Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center

30 W. Mifflin Street
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 267-1790
e-mail:
russell.horton[at]dva.state.wi.us
or gayle.martinson[at]dva.state.wi.us
http://museum.dva.state.wi.us/ResearchCenter.asp

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum was founded by the state legislature in 1901, originally established as the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall. In 1945 administration was transferred to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Originally located on the Capitol grounds, a new facility was built adjacent to the Capitol from 1990-1992 and opened in 1993. The Research Center, originally located in the basement, moved into its current location on the third floor in 2001.

Collections
The WVM Research Center has several featured collections. The manuscript collection has an extent of over 2,500 linear feet, and includes over 20,000 images. The Veterans Oral History Collection includes over 1,000 interviews spanning all wars from the Spanish-American War through present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Newspaper and Periodical Collection includes over 1,500 titles, including many newsletters from small unit organizations. The Poster Collection contains over 2,500 items. There is a significant Map Collection, which is currently being catalogued. The Research Center has a sizeable Military History Library and Moving Image Collection, comprised of published but non-circulating materials. Print materials range from memoirs and unit histories to military manuals. The Research Center hosts a permanent museum display on the 32nd Infantry Division (also known as the “Red Arrow Division” or “Les Terribles”). The division is comprised of Wisconsin National Guard units and served with particular distinction in France during World War I and in the Pacific Theater in World War II. There is also a rotating display in the Reading Room. The WVM also creates a variety of on-line displays. Past topics include World War I aerial reconnaissance and women in the military. A future exhibit will feature World War I nurses.

Genealogists make frequent use of the collections, and form the largest constituency of this repository. Another important user group is active duty military personnel. The repository also acts as a liaison between teachers and veterans, facilitating classroom presentations.


Jeff Carnes, Operation Iraqi Freedom. Wisconsin veteran Jeff Carnes, an Arabic translator with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center.



Peleg G. Tompkins. Tintype image of Civil War veteran Peleg G. Tompkins of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, a component of the famous Iron Brigade. Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center.

Top image courtesy of University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center.

Entry compiled by Tyler Kennedy