Often, we don’t see the relevance of the real-life links between past and present, leaving a lasting impression on adults as well as children, join us as we dive a little deeper. It’s important to preserve these links to the past for future generations, and we’re thrilled that Wisconsin has so many historical sites to visit.

There are so many historical sites across Wisconsin that it was difficult narrowing down our list to just ten... As these are places of final rest, peak performance, humbling beginnings, and so much more. Home to an architectural visionary, a cherished children’s book author, the land of beer barons, and hideaways for celebrities, our beloved home state of Wisconsin has preserved the lifestyle of everyday people with as much respect as possible.

For Circus lovers, being at Circus World in Baraboo is surely a huge milestone. It is basically a museum complex dedicated solely to circus-related history. Inside the different buildings you can find exhibits, artifacts, and other notable items from circuses of the world from props and costumes to entire circus carts.

The famous Barnum & Bailey Circus, as well as the Ringling Brothers Circus got their very first start right here in Baraboo. Operating for 34 years from 1884 through 1918, it became the largest circus enterprise in the world. Visitors today can explore the museums/grounds or even stay for a circus show.

More than 60 historic structures were dismantled, moved, and reconstructed to create this working pioneer community to make Old World Wisconsin the largest site in the world that is solely dedicated to the history of rural life. Offering one of the most authentic and engaging historical experiences in the state, it’s an open-air museum that exhibits the daily life of 19th century Wisconsin settlers.

What amounts to a tiny village pulled right out of history, this museum is populated by actors who can be seen churning butter by hand, plowing cornfields with oxen, and using classic blacksmithing techniques to create tools. The actors stay in character and are extremely knowledgeable about how life was lived, so they can answer questions and describe details of daily life that might otherwise be lost to history. It’s an immersive experience we can’t recommend enough!

***Villa Louis (Prairie du Chien, WI)***

The hilltop view of the Mississippi River from Hercules Dousman’s 1870 home is breathtaking. Why wouldn’t a fur trader want to be near the source of his livelihood? Many Victorian houses are historic buildings, but this one has been dubbed one of the most authentically restored house museums in the country, thanks to their family photographs from the 1890s. The mansion was, and remains, a great place to show off British Arts-and Crafts style.

Once a summertime home, the Ten Chimneys today serves as a public museum built by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, the Broadway legends. Today the museum serves the mission of progressing arts, theater arts, and arts education. Only a 45-minute drive from Milwaukee, this comprehensive museum requires nearly 2 hours to explore and live the experience inside.

Depending on how much time you have to spend, you can choose just a house tour or a full estate tour – but in our opinion, the estate is not to be missed!

***Madeline Island Historical Museum (LaPointe, WI)***

A short ferry ride from Bayfield, Wisconsin is all that separates visitors from some of the oldest stores in our state’s history. Some of the first documented exchanges between French voyageurs and the native Ojibwe tribes in this area date back to around 1659, so the historical importance of Madeline Island can’t be understated.

This amazing site attracts visitors from all walks of life who are eager to enjoy the surrounding area, still in pristine shape to this day. Rich natural resources made this an ideal place to trap furs, with seasonal cottages beginning to pop up in the late 1890s. These original settlers established traditions that continue today.

At this state museum you can view historic artifacts from the island and Chequamegon Bay from prehistoric to modern day.

***Laura Ingalls Wilder Cabin (Pepin, WI)***

This simple cabin stands where “Little House on the Prairie” writer Laura Ingalls Wilder was born. This is the site where she spent her lifetime teaching children about pioneer life, when what appeared to be so simple and true also encompassed complex challenges and changes.

Laura’s book “Little House in the Big Woods” was set in this part of Wisconsin in the 1870s, capturing pioneer life in a way that has captivated readers for many generations. Every September the members of Pepin celebrate the author’s birth and pioneer times.

The Gilded Age in America was also known as the Pabst Decade in Milwaukee, and this outstanding structure helps to explain why. This amazing building was home to the sea and beer baron Captain Frederick Pabst, who had a dozen years to appreciate the finished product until he passed in 1904.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee owned the mansion for 67 years, until 1975 – when it was slated to be demolished for a parking garage before Wisconsin Heritages swooped in to purchase it. Since 1978, it has been open for public tours.

It is still undergoing restoration, with photographs from the turn of the last century being used as reference points to recapture its full splendor.

Less than only five years after opening, the first Milwaukee Theatre burned down. Captain Frederick Pabst, who was abroad when he heard the news, was quoted as saying “Rebuild at once!”

Only a year later, in 1895, the Pabst Theater was born., It is the nation’s fourth oldest continuously operating theater, playing host to a wide variety of live entertainment and definitely a site to behold.

What better name for a mining town than Mineral Point, the place that brought Cornish immigrants to the southwestern area of Wisconsin in the 1830s. It was known as a boom town, due to the population growth as well as the blasting powder that made lead mining possible. However, the families living there soon migrated west, during the Gold Rush of 1849, and many of their cottages vanished by the 1930s. All remaining homes have been restored, as a tribute and reminder of the years when a specific ethnic culture was thriving in the early days of our home state.

***National Railroad Museum (Green Bay, WI)***

So much of life in America as we know it is all due to the remarkable invention of the railroad. The National Railroad Museum features artifacts and railroad cars from the past, present and future of railroading.

Among the 70-plus locomotives and train cars, visitors and enthusiasts will see Dwight Eisenhower’s WWII command train as well as the world’s largest steam locomotive and the Aerotrain. It’s not just a must-visit museum for railroad buffs, but a fascinating historical overview of an impactful slice of American life that has endured here since before our country was officially founded.

That’s Our List

It's easy to study history when only looking at the most dramatic or political events like wars, elections, and major discoveries and breakthroughs. But plenty of life-changing moments, though subtle, are always remarkable.

Wisconsinites know there is so much value in simply learning how our ancestors lived, worked, interacted, coped, and thrived. So, check out these ten sturdy links between “then” and “now” places that are wonderful history lessons from our home state.

Did we miss your favorite slice of Wisconsin history? Let us know!

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