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 Room & Gallery (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: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday; 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 Room & Gallery (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: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday; 10am - 4:00 pm. (Weather Closing Policy)
Main Gallery
Life and Change at the Edge of the Driftless
PERMANENT EXHIBIT
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keepers, tourists and Civilian Conservation Corps participants as you discover their stories through vivid text panels, historical documents and photographs, and hundreds of artifacts.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 2,000 square foot 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!
PERMANENT EXHIBIT
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 2,000 square foot 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
Included in General Admission; FREE for Members and Veterans/Active Duty Military
Included in General Admission; FREE for Members and Veterans/Active Duty Military
NOW SHOWING through December 2024
History in 3D: The Stereoview Sensation
Visitors don special glasses and step into a mesmerizing three-dimensional past, via forty-four historic images of the greater Mount Horeb area—converted and enlarged from their original stereoscopic format to red-and-cyan anaglyphs.
The majority of the images were selected from the extensive photographic collection of the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society, with a few select images graciously loaned by Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum & Folk Art School (Decorah, IA), Norwegian-American Historical Association (Northfield, MN), and Stoughton Historical Society (Stoughton, WI). All were re-formatted for this exhibit by local historian and exhibit designer Arlo Paust.
These photographs represent some of the earliest records of our landscapes and domestic spaces, with the majority taken by Wisconsin photographers Andreas Larsen Dahl and Samuel Nilson Rockstead in the 1870s and 1880s. They document remarkable details of village and rural life in southwestern Dane County. In particular, exhibit guests will see Norwegian immigrant families who were in the process of transitioning to life as Americans.
Within the gallery, original artifacts demonstrate the timeline of three-dimensional imagery: from the then-ubiquitous Victorian stereoscopic viewer, to mid-century stereoscopic personal cameras, to the kitschy Magic Eye books of the 1990s, and immersive 3D movies of today.
Furthermore, an interactive kids’ corner encourages the young and the young at heart to experience another popular iteration of 3D imagery, the Viewmaster, a toybox staple that has captivated American children for generations.
Finally, “History in 3D” is extended into the present, with a companion display of modern stereoscopic views by Mount Horeb’s own Michael Pecosky. Though Michael might consider himself an amateur, his work has captured numerous accolades and awards, including 2016 Best of Show by the National Stereoscopic Association.
History in 3D: The Stereoview Sensation
Visitors don special glasses and step into a mesmerizing three-dimensional past, via forty-four historic images of the greater Mount Horeb area—converted and enlarged from their original stereoscopic format to red-and-cyan anaglyphs.
The majority of the images were selected from the extensive photographic collection of the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society, with a few select images graciously loaned by Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum & Folk Art School (Decorah, IA), Norwegian-American Historical Association (Northfield, MN), and Stoughton Historical Society (Stoughton, WI). All were re-formatted for this exhibit by local historian and exhibit designer Arlo Paust.
These photographs represent some of the earliest records of our landscapes and domestic spaces, with the majority taken by Wisconsin photographers Andreas Larsen Dahl and Samuel Nilson Rockstead in the 1870s and 1880s. They document remarkable details of village and rural life in southwestern Dane County. In particular, exhibit guests will see Norwegian immigrant families who were in the process of transitioning to life as Americans.
Within the gallery, original artifacts demonstrate the timeline of three-dimensional imagery: from the then-ubiquitous Victorian stereoscopic viewer, to mid-century stereoscopic personal cameras, to the kitschy Magic Eye books of the 1990s, and immersive 3D movies of today.
Furthermore, an interactive kids’ corner encourages the young and the young at heart to experience another popular iteration of 3D imagery, the Viewmaster, a toybox staple that has captivated American children for generations.
Finally, “History in 3D” is extended into the present, with a companion display of modern stereoscopic views by Mount Horeb’s own Michael Pecosky. Though Michael might consider himself an amateur, his work has captured numerous accolades and awards, including 2016 Best of Show by the National Stereoscopic Association.
