Monroe County Local History Room & Museum Turns 50!

From Bicentennial Spark to Living Treasury: The Fifty-Year Journey of the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum

On a cold, snowy evening in December 1974, forty enthusiastic citizens gathered at the Monroe County Courthouse in Sparta. They were there to outline a framework for how their communities would observe the upcoming Bicentennial of the American Revolution.

The county’s Bicentennial chairperson, Carolyn Habelman, set a challenge for everyone in the room: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for every individual to step outside his or her routine and get involved in history—Monroe County history."
Habelman envisioned a celebration that went far beyond parades and temporary festivities. She wanted projects of "lasting value," proposing that the committee work toward establishing a county history museum.

Listening in the audience that night was Wilfred Beaver, a local historian and curator. He quickly assured Habelman that a parallel effort was already well underway. Since 1972, the newly-formed Monroe County Historical Society, Inc. (MCHS) had been actively chasing the exact same dream.

That December meeting sparked a collaborative journey. Over the next fifty years, those separate, passionate paths converged to build and sustain what is now the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum (MCLHR)—a thriving institution celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Two Paths, One Vision: 1971–1975
The drive to preserve Monroe County's physical past actually began a few years before the national Bicentennial fever took hold. In 1971, public-spirited citizens laid the groundwork for the Monroe County Historical Society, officially adopting bylaws in April 1972. From its first formal meeting of ten people on May 15, 1972, the Society’s primary objective was clear: secure a permanent building to store and display the county's written and physical history.

By August 1974, MCHS had established a dedicated "Museum Building Fund." Because a permanent home did not yet exist, members got creative to raise money and community interest. They sold membership buttons, hosted bake sales, and organized the first "Art & Hobby Show" in March 1975 at the Sparta City Hall. Every penny went toward the future museum.

Simultaneously, the Society had been collecting. Since MCHS’s founding in 1972, the group had been soliciting and collecting artifacts of Monroe County’s past. By 1975, they were creating temporary artifact displays and assembling historic slide shows to present at local schools, care centers, and nursing homes.

​​​​​​For a time, the historic Chicago and Northwestern Depot in Sparta seemed like the perfect home for a county museum. MCHS launched a grassroots campaign to save the abandoned depot from demolition, hoping to convert it into their museum. But as negotiations and fundraising crawled along, a parallel push was building momentum through the Bicentennial Committee.

Parallel Efforts and a Common Goal
While the Historical Society focused on securing a physical building, the Monroe County Bicentennial Committee (MCBC) focused on organizing events to gather, celebrate, and promote county history. Formed under the guidance of the Wisconsin American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, the local committee was charged with preserving "landmarks, artifacts, documents, and memories."

During the summer of 1975, the Bicentennial Committee hosted its first "Heritage Days" at the Monroe County Fairgrounds, showcasing a growing collection of historical photographs, family stories, and artifacts. The community's response was overwhelming, but it highlighted a glaring problem: valuable family diaries, treasured heirlooms, maps, and official records were scattered in private homes, damp basements, and dusty attics vulnerable to moisture and pests.

By early 1976, the Bicentennial Committee drafted a formal proposal for a "Monroe County Local History Room and Museum." They envisioned a public institution where local history could be centrally stored, professionally preserved, and made easily accessible to everyone.

During this frantic Bicentennial year, the lines between the Historical Society and the Bicentennial Committee began to overlap significantly. Though they were officially separate organizations, they shared the same mission, the same goals, and many of the same people. Carolyn Habelman, while leading the Bicentennial Committee, joined MCHS to assist with fundraising for a county museum. In March 1976, the two groups co-sponsored the Second Annual Art and Hobby Show.

As the first half of 1976 progressed, MCHS suffered a series of heartbreaking setbacks in their quest for a building. Their efforts to secure the C&NW Depot fell through. The City of Sparta offered them the old Depot School, but MCHS was forced to decline the gift due to the structure’s poor physical condition and the logistical nightmare of moving both the C&NW depot and Depot School to another location. A request to utilize vacant buildings at the Wisconsin Child Center similarly led nowhere.

