Check out what’s happening at the museum
Swan City Park Community Dig
Ever wonder what lies beneath your feet? Join the Historical Society on Saturday, May 16th, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM for a community excavation at Swan Park.
Swan Park has a rich, hidden history, and we’re digging in to find it. From the foundations of forgotten buildings and vintage farm tools to ancient Indigenous spear points—anything is possible!
Grab your work gloves and bring the whole family for a day of discovery. Shovels and water will be provided.
Speaker Series: The Rise and Fall of Lake Horicon and its Steamers
Join local historian Carl Reinemann for a fascinating journey through time exploring the remarkable story of Lake Horicon and its golden age of lake commerce, sportsman's paradise and steamboat shipping. This illustrated presentation chronicles the dramatic transformation from a vast marsh to one of the biggest man-made inland lakes in the world and back to the treasured marsh ecosystem we know today. Program is being held May 2, 2026 at the Dodge County Historical Society in Beaver Dam WI.
Speaker Series - the Ho-Chunk Indian Agency at Fort Winnebago featuring Adam Novey
Spend an afternoon with us as we learn more about the Indian Agency at Fort Winnebago in Portage, WI with Adam Novey.
Speaker Series - Wisconsin’s Amazing Circus Heritage
Join us as we learn more about Wisconsin’s Amazing Circus Heritage from Circus World’s archivist Peter Shrake
Speaker Series - Grounded in the Past and Looking to the Future - the History of Clyman WI with Edward Langer
Meet guest author Edward G. Langer as he discusses his upcoming book “Grounded in the Past and Looking to the Future - the History of Clyman, WI.” Langer, a Clyman native, is an experienced historian and speaker and he will talk about the five eras in the history of Clyman.
Speaker Series - Traversing the Divide: The Milwaukee River/Horicon Marsh Indigenous Trails with Herman Bender
Join us as we learn more about Wisconsin’s Amazing Circus Heritage from Circus World’s archivist Peter Shrake
Winter Speaker Series: Pioneer Stories
Join us for an afternoon of unusual stories about pioneers who settled along the Rock River in Dodge County WI.
Speaker Series: Understanding Nazi Era Art
Join us at the museum as we learn more about art created during the Nazi Era in occupied Europe and Nazi Germany.
Speaker Series: Manitou Stones
Join us for our Winter Speaker Series: Manitou Stones with Herman Bender and learn more about this cultural and spiritual practice regarding image or spirit stones.
Winter Speaker Series: Winter Legends and Lore with paranormal expert Chad Lewis
Join us for a cozy afternoon listening to spooky winter tales with paranormal expert Chad Lewis on Saturday January 10th 2026 at 1pm. Coffee and Hot Cocoa provided.
Speaker Series: Guardian Angles - The Lewis and Clark Saga
Join us for our Winter Speaker Series, Paul Tim and Guardian Angles: the Lewis and Clark Saga. Dec 13th 2025 @1pm.
Temporary Exhibit - Remembering the Floods
Come spend an afternoon at the museum and see the new photo exhibit regarding flooding in the downtown area of Beaver Dam WI since 1850s.
Holiday Parade Open House
Poster inviting public to the museum before and after the downtown holiday parade in Beaver Dam, WI on Dec 6th, 2025 from 1-7pm. Cookies, cocoa, and holiday cheer included.
17th Annual Christmas Tree Trimming Party
You are invited to the 17th Annual Christmas Tree Trimming Party Nov 22nd, 2025 from 1-3:30pm.
Winter Speaker Series: The Grand Council by Peter Shrake
Winter Speaker Series: Peter Schrake and the Grand Council - the First 1825 Treaty of Prairie du Chien
Creepy Doll Contest
DCHS is having a creepy doll contest! Enter yours to see if you can win.
Mini Exhibit - The History of Spiritualism
Come see a mini-exhibit on the history of American Spiritualism and its Wisconsin connections.
15th Annual Haunted History Tour
Join us for the 15th Annual Haunted History Tour Saturday Oct 4th at Beaver Dam’s Old City Cemetery. Tours run continuously from 6-8pm and last about 30 minutes. Cost is $5 per person.
Creepy Doll Display and Scavenger Hunt
Come down to the Museum during the month of October to see our Creepy Doll Exhibit and Scavenger Hunt. Be Creeped out with us!
New Temp Exhibit - Korean War 75th Anniversary
New mini-exhibit at the DHCS Museum: 75th Anniversary of the Korean War
Museum says farewell to Longtime Board Member Mary Beth Jacobson
Retirement of Mary Beth Jacobson from Dodge County Historical Society Board
Ghost Story Festival
Join us for an evening of fun and celebration as we mark a special occasion. We will be meeting outside.
New Exhibit: Orrin Hofferbert, Hometown Hero
New Exhibit: Orrin Hofferbert, Hometown Hero of Beaver Dam
Guest Speaker Program
Badger Aces
With guest speaker Mike O’Conner
Come to the museum to learn more about the World War I&II flying “aces” from the Badger State. They are fighter pilots from Wisconsin who fought in air battles in World War I through the Vietnam War. Their stories comprise a new book called "Badger Aces: Wisconsin Fighter Aces 1917-1972," written by a Mike O'Connor, a retired librarian from Wausau, who has been a military aviation researcher for decades.
Guest Speaker Program
The Anthropology of Torture and Execution:
Europeans & American Indians Compared
Four centuries ago, both American Indians and early Europeans practiced forms of public torture and execution. These customs seem barbaric to us today, but they had a logic and specific purpose to both cultures. Whiles these practiced seemed very similar at the time, they had a radically different meaning that is examined in this presentation
Presents a Special Program by: Dr. Patrick Jung of MSOE