Beloit Historical Society

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Beloit Historical Society We are dedicated to preserving, restoring, interpreting, and communicating Beloit's history!

The Beloit Historical Society is the oldest historical society in Rock County, Wisconsin. Headquartered in the Lincoln Center, a former school on the west side of Beloit, the society's mission is to connect people with Beloitโ€™s history to inspire an inclusive, informed, and engaged community. Programs and events of community interest are held throughout the year. Our schedule of events is available at the Lincoln Center or on our webpage under the "UPCOMING EVENTS" link.

Five people will be inducted into the ๐‘ฉ๐’†๐’๐’๐’Š๐’• ๐‘ฏ๐’Š๐’”๐’•๐’๐’“๐’Š๐’„๐’‚๐’ ๐‘บ๐’๐’„๐’Š๐’†๐’•๐’š ๐‘ฏ๐’‚๐’๐’ ๐’๐’‡ ๐‘ญ๐’‚๐’Ž๐’† during a ceremony at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct....
10/15/2026

Five people will be inducted into the ๐‘ฉ๐’†๐’๐’๐’Š๐’• ๐‘ฏ๐’Š๐’”๐’•๐’๐’“๐’Š๐’„๐’‚๐’ ๐‘บ๐’๐’„๐’Š๐’†๐’•๐’š ๐‘ฏ๐’‚๐’๐’ ๐’๐’‡ ๐‘ญ๐’‚๐’Ž๐’† during a ceremony at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Beloit Historical Society, 845 Hackett St.

This yearโ€™s inductees include Jerry Kenney, Dorothy Harrell, Angela Moore, Marcia Anderson and Joe Lomax.

๐€๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ฅ๐š ๐Œ๐จ๐จ๐ซ๐ž
Born โ€œcolored,โ€ raised โ€œNegro,โ€ growing up Black, and becoming African American, Angela Moore has witnessed and helped shape generations of change. Born in 1954, the year the U.S. Supreme Court declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, she attended an integrated school 14 years later, as the nation movedโ€” โ€œwith all deliberate speedโ€โ€”toward desegregation. Her life and work reflect a steadfast commitment to opportunity, equity, and community.

Her impact reaches from her home state of Virginia, where she advocated for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to become a federal holiday, to Beloit and Rock County, which she has long called home. The City of Beloit recognized her contributions during Womenโ€™s History Month.

From 1993 to 2009, Moore served as Executive Director and CEO of Girl Scouts Badger Council, supporting thousands of girls and adults across the Stateline Area. She became the first African American in the country to pass the national CEO Certification. Recognizing the need to better serve African American and Hispanic girls, she established The Circle of Diversity and worked to build a more diverse board, staff, and volunteer community.

Moore also helped lead a capital campaign that raised $1.2 million to build the Program Center at Big Hill Park. Still in use today as an Environmental Center, the building stands as a lasting contribution to the region. Under her leadership, the council achieved one of the nationโ€™s highest service rates, with one in four girls participating. She was among the few leaders in the country to serve as director of both a Girl Scout council and a YWCA.

As Executive Director of YWCA Rock County from 2014 to 2021, Moore brought the annual Racial Justice Conference and Stand Against Racism to the community. The conference welcomed thousands of participants and reached its tenth year; Stand Against Racism expanded to sites in Beloit and Janesville. She partnered with the Elite Ladies to bring Juneteenth celebrations back to Beloit and created โ€œYou, Me and Our Colorful Communityโ€ to help children learn about diversity. She also served as one of ten advisors to the national CEO of the YWCA.

Her community service has included the NAACP; two terms on the City of Beloit Plan Commission; the Beloit and Rock County Health Departments; the Beloit Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; the Beloit Library Board of Trustees and Library Foundation Board; the Diversity Action Team; The Links; the Rock County Evidence-Based Decision-Making Committee; the League of Women Voters; the AALAC Advisory Committee to the Janesville Police Chief; and the Board of Trustees at Emmanuel Baptist Church, which she chaired.

Angelaโ€™s honors include the Girl Scoutsโ€™ national Thanks Badge and Thanks Badge II, the Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship Award (twice), the Universities of Wisconsin Women of Color Award (twice), the Zonta Tribute to Women Award, and the Martin Luther King Award.

Through decades of leadership, advocacy, and service, Angela Moore has helped make Beloit and Rock County more inclusive and more vibrant. Her work has opened doors for women and girls, strengthened local institutions, and left a legacy worthy of recognition in the Beloit Historical Society Hall of Fame.

