Common Threads: Weaving Stories Across Time & Place
2025 Local History & Historic Preservation Conference, Hosted by the Wisconsin Historical Society

Join history and preservation colleagues from across Wisconsin and beyond for three days of learning, connection, and inspiration. The 2025 Local History and Historic Preservation Conference invites participants to explore how we weave together stories of the past with the present, centering community voices as essential threads in the fabric of our shared histories. Through sessions, workshops, and conversations, discover new ideas, share your experiences, and strengthen the common threads that connect us in preserving and interpreting history across time and place.

The following sessions are approved for AIA/CES credit:

• Heritage Tourism: Cultural Identity in Wisconsin Architecture - 1 LU
  • Description: New Glarus and Eagle River have incorporated cultural identity into their local architecture to promote and reignite tourism in their respective communities. From the 1950s-era construction of Swiss chalets to the 1970s-era application of a “Northwoods Rustic” aesthetic, learn how these mid-to-late-twentieth-century design decisions were found to be either architecturally or historically significant in their own right, as well as their impact on the historic preservation of each community's commercial downtown.
• Lights On! Renovation of the Historic Auditorium in St. Croix Falls - 1 LU/HSW
  • Description: The Historic Auditorium was erected in 1918 as a vaudeville theater on the St. Croix River. When the current owner purchased the building in 2023, it was with one goal in mind: renovate the building keeping its historic integrity intact as much as possible. This project required additional usable space beyond the original footprint to accommodate an elevator, ADA-compliant restrooms, more seating areas, a loading dock to stage level, and storage space. All design and construction work had to meet Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation because the project applied for Historic Tax Credits. This presentation will address the reuse, financial, programmatic, design, and construction challenges associated with the Historic Auditorium renovation project.
• Reclaiming History, Reviving Community: The St. James Social Story - 1 LU/HSW
  • Description: What happens when a neglected historic building in the heart of a small community is rehabilitated and revitalized? This session tells the story of the conversion of an 1880s commercial building in Bayfield, Wisconsin to St. James Social, a boutique hotel and restaurant. Using historic tax credits, WEDC and REAP grants, PACE financing, and community vision, Annalisa and Cody Bermel transformed the building into a catalyst for year-round tourism, job creation, and renewed local pride. Learn how their team overcame financing and construction challenges on a tight timeline to support economic growth through historic rehabilitation—proving that saving places can transform communities from the inside out.
• Case Studies in Local Design Review - 1 LU
  • Description: Evaluating proposed alterations to historic properties is the core duty for Historic Preservation Commissioners. Practice and experience help us make better decisions. In this panel discussion, preservation planners from three Wisconsin cities will present case studies of project reviews that illustrate difficult, common, and successful design reviews under local design standards.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

William Nąąwącekǧize Quackenbush
Ho-Chunk Deer Clan Tribal Member
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer
Cultural Resources Division Manager
Ho-Chunk Nation

William Nąąwącekǧize Quackenbush began a career in the Ho-Chunk Nation Heritage Preservation Department in 1999 as a land specialist focusing on realty, land-into-trust applications, and cultural and natural resource management. In 2004, Quackenbush became the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the Ho-Chunk Nation, spearheading the creation of the Nation's THPO program to address tribal preservation needs. Since 2006, Quackenbush has served as both the THPO and the Ho-Chunk Nation Heritage Preservation Department & Cultural Resources Division Manager.

Quackenbush will present "Indigenous Oral History – Is It Relevant Today?" The oral history of the Ho-Chunk People reflects upon a direct connection to their ancestral territories, which encompass much of Wisconsin as we know it today. Stories referring to the last glacial episode speak of the Ho-Chunk residing in what they referred to as a place of refuge – what we now know as the beloved Driftless Area. As the glaciers receded to the north, the Ho-Chunk orally memorialized the environmental change taking place and how they adapted to the environment we now find ourselves experiencing. Listen in as the Ho-Chunk Nation's Tribal Historic Preservation Officer answers the question of how relevant of a role - if any - indigenous oral history plays in the 21st century.

Melanie Adams
Interim Director
Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Melanie A. Adams, PhD, currently serves as the Interim Director of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum. She was previously the Roger Ferguson and Annette Nazareth Director of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum. Before joining the Smithsonian, Dr. Adams served as the Deputy Director for Learning Initiatives at the Minnesota Historical Society, overseeing the state's 26 historic sites. Prior to Minnesota, she spent 12 years at the Missouri Historical Society as the Managing Director for Community Education and Events. Dr. Adams is an active member of the museum community. She currently serves on the board of Museum Hue and served on the board of the American Association for State and Local History and the Association of Midwest Museums.

Dr. Adams will present "Weathering Times of Change: How Museums Can Serve Their Communities." In today's rapidly changing environment, museums are at a crossroads as they try to navigate the cultural landscape in their community. There are many common issues such as audience development, fundraising, and how content is interpreted and shared. This keynote will be a conversation that addresses these issues as well as how museums can set themselves up for success and serve the needs of their community.

Visit the Wisconsin Historical Society's website here for more information, including the full conference schedule, special events, and more speakers.