Historic Madison Inc.

They are on the front lines, right in Fitchburg. They wear white lab coats instead of combat fatigues, though. And the enemy is a virus so small that it can only be seen through an electron microscope, and billions of them could fit on the head of a pin. They're not alive, but they have killed a million people worldwide.
Of course, we're talking about the coronavirus. It's being studied across the globe. But some of the frontline work to better understand the virus, chart its travels through the human population and devise tools to tackle the challenges it poses are taking place at Promega Corp., in Fitchburg.
Join the Fitchburg Historical Society at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, at Promega's, BioPharmaceutical Technology Center, 5445 E. Cheryl Pkwy. Penny Patterson, vice president of corporate affairs, will speak on “ Promega: a company on the move during COVID.”

They walked in beauty. Come walk in their footprints!

Danielle Benden of Driftless Pathways will give an overview Sept. 28, of plans to interpret the history of the Capital Springs Recreation Area, where archeology, native culture, and natural resources all intersect right in our backyard. The occasion is the 2021 annual meeting of the Dane County Historical Society, 3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison. The meeting starts at 1:30 but come
early!

We all live in the history-laden area where it happened!

Danielle Benden of Driftless Pathways will give an overview Sept. 28, of plans to interpret the history of the Capital Springs Recreation Area, where archeology, native culture, and natural resources all intersect right in our backyard. The occasion is the 2021 annual meeting of the Dane County Historical Society, 3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison. The meeting starts at 1:30 but come
early!

She shattered the glass ceiling decades ago, but through the lens, she gave us all insight.

Zoom into history with us on April 25 and learn about Ida Wyman, a street photographer whose images appeared in Life Magazine in the 1940s and 1950s. UW Art History Prof. Melanie Herzog will fill us in on this history-making woman. Wyman spent her last years in Fitchburg, where she died in 2019 at age 93. (Photo from the New York Times obituary.) Everyone is welcome to Zoom in. Register at http.www.fitchburghistory.org for the link to the meeting, which begins at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, April 25.

You couldn't ride to the City of New Orleans from Madison without changing trains, but you could start your journey from here. Photo by Rick Burn of Holland. Mich.

Old CNW Depot, Madison. Photos by Rick Burn of Holland, Mich., donated to the Dane County Historical Society. Exterior photo taken in 1965, interior one in 1963.

It was 100 years ago that American women gained the right to vote.Bob Kann will discuss his new book, "Carrie Catt, Belle La Follette and How the Great Battle for Women's Suffrage was Won," at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, on the second floor of the Fitchburg Public Library. The Dane County and the Fitchburg Historical Societies are co-sponsoring his appearance. The event is free; coffee and cake will be served.

It was just 100 years ago that American women gained the right to vote.Bob Kann will discuss his new book, "Carrie Catt, Belle La Follette and How the Great Battle for Women's Suffrage was Won," at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, on the second floor of the Fitchburg Public Library. The Dane County and the Fitchburg Historical Societies are co-sponsoring his appearance. The event is free; coffee and cake will be served.

Fascinating history. April 28 at the Lussier Center on Lake Farm Road in Madison (barely).

Representative Lisa Subeck Calls on Senate Republicans to Follow Assembly Lead and Remove Yom Kippur from Legislative Session Calendar Representative Lisa Subeck Calls on Senate Republicans to Follow Assembly Lead and Remove Yom Kippur from Legislative Session Calendar February 14, 2019 MADISON – This week, the State Assembly unanimously passed Assembly Joint Resolution 6 (AJR 6), a bi-partisan resolution to change the 2019-20 le...

Please join fellow history buffs for a lecture, book signing and the annual meeting of Historic Madison Inc. on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at Union South, 1308 W. Dayton St. The free gathering is 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the second floor. Stuart Levitan will join us to discuss his new book, which chronicles the Madison in the turbulent 1960s.

Please join us at the HMI annual program on Tuesday, November 27, at Union South. Stuart Levitan will speak about Madison in the 1960s. Doors open at 6:30pm. Check the Today at the Union board inside the entrance for the room.https://bit.ly/2DN8dE9

'Madison in the Sixties': The book Stu Levitan knew he'd write “I’d always known I was going to write about the sixties,” Levitan told Doug Moe recently. “All the Madison historical pieces I’ve written over the years have been working up to taking on the sixties.”

