How can the Wisconsin Historical Society’s records inform your company’s past, present, or future?
Library & Archival Holdings
The Society’s library and archives hold more than 3.8 million printed and microform North American volumes, 25,000 maps, 3 million historical images, and 110,000 cubic feet of archival materials. In a collection that large, you never know what pieces of company history you may find; a simple search of our website might turn up historical treasures you never knew existed.
In addition to collections related to individuals and companies, the Society is also the repository for records from schools and school districts, towns, counties, state government and agencies, the governor’s office and the court system.
Water-related collections that may be of interest to Water Council members include the records of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Water Quality, Coastal Management Program, Great Lakes Commission, and more. Beginning in 2016, many of these resources will be digitized and made available online in a Wisconsin Coastal History Collection. Until then, records can be accessed at any of our 13 area research centers, including one at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
![WHi 4153: Workers at the A.O. Smith Corporation in Milwaukee assemble frames for Cadillac automobiles in 1954.]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/4153_AOSmith-600x436.jpg)
Historic Preservation Tax Credits
Owners of historic buildings in Wisconsin can also contact the Society to find out how they may benefit from federal and state income tax credit programs for rehabilitation. Two programs are available to owners of properties that are listed on or determined to be eligible for listing on the State Register or National Register of Historic Places for either income-producing properties or owner-occupied homes. Historic tax credits have been a significant driver in the revitalization of the Walker’s Point neighborhood and continue to stimulate investment in Milwaukee and surrounding communities.
Visit the Wisconsin Historical Society’s website at www.wisconsinhistory.org to search our online collections of photographs, documents, objects, maps, and more and to learn about our historic preservation programs. Additionally, a Society staff person is available in Suite 536 of the Global Water Center to answer questions and direct patrons to resources on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services.