BLACK EARTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Black Earth, Wisconsin
RESOURCES & LINKS
Recollection Wisconsin is a searchable digital collection of photographs, oral histories, maps, and documents. So far, it contains 25 records pertaining to Black Earth, such as this c1890 map of Oak Hill Cemetery. Begun in 2005, Recollection Wisconsin is a collaborative digitization program from the Black Earth Public Library, Wisconsin Library System, Wisconsin Historical Society, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin Department of Public Instructions, and the Nicholas Family Foundation.
Black Earth has a shared history with nearby Mazomanie. The Mazomanie Historical Society website features a considerable amount of information about our local history including documents, plat and insurance maps, and digital copies of the Mazomanie Sickle newspaper from the 1874 through 1919 among other resources.
The Wisconsin Historical Society website features many resources for local history including 116 photographs of Black Earth. Helpful articles with direct links are below.
"Ten Reasons to Buy and Restore a Historic Commercial Building"
"Common Myths About Historic Buildings"
"Preserve Your Homes and Properties"
"How To Preserve Your Historic Building"
"Streetscaping And Your Historic Commercial Building"
"Development Of Traditional Storefront Designs In America's Historic Downtowns"
"Patterns Of Building Developments In America's Historic Downtowns"
-Vermont Lutheran Church Cemetery
The Vermont Lutheran Church Cemetery in the town of Vermont lists a directory with map. The church was established in 1856 by Norwegian immigrant farmers. The church has been holding a Lutefisk dinner since the 1920s, according to its website, now serving about 1,000 people each October.
-Find A Grave - Oak Hill Cemetery
Find A Grave is an online database created in 1995 for locating burial graves worldwide searchable by name. It also may include photographs, cemetery information, biographies and other family information. Oak Hill Cemetery in Black Earth may be found on Find A Grave.
-Mount Horeb Area Historical Society
The Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society website includes information on plat book histories, 1928 prairie farmer's directory, century farms, cheese factories, churches, early settlers of Donald Park area, mills, newsletters, and their Driftless Historium Museum & Research Center. The Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society covers the townships of Blue Mounds, Springdale, Perry, Vermont, Primrose, parts of Verona & Cross Plains, plus Mt. Horeb and all villages within those townships.
Halfway Prairie School is the oldest existing rural elementary school in Dane County. It is located in the nearby town of Mazomanie just north of Black Earth, and part of a recently-expanded Halfway Prairie School County Park. Additional information about Halfway Prairie may be found at wisconsinhistoricalmarkers.com or Friends of Old Halfway Prairie School on Facebook.
-Dane County Historical Society
The Dane County Historical Society maintains a limited amount of online resources including county plat maps.
This private, non-profit organization promotes the Lower Wisconsin River and Black Earth Creek watershed areas of northwestern Dane County as the gateway to the unglaciated Driftless Area. The region is known for its outdoor recreation, rich heritage, historic small towns such as Black Earth, and welcoming attitude to residents, visitors and businesses. Their website includes an interactive map.
Enter Black Earth, Wisconsin in the search box on the home page and see what you'll find: photographs, maps, newspaper clips. This photograph is entitled "Farmer at Black Earth, Wisconsin," originally published in 1941 by the Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. By photographer John Vachon, 1914-1975.