The Ashland Historical Society Museum began in the basement of Angvick’s Furniture Store in 1954.

It was started by Cora Angvick in honor of Ashland’s centennial, which was that same year.  In 1967, a fire destroyed the store and the Historical Society Museum moved to the second floor of the Vaughn Public Library before switching to the historic Wilmarth Mansion on Chapple Avenue.

Later, after inhabiting one address on West Main Street for 17 years, the museum made the most recent move (in August 2016) to its current location of 216 Main Street West, across the street from the Ashland County Courthouse.
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Today, the Ashland Historical Society Museum collects and preserves items directly connected with the history of Ashland, Wisconsin. From the Soo Line ore dock to Northland College to the beautiful Lake Superior, there is plenty of information on anything a visitor or long-time resident might want to know.

The Museum is buoyed with the work and time of our volunteers.  They do many different jobs around the museum, including greeting guests, collection cataloging, and data entry.

Our mission statement is: The Ashland Historical Society, a non-profit volunteer organization promotes the appreciation of local history and pride of community through a visual connection to the past by collecting and preserving memorabilia and artifacts, stories and traditions and by functioning as an educational resource.