Wisconsin 101

Enjoy a browse through Wisconsin 101’s collection of object histories. Click on the “Read More” button to view the full story and its accompanying related histories or explore the categories listed above each object history to learn more about certain themes, periods of time, and Wisconsin locales.

OBJECT HISTORY: John Roundtree’s Sword

John Rountree’s officer’s sword is thirty and three-quarters inches long from tip to pommel with a 26-inch blade of curved steel. When you hold it, it is eerie to know that this sword might have been used in actual battle by John…

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July 20, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Military History / New Object Histories / Maritime Industry / Industry / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Door County / Sturgeon Bay / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 5 - Center East

OBJECT HISTORY: Mercedes Herman’s Welding Uniform

At only sixteen years old, Mercedes Herman stepped forward as one of the first Wisconsin women to join the local manufacturing workforce in Door County during the second World War, operating as a shipyard welder at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.…

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June 10, 2025

Military History / Object Histories / Curators' Favorites / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / Nature & Environment / Price County / Politics & Government / Eagle Feather

OBJECT HISTORY: Feather from Old Abe the War Eagle

Twelve-year-old Ida Karne picked up this feather when visiting Old Abe the War Eagle in 1868. Today, it represents one of the few remaining parts of the eagle who became famous not only for his Civil War exploits, but also as a…

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May 15, 2025

New Object Histories / Art & Design / Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Object Histories / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East / Milwaukee Handicraft Project Portfolio

OBJECT HISTORY: Milwaukee Handicraft Project Portfolio

A seagull is eating fish for lunch, disrupting the regularity of the water’s waves as it splashes around. This is a scene so common on the Milwaukee shores of Lake Michigan that it served as design inspiration for local craftsmen, and in…

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April 23, 2025

New Object Histories / Object Histories / Education / Dane County / Madison / 1965-1987 / Region 7 - South Center / Statue of Liberty

OBJECT HISTORY: Statue of Liberty

Hosted by the University of Wisconsin Union team since 1940, and meant as a way to invite the university community to take part in outdoor recreation and celebrate the season, the Winter Carnival is one of the most iconic events on Madison’s…

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March 11, 2025

Janesville / New Object Histories / Object Histories / Industry / Wisconsin Made / Rock County / 1965-1987 / Transportation & Tourism / Chevy Caprice / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Chevrolet Caprice

General Motors was the largest car manufacturing corporation in the world in the 1960s, and the assembly of the 100 millionth General Motors vehicle, a marina blue 1967 Chevrolet Caprice with a soft black top and complementary blue interior, was a significant…

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February 17, 2025

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