The Wisconsin Historical Museum is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

located on the Capitol Square in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. It is currently open only for retail shopping featuring books, gifts, and other items focusing on Wisconsin and history. In late 2022, the museum closed down its exhibits in order to prepare for construction of a planned new Wisconsin History Center, to open in 2026.

Brief History of the Museum

The museum featured information about the

history of Wisconsin The history of Wisconsin encompasses the story not only of the people who have lived in Wisconsin since it became a state of the U.S., but also that of the Native American tribes who made their homeland in Wisconsin, the French and British coloni ...

and is operated by the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

. In addition to Wisconsin history, it provided information about other American history topics through artifacts, photographs, full-scale dioramas, audio-visual presentations, and interactive multimedia programs. In late 2004, the museum's existence was threatened due to budget cuts, but citing its role in the state's history, Wisconsin governor

Jim Doyle James Edward Doyle, Jr., (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. In his first election to the governorship, he defeated incu ...

restored its funding. In addition to exhibits about traditional aspect of the state's history, the museum has also offered an exhibition on

malted milk Malted milk or malt powder is a powdered gruel made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated whole milk powder. The powder is used to add its distinctive flavor to beverages and other foods, but it is also used in baking ...

, which was first made in Wisconsin, and includes in its permanent collection a Big Boy, the mascot of a hamburger chain, rescued in 1985 when its restaurant closed. The museum also opened in 2012 an exhibit about

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album ''Neve ...

's (of Madison's

Garbage (band) Garbage is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. The band's lineup—consisting of Scottish singer Shirley Manson (vocals) and American musicians Duke Erikson (guitar, bass, keyboards), Steve Marker (guitar, keyboards), a ...

)

Smart Studios Smart Studios was a recording studio located in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio produced bands such as Killdozer, The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Tad, and Nirvana. After in ...

, a Madison recording facility that closed in 2010.Wisconsin Historical Museum looks at Madison's rock past in ''Smart Sounds, Alt Music, Mad Scenes''
/ref> In late 2022, the museum closed down its exhibits in order to prepare for construction of a planned new Wisconsin History Center, to open in 2026.https://www.wpr.org/state-capitol-report-new-history-museum-coming-madisonhttps://www.cbs58.com/news/museum-on-the-move-treasured-state-artifacts-packed-away-in-preparation-of-new-state-historical-museum

References

External links

Wisconsin Historical Museum
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