November 2010

Over 1400 volumes line the shelves of the Lincoln Era Library, connecting Abraham Lincoln to Jefferson County - from his involvement here in the Black Hawk War, to our Civil War soldiers, to his influence on a young William Dempster Hoard.

Over 500 birds, including those mounted by famed naturalist Thure Kumlein, and taxidermist Walter Pelzer, greet the visitor in the Bird Room. Included in the collection is a beautiful example of the extinct passenger pigeon.

The museum also has an exhibit devote to Lorine Niedecker, a "poet of place" who wrote about her environment and experiences on Blackhawk Island, a flood-prone peninsula jutting into Lak Koshkonong just west of Fort Atkinson. Her precise and spare use of words in the Objectivist style of poetry has inevitably led to comparisons with Emily Dickinson, though later in life Niedecker demonstrated a greater range in her work.

On September 30, 1882 Hearthstone Historic House, built for Appleton businessman Henry J. Rogers and family, became the first private home in the world to be lighted by a centrally located hydroelectric station using the newly invented Thomas A. Edison system. Rogers powered his house using the Vulcan Street Plant which powered is paper mill by harnessing the power of the Fox River with a water wheel.

On a tour today you can still see original electroliers and light switches in use and learn about the effect electric light had on society. Many fine details add to the beauty of this historic home, including intricate woodwork, stunning fireplaces and exquisite stained glass windows. Decorated in a late 19th Century style with antique furniture and Victorian decorative arts Hearthstone welcomes guests to tour the past and visit an exciting era in American history.

The Main Street exhibit traces the development of Lake Geneva from 1870 to 1930. The west side of the street has farm implements and an assortment of businesses. The east side and its variety of facades includes a Marineland gallery, featuring the anchor of the Lucius Newberry, discovered in 1981, 90 years after it had sunk in Geneva Lake. Highlights include a log cabin with Potawatomi Indian artifacts, a blacksmith shop, and a firehouse with an 1890 horse wagon and a 1947 Pirsch Pumper.
The museum also has artifacts from the historic Geneva Hotel (1912-1969) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a number of historic forms of transportation, from an overland stagecoach from the 1860s to an iceboat. It also has an exhibit on the military.

The museum strives to serve as a cultural resource for the education and the enjoyment of its visitors by collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Floyd County. CC promotes an appreciation of and participation in the visual arts, as well as a preservation of the historic Carnegie Library Building in which the museum is housed.

The Center offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy art works in a variety of media, to take part in lectures and workshops based on those exhibits, and to learn more about the colorful history of Floyd County, Indiana.

This museum is dedicated to Benjamin Harrison's achievements and his impact on United States history. As  an educational and historical service, the home seeks to promote patriotism and citizenship through appropriate educational activities and by artfully exhibiting the Victorian time period as Harrison and his family might have experienced it. 

Much of the decor consists of authentic Barker family artifacts, including furnishings and art objects, family portraits, library collections, and personal belongings. Visitors can also embark on a journey to the outdoor ground which include, an elaborate sunken garden hosts a bronze equatorial sun dial, a tea house complete with leaded-glass globes, and a 19th Century Italian statue of "The Three Graces".

The Union Historical Society manages and preserves two buildings. The Robbins House, located on Union Common, is the Society's home. An 1849 Greek Revival home, it was purchased and renovated by the Society in 1975. The Old Town House on Town House Road is a classic New England meeting house and was built in 1840. UHS produces published material pertaining to the genealogical history of Union for members to enjoy. Monthly meetings are held to promote programs and social activities, which stimulate interest in the society.

The Museums of Old York, formerly the Old York Historical Society, is the product of a merger of three historical organizations, The Old York Historical and Improvement Society, The Old Gaol Museum Committee, and The Society for the Preservation of Historic Landmarks in York County. The society was founded in York with histories dating back more than one hundred years. Originally referred to as Gorgeana, York is one of New England's earliest colonial settlements. It also has the distinction of being the nation's first chartered city (1641) and first incorporated city (1642). Offering thirty-seven period room settings and several galleries housed throughout nine historic museum buildings, the Museums of Old York showcases a wealth of early New England art, architecture, and decorative arts. The exhibits focus on the stories of southern Maine's men, women, and children and the world they created and lived in from the earliest settlement in the 1600s to the present day.

The Galloway House is a 30-room mid-Victorian mainsion boasting 4 fireplaces, Italianate details, and many pieces of original furniture. Surrounded by 25 historic buildings such as a church, photographers' shop, townhall, newspaper print shop, and one-room school. The Blakely Museum contains historical collections from Native American to present day.

The museum exhibits historic photographs and artifacts that trace the development of Eagle and Waukesha County.