Wisconsin Historical Society History Center & Archives + Services

March 12 & 13, 2024 Update:

Please note that we will be closed on March 13 and possibly March 12.  Please call or text 715-209-1823 if you are planning to visit on Tuesday March 12, to ensure that we are open. If you are driving a long distance, we suggest choosing an alternative date.  

The Wisconsin Historical Society has a satellite operation located in the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center offering a history center and genealogy services. The Ashland ARC is the state repository for 8 northern Wisconsin counties providing researchers with access to public records and private manuscripts collections for Ashland, Bayfield, Forest, Iron Oneida, Price, Sawyer, and Vilas counties. There is also an in-house research library that includes over 400 donated volumes from Ben Guthrie’s extensive library of fur trade, Native Americans, and Wisconsin History dating back to 1833.

Genealogists will find a wealth of information including citizenship records; pre-1907 vital statistics; microfilm newspapers; Northern Wisconsin Native American census rolls; court and tax records; and research assistance with Ancestry and other online databases.  Onsite genealogy group programs available upon request.

The Ashland ARC is open Tuesday – Friday, 1:00 – 4:30 and by appointment. Call (715) 685-2647 for more information.

View the Archival Catalog

Learn more about Wisconsin’s 14 Area Research Centers

Linda Mittlestadt, Archivist
(715) 685-2649
linda.mittlestadt@wisconsinhistory.org

Pam Ekholm, Program Assistant
(715) 685-2647
Pamela.ekholm@wisconsinhistory.org

The Wisconsin Historical Society offers the assistance of the Northern Outreach Coordinator, Liz Arbuckle. Liz can assist you with local history questions, youth education programs, and research field trips for the northern region. She organizes a Local History Book Club and the Ojibwe Storytelling Series.