EXHIBITS
The Driftless Historium is an award-winning Interpretive Center telling the story of Southwestern Dane County from pre-history to modern day. Over 3,000 square feet of space is dedicated to sharing the lives of our rich cultural heritage.
Visit all three of our exhibit areas: our Permanent Exhibit that tells this area's story through engaging graphics and carefully chosen artifacts, documents and photographs from the Society's extensive collections; rotating exhibits in our Special Exhibits Gallery (see below for a description of the latest exhibit); and changing gallery shows in the Kalscheur Family Foundation Community Education Room (see below).
Also visit our virtual reality kiosk as you virtually walk through three local historical sites.
Come and share the fun and learn about the unique Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Hours daily, 10am - 4:00 pm. (Weather Closing Policy)
Visit all three of our exhibit areas: our Permanent Exhibit that tells this area's story through engaging graphics and carefully chosen artifacts, documents and photographs from the Society's extensive collections; rotating exhibits in our Special Exhibits Gallery (see below for a description of the latest exhibit); and changing gallery shows in the Kalscheur Family Foundation Community Education Room (see below).
Also visit our virtual reality kiosk as you virtually walk through three local historical sites.
Come and share the fun and learn about the unique Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Hours daily, 10am - 4:00 pm. (Weather Closing Policy)
Main Gallery
The Driftless Historium permanent exhibit is housed in the renovated 2,000-square-foot exhibit hall, located in the facility’s north wing.
This fascinating walk through history takes visitors on a journey from the great glaciers to the present. Along the way, meet American Indians, miners, innkeepers, farmers, cheese makers, sportsmen, preachers, school teachers, shop keepers, tourists and Civilian Conservation Corps participants as you discover their stories through vivid text panels, historical documents and photographs, and hundreds of artifacts.
The exhibit incorporates all levels of the museum experience from traditional text panels to life-sized diorama settings, hands-on interactive stations to multimedia displays. There is something for all ages!
This fascinating walk through history takes visitors on a journey from the great glaciers to the present. Along the way, meet American Indians, miners, innkeepers, farmers, cheese makers, sportsmen, preachers, school teachers, shop keepers, tourists and Civilian Conservation Corps participants as you discover their stories through vivid text panels, historical documents and photographs, and hundreds of artifacts.
The exhibit incorporates all levels of the museum experience from traditional text panels to life-sized diorama settings, hands-on interactive stations to multimedia displays. There is something for all ages!
A sampling of subjects you'll discover:
Driftless Landscape Explained
Immigraton
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Ebenezer Brigham: Dane County's First Permanent Settler
Cheese Factories: The Dairy State's Heritage
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Tourism In and Around Mount Horeb
Civil War
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Carpenter and Craftsman Aslak O. Lie
Agriculture
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Get ready for your visit!
Download the companion Scavenger Hunt HERE.
Download the companion Scavenger Hunt HERE.
Special Exhibits Gallery
COMING SOON: History in 3D!
Opens May 2023; check back soon for more info.
COMING SOON: History in 3D!
Opens May 2023; check back soon for more info.
Kalscheur Family Foundation Community Room
Temporary changing exhibits, often featuring local artists, are free and accessible during regular museum hours.
Temporary changing exhibits, often featuring local artists, are free and accessible during regular museum hours.
SHOWING February 24 - April 4, 2023
Metamorphosis: The Students of Peg Ginsberg
This art installation features the diverse talent of eighteen artists, all who study under watercolorist and Main Street gallery owner Peg Ginsberg.
Peg’s students, who hail from both Mount Horeb and a broad sampling of surrounding communities, hone their skills on site in her downtown studio, Peg Ginsberg Watercolors (205 E Main St). Some benefit from the camaraderie and mutual inspiration of regular small group classes, while others prefer the personal attention of one-on-one sessions.
Ginsberg studied at Milwaukee’s Layton School of Art and Design, but didn’t discover her passion for watercolor until a decade later via a class offered by the local library. Before opening her storefront space in 2008, she taught classes in both quilting and watercolor techniques through Madison Area Technical College community education classes. The tight timelines and limited potential of these short courses inspired Peg to develop and specialize in open-ended watercolor classes. This format fosters authentic, lasting relationships (some students have been with Ginsberg for over a decade) and allows emerging artists to develop their own unique style.
