About the Society
The Dane County Historical Society was incorporated as an affiliate of the State Historical Society on January 16, 1961. The charter meeting of the Society was held on February 13, 1961 at the Dane County Fairgrounds. During its first year in existence, 143 people were awarded "Charter Memberships." View the list of charter members.
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. Since the founding of the Society, there have been 8 presidents and 85 board members.
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 Collecting written published and unpublished archival materials, and other primary and secondary source materials in the Otto Schroeder Records Center.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.
- Networking. Coordinating collaboration and communication among historical societies in Dane County.
For more information about DCHS and our mission and accomplishments, see our recent Annual Reports (all PDF format):
Updated August 28, 2011