Wittenberg Area Historical Society Museum in Wittenberg, February 19, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
WITTENBERG, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — For decades, people have been getting in touch with their past at the Wittenberg Area Historical Society.
“I think history is very important as a sense of community for everybody. I’ve lived here over 30 years, and it just seemed like I wanted to know what this place is all about,” said Carla Strassburg, Wittenberg Area Historical Society president.
In Shawano County, fundraising is underway to improve the site at an old school.
“This is a parochial school, built in 1904 by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. They operated it through the 50s. It sat vacant for a while,” said Strassburg.
She says the Wittenberg Area Historical Society bought the building from the church for $500.
“Started collecting items and here we are,” she said.
Tens of thousands of items later, museum leaders say the 1,900-square-foot building is out of room.
“There’s a lot of stuff in here and we have more stuff that needs adequate display,” said Miriam Nelson, Wittenberg Area Historical Society board member.
Nelson says the lower level is cramped for space too.
“Right now, a lot of stuff is in the basement. It’s not handicap-accessible. So there’s only so many people who can actually go down there. And because it’s an old building, it’s damp down there. So we want to be able to preserve what we have,” she Nelson.
Members say they want to build a new facility right next to the old school — doubling the size of the current building and providing a climate-controlled home to artifacts from the Wittenberg-Birnamwood area. Strassburg says the project could cost up to $500,000.
“I just feel like it’s very important for history to be remembered and we’re making history every day. And as far as our little museum goes, it’s kind of hard to keep up with that if we only have a certain amount of space,” she said.
The first fundraising event is Friday night from 6-9 p.m. at the Little White Chapel in Wittenberg.
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