Wisconsin 101

Ezekiel Gillespie, Black Suffrage, and the Wisconsin Idea

The Wisconsin Idea can be a lofty political goal, and it’s one that the state it is named after hasn’t always lived up to. Like so many other places in the United States, Wisconsin has a history of discriminating against its citizens…

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October 30, 2024

John Potter's Monster Knife / Madison / Dane County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Politics & Government / Society & Religion / Region 7 - South Center

The Development of Progressive Politics in Wisconsin from Abolition into the Twentieth Century

The legacy of abolitionists and anti-slavery figures didn’t end with the Civil War or the abolition of slavery, indeed many of the political and moral sentiments that fueled this movement for freedom continued on and inspired other political movements in Wisconsin, particularly…

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October 30, 2024

East Troy / John Potter's Monster Knife / New Object Histories / Object Histories / 1848-1877 / Walworth County / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: John Fox Potter’s “Monster Knife”

Measuring over six feet in length and weighing thirty-two pounds, this gigantic folding knife belonged to Wisconsin representative John Fox “Bowie Knife” Potter who was famous as a dedicated abolitionist and infamous for his willingness to use physical force on the United…

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October 29, 2024

Hawks Inn / Delafield / Related Stories / 1787-1848 / 1848-1877 / Waukesha County / Politics & Government / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East

Nelson Hawks and Delafield’s Beginnings

When Nelson P. Hawks first arrived in the area that is now Delafield, there were no hotels, no mills, churches, or stores of any kind—only a few cabins and the pioneers that occupied them. This would greatly change in the twenty-three years…

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September 25, 2024

Hawks Inn / New Object Histories / Delafield / Object Histories / 1787-1848 / 1848-1877 / Waukesha County / Politics & Government / Transportation & Tourism / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: Hawks Inn

Standing at two-and-a-half stories, with a side-gabled roof and paired end chimneys, and painted white with black shutters, the image of Hawks Inn would have filled travelers with hope and relief during their trek along the stagecoach route from Milwaukee to Madison,…

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September 25, 2024

Industry / Fish Boil Kettle / Related Stories / Door County / 1848-1877 / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1877-1900 / Region 5 - Center East

Early Fishing in Northern Door County: Before the Turn of the 20th Century

The impact of the fishing industry on Door County cannot be understated, as it held the keys for the original formation of the County and many of its cities and villages. Although commercial fishing has waned, the tradition persists in area as…

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April 10, 2024