Wisconsin State Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially known as the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is a state agency and at the same time a private membership organization with the aim of maintaining, promoting and disseminating knowledge about the history of North America, with particular emphasis on the state of Wisconsin and the trans-Allegheny West. It was founded in 1846 and was chartered in 1853, and is the oldest historical society in the US to receive continuous funding from the public purse. Headquarters of the society are located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison Wisconsin.