Join HMI's president Mark Gajewski for a stroll around the Square Sept. 11 and learn about the look and feel of Capitol Square during the Depression. Meet in front of the Veterans Museum (30 on the Square, of course, wasn't there yet.) at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to everyone.

Reminder: Susan Apps-Bodilly is the speaker at DCHS' annual meeting Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa Street on Madson's East Side. She'll be talking about her book, 'One-Room Schools: Stories from the Days of 1 Room, 1 Teacher & 8 Grades." if you have one-room school experiences, please come and share!

In May, 1943, Gov. Walter Goodland signed legislation creating the Wisconsin Retirement System, after first vetoing the bill and then receiving a lecture from two of the women who cleaned the Capitol. Ingeborg Sidwell and Catherine Conlin are pictured among their colleagues 10 years earlier in this photo by Angus McVicar. (WHS 17258)

Join the Dane County Historical Society and the Friends of the Sun Prairie Museum from 12 to 4 p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday, May 12, for a hop through history at the circa 1864 Charles G. Crosse House, 115 E. Main St., Sun Prairie. The event is free to all lovers of history!

Reminder: fly over to Barnes & Noble on Saturday, buy a copy of Michael Edmonds' book, "Taking Flight: A History of Birds and People in the Heart of America," and part of the proceeds will go to the Dane County Historical Society.

DCHS will be hosting a fundraiser bookfair at Barnes and Noble West in Madison on Saturday, April 14th! Come out and support us and hear local author, Michael Edmonds present on his newest book, "Taking Flight: A History of Birds and People in the Heart of America" at 1:30pm!

Saturday 3/10/18, 10 a.m.: "The Verona L***r Colony", a presentation by Jesse Charles, at the Verona Senior Center, 108 Paoli St., Verona.

Many of us have heard the story of a past "L***r Colony" in Verona. It's one of those things you might hear from a friend of a friend who knew a guy whose grandfather swears it's true...but is it? It sounds almost like an urban legend; no one around today claims to have seen it firsthand, but there are so many stories you can't help but wonder...is it true?

Our presentation March 10 at the Verona Area Senior Center, 108 Paoli St, Verona, looks to answer that question - and maybe pose a few more. We have collected oral histories from the last several decades, looked through Dane County records, examined aerial photographs, and uncovered newspaper clippings from the 1800's that are all pieces of this puzzle. These pieces will for the first time be presented together on a timeline that sheds light on the "colony" and the people who lived there just a few generations ago.

The meeting is free and all are welcome.

From the Dane County Historical Society: To gather history lovers for social time and networking outside of the usual setting, the Dane County Historical Society is partnering with local history organizations to organize a "Happy Hour Hop Through History" series of events across the county! And since we all want to be happy, we got ourselves invited!
So join us on Sunday, Feb. 25th from 1-4 p.m. at the Larson House Museum in McFarland!
Some months, we'll visit museums, some months we'll visit bars. Sometimes we will include tours, sometimes a speaker and sometimes we'll just enjoy a regular happy hour!
February's "Happy Hour Hop Through History" will be co-sponsored by the McFarland Historical Society. The Larson House is a Queen Anne style Victorian Home, built in 1898 by a man named E.N. Edwards. The third owner of the house, John Larson and members of his family lived there for almost 80 years. Beer, wine, snacks and tours will be provided at this event. No RSVP's necessary. Donations are welcome. This event is for ages 21 and up. The Larson House Museum is located at 6003 Exchange St., McFarland.

The war at home: citizens debate wording of Civil War monuments. The State Journal tackled the controversy here: http://bit.ly/2DTcCWr

Madison residents weigh in on Confederate monuments at Forest Hill Cemetery Dozens showed up Tuesday to voice their opinions on the two monuments, and the three options Mayor Paul Soglin has offered for their future.

Long time ago. We wonder if any of the McVicar clan can ID the New Year's baby...

Historic Madison Inc.'s cover photo

Historic Madison Inc.

Join us for our annual meeting and presentation on Madison and Wisconsin in World War I, at 7 p.m. at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 W. Mifflin St. The doors open at 6 p.m. for tours of the Museum's World War I exhibit. It's free and open to the public.

Historic Madison Inc.'s cover photo

There's a saying that journalists should report stories, not be part of them. If there's an equivalent rule for historians, the Dane County Historical Society violated it last month, when it invited Bronson La Follette, 81, Robert M. La Follette's grandson, to attend the dedication of a marker commemorating Fighting Bob's early year, and Tavia La Follette to read a letter to her great-great-grandfather.

