President's Message
Dear Friends and Members of WAHS,
2025 is going to be an exciting year for WAHS! We are planning our school visits for Syttende Mai, summer "Open House" hours, and the 10th Annual Sweet Rides & Sweet Pies! With these events and all the others we have planned, we will surely have something you enjoy!
The 2025 Syttende Mai week will be very busy! The Westby Elementary School Librarian, Mrs. Schroeder, and 4th grade teacher, Mr. Henchen, at the Coon Valley Elementary School will help us with our Grandparent of the Year nominations. Home schoolers are also eligible to submit a nomination so check our Facebook page during the first week of April for more details about this award. Fourth graders study the history of Wisconsin, and we present a program about the immigration of Norwegians to our area that fits beautifully with their classes. The Thoreson House Museum and Genealogy Center will be open on Syttende Mai Saturday, and we will sell lefse/pølse at our usual corner on Saturday and Sunday. We are excited to celebrate our heritage during Syttende Mai week!
Our 10th Annual Sweet Rides & Sweet Pies will happen on Saturday, July 26th. We are already making plans because DENNIS GAGE is coming! Put Saturday, July 26, 2025, on your calendar now because it's going to be our best and biggest event yet! We will have hundreds of cars, vendors, food trucks, trophies, raffles, and more. Of course, there will be plenty of homemade pie!
We will continue our summer Party on the Porch the second Tuesday of the month in June, July and August. Summer Open House hours are going to be decided at our February meeting. We will continue our Cemetery Stone Cleaning Workshops in the Spring and the Fall, and we have already been asked to host two Norwegian tour groups. WAHS will have lots of events and activities to celebrate so please check our Facebook page often for news and updates!
Thank you for your continued support of the Westby Area Historical Society during all these wonderful 2025 events. If you would like a tour of the museum or need help with your genealogy research, please contact us. We have so much to offer to our friends and members! 2025 will be a wonderful year for WAHS and we hope you can join us for our meetings and activities!
Blaine Hedberg
WAHS President
ABOUT US
SOCIETY PROFILE
SOCIETY PROFILE
Westby has a rich heritage steeped
in Norwegian culture. The first
immigrants came to this area from
Biri, Norway in 1848. Letters sent home
to Norway described rich farmland,
prosperity and freedom that
encouraged many families to follow.
Founded in 1989, the Westby
Area Historical Society is an
educational organization dedicated
to the history, heritage and
culture of our area.
SOCIETY PROFILE
SOCIETY PROFILE
SOCIETY PROFILE
Send mail to:
P. O. Box 42
Westby, WI 54667
The Thoreson House Museum is open
by appointment.
Please call to visit!
If you were hoping to get a tour of the museum and we are closed, please call John at
608-575-2500. He just might be able to help!
Email:
Leave a message at: 608.634.4478
Find us on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/westbywihistory
GENEALOGY CENTER
ACTIVITIES, EVENTS and SERVICES
ACTIVITIES, EVENTS and SERVICES
Our main floor library is
available for genealogy research
where we have family history
collections and original records
for births, marriages and
deaths in Westby.
Photographs, scrapbooks, a
collection of the WESTBY TIMES
newspapers, business records
and minutes from community
organizations have been donated
and are available for
research purposes.
ACTIVITIES, EVENTS and SERVICES
ACTIVITIES, EVENTS and SERVICES
ACTIVITIES, EVENTS and SERVICES
WAHS provides many services and programs. The following are just a few of our activities and events:
- Sweet Rides & Sweet Pies
- Centennial Circle Program
- Tours of the 1892 Thoreson House Museum
- Grandparent of the Year Award
- Outreach programs to local schools and organizations
- Syttende Mai activities
- Quarterly "History Keepers" newsletter
- Lecture series
- Volunteer of the Year Award