Mission and History

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Mission Statement 

Formed in 1950, the Dunn County Historical Society discovers, preserves, interprets and shares knowledge about the history of Dunn County and its role in Wisconsin, and inspires interest in the past.

 

Society and Museum History 

Early on after the Society organized, its growing collection was stored at the county courthouse. From there it was moved to the rifle range of the Dunn County jail, and later was transferred to the abandoned 1891 Dunn County Asylum building.

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In the early 1970s, with some financial help from the county, the Society was able to purchase a former church building at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Seventh Street in Menomonie to house the Heritage Museum. By the 1990s the collection and exhibits had outgrown the building and a capital campaign was undertaken to build a permanent modern home for the Society. Land in Wakanda Park was given by the city to the Society for a new museum building.

 

On May 29, 1998 the Russell J. Rassbach Heritage Museum was dedicated and opened to the public.  A major gift from Mr. Rassbach, a successful Dunn County businessman, helped fund the facility, and a second gift expanded the building. 

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A generous gift from Fulton Holtby allowed the museum to open "Fulton's Workshop" in late 2017  --- a space that combines area history, technology and a hands-on makerspace. 

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