Our Radio Chipstone series explores the place of objects in our lives - from the mundane to the remarkable. So it's perhaps no surprise that producer Gianofer Fields found herself at an organization that is the repository for significant objects spanning the history of Wisconsin - the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Lee Grady, the senior reference archivist, gave Gianofer a tour to give us a sense of the scope of the Society's collection, and to take a closer look at an original Thomas Jefferson letter.
"It makes you feel more in the moment...you see an image of a Thomas Jefferson letter or you see it quoted in a book, that's one thing. But to actually see the handwriting, see the letter that the person held in their hand...there is something special about that," says Grady.
The Wisconsin Historical Society's headquarters is located at 816 State St. in Madison, WI with hours available for the public to visit in both the library and archives.
Gianofer Fields studies material culture at UW-Madison and is the curator of "It's a Material World" - a project funded by the Chipstone Foundation, a decorative arts foundation whose mission is preserving and interpreting their collection, as well as stimulating research and education in the decorative arts.
Original air date: 08/09/14
08/09/14
