Passport
Your family photos could be part of PBS Wisconsin’s history documentary, ‘Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Madison’
May 23, 2025 Leave a Comment
PBS Wisconsin invites members of the Madison community to participate in two photo gathering events, June 24 and 26, for an original documentary about the city’s history.
The film, to be released statewide in 2027, is the latest installment in PBS Wisconsin’s historical series, Wisconsin Hometown Stories. The documentary’s producers and other station representatives welcome members of the Madison community to bring archival photos, films and documents from their personal collections to help provide visual representation of the people and places that tell the city’s unique history. Photos brought to these events will be scanned on-site. Film and video content may be borrowed so it can be reviewed for possible inclusion in the program.
Thanks to previous community listening sessions and further research in Madison, specific archival photo needs have been identified by the film’s producers, which include: Madison industries, especially Oscar Mayer and Gisholt Machine; the Greenbush neighborhood; lake recreation, especially sailing and iceboating; community press; early resident family portraits; Madison parks, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and Picnic Point; activism and protest involvement; and Mendota Mental Health Institute.
- Tuesday, June 24, from 2 – 7 p.m. at the Lakeview Library, Community Room, Fireplace Side, 2845 N. Sherman Ave. in Madison.
- Thursday, June 26, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Central Library, Meeting Room 301, 201 W. Mifflin St. in Madison.
No RSVP is required. Feel free to stop by anytime during the events. For questions or to request accessibility accommodations, please call 608-265-5037.
“PBS Wisconsin is proud to focus on the rich history of Madison in the next chapter of our Wisconsin Hometown Stories series,” said PBS Wisconsin Director of Television Jon Miskowski. “The series is built upon a deep collaboration with a community to preserve and share its story. Without archival images, making a history documentary simply wouldn’t be possible. We appreciate the community’s enthusiasm to help us make this a reality.”
Watch all of the Wisconsin Hometown Stories documentaries at pbswisconsin.org/hometownstories. Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Madison is a partnership of PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Historic photo in the featured image courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society: image ID 60498.
