Wisconsin Historical Society Archives

History and Founding

The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, was founded in 1846 — two years before Wisconsin became the 30th state — and chartered in 1853, making it the oldest historical society in the United States to receive continuous public funding. Its headquarters building on Library Mall opened in 1900, which housed both the Society's collections and the University Library until 1950. The Society is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization.

Collections and Holdings

The WHS Library and Archives together contain nearly four million items, constituting the largest collection in the world dedicated exclusively to North American history. Holdings include 3.8 million volumes in the North American History Collection; the second-largest American newspaper collection in the United States (after the Library of Congress); over 30,000 maps and atlases; over two million photographs and other visual materials; and original records from Wisconsin municipalities, school districts, courts, and counties, with some records dating back to 1821 when Wisconsin was part of the Michigan Territory.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism/Media

The archives holds collections documenting the history of mass communications, including the records of NBC and the MTM Enterprises archives acquired after World War II. The newspaper collection, second only to the Library of Congress in the United States, covers Wisconsin publications from the nineteenth century to the present, as well as national and Canadian titles. Archives also hold records related to social movements, organized labor, and civil rights organizations, all of which are relevant to press history.

Access and Usage

The Library is open Monday through Thursday, 8 AM to 7 PM; Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM; and Saturday, 9 AM to 4 PM. The Archives Reading Room is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, and Saturday, 9 AM to 4 PM. Both are free and open to the public. Nearly all of the Library's 14 stack levels are open for browsing. Researchers may use self-service machines to copy most archival material or save images to a flash drive at no charge.