While MCHS continued to struggle to find a physical home, the Bicentennial Committee pursued a completely different route: securing a county-backed space for a county museum and archives. This parallel effort would ultimately provide the solution MCHS needed.

"Just Give Them the Damn Room"
In July 1976, Carolyn Habelman stood before the Monroe County Board of Supervisors to make her pitch. Armed with a list of citizens who had already contributed artifacts and funds, she argued passionately for a dedicated space to protect the county's heritage.

The dedication of the volunteers was undeniable. During the debate, Carolyn Habelman recalls Sparta Supervisor Clarence "Teena" Habhegger famously cutting through the hesitation, telling the board: "We gave them [the Bicentennial Committee] $300 and they turned that into $8,000. That’s better investing than I could ever do! Just give them the damn room!"

On August 4, 1976, the County Board passed Resolution 55-76, officially establishing the Monroe County Local History Room. The county agreed to provide a display space along with some smaller rooms for storage and administration on the top floor of the Rolling Hills Annex North building on County B, along with utilities.

To manage the space and oversee its finances, the county established a board-appointed MCLHR Board of Trustees. Since the History Room would be a county department with partial funding provided by the county, MCLHR would also be under the oversight of the Monroe County Agricultural Extension Education Committee.

From a Bicentennial Spark to a Living Institution
As the Bicentennial year drew to a close, the Bicentennial Committee met for the last time on December 16, 1976. In their final act, they turned over more than $10,000 in hard-earned fundraising capital to Monroe County to cover operating expenses for the new History Room. Key members of the Bicentennial Committee became the first Board of Trustees for the History Room. They included: Carolyn Habelman of New Lyme, Joan Cook and Lucy Dengel of Sparta, Norma Jean Miller of Cashton, Joyce Schreier of Norwalk, and Josephine Balthis of Oakdale.

On a cold February day in 1977, the very first volunteer work day was held to transform the county-provided space into a serviceable museum and research library. A dedicated crew painted walls, built shelving, and sorted through boxes of donated treasures. On May 14, 1977, after two and a half years of tireless community preparation, the Monroe County Local History Room opened its doors to the public.

Operating initially on volunteer power and a CETA grant that funded the first County Historian position, the room quickly became a hive of activity. By July 1977, instead of continuing to search for a separate building, MCHS simply began moving its physical collections—which had been stored in the home of member Wilfred Beaver and others—into the Local History Room. Because leadership was essentially identical between the two groups which shared the same goal of a permanent home for county history, this informal arrangement just made sense at the time.

The public response was immediate. By 1978, the museum welcomed nearly 700 visitors and cataloged over 5,000 items. Genealogy research quickly became a cornerstone of the library's services drawing researchers from across the country to trace their Monroe County roots.

Entering a New Era: The Masonic Temple
For nearly two decades, the fourth floor of Rolling Hills served the community well. But as the collections grew, so did the need for a highly visible, accessible, and prominent home.

The breakthrough came in the fall of 1993. The historic Masonic Temple in downtown Sparta, a beautiful landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, was owned by the county but slated for a massive, disruptive renovation into county offices. When the proposed renovations threatened the building's historic integrity, local preservationists leapt into action.

In October 1993, Carolyn Habelman, representing the Monroe County Historical Society, presented a bold compromise to the county: if the county spared the Masonic Temple and designated it as a joint museum space, the community would rally to raise the funds to make it happen. The vision was grand: the Monroe County Local History Room would occupy the first floor, and a new museum focused on local astronaut Deke Slayton and the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail would take the second.

The county agreed, setting off a new era of community pride and cooperation. MCHS members worked tirelessly to meet the 45-day deadline to raise the funds necessary to make the former Masonic Temple the new home of two museums. The move to downtown Sparta transformed the Local History Room from a hidden archive into a front-facing, cultural anchor for the entire county.

