Selected Photos

This page contains several photo galleries curated by LCHS president Joe Hermolin, showcasing some of the more interesting moments in the Historical Society’s own history.

Scroll down, or click the buttons below to jump to a specific gallery. Note: This page may display poorly on mobile devices.

Locomotive Restoration

School Tours

Music in the Park

2020 Remodeling of the Museum

In 2020, after several years of planning, we began fundraising and construction on major remodeling of the museum. Goals included making the building handicap accessible, updating the lighting, and major building repairs to one of Antigo’s architectural landmarks: the Carnegie Library, built in 1905. The Historical Society also entered into an agreement with the Economic Development Corporation of Langlade County to host a Welcome Center which provides general tourist information about the city and county. The museum reopened to the public in 2022.

Int 5 Elvira Frisch inaugurates the elevator.jpg

Restoration of Antigo’s First Home

In 1914 Antigo’s first home, the Deleglise log cabin, was moved from its original location on the banks of Spring Brook, to the north side of the Carnegie Library (now the Langlade County Historical Society Museum). In 1997 the historical society undertook a project to restore the cabin and build a replica of one section which did not survive the move. In 2007 the cabin was moved to the south side of the museum.

Cemetery Tours

In 2021, in collaboration with Antigo Community Theater and with the help of the 4H Tree Toppers club, we began holding an annual event of cemetery tours. Attendees walk (or ride in golf carts) through a section of a local cemetery where actors at about 10 sites describe the lives of interesting local people. Some are significant, such as Antigo’s first mayor or an early judge, while some represent someone who made the area what it is, such as a railroad worker, CCC enrollee, a Kentuck migrant, or a World War I veteran.

Event Booths

Copies of material from the museum’s photo collection and artifacts sometimes leave the museum and are displayed at community events such as Breakfast on the Farm and the Antigo Farmers Market.

Purchase and Restoration of the Steam Locomotive

In 2005, in recognition of Antigo as a major hub of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, the historical society purchased a steam locomotive from the Mid-Continent Railroad Museum in North Freedom WI. It came to Antigo in sections which were restored and reassembled for display at the north end of the museum campus.

Music in the Park

The historical society serves food at a Music in the Park, a summer tradition. This functions as a fundraiser and a means of reaching out to the community.

Railroad Picnics

In 2006, to thank the community for its support in the Historical Society’s purchase and restoration of a steam locomotive which celebrated Antigo’s history as a railroad town, we hosted a picnic on the museum grounds. This became an annual event for several years but ceased due to the Covid pandemic and museum remodeling closure.

Santa Visits

Each year in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Santa holds court at the museum for several days and takes requests from children. The Historical Society and various donors provide some small gifts and cookies for visitors.

School Tours

Classes from local schools and from further afield, as well as Cub Scout troops and other youth groups, visit the museum and take part in organized tours where Historical Society volunteers highlight aspects of local history using museum artifacts and photos.