Oregon Area Historical Society

10/08/2026

Don't forget to check out Oregon Area Historical Society member, Bob Block, and his presentation Camp Randall: Civil War to “On, Wisconsin" at the Oregon Public Library TONIGHT at 6pm

Step back in time and explore the remarkable 175-year history of Camp Randall—one of Wisconsin’s most significant historic sites.

10/07/2026

Just an FYI: The museum will be closed this Saturday. We will not be hosting the previous discussed Oktoberfest. Sorry for any inconveniences.

Do, however, head over to the Gorman building to support the Oregon Area Food Pantrys Rock the Pantry Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 17th. For more info and to get your tickets:

Join Rock the Pantry for an Oktoberfest fundraiser on Saturday, October 17 from 1-4 PM at Gorman & Co in Oregon, WI. Enjoy food, fun, and polka music!

10/06/2026

Check out Oregon Area Historical Society member, Bob Block, and his presentation Camp Randall: Civil War to “On, Wisconsin" at the Oregon Public Library THIS Thursday, October 8th at 6pm.

On Thursday, October 8 at 6pm step back in time and explore the remarkable 175-year history of Camp Randall! https://oregonpl.librarycalendar.com/event/camp-randall-civil-war-wisconsin-16785

10/04/2026

Saturday October 10 at 1:30 pm the Fitchburg Historical Society will have its fall meeting in the meeting room on the second floor of the Fitchburg library. This meeting will present The History of John Muir as Teacher-student at Lake Harriet School, Oregon, Wisconsin by Matthew Farrelly. You can learn more about Lake Harriet School on our website (https://oregonareahistoricalsociety.org/history/oregon-schools/), from the school publication (oregonareahistoricalsociety.org/general-store ), or stop by the museum when we're open on Tuesday!

Many people know that John Muir, the famous naturalist and explorer, has a connection to Madison, having attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for several years. What is not as well known is that he taught at a local school during his first year in Madison.

10/02/2026

Swing by the Museum this Saturday. The Oregon Area Historical Society's Museum is open on the 1st Saturday of the month and every Tuesday. https://oregonareahistoricalsociety.org/museum/

09/27/2026

As our time of homecoming in the Oregon Community winds down, we here at the Oregon Area Historical Society would like to take the opportunity to reminisce and share the nostalgia of what our community once was and appreciate the community we have become. So much has changed; yet, at the same time, so much has remained the same. Most noticeably, our community has grown. The roads are paved and we now have eight lighted intersections. Businesses and buildings come and go, but we carry on our community traditions. Something we’ve noticed over the course of the past week’s festivities is how we as a community still show up for one another, and we don’t just show up, we show in up in force and in style. Thank you, Oregon, for making this homecoming a success. We are grateful for the new memories we now have the privilege to preserve in our collections and are looking forward to all those the future still holds.

Take a moment to reminisce with us and enjoy our Fall Flashback photos! And, as always, please stop in and visit us at the museum! We are located at 159 W. Lincoln St., Oregon, WI and are open every Tuesday 10am-3pm as well as the first Saturday of every month throughout the school year 9am-12pm.

09/25/2026

We will be open this Saturday! Drop in between 9am-12pm https://oregonareahistoricalsociety.org/museum

09/14/2026

Picture this. The year is 1942 and World War II is in full swing, too close for comfort on the other side of not one, but two different oceans. The Dane County Civil Defense Council ensures Air Raid Instructions are made available to your family and you are highly encouraged to familiarize yourself with the instructions as well as the name and location of the Air Raid Warden responsible for your section of town. For some, the fear of a threat on American soil was very real, and the instructions and map shown here are just a couple of resources Oregon Residents used to prepare themselves to remain safe on the home front.

In December 1942, the Oregon Observer documents the Village of Oregon’s efforts to help the community practice responding to the air raid siren which, at that time, was the village fire alarm. On Monday, December 7, 1942, the one-year anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, an air raid drill was performed in Oregon with the air raid warning bell sounding at 9:25pm and the drill itself lasting until 9:45pm. Residents were expected to follow the blackout orders and were encouraged to refrain from making any non-emergency phone calls as instructed by their air raid instruction cards. According to an Observer article published later in the week following the drill, the Oregon Community responded successfully to the training exercise!

The hand-drawn map here was a unique find for us recently as we inventoried a few of our military collections that we keep here at the museum. It is surreal for us to have this type of peek into the past – one that documents a town preparing for “whatever might come” – and we wanted to share it with you! Take a look at the hand-drawn map in comparison to what downtown Oregon looks like today.

Interested in learning more? Stop in and see us! We’re open every Tuesday 10am-3pm and the first Saturday of every month throughout the school year from 9am to noon.

09/12/2026

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya folks! Are you in the mood for some time travel today? If you answered yes, then you’re in luck! Join us today at Mandt Park in Stoughton for Retro on the River. Peruse the vintage market, eat some great food, enjoy some cool activities, and appreciate the great tunes coming from the Disco Dome. We’ll be here today from 9am-4pm. Looking forward to seeing you!

09/12/2026

The beans! The beans! Of the Three Sisters, the beans have been going wild! Today we harvested our meager crop of corn and our bumper crop of beans. The squash and beans are still going so we'll let them do their thing. Here's more information on the Three Sisters Garden https://oregonareahistoricalsociety.org/history/america250/