Wisconsin 101

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

Usher Uniform / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Baraboo / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Related Stories / Sauk County / 1900-1918 / Region 7 - South Center

The Al Ringling Theater

General View from the South, Al Ringling Theatre. Photo by Douglass C. Green for HABS (Survey #WI-261), ca. 1970. Albert (“Al”) Ringling was the eldest brother of the Ringling family and was credited with both the creation of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus and…

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July 18, 2024

Usher Uniform / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Baraboo / New Object Histories / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Sauk County / 1900-1918 / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Ringling Theater Usher Uniform

Usher's Uniform Coat, from the collection of the Sauk County Historical Society.Usher's Uniform Pants, from the collection of the Sauk County Historical Society.Usher's Uniform Hat, from the collection of the Sauk County Historical Society. On November 17, 1915, the Ringling Theatre opened…

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July 17, 2024

Wisconsin Dells / Columbia County / Related Stories / Everyday Life / Nature & Environment / 1900-1918 / Transportation & Tourism / Region 7 - South Center / Lefeber Glass Plate Negatives

Images of the Wisconsin Dells (Waterparks Not Included!)

More than a century before the Wisconsin Dells became the "Waterpark Capital of the World," it was a famous tourist destination known for its scenic beauty. Guides began taking sightseers in rowboats along the Wisconsin River as early as the 1850s, and…

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February 21, 2024

Wauwatosa / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East / Lefeber Glass Plate Negatives

Images of a Treasured Childhood: At Home in Wauwatosa with the Lefebers

In the first decades of the 20th century, Wauwatosa was well on its way to becoming a bedroom suburb of Milwaukee. Families were moving into newly developed subdivisions built on land that once grew grain, fruit, and vegetables for the large Milwaukee…

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February 21, 2024

Milwaukee County / Wauwatosa / Related Stories / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East / Lefeber Glass Plate Negatives

Wauwatosa’s Lefeber Brothers Department Store

“A clerk had to show Mother each item. She retrieved a pair of folded silk stockings and carefully inserted her hand to show how the color looked against the skin.”--Jean Lobe, from her memoir recounting her experiences growing up in Wauwatosa in…

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January 25, 2024