VIRTUAL TOUR of the Mount Horeb Area
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.
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.
Kalscheur Family Foundation Community Room & Gallery
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.
NOW SHOWING through Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Sports Exhibit Triple-Header:
Packers, Badgers and Vikings—Oh, My!
There is nothing that brings Wisconsinites together more than a little friendly sports competition. We love to root for our favorite teams and be part of a cheering crowd. Put your game face on and join us for a closer look at the sporting history of Mount Horeb and Wisconsin. Three complementary components explore the sporting history of Mount Horeb and Wisconsin: it doesn’t matter if you are a Packers, Badgers or Mount Horeb Vikings fan; there is something for everyone to cheer about!
The Mount Horeb Area Historical Society is proud to host the traveling exhibition, “We Take Our Football Seriously.” This Wisconsin Historical Society display highlights the unique history of the Green Bay Packers and the career of former University of Wisconsin football player Fred Negus (1923-2005). Negus was part of the 1947 College Football All-Star team that defeated the Chicago Bears 16-0. This WHS outreach effort is part of the History Makers Tour presented by Culver’s and made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant Number: MA-253159-OMS-23.
The MHAHS companion exhibit, “In a League of their Own: Sports and Sports Fans of the Mount Horeb Area,” features athletic uniforms, sports equipment, historic team photographs, and school sports memorabilia from Society’s collection. Several high school sports are featured including basketball, football, and cheerleading, as well as community softball and Home Talent baseball teams.
These one-of-kind artifacts are accented by a collage of contemporary photographs of local student athletes in action, taken by Madison-based sports photographer Mary Langenfeld for the Mount Horeb Mail weekly newspaper. Langenfeld attributes her affinity for sports to the formative years she spent in her hometown of New Holstein, Wisconsin—where athletic activities played a central and energizing role in local entertainment. A sports photographer for 35 years, some of Langenfeld’s other clients include the WaukeshaFreeman, Madison’s Isthmus, USA Today Sports Images and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
For more information call 608-437-6486 or email [email protected].
Sports Exhibit Triple-Header:
Packers, Badgers and Vikings—Oh, My!
There is nothing that brings Wisconsinites together more than a little friendly sports competition. We love to root for our favorite teams and be part of a cheering crowd. Put your game face on and join us for a closer look at the sporting history of Mount Horeb and Wisconsin. Three complementary components explore the sporting history of Mount Horeb and Wisconsin: it doesn’t matter if you are a Packers, Badgers or Mount Horeb Vikings fan; there is something for everyone to cheer about!
The Mount Horeb Area Historical Society is proud to host the traveling exhibition, “We Take Our Football Seriously.” This Wisconsin Historical Society display highlights the unique history of the Green Bay Packers and the career of former University of Wisconsin football player Fred Negus (1923-2005). Negus was part of the 1947 College Football All-Star team that defeated the Chicago Bears 16-0. This WHS outreach effort is part of the History Makers Tour presented by Culver’s and made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant Number: MA-253159-OMS-23.
The MHAHS companion exhibit, “In a League of their Own: Sports and Sports Fans of the Mount Horeb Area,” features athletic uniforms, sports equipment, historic team photographs, and school sports memorabilia from Society’s collection. Several high school sports are featured including basketball, football, and cheerleading, as well as community softball and Home Talent baseball teams.
These one-of-kind artifacts are accented by a collage of contemporary photographs of local student athletes in action, taken by Madison-based sports photographer Mary Langenfeld for the Mount Horeb Mail weekly newspaper. Langenfeld attributes her affinity for sports to the formative years she spent in her hometown of New Holstein, Wisconsin—where athletic activities played a central and energizing role in local entertainment. A sports photographer for 35 years, some of Langenfeld’s other clients include the WaukeshaFreeman, Madison’s Isthmus, USA Today Sports Images and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
For more information call 608-437-6486 or email [email protected].