Object Histories

Cassel Soda Bottle (Image courtesy of Whitefish Bay Historical Society). Photograph by Elkin Gonzalez.

Region 8 - South East / Whitefish Bay / Cassel Soda Bottle / Milwaukee County / Food & Cooking / Manufacturing & Trade / Object Histories / 1900-1920

OBJECT HISTORY: Cassel Soda Bottle

This soda bottle was sold by the Cassel Soda Company in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, in the early 1900s. Conrad Cassel owned and managed the company from 1897-1917. The company, along with other Wisconsin soda companies during that time, made carbonated water, a beverage that would gain special significance during Prohibition. The Cassel Soda Company sold its soda to Whitefish…

Read More

0 Comments

September 9, 2020

Dane County / Babcock Butterfat Tester / Madison / Region 7 - South Center / Food & Cooking / Manufacturing & Trade / Object Histories / 1940-1960 / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: Babcock Ice Cream Carton

Ice cream has been a delicacy for hundreds of years, but in the last century, Wisconsin has come to be considered home to some of the world’s best ice cream. Babcock Hall, established in 1951, has contributed to this reputation, establishing ice cream as a symbol both of Wisconsin’s dairy farming past and its appeal…

Read More

0 Comments

September 9, 2020

Madison / Dane County / Babcock Butterfat Tester / Region 7 - South Center / Manufacturing & Trade / Food & Cooking / 1880-1900 / Science & Medicine / Object Histories

OBJECT HISTORY: Babcock Butterfat Tester

The Babcock butterfat test, developed at the University of Wisconsin, provided a simple, accurate, and inexpensive way to assess milk quality and to pay farmers accordingly. By improving standards and rewarding the best milk producers, the Babcock butterfat test transformed the dairy industry in the United States and set Wisconsin firmly on the path to…

Read More

0 Comments

September 9, 2020

A Cherokee weir similar to the one the people of Aztalan built, showing what it looked like 1000 years ago. Image courtesy of Western Carolina University's Digital Heritage Project.

Region 7 - South Center / Pre-1600 / Manufacturing & Trade / Food & Cooking / Object Histories / Nature & Environment / Ethnicity & Identity

OBJECT HISTORY: Aztalan Fishing Weir

Fishing can take a lot of patience. A person could sit with their fishing pole for hours before they get a bite! Fishing weirs are time-saving technologies built in the water to trap fish. This fishing weir was created by the people who lived in the Early Mississippian settlement, Aztalan, sometime between the 10th and…

Read More

0 Comments

September 9, 2020

Region 7 - South Center / 20-sided die / Walworth County / Lake Geneva / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / 1960-1980

OBJECT HISTORY: A Twenty-sided Die

Dice are used in games around the world to generate a random number. Traditionally the die is cubical; however there are multiple forms of non-cubicle die, such as, the 20-sided die. Ancient die were typically made from bones, wood, or rock. Today, die of all shapes are usually made from resin. The 20-sided die can…

Read More

0 Comments

September 9, 2020

Marathon County / Region 2 - North East / A Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket Coat / Wausau / Manufacturing & Trade / Clothing & Fashion / Object Histories / 1920-1940

OBJECT HISTORY: A Hudson’s Bay Company Point Blanket Coat

This wool coat was constructed from a ‘point blanket’ made by the Hudson’s Bay Company, likely during the early 1920s. A Wausau businessman wore it at one of the town’s early Winter Frolics, an annual winter sports festival that attracted tourists from as far as Chicago. The businessman belonged to a group of local business…

Read More

0 Comments

September 9, 2020