Everyday Life

Photo depicting original Old Style behind updated LaCrosse Brewing label, August 7, 2021, Courtesy of Cortney Anderson Kramer.

La Crosse County / Region 3 - Center West / La Crosse / King Gambrinus Statues of LaCrosse / Food & Cooking / Manufacturing & Trade / Object Histories / 1960-1980

OBJECT HISTORY: World’s Largest Six-Pack

Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the “World’s Largest Six-Pack” is a popular tourist attraction and landmark structure representative of the city’s renowned brewing history. At 54 feet tall, the six steel storage tanks, shaped and arranged to resemble a six-pack of beer,…

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August 17, 2021

Dane County / Madison / Frank Lloyd Wright Pew/Bench / Region 7 - South Center / Home Furnishings / Object Histories / 1940-1960 / Religion

OBJECT HISTORY: Frank Lloyd Wright Pew/Bench

For over a century, the First Unitarian Society of Madison has been a center for like-minded individuals to share ideas and connect. The Society’s Meeting House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and stands as a one of his most representative works,…

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August 16, 2021

Front view of historic house in the summertime c. 1974. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, ID# 28719.

Outagamie County / Region 5 - Center East / Appleton / Hearthstone House Chandelier / Related Stories / Home Furnishings / Science & Medicine / 1880-1900

The Hearthstone House and Electricity to Wisconsin

Built in 1882, the Hearthstone House operated using the first system of central electricity designed by Thomas Edison and it was the first private residence in the nation powered through hydroelectricity. The house was originally known as the Henry J. Rogers House,…

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June 7, 2021

Hearthstone House chandelier. Photo courtesy of Trase Tracanna, 2021.

Hearthstone House Chandelier / Appleton / Region 5 - Center East / Outagamie County / Home Furnishings / Science & Medicine / 1880-1900 / Object Histories

OBJECT HISTORY: Hearthstone House Chandelier

Known as Edison Light Fixtures, the original lighting fixtures of Appleton’s Hearthstone House, were created by Bergmann and Co., in association with the Edison Company for Isolated Lighting, out of New York. They designed the electric lights with the same general components…

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June 7, 2021

Fish boil meal, courtesy of the White Gull Inn.

Region 5 - Center East / Related Stories / Two-sided Spork / Door County / Food & Cooking / Art, Sport & Entertainment / 1880-1900

The Fish Boil Tradition

Familiar to many Wisconsinites, the Door County fish boil is more than just a cookout, it is a social experience. It begins when guests arrive early to sit outside around a crackling fire, where they enjoy a drink selected from the beverage…

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May 3, 2021

Courtesy of the White Gull Inn

Region 5 - Center East / Two-sided Spork / Fish Creek / Door County / Food & Cooking / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / 1960-1980

OBJECT HISTORY: Two-sided Spork

The Door County fish boil is a culinary tradition local to the peninsula that spawned the invention of the two-sided spork. This unique cooking utensil made its first appearance at the White Gull Inn in the 1960s. The White Gull Inn’s history…

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May 3, 2021