Wisconsin Veterans Museum

These Old Abe feathers were donated in the months following the fire from as far away as Ohio and Massachusetts The February 1904, fire that destroyed the Wisconsin State Capitol was only the beginning of a period of instability for the young Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall collection. While elements like Old Abe the War Eagle's remains were lost forever, the core of...

Image credit: Wisconsin Historical Society, Joseph Livermore, Fire at the Wisconsin State Capitol (Third), W013J7M. In 1903, just a year before the Wisconsin Capitol fire, the caretakers of the G.A.R. Memorial Hall located in the Capitol building were busy receiving and displaying treasured war relics pertaining to all matters of Wisconsin veterans. One notable collection was...

Michael Sucharski, who served in the United States Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. WVM.OH2219. In October 1962, during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union narrowly avoided a hot nuclear war. Post-Cold War releases of Soviet documents later revealed that this was likely due to the levelheaded actions of Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov, who decided n...

MADISON, September 24, 2026 — As we celebrate America’s 250 years of independence, we commemorate the men and women who played an important part in building “a more perfect Union.” The Wisconsin Veterans Museum continues the America250 Celebration with the 28th annual Talking Spirits: Forest Hill Cemetery Tours. This year’s vignettes tell the stories of four remarkable Wiscon...

Madison, Wis. (September 3, 2026) — As we approach the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum has opened two exhibits remembering the souls lost on that day, honoring all first responders, and highlighting those who were motivated to serve afterward.
The first, Compassion Under Fire: Stories of Combat Medics, fills the ...