DID YOU KNOW? for October 25 – November 7, 2022: 

DID YOU KNOW… Kiel WI was once known as the Wooden Shoes Capital of Wisconsin or that Pleasant Ridge WI was founded by the formerly enslaved Shepard family? While we usually feature an individual here in Did You Know, we’re making a brief detour to highlight Recollection Wisconsin—an online cultural heritage resource providing free access to over half-a-million historical photos, maps, documents, and narratives telling the stories of Wisconsin’s people and places.

Recollection Wisconsin recently added new sections highlighting Famous Wisconsinites and Early Statehood. The site also includes a Travel Back in Time series, drawing from their popular “Main Street Monday” feature on Facebook. Travel Back in Time highlights historical photos of communities all across the state, from Ashland to Wilmot, and explores the diverse and interesting history of Wisconsin towns, like those mentioned above – Wooden Shoes Capital Kiel and Pleasant Ridge, located near present-day Beetown and founded in 1848 by the formerly enslaved Charles and Caroline Shepard family, later becoming home to many other freed and escaped enslaved people.

The materials in Recollection Wisconsin are drawn from 250+ Wisconsin organizations—libraries of all kinds, historical societies, museums, and government agencies, and shared with the world through their website as well as the Digital Public Library of America.

To stay in the loop with Recollection Wisconsin, follow them on Facebook and Twitter or sign up to receive their newsletter.  Visit Recollection Wisconsin and explore (be sure to bookmark it--materials are added regularly)!

Learn more…
https://recollectionwisconsin.org/travel-back-in-time/pleasant-ridge
https://recollectionwisconsin.org/
Digital Public Library of America: https://dp.la/