“Your Place on the Water” Celebrates Its Past, Present and Future While Menasha was incorporated as a city in 1874 for which the community celebrates their Sesquicentennial this year, their rich history begins far earlier. Native Americans—beginning with the Winnebago tribe—were the first settlers on Doty Island in the 1630s, giving way to the Fox READ MORE
Area Stories Brought to Life “If you want to understand today you have to search yesterday.” —Pearl S. Buck Whether it’s worldly, national or local history, stories of the past provide innumerable benefits for our future. It’s a source of life lessons, lost lives and conflict, but also innovation, creativity and times of great triumph. READ MORE
Celebrate the City’s Sesquicentennial Throughout 2023 A lot can happen in 150 years. And, a lot has in the Fox Cities. But the collective of the area starts with its separate parts: the several cities and communities that make it up. Including Neenah. The city has been an incorporated community since March 13, 1873. This READ MORE
Area Architecture Speaks to Rich History Architecture is a large part of the narrative in discussing history—a way to understand trends and priorities of the time. It’s a direct link to putting ourselves in the mindset of people of the past, and allows us to explore their tastes and literal capabilities. Once you dive into READ MORE
Neenah Historical Society’s newest exhibit opens May 9 By Jane Lang, executive director of Neenah Historical Society, and Steven T. Sheehan, associate professor of history at UWO, Fox Cities Campus We are a nation of immigrants. That truth has been part of the fabric of our country and our local community from their earliest days. READ MORE
A pocket-sized history of local street names What’s in a name? When it comes to our streets, apparently a lot. Street names are often a window to the past. In the Fox Cities, they run the gamut from the surname of a local inventor to a Native American greeting. Some streets were named based on READ MORE
The impact of the 19th Amendment on our community By Jane Lang, Executive Director of Neenah Historical Society, and Steven T. Sheehan, Associate Professor of History at UW-Fox Valley Images courtesy of the Neenah Historical Society If less than half of the adult population were allowed to vote, would you still call the United States READ MORE
The most fascinating items in museum collections Artifact: something characteristic of or resulting from a particular human institution, period, trend or individual. When we think of “artifacts,” we might first imagine the Rosetta Stones of history, famous, rare and monumentally important, but in this assessment, we often forget the historic items right here in our READ MORE
Two tragic tales of national celebrities who met their demise in the Fox Cities A Hawaiian musical sensation and an Australian boxing champion – what could they have in common? They both met their untimely fates in the Fox Cities and are buried at local cemeteries. These are their stories. The Guitar King In an READ MORE
Wisconsin’s oldest county celebrates 200 years Thirty years before Wisconsin was granted statehood, Brown County was established as one of the state’s original two counties. It was formed in 1818 and made up the entire eastern half of Wisconsin, becoming the first boundary lines west of the Great Lakes. As Wisconsin’s oldest county prepares to READ MORE
