years old and was recovered in 2021, will be exhibited in the future Wisconsin History Center.
11/20/2025

Canoe #1, which is 1,200 years old and was recovered in 2021, will be exhibited in the future Wisconsin History Center.

๐Ÿšง From crane installation to concrete pours, exciting things are happening at the Wisconsin History Center construction ...
09/08/2025

๐Ÿšง From crane installation to concrete pours, exciting things are happening at the Wisconsin History Center construction site! ๐Ÿšง

A big thank you to the talented tradespeople that have been setting forms, pouring foundation walls, reinforcing the concrete, and building the elevator core that is climbing higher each day.

For more on the Wisconsin History Center: https://wihist.org/41E39Lz

Thanks to our construction partners at JH Findorff for keeping us updated with photos from the site!

๐Ÿ“ธ: Findorff

๐Ÿ—๏ธ History is rising from the ground! The tower crane is now in place at the Wisconsin History Center construction site!...
08/25/2025

๐Ÿ—๏ธ History is rising from the ground! The tower crane is now in place at the Wisconsin History Center construction site! Next up: beam placement begins as we literally build the framework for the future home of our stateโ€™s story. This is YOUR history center taking shape, one beam at a time, and we canโ€™t wait to welcome guests from across Wisconsin and beyond.

Which Wisconsin stories are you most excited to explore?

Learn more about the Wisconsin History Center: https://wihist.org/4maPK5Y

๐Ÿ—๏ธ Construction update from the Wisconsin History Center site!Excavation for the new, five-story history hub is well und...
07/14/2025

๐Ÿ—๏ธ Construction update from the Wisconsin History Center site!

Excavation for the new, five-story history hub is well underway, with concrete foundations set to begin in July. The tower crane will go up soon after.

Keep an eye here for more updates and photos from the construction site as we build history, together!

Learn more about the future Wisconsin History Center: https://wihist.org/4eGM4pt

Thanks to our construction partners at JH Findorff for the photos from the site!

Address

30 N Carroll Street
Madison, WI
53703

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Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

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