Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-11-10
THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL.
state Historical Society Outlines
the Programme for
Celebration.

The State Historical society has issued
the following address to the citizens of
WiscOnsin:
The fftieth anniversary OF the approval
of the act of Congress admitting Wisconsin,
to the Fedora! union, will occur on Sunday,
May -, 1898, and the fftieth anniversary
Of the ceremony Of taking the oath Of Of
ice by the first elective state officers on
Tuesday, June Z, 1898.
Appropriate Observances in commemora-
ton, of these events are, we feel assured
TO the end that there may be fostered among
us that spirit Of historic consciousness
which is the source of civic pride and pat
rlotlsm The several programme commit
tees which were the OutgroWth Of the COM
mlttee of one hundred at the final meeting
OF the latter in milwaukee,. few months
ago have outlined plans which embrace three
features as follows:
l. County pioneer celebrations to be held
at ato each county seat on Saturday. May -,
1898 flor the 10Th falls upon Sunday, and
the Both is Memorial day., these celebrations
to be so far as possible under the control
OF local historical or early settler societies,
either already organized, or at once to be
organized with this end in view.
z. A genera! state celebration Of a mill
be held at Madison, the seat Of state gov
eTnme1t, on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, June Z. and 9, 1898 The 9TH
ture legal holiday, and the programme
upon that day is in the hands of the gov
ernor; the proposition is to extend the cele
guidance of the peoples committee.
;, 3. A carnival at Milwaukee, the metropo
lis OF the state, from June 81 to July .,
to graphically represent the business and in
dustrial development of the commonwealth
i'll the past fifty years.
AT a meeting of the executive committee
OF the State Historical society, held the
18th OF October, the following resolutions
were adopted:
Resolved, that the State Historical So
clety OF Wisconsin view with great interest
tne preparations now under way for tie
seml-centennial celebration proposed to be
held at Madison, the seat of state govern
ment, on the 7th, Sth and 9th of June 1898,
and at Milwaukee, the metropolis OF the
state, IF from m June 26 to July 2. 1898. 1t
considers the proper observance of the an
nlVersary year as of much Importance TO
the people of the state, believing that it
f mllt aWaheh stlrflnS historic memories ana
1oster civic pride, thereby conducting to tie
cause of good citizenship within our Dor
ders. 1t therefore bespeaks for these several
celebrations the hearty cooperation Of Wis
be. -'''''
Resolved that the society advises and re-
quests the immediate formation OF local and
county historical and early settler associa-
tons TO develop the historic spirit il their
several communities, to aid and direct local
celebrations at the several county seats
on the 2Sth of May next and as a further
mode of semi-centennial observance to gath
er for preservation within the archives of
this society (aS the trustee of the state)
whatever historical material may be found
within their borders"
resolutions, the society begs leave, at the
present time, to urge the people Of the
state:
l.. At once to form local historical and
early settler societies, which shall meet as
frequently as convenient during the COM
Ing winter for the purposes of social reunion
ana pioneer Renaissance. 1t should be the
ann or these local societies to call out valu-
able personal narratives of pioneer life, in
written form; to collect from pioneers or
the descendants of pioneers early manu-
script diaries, journals, letters, and original
documents of every sort which may throw
light on the early history of our state or
sirable that the several Wisconsin posts of
the Grand Army of the Republic do similar
historical and biographical work in connec-
ton with their distinguished services in be-
half of the state; and that the history OF
the wisconsin National guard and the old
militia system which preceded it be proper
~ set forth by the men who are most COM
petent to prepare it. An especial effort
should be made, to signalize our semi-cen-
tennlal year by general collection Of these
best sources of historical research and Dlac-
ing them where they can best be preserved
that the several local societies shall when
the work Of the semi-centennia is over, rot
dishand, but permanently maintain their
useful existence. and become active auxiliary
members of the state society, under the pro
visions of chapter lis, Laws Of Wisconsin
for 1897 This law provides that incorpor.
ated local societies engaged in historical re-
search may become auxiliary members OF
the state society, with power to send dele
SulcS W Tie dLuutI meetings OF the latter.
and to make reports thereto, which reports
shall be published, in whole or in part in
the annual report of the state society
2. To hold in each county not later than
December next, a convention of delegates
from such societies, or, if preferred, gen
eral mass meeting Of citizens, at which shall
be appointed competent county historian
this latter to commence at once the de-
tailed preparation of historical data and
statistics for his county
3. To hold on the 2Sth of May 1898 at
the county seat or other convenient place an
historical celebration of such detailed char
acter as may to each county seem desirable
but to have chiefly in view the semi-cen-
tennial idea. At this local celebration the
county historian may present report Of
his Investigations in synopsis or otherwise
4. The committee in charge of the state
historical celebration in Madison will il is
expected, ask the several local societies TO
send delegates thereto. A meeting will no
doubt be planned in connection Herewith
at which the county historians may present
their reports to the state society 1t is
hoped that means may be found for publish
ing a semi-centennial volume in which
shall appear these several county histories
or such parts thereof, properly edited as a
competent committee may agree upon.
The society will be pleased, when request
ed, TO communicate with citizens in the sew
eral counties, relative to the proposed local
celebrations, the formation of local societies.
and the preparation of local histories
In behalf of the society
JOHN JOHNSTON, President
Reuben G., ThWaiteS. Secretary