Physical maps are disappearing in the 21st century – for some of us, finding our destination is as simple as dictating the address to your phone. And while she has a terrible sense of direction…don’t get mad at me, she wrote this…contributor gianofer fields isn’t in any hurry to give up her folding maps. Neither […]
Radio Chipstone: The Jefferson Letter
According to contributor gianofer fields, one of the joys of studying Material Culture is interacting with an object in person. For Fields, the information gleaned from the physical presence of the thing conveys much more than a digital image. A belief she’s held even before the pandemic. So you could imagine her delight when she […]
Thirteen Thousand Years of Wisconsin History
Most Wisconsin history books begin their narrative with the arrival of French explorer Jean Nicolet at what is now Green Bay in 1634. By the time of Nicolet’s landing, however, the land now known as Wisconsin had been inhabited for at least 13,000 years — a long history that typically warrants just a few paragraphs […]
Radio Chipstone: Evergleams, The Atomic Age Space Trees Of Wisconsin
Like so many events touched by the pandemic this year, the Wisconsin Historical Museum’s Ever Gleaming: Celebrating America’s Aluminum Christmas Tree is currently living in the digital world. The trees were produced from the 1960s until the late ‘70s by the Aluminum Speciality Company in Manitowoc. During that time, thousands of “Evergleam Trees” found their […]
Wisconsin Historical Society Friends and Family Sale
Make your holiday shopping season historic at the Society’s Friends and Family Sale! Shoppers will receive up to 40% off more than 100 Wisconsin Historical Society Press books by well-known Wisconsin authors as well as on gifts, historic images, gift memberships, and much more at this special sale only available on-site at Society Headquarters. Don’t […]
Radio Chipstone: John Fox Potter’s “Monster” Knife
What could have possibly been happening in 1860 in the Wisconsin State Capitol building that would require a 34 pound, six and one half foot-long, fully functioning folding knife? WHAT? It’s the many objects that call our state capitol home and it’s also one of the oddest. In this archival edition of Radio Chipstone contributor […]