Join the Dane County Historical Society Sunday for a talk by Jim Draeger, State Historic Preservation Officer, on a subject
that's close to the heart of many of us: the history of taverns and breweries in Wisconsin. Draeger is co-author of "Bottoms Up," a look att Wisconsin's unique tavern culture.

The meeting is 1-3 p.m. Sunday, October 29, at the
Lussier Family Heritage Center, 3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison. There will be tours of our collections and light (not Lite!) refreshments.

Bronson La Follette (left), grandson of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette, at a reception in the town of Primrose following the dedication of a historical marker: "Robert M. La Follette: the Early Years." With Jerry Remy, president of the Dane County Historical Society.

Dane County Historical Society

(This letter from Tavia La Follette was read by her brother-in-law at the marker dedication ceremony in Primrose,
Oct. 15, 2017)

Dear Great, Great Grandpa,

That sounds weird.

I’ve never been in the position to write to a grandfather before.

Dear Righteous Reformer, Rabble Rouser, Anti-Imperialist, Insurgent Spirit…

In my house, you were Fighting Bob.

This is a great image to grow up with. And although all the pictures on the family wall depicted you with a towering mass of wiry white hair, I always imagined you as a much younger spirit. I think it has something to do with the fact that you always had your arms crossed, with a stubborn face on. Or a fist in the air or slamming it down on to the other hand to make a strong point. Why, this was exactly how I, a 7-year-old tomboy communicated. It seemed natural and suited many situations. I might even add in a stomping foot or two—to really get the point across. My idea of you was more aligned with The Little Rascals than a Senator…. whatever that was.

So, although we never met, I modeled myself after you. Now, we model our seven-year-old sons after you. Like me, they will grow and create their own projections onto your photographs, painting on another layer, another story, another interpretation of generations in time.

By the age of 4 both Max and Calder knew what the word “progressive” was. Not because we were assimilating it with you, but because we wanted to arm them, not only with body language (fists in the air), but with the vocabulary to defend their choice to wear purple sneakers to daycare.

“We believe in the future and the power of change. We believe in evolution.”

These are words you can hear your young lineage lecture today, as there is still much work to do.

Adventurous, extroverted and mischievous, like you, Gary Huck (another Wisconsinite) and I are gently nurturing their curious and innovative minds…not sure where their zealous spirts may lead them. But it will be to your lap. Capturing another image of generations in time. Just as I did and my brother before me, to the National Statuary Hall. In the U.S. Capital, where you sit in carved stone …ready to stand.

I write this letter to you, for a dedication celebrating and commemorating your “Early Years.” We, as a country, still young, evoke you with wide eyes, and climb into your lap to summon the spirit of Fighting Bob.

We are listening. We are all your grandchildren. “We believe in the future and the power of change. We believe in evolution.”

Bet you don't often see a picture of "Fighting Bob" as a young man. The Dane County Historical Society is dedicating a Historical Marker just down the road from Fighting Bob's birthplace Sunday at 2 p.m.

Have you heard the news? The Dane County Historical Society cordially invites you to the dedication of its 47th historical marker: Robert M. La Follette: The Early Years, which follows Fighting Bob from his birth in the town of Primrose in 1855 through his election as Dane County District Attorney in 1880.

The marker will be dedicated, in cooperation with Township officials, on Sunday, October 15th at 2pm in the Town of Primrose, a few miles from La Follette's birthplace. The Dane County Historical Society is placing this marker at the intersection of County Hwy G and Oak Grove Road, 2 miles south of the Village of Mt. Vernon. A 3pm reception with light refreshments will follow at Primrose Town Hall, located at 8468 County Hwy A, Verona, WI 53593. All are welcome! Plus, there will be cake!

This event will be rain or shine. We hope to see you there, then!

The Dane County Historical Society cordially invites you to the dedication of a new historical marker: Robert M. La Follette: The Early Years following Fighting Bob from his birth in the town of Primrose in 1855 through his election as Dane County District Attorney in 1880. See poster for details.

Homes that tell history

Hundreds of people toured homes and businesses in the Eken Park neighborhood Sunday during HMI's biennial Alternative Parade of Homes. These were starter homes of the 1940s and 1950s, not the starter mansions that are marketed today.

isthmus.com The Alternate Parade of Homes highlights a 1940s-era laborer’s neighborhood. The homes in Eken Park went up fast, but they’ve endured through the years.