Crandon Area Historical Society

Crandon Area Historical Society The mission of the organization is to collect, preserve, and exhibit collections pertaining to Fores

Earlier this year, the Forest County Historical and Genealogical Society Board filed paperwork to legally begin doing business as the Crandon Area Historical Society. This change was decided upon after months of research and negotiations between Board members about the best way to represent ourselves to the community we serve. What exactly does this name change mean for area residents, visitors to

our museum and our members? First off, local area residents interested in learning more about the history of the Crandon area will continue to be able to visit our museum and learn from our programming which will focus on Crandon area history. We will continue to research, collect and preserve historical items related to Forest County, but our focus will be on the Crandon area townships of Argonne (North Crandon), Lincoln, Crandon and Nashville with an emphasis on the City of Crandon. This historic house museum is located in a structure over one hundred years old. The rooms of the home reflect the time period of the early 1900’s. You begin the tour in the old fashioned kitchen with its wood burning cook stove and antique refrigerator. As you leave the kitchen you enter the dining room and parlor area. The parlor reflects back to a time when after a Sunday dinner families would gather around the radio. Located off the dining room is the one room school house exhibit. There are many photos of early Forest County residents and the schools they attended. The semi-permanent display room adjoins the kitchen with objects from the early telephone company, the lumber industry, farming, and moon shining.

07/03/2026

Thanks to a generous donation, we are thrilled to add 10 additional historic banners to Crandon's main street this summer! (Just in time for our July 4th parade!)

Even better, these wonderful donors have pledged ongoing funds to make this an annual tradition that will beautify our downtown, celebrate our shared history, and foster community pride for years to come.

If you are interested in donating towards this project, please visit our website for details.

A few years ago while conducting research at the Forest County Courthouse, a 2-page document titled "Forest County Farms...
06/16/2026

A few years ago while conducting research at the Forest County Courthouse, a 2-page document titled "Forest County Farms, 1965" was found tucked inside a drawer in the Register of Deeds office.

What was unique about this document was that it listed the farm names, owners and the legal description of the farm. A few of the farm names made us chuckle ('Jus-A-Mere Farm') but most made us wish we could go back and learn more about these farms, and the farmers that made up our county 60+ years ago.

Jump ahead to 2026, a summer researcher reached out via email about researching her grandparents farm from 1925, and we wanted a way to share the location of her family's farm so we created an interactive Google Map of the farms.

Please understand that the legal description of each farm has not been verified. The original document listed the Quarter Section, Section, Township and Range which is 160 acres. The map details the quarter section, meaning somewhere in the 160 acres there was a farm of unknown size. To document the exact location of a historic farm, researchers will need to visit the Forest County Register of Deeds office.

It is unknown why there are a few Crandon businesses included in the list, and why certain farms were chosen to be included as more than likely there were additional farms at the time, especially in the south-eastern part of the county near near Wabeno and Carter.

Check out the map here: https://www.crandonareahistory.org/farm-names/

We hope...this is a start of a new summer tradition!  Historic photos on main street welcoming residents and visitors to...
06/11/2026

We hope...this is a start of a new summer tradition! Historic photos on main street welcoming residents and visitors to our downtown. We kicked off this program with a collage of City photos while next year we hope to expand the number of banners, and feature specific local landmarks.

Thanks to Airhead Designs for the help with the project, the City Crew for putting them up and Jill Krueger for her inspiration for the project!

Anyone interested in sponsoring a banner this year and/or helping us with next year's landmark photo, please give us a holler!

This summer's featured exhibit is all about Crandon's historic railroads.  Here is a sneak peak (visit the museum to see...
06/10/2026

This summer's featured exhibit is all about Crandon's historic railroads. Here is a sneak peak (visit the museum to see even more photos and research!)

Photo exhibit containing photos from our archive collection. Resea...

Summer is officially here, and we are ready to welcome you! Step out of the heat and into our local history museum fille...
06/09/2026

Summer is officially here, and we are ready to welcome you!

Step out of the heat and into our local history museum filled with photos and exhibits, including a new exhibit featuring Forest County railroads and depots by Sandy Plummer.

The museum, located at 105 E. Jefferson in downtown Crandon, is open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Can't make those times? Give us a call at 715-902-1620 to schedule an tour and make us a part of your summer traditions!

A special thanks to Lynnette Krueger for her patriotic displays and decorations at both the Museum and the Crandon Public Library.

Address

105 W Jackson Street
Crandon, WI
54520

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