About the Society
The Dane County Historical Society was incorporated as an affiliate of the State Historical Society on January 16, 1961. The organization is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) organization. We are a volunteer organization that operates with a volunteer board of directors.
The mission of the Society is to preserve, advance and disseminate knowledge of the history of Dane County, Wisconsin. This includes:
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Historical Markers. Erecting historical markers to call attention to significant people, places and events in Dane County history. We have erected over 40 markers around the county.
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Records Center. Collecting written published and unpublished archival materials, and other primary and secondary source materials in the Otto Schroeder Records Center. The Society moved into the Lussier Family Heritage Center on Lake Farm Road in October 2002.
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Publications. Publishing educational materials relating to the history of the county. We published a book of county history entitled, Forward! : a history of Dane : the capital county, in 2000. We have also published some specific name indexes to publications (available for members only). These are especially helpful for genealogists.
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Programs. Presenting historical programs for the public.
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Research Help . Answering genealogical and other research or reference inquiries from the public. These inquiries come via email from the web site, or via telephone, or from walk-in clients or by referral from other local historical societies or the State Historical Society.
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Networking. Coordinating collaboration and communication among historical societies in Dane County.
For more information about DCHS and our recent accomplishments, please see our 2007 Annual Report (PDF).
Updated June 11, 2008