Five people will be inducted into the Beloit Historical Society Hall of Fame during a ceremony set for 1 p.m., Sunday, O...
10/14/2026

Five people will be inducted into the Beloit Historical Society Hall of Fame during a ceremony set for 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18 at the Beloit Historical Society, 845 Hackett St.

This year's inductees include Jerry Kenney, Dorothy Harrell, Angela Moore, Marcia Anderson and Joe Lomax.

๐ƒ๐จ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐‡๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ
Dorothy Harrell has spent her life speaking up. In 1965, while still a teenager, she wrote her first letter to the editor, challenging a system in which Black and White children attended school together all week, but only White children were welcome at a downtown teen dance club. The newspaper never published her letter. Rather than back down, Harrell took that silence as proof that staying quiet changes nothing. She still draws inspiration from Audre Lordeโ€™s words: โ€œYour silence will not protect you.โ€

Born and raised in Beloit, Harrell built a career spanning education and law. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in psychology, earned a masterโ€™s degree in urban education from Antioch College, and received a Montessori certificate. She began her career as a teacher in the Beloit School District and later served on the executive staff of the National Education Association in Washington, D.C. In 1990, she earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and went on to practice law for many years. Although she has since stepped away from practicing, her legal training continues to shape how she understands institutions and works to make them fairer.

When she returned to Beloit, she put her energy into the issues that mattered most to her. She served on a Rock County committee studying best practices in the criminal justice system, bringing the concerns of Black residents to the table and helping ensure the community saw itself represented. She raised awareness of the disproportionate incarceration of people of color, helped young people navigate a court system their families might otherwise struggle to understand, and joined the call for cultural-competency training in the district attorneyโ€™s office.

Education has always been close to her heart. She partnered with the Beloit and Janesville school districts to address the achievement gap between White and Black students and worked to bring Black Beloit graduates back home to teach. For years, she has helped run a Saturday tutoring program at New Zion Baptist Churchโ€”her spiritual home for more than 60 years and the place where her parents first taught her that service is a way of life.

As president of the Beloit Branch of the NAACP, Harrell restored trust and energy to an organization that had lost both, refocusing its work on education, workforce development, and criminal justice reform. Today, she also serves as president of the Beloit Police and Fire Commission. She is an active member of several community organizations, including Justice Overcoming Borders (JOB), the Diversity Action Team, and the League of Women Voters.

Her service has been recognized throughout the community. In 2016, the Beloit Zonta Club honored her in its Tribute to Women. She has also received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and the Rock County Democratic Partyโ€™s Lifetime Volunteer Award.

Those who know her describe her as a transformational leader: admired and trusted, and always ready to work on behalf of othersโ€”even long after the rest of us have gone to sleep.

She is the devoted wife of Craig F. Davis.

Her Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be on Sunday, Oct 18th
10/13/2026

Her Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be on Sunday, Oct 18th

Beloit trailblazer Joseph โ€œJoeโ€ Lomax, titled โ€œMemories of the First Black Police Officer in Beloit,โ€ written by Joe him...
10/12/2026

Beloit trailblazer Joseph โ€œJoeโ€ Lomax, titled โ€œMemories of the First Black Police Officer in Beloit,โ€ written by Joe himself.

๐‰๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ญ ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‡๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐…๐š๐ฆ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐œ๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐’๐ฎ๐ง๐๐š๐ฒ ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐Ÿ:๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ๐ฉ๐ฆ at the ...
10/10/2026

๐‰๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ญ ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‡๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐…๐š๐ฆ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐œ๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐’๐ฎ๐ง๐๐š๐ฒ ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐Ÿ:๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ๐ฉ๐ฆ at the Beloit Historical Society, 845 Hackett St., Beloit. If attending, please RSVP by Oct. 15, 2026.

๐€ ๐’๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ โ€” In 1938, a โ€œhallโ€ was established โ€œfor the purpose of perpetuating the memories of men and women, who in life, gave generously of their time, talents and means to the building of our city.โ€ Inductions halted during WWII and didn't resume until 1966 as part of Beloitโ€™s 130th anniversary celebration. To be inducted into the Beloit Hall of Fame, โ€œโ€ฆindividuals whose efforts and vision for a better community distinguished themselves during their lifetime by making a significant contribution to the greater good of our Beloit area and its citizens, this Nation, and mankind, or otherwise brought fame to our community irrespective of their residence at the time of death.โ€ The Hall now numbers 200 notable men and women and is housed in the Lincoln Center.

https://beloithistory.org/hall-of-fame/

๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ'๐ฌ ๐๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ญ ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‡๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐…๐š๐ฆ๐ž ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ž๐ž๐ฌ:

Marcia Anderson
Dorothy Harrell
Gerald "Jerry" Kenney
Joe Lomax
Angela Moore

09/09/2026
Beloit Heritage Days is returning for a city-wide celebration from September 11-13, 2026! Grab an event passport to expl...
09/04/2026

Beloit Heritage Days is returning for a city-wide celebration from September 11-13, 2026! Grab an event passport to explore historic sites, walking tours, a quilt show, and high tea across various local organizations.