The Evolution of Professional Leadership
As the museum’s physical footprint expanded, its internal leadership underwent an equally profound transformation. What began as an entry-level, grant-supported "County Historian" position slowly matured into a highly skilled, professional department head role.

This professional trajectory was largely charted by Audrey Johnson, who was hired as the County Historian in March 1981. Over her remarkable 21-year tenure, Audrey grew alongside the institution. As she gained deeper skills, advanced training, and increased local knowledge; the position evolved with her transitioning into a higher job classification to match the increasingly complex demands of running a growing, modern museum.

When Audrey announced her retirement in 2002, the MCLHR Board of Trustees recognized a pivotal crossroads. They wanted to build directly upon her monumental legacy and take the Local History Room to the next level of museum professionalism. Rather than keeping the hiring local, the Board took the bold step of advertising the position nationally—specifically seeking candidates with formal, specialized training in modern collections management, exhibit design, and historical preservation.

The search led them to Jarrod Roll, who held a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies. Hired in 2002, Jarrod took the helm of an institution poised for modernization. Under his guidance, the old "County Historian" title was officially reshaped into the role of Local History Room Director, reflecting the professional standards of the wider museum field and signaling the county’s dedication to first-class historical stewardship. This commitment to progress is reflected in a department that currently boasts two full-time and one part-time position sustained through a combination of county funds and outside donations.

More Than a Museum: The Modern MCLHR
Today, tucked within the dignified brick and stone walls of that former Masonic Temple, the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum has evolved into a powerhouse of community engagement. It is no longer just a collection of quiet ledgers and stoic artifacts; it is a thriving, modern department of Monroe County that proves how heritage can actively drive regional tourism, education, and local pride.

A Unique Model of Governance
The institution still proudly operates under the hybrid management style devised in its infancy. Governed by a County Board-appointed Board of Trustees working in tandem with the Monroe County Economic Development and Tourism Committee, MCLHR balances public oversight with community agility. This structure ensures that while the museum remains deeply accountable to the county's taxpayers, it maintains a nimble, community-driven approach to its programming and fundraising. The Monroe County budget covers the majority of MCLHR staff salaries with the remaining funds coming from income earned from the MCLHR Endowment. Operating costs to carry out this mission are raised by the MCLHR Board of Trustees and through innovative earned-income strategies.

A Living Legacy: The Bicentennial Dream Realized
What began as a conversation on a snowy December night in 1974 has matured into a thriving cultural institution that routinely exceeds expectations with the quality and variety of its services. Thanks to the visionary groundwork laid fifty years ago and the steadfast support of Monroe County, western Wisconsin possesses an award-winning historical resource that benefits thousands of people annually. MCLHR actively preserves invaluable historic records; hosts engaging, hands-on educational programming for all audiences; and serves as a vital tourism anchor—welcoming bike trail users, genealogists, and travelers from near and far. Each year, thousands of visitors flock to the History Room to experience its popular holiday exhibits, while its digital archives support researchers worldwide with a website boasting over 1.4 million searchable index records. These robust public offerings and professional stewardship practices have earned MCLHR multiple state and national awards. Beyond its downtown Sparta walls, the museum also proudly stewards the preservation of the nationally-recognized Wegner Grotto County Park securing the future of this extraordinary folk-art environment for generations to come.

Today, the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum does not merely store the past—it pulses with life, continuing to honor and exceed the boldest dreams of its Bicentennial founders. None of this happened by accident. It is the direct result of a half-century of community pride, tireless volunteer labor, and innovative local governance. Fifty years later, the mission remains exactly as Carolyn Habelman and the Bicentennial Committee envisioned it: a central, shared place where the physical record of Monroe County is safe, respected, and proudly shared with the world. Because of those visionary efforts in 1976, Monroe County today possesses a vibrant, living treasury—a true cornerstone of local identity that will continue to bring our shared history to life for the next fifty years and beyond.