Apply for a Marker

Choosing a Marker Topic

The Society will consider applications for state and local sites if the marker topic meets any of the following criteria:

Events

Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history.

People

Associated with the lives of persons no longer living who have made significant contributions to the broad patterns of history and culture.

Art and Architecture

Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, style, period or method of construction or architecture, or representative of the work of a master, or that possess high artistic value.

Prehistory and Archaeology

Yields, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Ethnic Groups

Associated with ethnic groups who have made distinctive and significant contribution to history.

State History

Embodies the characteristics of the State, representing significant aspects of the physical or natural history of the Earth and its life.

Legends

Representative of popular stories or myths that, although not verifiable, are significant to history and culture.

Selecting a Marker Location

The Society has the final approval of marker location. The marker installation is the responsibility of the applicant. Markers are shipped directly from the manufacturer to the applicant.

• The site selected for the marker must be visible from a public right-of-way and be publicly accessible.
• Markers placed within a public right-of-way must get written approval from the appropriate transportation official or governing body that has jurisdiction over that public right-of-way.
• If the marker is to be placed on private property, an easement that permits public access for as long as the marker stands must be included as part of the marker application.
• The owner(s) of the site must provide written permission for the marker to be located on their property. Written permission also must allow access for ongoing maintenance of the marker.
• Only sites approved by the Society may be marked with State Historical Markers. Sites already marked with a State Historical Marker are not eligible for a second marker. No person may erect or use a marker that is identical to or misleadingly resembles the marker developed by the Society.

Researching Your Marker Topic

Once you choose an appropriate subject, you should begin your research. A thoroughly researched historical marker topic will result in well-documented, comprehensive text for your marker inscription. Local libraries, local historical societies, and local newspapers are excellent sources for information, as are the Library and Archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Use These Questions for Your Research

• Who was associated with the subject? Include names, birth and death dates, the chronology of important events in their lives, and their significant contributions.

• What events occurred at this particular time or place? Of those events, which events were the most significant?

• What groups of people were associated with this event?

• When did the event occur? What is the subject’s period of significance?

• How did the historical event develop?

• What influence did the marker subject or event have on the national, state, or local community?

• Why is the marker subject important to the community, state, or nation?

• Why is it special, unusual, or significant?

• Did you document all statements of fact and dates with footnotes? Try to avoid words like "first," "oldest," "unique," or "only" unless there is irrefutable documentation. These descriptors rarely apply. If you include these words, you need to supply irrefutable documentation using objective, primary sources. 

  The use in marker texts of superlatives such as first, last, only, most, biggest, smallest, etc. should be avoided. While there is a first for everything, it is usually not documented at the time. Events recognized as significant at the time (i.e., the first atom bomb explosion, the first battle of a war, or the first man in space) are documented by multiple sources. In local history, an event sometimes becomes the first simply because someone other than an eyewitness wrote it down first or surmised so after the fact. While it is often a community’s point of pride to say that it was the first in something, only a thorough and exhaustive search of disinterested sources can prove the superlative.

For a tool to aid in thinking about a subject, analyzing sources, and crafting a great marker text, see Historical Thinking Strategies, courtesy of the Creative Learning Factory.  

A Note on Sources

Verification of text is required. Marker texts will not be approved when it is impossible to verify and authenticate information included in the marker application to the satisfaction of the Wisconsin Historical Society. The inclusion of legible copies of your sources and a bibliography is required for all applications. Primary sources are preferred, but a good secondary source shows that the applicant has looked at all available materials.

For brief explanations of primary and secondary sources, see:

Primary Sources: What Are They?

Secondary Sources: What Are They?

Sources from the time of the subject (primary sources) are strongly preferred over those that describe the subject years after the fact (secondary sources). Document all statements of fact in your proposed with endnotes. Ideally, we would like to see an endnote and supporting document attached to every sentence, date, and name in your written text.

Please make sure each endnote includes the following information:

• AUTHOR of source
• TITLE
• PLACE OF PUBLICATION
• DATE OF PUBLICATION
• PAGE NUMBER

Format isn’t as critical, but the markers program needs to know the sources that you used to establish your facts. Whatever format is used, a good endnote answers these questions: "What is the source of this fact?" and "What source must I consult to find this fact for myself?"

If the source is a web page, please include the link in your footnote, for example: "March on Milwaukee," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries Digital Collection at https://uwm.edu/marchonmilwaukee/. It is not necessary to repeat information if you refer to the same source many times throughout your suggested text, but do include the author, title, and page number. 

Tips For Writing Your Historical Marker

A marker inscription is the text that will appear on your historical marker. The length of your inscription will be determined by the size of the marker you choose for the site.

Document Your Research About the Marker Topic

While writing the text, we encourage you to document your facts and dates with footnotes. You will be required to develop an annotated bibliography and attach photocopies of your primary and secondary research resources with your application.

Use a Clear, Concise Writing Style

Write your inscription in a clear, concise narrative style. The third-person narrator is an objective observer who describes characters and their actions, thoughts, feelings, and motivations without direct knowledge. Focus on a single coherent story and describe the sequence of events in chronological order.

Is Your Marker for a Person in History?

We encourage you to include the person's birth and death dates, a chronology of the important events from the person's life, and the person's influence or significant contribution to the national, state, or local community.

Is Your Marker for an Event in History?

We encourage you to include the time, date, and place of the event, any people or groups associated with event, information on how the event developed, and the event's influence or significant contribution to the national, state, or local community.

Consider Adding an Image to Your Marker

For only a few hundred dollars more, you can include a photograph, map, or graphic on your Wisconsin State Historical Marker. Adding an image to your marker can greatly increase its visual interest. Including an image will reduce the total amount of text you can have on your final marker, but that trade-off might be worthwhile since, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Contact the Historical Markers Program for sample images.

Things to Avoid

• Avoid words like "first," "oldest," "unique," or "only" unless there is irrefutable documentation.
• You must not list the name of any living person in the narrative.

Note: Text that is not clearly written or well documented will not be approved by the Society. The Society has the authority to make any editorial changes it considers appropriate or necessary. The Society reserves the right to reject a marker application that it deems offensive, either to general good taste or to a specific group of people.