The Beloit Historical Society at 845 Hackett St. is hosting free admission from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Friday through Sunday. Stop by to discover the "Shared Legacies" exhibit, explore behind-the-scenes collection storage, and tour the Daisy Chapin one-room schoolhouse.

You can pick up your passport at the Historical Society (Tuesdaysโ€“Thursdays) or at the Downtown Beloit Farmerโ€™s Market on Saturday, Sept. 12. Get stamps at 4 different events to score a FREE Turtle Sundae courtesy of Culverโ€™s of Beloit!

Head to beloitheritagedays.com and beloithistory.org for more details.

๐๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ญ ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐‚๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ ๐Ÿ“๐ŸŽ ๐˜๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌFriday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 11-13, 2026, from 10:00 am until3:00 pm ...
09/04/2026

๐๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ญ ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐‚๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ ๐Ÿ“๐ŸŽ ๐˜๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 11-13, 2026, from 10:00 am until
3:00 pm at the Beloit Historical Society, 845 Hackett St., Beloit, Wisconsin.
A city-wide Heritage Days event is taking place September 11-13, 2026. Passports provide information for fifteen different Beloit organizations and the activities taking place during thethree-day event. The passports are available at the Beloit Historical Society Tuesdays โ€“ Thursdays as well as at the Downtown Beloit Farmerโ€™s Market Saturday, Sept. 12. Get your passport stamped at 4 events to earn a free Turtle Sundae courtesy of Culverโ€™s of Beloit.

The Beloit Historical Society is featuring the exhibit, โ€œShared Legacies: 150 Years of Community Celebrations,โ€ open from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday September 11-13. Discover the many ways Beloit has celebrated throughout the years. Explore behind-the-scenes areas at the society as we open doors to the collection storage areas and the Daisy Chapin one-room schoolhouse.

Admission to the Beloit Historical Society event is free.

Activities offered by other Beloit organizations include three walking tours, a quilt show, high tea at Rasey House, and many other activities. More information is the website https://beloitheritagedays.com/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Beloitheritagedays/.

Heritage Days, first initiated by the Beloit Historical Society in 1966 as part of the City of Beloitโ€™s 130 th celebration, became a regular event in 1976 during Americaโ€™s Bicentennial. In 1987, during the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, the event was expanded through a collaboration between the Beloit Historical Society, Beloit College, and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Beloit chapter to present the first city-wide Heritage Days Museum Walk. Heritage Days continues to share the rich history and cultural heritage of our community.

The Beloit Historical Society, founded in 1910, preserves and shares the rich and diverse heritage of the Beloit community to enhance community pride. Headquartered at 845 Hackett Street, the society provides facilities for tours, research, programs, and private rentals. For more
information, visit the website, http://www.beloithistory.org.

On August 17, 1945, the city of Beloit celebrated Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day), marking the conclusion of World War I...
08/17/2026

On August 17, 1945, the city of Beloit celebrated Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day), marking the conclusion of World War II. The event saw a large turnout from the community as residents gathered in downtown Beloit to commemorate this significant moment in history.

While many were in still in high spirits on August 18th, not everyone was celebrating, as a major cleanup was required.

๐๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ž๐ฐ๐ฌ: Today is the BHS's America 250 Birthday Celebration. Come join us from Noon until 4 pm. This FREE event (...
07/11/2026

๐๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ž๐ฐ๐ฌ:

Today is the BHS's America 250 Birthday Celebration. Come join us from Noon until 4 pm.

This FREE event (donations happily accepted) will have cupcakes, ice cream, old-fashioned games, and entertainment. Also explore the ways residents of Beloit celebrate in our exhibit "A City Celebrates."

Saturday, the Beloit Historical Society will host a birthday party for America's 250th birthday.

Address

845 Hackett Street
Beloit, WI
53511

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Wednesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

(608) 365-7835

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