World War I Centennial Commemoration
Remembering the Events from 100 Years Ago
The Wisconsin Historical Society and surrounding UW-Madison campus libraries provide access to over 15,000 publications about World War I. The Society's archives preserves more than 400 unique primary source collections documenting the human catastrophe. These resources tell the stories of service members at the front, as well as those on the Wisconsin homefront.
Although the Wisconsin Historical Society has many war-related collections, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum is an important resource for documenting the experiences of servicemembers.
How the World War I Collections Are Organized
Online
To commemorate the centennial of U.S. entry into the war, the Society is selectively digitizing a range of documents, photographs, posters, and other materials about the war.
- Browse or search digitized World War I primary sources
- Browse or search photographs of World War I
- Browse or search World War I posters
- Browse or search all digitized images and historical essays related to World War I
Physical
The Library has an extensive collection of published materials on World War I, which include general histories, regimental histories, and works on finance, women’s roles in the war, major campaigns, food supply issues, liberty bonds, propaganda, veterans affairs, aerial operations, religious aspects of the war, and much more. See the Library Catalog to search for these resources.
Unpublished manuscripts and Wisconsin government archives are available in the Society’s Archives. These collections cover such topics as regimental histories, personal accounts, women’s roles in the war, public opinion, veterans affairs, and much more. Search the Library Catalog for names, topics, battles, and more.
Original images and maps are only available in the Archives and do not circulate, but many materials are being digitized and made available remotely.
Checking Out Materials
Most of the published materials in this collection can be found in the Society's Library. Check availability in the Library Catalog. Although unpublished materials in the Archives do not circulate, they can be viewed in Madison or sent to any of our 13 Area Research Centers around the state.
Purchasing Copies
Reproductions of most images in this collection are available for purchase. For more information about licensing commercial uses or purchasing reproductions, click "Buy a Copy" beneath most documents or contact us. Photocopies of documents in the physical collections are available for a fee.
How to Cite
Bibliographic data will appear below each online document. Copy and paste the bibliographic data into your preferred citation manager. For the purposes of a bibliography entry or footnote, follow this model:World War I Collections Citation Wisconsin Historical Society. Author/Creator, Title, Place of Publication, Source Publisher, Electronic Publisher, Electronic Publication Date. Viewed online at //www.wisconsinhistory.org/ on [insert today's date here]
Rights and Permissions
Any online document may be printed or downloaded at no cost for nonprofit educational use by teachers and students, or for private use by individual researchers. Nothing may be reproduced in any format for commercial purposes without prior permission from the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Learn More
- Researching your family history: See more articles about researching your family history.
- World War I Essays: See essays about World War I.
Have Questions? Contact our Library and Archives staff by email.
asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org
askarchives@wisconsinhistory.org