"Wisconsin Hometown Stories" Photo Gathering

PBS Wisconsin is making a documentary about Madison’s history and it wants your historic photos, films and documents that show Madison in prior times, especially depictions of Madison industries (such as Oscar Mayer and Gisholt Machine); the Greenbush neighborhood; lake recreation; early resident family portraits; Madison greenspaces, including the UW-Madison Arboretum and Picnic Point; activism and protest involvement; and Mendota Mental Health Institute. The film will be part of PBS Wisconsin’s series Wisconsin Hometown Stories. Two events are upcoming for film staff to look at your photos and scan them onsite if they are of use. (They might have to borrow film and video.) Don’t have any pics of Oscar Mayer? Bring your photos anyway; who knows what they might find useful? For questions or to request accessibility accommodations, call 608-265-5037.

media release: PBS Wisconsin invites members of the Madison community to participate in two photo gathering events for an original documentary about the city’s history. The film, to be released statewide in 2027, is the latest installment in PBS Wisconsin’s historical series, Wisconsin Hometown Stories.

The documentary’s producers and other station representatives welcome members of the Madison community to bring archival photos, films and documents from their personal collections to help provide visual representation of the people and places that tell the city’s unique history. Photos brought to these events will be scanned on-site. Film and video content may be borrowed so it can be reviewed for possible inclusion in the program.

Thanks to previous community listening sessions and further research in Madison, specific archival photo needs have been identified by the film’s producers, which include: Madison industries, especially Oscar Mayer and Gisholt Machine; the Greenbush neighborhood; lake recreation, especially sailing and iceboating; community press; early resident family portraits; Madison parks, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and Picnic Point; activism and protest involvement; and Mendota Mental Health Institute.

The photo gathering sessions will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, June 24, from 2 - 7 p.m. at the Lakeview Library, Community Room, Fireplace Side, 2845 N. Sherman Ave. in Madison.

Thursday, June 26, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Central Library, Meeting Room 301, 201 W. Mifflin St. in Madison.

No RSVP is required. Feel free to stop by anytime during the events. For questions or to request accessibility accommodations, please call 608-265-5037.

“PBS Wisconsin is proud to focus on the rich history of Madison in the next chapter of our Wisconsin Hometown Stories series,” said PBS Wisconsin Director of Television Jon Miskowski. “The series is built upon a deep collaboration with a community to preserve and share its story. Without archival images, making a history documentary simply wouldn’t be possible. We appreciate the community’s enthusiasm to help us make this a reality.”

Watch all of the Wisconsin Hometown Stories documentaries at pbswisconsin.org/hometownstories.

Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Madison is a partnership of PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Current funding for Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Madison is provided by the Wooden Nickel Fund, John J. Frautschi Family Foundation, The Evjue Foundation – the charitable arm of The Capital Times, Dr. Henry Anderson, Leon Price, Mary Ann Woodke, Diane L. Glodoski, donors to the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

PBS Wisconsin is a service of the Educational Communications Board and UW-Madison.

            PBS Wisconsin is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.