Prescott Area Historical Society

06/14/2026

Prescott History Sharing Day is tomorrow June 15th at 1pm. We will be showing photos from the Magee Family Collection with Paul Magee telling the stories. Stop for the show or to contribute at our monthly session, hosted by Chris Falteisek. 235 North Broad Street by the Clock Tower. The two photos are from the late 1940s. Notice the business names.

The other photo shows the Tronnier and Sundby kids at what is now Freedom Park.

06/07/2026

Now that the paint job is completed thanks to the Prescott Foundation and a City Façade grant it was time to rebuild our flower bed. Hauled out the old dirt, brought in new, and petunias in with Hosta coming. Harley, Mary Pat, Lonnie, Tim, and Dallas made it all work.

06/07/2026

PAHS hosts a history sharing day the 3rd Monday of each month at 1 PM at the History Center. Hosted by Chris Falteisek, you are invited to bring in your stories, photos, and artifacts to help us save Prescott's history. Or just stop in to tour our exhibits.

The accompanying photo shows the Prescott Ferry circa 1914. The two wooden structures are shear booms with the long wooden dock like structure helping to keep log rafts from getting stuck in the mouth of the St. Croix. The photo is from the Sundby Collection.

06/06/2026

The Mysteries of Lake Pepin is our next topic for our History Speaker Series. Friday Night June 19th at 7 pm. Goran Pesic, author, teacher, and lecturer will take us on a trip around Lake Pepin and its history. Maiden Rock, The Sea Wing, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Villa Maria, and Pepie. Thanks to all of you who have stopped by and we hope to see your smiling faces on June 19th.

06/03/2026

From the Eggers collection, lost for bit. Here is the Mock Wedding of Donna and Don Eggers. Who can you name?

Left to Right: Bernie Lepley, Mary Aadalen, Donna and Dave Zehran, Dude Wolf, Rollin Andrews, Susie Fasbender Mayer, Dorothy Andrews, Mike Mayer, Doris Ptacek, Toni Gergen, Kneeling Nancy Paulson, Ron Janecki, Dean Aadalen. I am sure about most of them, please let us know if there are any mistakes.

06/01/2026

Historians of yore! Here is a Prescott Journal article and photo of some of those who worked so hard for so long to preserve Prescott's fascinating history. Sally West, Jon Setala, Roger and Gladys Most in action and smiles on their faces.

05/29/2026

"Charles Henry Stapf and the Prescott Spinner Company" is ready for sale. We have them at the history center. Open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 3pm

Due to popular demand we were asked to make them more widely available. Linda Peterson at Riverbank Antiques and Bookstore is helping us out. Riverbank is open most days and many more hours. The price is the same, $50. Thanks Linda.

This is a link to original film from the 1930s from Chuck Sundby's amazing collection. https://youtu.be/lctMunU3lTo?si=25-SXE-U-8uuX3MC

This link goes to Seining Wars, a chapter in the book. It nearly won the Wisconsin National History competition. Done by Prescott High School students David Yanisch, Nick Schaeffer, and Bryson Van Holbeck, https://youtu.be/qFR87XYIS5E?si=0dmaUv0UlC6x9Xlm

A National History Day project. Done by Prescott, Wisconsin High S...

05/21/2026

A labor of love completed? Local historian and river rat Chuck Sundby has worked on a book detailing the operations, stories, and history of the Prescott Spinner Company and the community of Prescott for several decades. Some is original source history not found in any other source. During its time on Prescott's main street the ladies who worked for Charlie Stapf made 250,000 lures by hand per year. How to fish, where to fish, when to fish, how to cook fish, and more is all in this wonderful book. Chuck interviewed many of the people who worked there for their stories starting in the 1960s. A limited first printing in now available at the Prescott Area Historical Society for $50.

05/19/2026

2026 Prescott Area Historical Society
Speaker Series at the Prescott History Center

Steamboats, Towboats, and River History
235 N Broad Street

Friday May 8th - Captain Lee Hendrix 7PM
The sinking of the Sultana, the greatest Maritime Disaster
in American History.

Friday June 19th - Goran Pesic 7PM
The Greatest Mysteries of Lake Pepin

Friday July 10th - Robert Taunt 7PM
"The War Eagle and the Galena, Sisters of Steam."

Friday August - 7th - Dr. John Anfinson 7PM
St. Anthony Falls – one tick of the geologic clock from ending a 12,000-year journey.

*Saturday* September 12th - Captain Tom Struve 1PM
Immigration by Steamboat 250 Years of Moving People, Goods, and Technology

Friday October 2 - Dallas Eggers 7PM
Logging on Midwestern Rivers -
14 billion board feet of wood passed Prescott in 75 years. Rivers of Pine.

Friday October 16th - Nancy Earhart Burt 7PM
"An Evening with Amelia Earhart and Her Cousin"

05/17/2026

The current renovation project of our history buildings is nearly complete. Windows repaired, glazed, and painted, ironwork redone, walls water blasted, tuck pointed, sealed, primed, and painted. Doors repainted. And our new signs are nearly finished. We would like to thank the City of Prescott, Prescott Foundation, Lions Club, Chamber Tourism Committee, and private donors for their help with preserving our buildings. Bruce Reichert Painting did the paint work and Tanner Leonard and his crew did the sign installs. We know you will all miss the sign that was torn in half when coming across our bridge ;-)