1877-1900

Art & Design / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Home Furnishings / Lake Koshkonong / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Global Connections / 1877-1900 / Jefferson County / Region 7 - South Center / Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

OBJECT HISTORY: Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

Created in 1879, this beautiful plaque features the genealogy of Sara Magelssen's family, including the story of her and her husband's immigration to Wisconsin in the 1860s.

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July 1, 2019

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Home Furnishings / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Object Histories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900

OBJECT HISTORY: Graphophone

The graphophone was one of the first ways to record and play sound. And without this invention we would not have things like voicemail, iTunes, or Spotify.

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May 1, 2019

Soo Engine 1003 / Maritime Industry / Related Stories / Lumber Industry / Mining Industry / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Region 1 - North West / Transportation & Tourism

The Soo Line

In the second half of the nineteenth century, railroads remade the geography of the Midwest. In an era when roads were often muddy filled with holes, the railroad made it faster to travel from Superior to Milwaukee by rail than from Superior…

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April 15, 2019

Medford / Industry / Related Stories / Lumber Industry / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Bark Spud / Taylor County

Tanning in Taylor County

Tanning in Taylor County In early 1890, members of a wealthy Boston-based family, the Shaws, visited Wisconsin to find new sources for the tannic acid needed to produced leather for horse harnesses and boots. The Shaw Family operated tanneries in Maine, Massachusetts,…

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April 1, 2019

Medford / Industry / Object Histories / Lumber Industry / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Region 1 - North West / Nature & Environment / Bark Spud / Taylor County

OBJECT HISTORY: Bark Spud

The bark spud is an iron tool used to remove bark from cut timber. Most bark spuds have a steel head with a hard wooden handle. The head is rounded or dish-shaped and has one cutting edge. The sharp wedge on the end of the bark spud slides between bark and wood on a log…

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April 1, 2019

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Grant County / Object Histories / Ellenboro / Industry / Wisconsin Made / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Transportation & Tourism / Region 6 - South West / Sterling Safety Bicycle

OBJECT HISTORY: The Crab Tree Special

In the 1890s, mass-produced safety bicycles sparked a bicycle craze across Wisconsin. However, despite the lowered costs associated with mass production, not everyone could afford this new luxury. Walter Atkinson of Ellenboro, Wisconsin, was not going to let a $100 price tag deter him from experiencing the liberating power of bicycle transportation. Tapping into the…

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February 10, 2019