Explore Brown County’s history with a week of FREE programs. The public is invited to check out a slate of exciting and diverse events presented by expert staff in unique historical environments. Go to one location, or try and make them all!
Special thanks to our media sponsor,
Press Times City Pages
Events
Neville Public Museum
Celebrate Hmong-Lao Day
Sunday, May 10, 2026 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Experience a vibrant afternoon of Hmong history and culture through traditional clothing, music, dance, and food shared by community members and culture bearers. This celebration takes place ahead of Hmong-Lao Veterans Day on May 14, a Wisconsin-recognized day honoring the thousands of Hmong-Lao veterans who bravely fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War and now call Wisconsin home. This event is FREE, with regular museum admission.
Neville Public Museum – 210 Museum Pl. 54303
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
The Origins of Football
Monday, May 11, 2026 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Baseball may be America’s pastime, but football is its present. As the country prepares to celebrate its 250th, we take a look back at the origins of its most popular sport and how the Packers fit into that story. Join us for this presentation with Packers Hall of Fame Curator Brent Hensel.
Lambeau Field – 1265 Lombardi Ave. 54304
National Railroad Museum
Becoming a Dining Car Chef: A Railroad Cooking Class
Tuesday, May 12 – Saturday, May 16 2026 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Taste what passengers on the Union Pacific ate by preparing two historic recipes from the UP Dining Car and Hotel Department. As museum curator, Daniel Liedtke, guides you through the recipe, he will also give a history of dining on the rails, show examples of railroad china, and provide a tour of a restored dining car. Participants will be provided with printed copies of recipes to take home. Limited to 10 people per class. Reservations required for this FREE workshop at dliedtke@nationalrrmuseum.org.
Program offered May 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16.
National Railroad Museum – 2285 S. Broadway 54304
Brown County Historical Society
Historic Photo Show
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Join the Brown County Historical Society for an evening of photographs from their digital archives. After the success of the Bethe Brothers real postcards from 1910 and 1911, the brothers completed a second set of real photo postcards in the 1920’s. Learn about the buildings and community captured in the second set of images.
National Railroad Museum – 2285 S. Broadway 54304
Historic Allouez Society
Introduction to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Wisconsin Veterans Museum Gift Shop Manager Gregory Lawson, shares the story of the growth of the organization and the stories it preserves.
Allouez Village Hall – 1900 Libal St. 54301
Howard-Suamico Historical Society
Early Duck Creek Fur Trading Post
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Join Michelle Bartoletti and discover what was happening in Howard-Suamcio at the birth of the United States, 250 years ago. With access to water routes and resources, the area became a fur trading hub. Bartoletti will share stories of the fur trade and its impact shaping the region’s settlement. Program begins at 5:00 p.m. Ancestry Acres will also be open for the public to enjoy from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tremble School – 12787 Velp Ave. 54313
Ashwaubenon Historical Society & Bay Area Genealogical Society
Marriage Records: Where to Find Them and Why They’re Important & Vintage Wedding Dress Exhibit
Thursday, May 14, 2026 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Join the Ashwaubenon Historical Society and Bay Area Genealogical Society for an evening of marital bliss. During this event, guests will explore Ashwaubenon’s vintage wedding dress collection, which displays dresses worn by local women dating from as early as the turn of the 20th century. Starting at 6:30 p.m., the Bay Area Genealogical Society will share their expertise on the best ways to explore marriage records and the valuable information they contain.
Ashwaubenon Historical Society – 936 Anderson Dr. 54304
Brown County Library and Green Bay & De Pere Antiquarian Society
History Happened Here: Markers, Street Signs & Buildings
Saturday, May 16, 2026 10:30 – 11:30 AM
This visual presentation chronicles the stories behind a variety of historic markers throughout Brown County. Learn where these hidden gems are located and their significance. Presented by local historian, Mary Jane Herber.
Brown County Central Library, Auditorium – 515 Pine St. 54301
Heritage Hill State Historical Park
Northeastern Wisconsin’s Place in American History
Saturday, May 16, 2026 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
This FREE lecture answers questions regarding our region’s incredible significance in the founding of the United States. How did Northeastern Wisconsin come to be what it is today? What is our significance in the fabric of the United States? Why are we will important now and in the future? After the talk, visitors will have an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of the grounds to experience our region’s history first hand.
Heritage Hill State Historical Park – 2460 S. Webster Ave. 54301
Green Bay Diocese Museum
Missing Paintings … Missing Stained Glass Windows
Saturday, May 16, 2026 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
There is evidence that there have been paintings and stained glass windows at the Cathedral in the past that are no longer there. There are even photos to prove it! But what happened to them? Are they under paint? Or hidden in a wall? Join the Diocese Museum for a discussion of the Cathedral’s past renovations, followed by time to view the museum.
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral Center, Lower Level – 140 S. Monroe 54301
Brown County Federation of History Organizations 