On the Same Page: The History of Reedsburg in Buildings and Artifacts at Reedsburg Public Library

By: 
Reedsburg Public Library staff

Reedsburg's Woolen Mill is shown on a collectible plate. It is one of the many pieces in the Reedsburg Historic Preservation Commission Museum. (Submitted photo)

Reedsburg Public Library continues its month-long celebration of its 125th anniversary with another historical program this week.

The History of Reedsburg in Buildings and Artifacts will be presented by Reedsburg Historic Preservation Commission members Joan Martin and Glen Slaats on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. in the library’s Community Room.

If you have ever wondered what the Historic Preservation Commission is all about, Wednesday’s program is the perfect opportunity to find out. According to their website, their purpose is to “identify and preserve monuments and other structures that are architecturally and historically significant.” Their most recent projects have included the moving of the John Devor memorial bench from City Park to a location near the Nishan chapel, and the Voices of the Past Greenwood Cemetery Tour.

Martin and Slaats will introduce the Commission’s website at www.reedsburghpc.org, and the museum of Reedsburg artifacts and paintings, which they now maintain in the former Carnegie Library building at 340 Vine St. They will also talk about highlights from the most recent survey done in the city to identify historically and architecturally significant buildings in Reedsburg. The findings of the first survey, completed in 1984, which details 900 local properties, along with several other Library image collections, can be found on the Recollection Wisconsin website (recollectionwisconsin.org/institutions/reedsburg-public-library)

At 1 p.m. on Oct. 9, Reedsburg Public Library Reference Services librarian Janet Gasser, will host a Genealogy and Local History Meet Up in the library’s Community Room. The topic of the day will be “finding genealogical information in libraries” and the group will take a tour of RPL’s Archives Room, located in the former Carnegie Library. No registration is required to attend this program.

On Tuesday, Oct. 8, RPL’s Memoir Writing group will meet at 6 p.m. in the library’s Conference Room. This group is open to all adults who are interested in recording their memories. At the end of each meeting, a writing prompt is provided, and group members each prepare a one page “memoir” to share at the next session. Participants may join in person or via Zoom. Please call the library if a Zoom invitation is required.

Regular fall youth services programming continues next week with a full schedule from Tuesday through Friday, offering something from babies through teens. Find a full schedule at www.reedsburglibrary.org, and click on “Programs and Events.”

In preparation for Reedsburg Public Library’s 125th Celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 23, be sure to pick up your Quasquicentennial Library Scavenger Hunt. Those who complete the questions correctly may put their name in for a prize drawing that night!

There is no registration or fee required to attend any of the above programs. For questions about any library program or service, call the library at 608-768-READ (7323) or email info@reedsburglibrary.org.