Wisconsin 101

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

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

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

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

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

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

Military History / Madison / Dane County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Box of Chlorinium / Region 7 - South Center

Camp Randall Prison Camp

Madison residents crowded outside the local railroad station in April of 1862 and awaited the arrival of Confederate prisoners to be held at Camp Randall. Surprisingly, the Northerners met the newcomers, many among which were riddled with disease, with sympathy and curiosity…

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September 26, 2023

Health & Medicine / Military History / Dane County / Madison / Object Histories / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Box of Chlorinium / Science & Medicine / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Box of Chlorinium

Madison’s beloved Camp Randall Stadium holds a rich history many football fans are unaware of as they pass under the iconic Memorial Arch entrance. A box of chlorinium, tucked away in the Wisconsin Historical Society archives, opens the window to Civil War-era…

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September 26, 2023