About Wisconsin Historical Museum
Located prominently on Madison's Capitol Square at 30 North Carroll Street (806 State Street), the Wisconsin Historical Museum has served since 1986 as the premier institution for exploring Wisconsin's rich and diverse history from pre-contact Indigenous cultures through the present day. Converted from an old hardware store, the museum's 17,500 square feet of exhibition space has showcased extensive collections documenting arts and crafts, entertainment, sports, ethnic history, and folkways. The museum is currently closed for exhibits as preparations advance for the new Wisconsin History Center, approved by the state in 2022, which will more than double the museum's exhibit space and expected visitation while remaining on Capitol Square.
The museum's Cultural History Collections preserve Wisconsin's artistic heritage through paintings, sculpture, musical instruments, recreational devices, and sports equipment, including painted portraits, regional landscapes, Wisconsin ceramic art, and one of the region's largest collections of ethnic folk art. The Native American ethnographic collection contains approximately 3,500 objects from North American cultural areas, primarily the Upper Great Lakes region, representing Wisconsin's Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Potawatomi, Menominee, and Sauk and Fox tribes from the late 1700s to present. Social History Collections feature about 20,000 articles of clothing spanning all types, styles, and periods of personal adornment and gear.
Past exhibits have immersed visitors in Wisconsin's transformation from frontier to modern state. Guests could walk inside a replica lead mine, view artifacts from Madison's first Capitol building, and experience immigrant journeys by wagon, boat, and train. The immigrant experience exhibit explored what newcomers brought from their home countries and how they adapted, examining the objects, ideas, and traditions that people from around the world contributed to Wisconsin. Industry exhibits showcased authentic Wisconsin-made automobiles, tractors, dairy operations, lumber industry, and agriculture, demonstrating the state's manufacturing prowess. The new History Center will continue this tradition with expanded space for these compelling stories when it opens on Capitol Square.
Plan Your Visit
The Wisconsin Historical Museum is located at 30 N. Carroll Street on Madison's Capitol Square. All exhibit spaces are currently closed as construction begins on the new Wisconsin History Center, approved by the state in 2022, which will more than double exhibit space. The retail space remains open. For updates on the new facility and reopening dates, call (608) 264-6555 or visit wisconsinhistory.org.
Getting Involved
Support the Wisconsin Historical Society's mission by becoming a member, volunteering, or donating to help preserve Wisconsin's heritage. The museum welcomes donations of artifacts related to Wisconsin's ethnic folk art, Native American cultures, clothing and textiles, and industrial history. Your support helps fund the new Wisconsin History Center that will bring expanded exhibits to Capitol Square.
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