Wisconsin 101

Wisconsin’s Feminist Leaders and the National Organization for Women

In the early nineteen sixties, American women organized in pursuit of socio-political change and gender equality. In Wisconsin, women challenged inequitable policies and societal norms by organizing the Wisconsin Commission on the Status for Women and participating in the National Organization for Women…

Comments Off

August 19, 2021

Art & Design / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Madison / Dane County / Object Histories / 1945-1965 / Society & Religion / Region 7 - South Center / Frank Lloyd Wright Pew/Bench

OBJECT HISTORY: First Unitarian Meeting House Bench

For over a century, the First Unitarian Society of Madison has been a center for like-minded individuals to share ideas and connect. The Society’s Meeting House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and stands as a one of his most representative works,…

Comments Off

August 16, 2021

Doty Island / Madison / Dane County / Related Stories / 1787-1848 / Politics & Government / Winnebago County / Region 4 - Center / Region 5 - Center East / Region 7 - South Center / Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

James Duane Doty

As settlers continued moving westward during the nineteenth century, the United States was a mix of states and large territories. From 1805-1837, Wisconsin was part of the Michigan territory. James Duane Doty spearheaded the movement to create partitions in the Michigan territory, …

Comments Off

November 17, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Dane County / Madison / Sports & Games / 1900-1918 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center / Madison-Style Ice Boat

OBJECT HISTORY: Madison-Style Ice Boat Model

This miniature ice boat was originally built in Madison, Wisconsin about 1916-1917 by a member of the Bernard family. Carl Bernard grew up in the culture of ice boating and began making models of them at a young age. Creating models helped the Bernards try new innovative building techniques and were also raced for fun.

Comments Off

October 1, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Dane County / Madison / Related Stories / Sports & Games / Curators' Favorites / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center / Madison-Style Ice Boat

Ice Boating in Madison: A Bernard Family Tradition

Ice boating for sport began along New York's upper Hudson River around the Civil War and soon spread to other cold weather locations. An 1878 article in Harper's Weekly includes an engraving of ice boating in Madison. The city quickly became a center for ice boating in North America, a distinction held for over a century.

Comments Off

October 1, 2020

Agriculture / Madison / Dane County / Education / Object Histories / Curators' Favorites / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Jar of Marbles

Today, the Wisconsin State Fair is full of attractions, rides, and great food, but in its early years, it was a place for farmers to gather and share ideas about the agricultural industry. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the state…

Comments Off

April 6, 2020