The creative rainbow of subjects and styles represented in “Metamorphosis” is a beautiful and fitting tribute to Peg’s mentorship and her emphasis on personal expression. (A favorite reminder for students: “You don’t want to learn to paint like me; you want to learn to paint like YOU!”) Learn more about Peg’s classes at pegginsbergwatercolors.com. For more information about the exhibit, call the Driftless Historium at 608-437-6486 or email mthorebahs@gmail.com.
Metamorphosis: The Students of Peg Ginsberg
This art installation features the diverse talent of eighteen artists, all who study under watercolorist and Main Street gallery owner Peg Ginsberg.
Peg’s students, who hail from both Mount Horeb and a broad sampling of surrounding communities, hone their skills on site in her downtown studio, Peg Ginsberg Watercolors (205 E Main St). Some benefit from the camaraderie and mutual inspiration of regular small group classes, while others prefer the personal attention of one-on-one sessions.
Ginsberg studied at Milwaukee’s Layton School of Art and Design, but didn’t discover her passion for watercolor until a decade later via a class offered by the local library. Before opening her storefront space in 2008, she taught classes in both quilting and watercolor techniques through Madison Area Technical College community education classes. The tight timelines and limited potential of these short courses inspired Peg to develop and specialize in open-ended watercolor classes. This format fosters authentic, lasting relationships (some students have been with Ginsberg for over a decade) and allows emerging artists to develop their own unique style.
The creative rainbow of subjects and styles represented in “Metamorphosis” is a beautiful and fitting tribute to Peg’s mentorship and her emphasis on personal expression. (A favorite reminder for students: “You don’t want to learn to paint like me; you want to learn to paint like YOU!”) Learn more about Peg’s classes at pegginsbergwatercolors.com. For more information about the exhibit, call the Driftless Historium at 608-437-6486 or email mthorebahs@gmail.com.
TEMPORARILY CLOSED due to public health concerns
Virtual Tour of the Mount Horeb Area: History in 3D!
View the exterior, interior and grounds of the Norway Building, constructed for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
At the end of the fair, the building was moved to a Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, estate later owned by the Wrigley family of chewing-gum fame. Eventually it was moved to Little Norway, a local attraction in rural Blue Mounds where generations of visitors experienced its unique charms. Several years after Little Norway closed to the public, the building was moved back to Orkanger, Norway, where it was originally created.
Weeks before the Norway Building was dismantled and moved back to Norway, researchers at UW-Madison's Wisconsin Institute for Discovery scanned the structure and recreated it as a high resolution, 3D reconstruction. Using state-of-the-art technology, visitors to the Driftless Historium can once again experience this unique building as they virtually "walk" through and around the Norway Building at our 3D kiosk.
Also on view are 3D reconstructions of the historic Springdale Lutheran Church and a local "hanging" dairy barn, now part of Rare Earth Farm, owned and cared for by Charles Bauer and Charles Beckwith.
Virtual Tour of the Mount Horeb Area: History in 3D!
View the exterior, interior and grounds of the Norway Building, constructed for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
At the end of the fair, the building was moved to a Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, estate later owned by the Wrigley family of chewing-gum fame. Eventually it was moved to Little Norway, a local attraction in rural Blue Mounds where generations of visitors experienced its unique charms. Several years after Little Norway closed to the public, the building was moved back to Orkanger, Norway, where it was originally created.
Weeks before the Norway Building was dismantled and moved back to Norway, researchers at UW-Madison's Wisconsin Institute for Discovery scanned the structure and recreated it as a high resolution, 3D reconstruction. Using state-of-the-art technology, visitors to the Driftless Historium can once again experience this unique building as they virtually "walk" through and around the Norway Building at our 3D kiosk.
Also on view are 3D reconstructions of the historic Springdale Lutheran Church and a local "hanging" dairy barn, now part of Rare Earth Farm, owned and cared for by Charles Bauer and Charles Beckwith.