Object Histories

Industry / La Farge / Object Histories / A Dam Tower in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve / Manufacturing & Trade / Vernon County / Nature & Environment / Politics & Government / 1965-1987 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 6 - South West

OBJECT HISTORY: A Dam Tower in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve

This concrete obelisk stands near the Kickapoo River and is located a mile north of the village of La Farge.  It rises nearly a hundred feet above the river valley floor. The tower was constructed more than forty years ago as part…

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September 9, 2020

Delafield / Object Histories / 1918-1945 / Waukesha County / Nature & Environment / Politics & Government / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East / Lapham Peak Observation Tower

OBJECT HISTORY: Lapham Peak Observation Tower

At first glance, you might recognize this iconic Southeastern Wisconsin tower. Yet, under its wooden beams lies a rich foundation of Wisconsin’s history, including one of the state’s first scientists and a state agency responsible for construction works you probably use everyday.…

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September 8, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Ethnicity & Identity / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Sports & Games / Everyday Life / Curators' Favorites / Global Connections / 1987-2011 / Region 8 - South East / Earlene Fuller's Bowling Shirt

OBJECT HISTORY: Earlene Fuller’s Bowling Shirt

This shirt, which features an African kente cloth print, was designed, made and worn in the mid-1990s by Milwaukee's Earlene Fuller, an African American bowler and seamstress.

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August 30, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Racine / Object Histories / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Sports & Games / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Racine County / 1987-2011 / Region 8 - South East / Racine Belles Movie Costume

OBJECT HISTORY: Racine Belles Movie Costume

This Racine Belles costume was worn in the 1992 film "A League of Their Own." The film focused on the Rockford (Illinois) Peaches, tracking a season in the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League. The Peaches played the Belles several times during the film.

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August 24, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Sports & Games / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Curators' Favorites / 1965-1987 / Region 8 - South East / Happy Days Bowling Shirt Costume

OBJECT HISTORY: Happy Days Bowling Shirt Costume

This bowling shirt costume from the television series Happy Day speaks to Wisconsin's association with bowling. Milwaukee, where the show was set, was known as the bowling capital of America.

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August 15, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Art & Design / Military History / Indigenous Wisconsin / Object Histories / Door County / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Ethnicity & Identity / 1900-1918 / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Potawatomi Beaded 'Soldier Coat'

OBJECT HISTORY: Potawatomi Beaded ‘Soldier Coat’

An elder spokesman for the Potawatomi Indians, Chief Simon Onanguisse Kahquados made a number of trips to Washington, D.C. in the early twentieth century in an effort to regain land that his people had lost through treaties with the United States government in the 1800s. Kahquados wore this coat on his last trip to Washington and also wore it on other important occasions, such as trips to the state capital in Madison where he often spent time researching and presenting information about his ancestry.

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August 1, 2020