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Sauk County Historical Society
Mission Statement:
It shall be the mission of the Sauk County Historical Society to protect and maintain the history of the county by collecting, preserving, and exhibiting artifacts, photographs and documents relative to that history; by disseminating knowledge via community outreach programs; by providing research services, and by assisting other historical societies in Sauk County.
History:
The first meeting to discuss formation of a new historical society for Sauk County was held June 2, 1905 at the home of H. E. Cole, 121 Eighth Street in Baraboo. The first public meeting of the society was held November 23, 1905 in the Y. M. C. A. building in Baraboo but due to "exceedingly stormy" weather the first annual business meeting was postponed until November 29 and was held at the home of the acting president H. E. Cole. Cole served as president until his Sauk County Historical Society death in 1928. Initially members were voted in but later the policy was changed to voluntary membership. The society was very active from its inception and had several speakers the first year and presented a display at the Sauk County Fair in 1906.
In 1911 in lieu of an annual meeting an exhibit was staged at the courthouse with many of its rooms displaying artifacts loaned for the occasion. A quartet played old selections and several ladies dressed in "ancient garb." Ten cents was charged for admission with an additional five cents for tea if desired. $14.00 was raised and was put towards the purchase of a tablet to mark the site of the first church in the Baraboo valley. The tablet was finally unveiled in 1914 after sufficient funds were raised. It stood near the corner of Fifth and Broadway in Baraboo marking the spot of the first church erected by the Methodist Episcopal Society.
In 1938 purchased the Jacob Van Orden Mansion on Fourth Avenue in Baraboo as a new home for the ever-growing collection which had long since overcrowded the space in the courthouse. The museum is still housed in the mansion and celebrated 60 years of ownership in 1998.
In the recent past the society has also identified and marked sites of circus history, marked the site of pioneer historian, William Canfield, sponsored three parades of Historic Homes in Baraboo, placed the Van Orden Mansion on the National Register of Historic Places and inaugurated Historic Preservation awards for residential and commercial structures.
It shall be the mission of the Sauk County Historical Society to protect and maintain the history of the county by collecting, preserving, and exhibiting artifacts, photographs and documents relative to that history; by disseminating knowledge via community outreach programs; by providing research services, and by assisting other historical societies in Sauk County.
History:
The first meeting to discuss formation of a new historical society for Sauk County was held June 2, 1905 at the home of H. E. Cole, 121 Eighth Street in Baraboo. The first public meeting of the society was held November 23, 1905 in the Y. M. C. A. building in Baraboo but due to "exceedingly stormy" weather the first annual business meeting was postponed until November 29 and was held at the home of the acting president H. E. Cole. Cole served as president until his Sauk County Historical Society death in 1928. Initially members were voted in but later the policy was changed to voluntary membership. The society was very active from its inception and had several speakers the first year and presented a display at the Sauk County Fair in 1906.
In 1911 in lieu of an annual meeting an exhibit was staged at the courthouse with many of its rooms displaying artifacts loaned for the occasion. A quartet played old selections and several ladies dressed in "ancient garb." Ten cents was charged for admission with an additional five cents for tea if desired. $14.00 was raised and was put towards the purchase of a tablet to mark the site of the first church in the Baraboo valley. The tablet was finally unveiled in 1914 after sufficient funds were raised. It stood near the corner of Fifth and Broadway in Baraboo marking the spot of the first church erected by the Methodist Episcopal Society.
In 1938 purchased the Jacob Van Orden Mansion on Fourth Avenue in Baraboo as a new home for the ever-growing collection which had long since overcrowded the space in the courthouse. The museum is still housed in the mansion and celebrated 60 years of ownership in 1998.
In the recent past the society has also identified and marked sites of circus history, marked the site of pioneer historian, William Canfield, sponsored three parades of Historic Homes in Baraboo, placed the Van Orden Mansion on the National Register of Historic Places and inaugurated Historic Preservation awards for residential and commercial structures.