A Short History of the Ashland  Museum

The existence of the Ashland Museum was first noted in 1909 with a letter written by the director of the Historical Museum of the city of Ashland. It was located in the Ashland High School building on Ellis Avenue between tenth and eleventh streets. The letter states that they had valuable donations of historical and archeological material from Beloit College, the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Milwaukee Museum.

The next evidence of efforts in preserving Ashland’s history came from the minutes of the Old Settler’s Club of Ashland, organized in 1924. They were diligent in staging picnics and gatherings where old stories could be told and re-told. They also worked to document the events of early Ashland. In 1925 their meetings were held in the community room of the First National Bank.

In 1954, Miss Cora Angvick put together a historical display in their furniture store in connection with the Centennial of the founding of Ashland. She gathered old photographs, and artifacts to create an exhibit in Anvick's old storefront. When the celebration was over, the exhibit was moved to the new store’s basement to be enjoyed by all who dropped by.

In about 1962, the Museum was moved to the Vaughn Library building, under the advisement of Dr. John Kreher. This proved to be a wise move when the Angvick’s Store burned to the ground in June of 1967. The Museum was housed at the library until the 1980’s, when the Vaughn Library was remodeled. Following the remodeling at the library, the Museum was housed on the second floor until 1993.

The next home for the Ashland Museum was the Wilmarth Mansion at 523 Chapple Avenue. This spacious home with its beautiful woodwork was a wonderful setting for the Museum until problems with the roof and leakage damage caused the Historical Society to once again search out an appropriate and affordable home for its vast collections.

In February of 2000, the Ashland Museum moved to its present spot at 509 West Main Street, housed in the historic business section of Ashland. Due to space restraints, not all the collections are out at one time, but displays are rotated to provide interest throughout the year.