Special Projects

Civil War Sesquicentennial Exhibits and Programs

Next year marks the beginning of the national observance of the 150^th Anniversary of the Civil War. In conjunction with the celebration, the WVM will mount three exhibits over the next five years, starting in July 2011. Key to this endeavor is the implementation of an educational and interpretive plan that will integrate original artifacts with the latest in interactive technology and intergenerational learning techniques. This shift from a traditional “label on wall” approach to combination of interactive elements that focus on the personal stories of Wisconsin veterans will enable us to broaden our audience, reach students of all backgrounds and provide teachers with the authentic resources that they need to engage students and meet state standards. 

Our goal is to provide $20,000 annually for each of the three Civil War Sesquicentennial exhibits (2011, 2013 and 2014).

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Civil War Battle Flag Preservation

The Museum currently houses 180 Civil War era battle flags in its collection. Approximately 80 are in need of professional conservation in order to make them accessible to the public and to ensure their future survivability.

Preservation projects typically cost $10,000 per flag. Our flag conservation project goal is to conserve at least two flags annually at a total cost of $20,000.

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Medal of Honor Display

The Museum holds three Medals of Honor in its collections – Jerome Sudut, Mitchell Red Cloud and Gerald Endl. All three were awarded the nation’s highest military honor posthumously. Sudut and Red Cloud were honored for heroic action in Korea, and Endl received his MOH for his gallant effort in New Guinea during WWII. Currently, only Sudut’s medal is on exhibition. The Museum proposes to develop a special Medal of Honor exhibit to highlight their heroic actions.

Fundraising goal for the proposed Medal of Honor exhibit is $10,000.

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Civil War Programs

Special programs are a critical element of our educational offerings. The Museum intends to increase its programmatic offerings during the Civil War Sesquicentennial. New programs include a Civil War era music series with a banjo-making workshop, (2011), a theater program featuring performances in the Museum gallery, (2011, 2012), and a series of Civil War panel discussions. Established programs include our Forest Hill Cemetery “Talking Spirits” Tour, which drew in excess of 2,000 visitors in 2010, and our highly successful Richard H. Zeitlin Distinguished lectures series which draws some of the nation’s most respected scholars.

2011 funding goals for these and other programs total $20,000.

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