Polk County Historical Society

THE POLK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM

History lays the groundwork for strong resilient communities.  

 No place is a community until it has an awareness of its history, strengthened when we share stories and experiences.  

Our Mission:

Preserving the past  for future generations by establishing a unique and enduring collection of Polk County History shared with the public through programs, exhibits and research.

Our History:

The Polk County Historical Society was established in 1937 to manage the preservation of the rich history of Polk County and its people. The Historical Society are the caretakers of the Polk County Museum and rural Lanesdale Schoolhouse, both located in beautiful downtown Balsam Lake.  

The Polk County Historical Society and Museum is a non-profit organization which relies on gifts, grants, donations and annual memberships for its financial stability.  

We ask that you consider becoming a part of our family through annual membership ($25.00 - Individual, $35.00 - Family).  Not only do memberships provide significant financial support for our museum to operate on, it allows us to continue to offer FREE admission into the museum and offer free educational events and activities to schools, organizations and our Polk County community.  Click here for more information about membership.

We appreciate the support of our community, please visit our web page and follow us on Facebook or Instagram to be a part of our museum community!

2025 Season Recap:

1. Our Director, Brenna Weston, continued to build our education collection by creating history boxes designed to be checked out by teachers around Polk County to focus on a specific area of Polk County's history. Weston continued visiting area libraries for story times and special programs and will continue to build new relationships in 2026.
2. The museum continued our year round hours and have seen an increase in visitors during the winter as the word spreads. We are open Wednesdays - Fridays 12:00 - 4:00 PM all year round and Saturdays in the summer!
3.  We hosted six Speaker Series between March and November with topics including  Nevers Dam, early settlers, records preservation, and archaeology in Polk County. These talks will continue in 2026.
4. Both sessions of our Pioneer School at Lanesdale in August were full! This successful, unique, longtime program is for children interested in experiencing a one room pioneer school. Our goal is to provide children with an understanding of the history of education in an authentic one room school house located in Balsam Lake, WI. 

2026:

1. 2026 will showcase our latest changes to our exhibits. Our Balsam Lake history room, complete with oral histories from residents and long-time visitors is nearly complete. Our newest temporary exhibit, focusing on America's 250th birthday, features the history of the immigrants who came to Polk County and the immigrants who currently make up the area. Thanks to all the volunteers who designed, built and staged these wonderful exhibits!
2. School and group tours have begun with staff and volunteers leading the tours.  We've had many families return to the museum after the students share their tour experiences at home.
3. Speaker Series have begun! Our February event brough in a whopping 50 visitors, enough to fill our courtroom! We're working to schedule out these Speaker events and include more options for audience interaction and creativity over the summer. 
4. Pioneer School at the historic Lanesdale School will be held in August with two sessions planned.  Watch for sign up information this summer as these session fill up quickly. This year's Pioneer School students will get the chance to bury a time capsule!
5. Planning is now starting for our multiple America 250 events this summer and early fall. We hope to have a revolutionary tea party, a printing press demonstration (and print-your-own declaration), culminating in our fundraiser: the Bootlegger's Ball in August. Please check our website for additional information as plans are finalized.

As you can see, there's a lot going on at the Museum.  Volunteers worked throughout the winter preparing exhibits and organizing our Archives in preparation for spring events and the upcoming summer season. 

Funding will support continued research, preservation and archiving of collected artifacts in the Polk County Museum. 

In 2015 & 2016 the museum received grants from the American Alliance of Museums, Washington, D.C. the Polk County Museum was selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP).  Through guided self-study and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP empowered the Polk County Museum to better serve the citizens of  Polk County by facilitating its meeting and exceeding the highest  professional standards of the museum field.