President's Message
Dear Friends and Members of WAHS,
Syttende Mai has happened and WAHS participated in the City of Westby celebration! This year we had a very successful Open House at the Thoreson House Museum on Saturday, May 15th, from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm. Although we were not be able to open the second floor of the museum, we did show all the good work and new displays that have been completed on the first floor during the pandemic shutdown. Life Member, Bertha Johnson, sold out of her famous and very delicious rømmegrøt! Ron Janzen, nominated by his granddaughter Hailee, was our very proud 2021 Grandfather of the Year. He, Hailee and his 7 other grandchildren were at the Opening Ceremony on Saturday and rode in the Kiddie Parade. You can find more about them in our newsletter, on Facebook and in the Vernon County Times. We had a scaled-back version of our usual Syttende Mai celebration but we were glad to be back!
Starting June 5, the Thoreson house Museum will be open on Saturdays from Noon until 3:00. Please come to see us and how we are working on new displays. We hope to have the upstairs open soon!
Our next big event will be July 31 when we celebrate the 6th Annual Sweet Rides and Sweet Pies! Be sure you put it on your calendar and come to see everything in the show! Maybe you even have a vehicle you want to register. See our Sweet Rides page on this website or visit our Facebook page for more information.
This past year has been a challenge for everyone and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your gifts, and your donations to WAHS. It means a great deal to me and the board to have your support. We will do everything we can to be the best stewards of the museum, its collection and the archives. We appreciate you! We expect to be open this summer on Saturdays from Noon until 3:00 pm and hope you can visit us soon!
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
Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions,
the museum is closed.
Please check back often to get our
updates on reopening!
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