Reedsburg Public Library's Local History Room Offers:
Family Histories, Cemetery Guides, Birth/Marriage/Obituary Index, City Residential Guide, Historic Photographic Collection, County Plat Books, Pamphlet File,
Misc. Local History Books, Microfilm Collection

Library Board Room (Off-site Archives): The library maintains an archive of the library's rare and historical materials in the former Carnegie Library. These books are related to the history of Wisconsin and the Reedsburg area. The room has a collection of bound newspapers that are available on microfilm at the library. There are also many print items from the collections of the Old Settlers and the Reedsburg Historical Society. Books and materials from this archive are available through special request to the Library Director.

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Just west, across the Baraboo River from downtown Reedsburg, James Babb registered his claim in 1848. He cultivated some of the prairie, used the timber to build a log house and thus became the first white man to become a permanent resident in this area. Having established himself here, he left his meager possessions in the care of the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) Indians who resided in this area, and returned to Ohio to bring other members of his family here.

David C. Reed, hearing of deposits of iron and copper in the area, soon followed. He built a saw and grist mill on the river and five shanties made of wood to house the laborers. Their shanties became known as Shanty Row and stood approximately where Main Street is today. Mr. Reed has been credited for starting the village, thus the name of Reedsburgh (Reedsburg) was give to the settlement.

Reedsburg is full of interesting historical facts. Two of the "Black 
Sox" teammates played at our ball field the season after they were 
barred from professional baseball.One summer during World War II, a 
prisoner of war camp was located in what is now
Webb Park.  Reedsburg  is the location of the first Ford dealership
in the state of Wisconsin and had the first sanctioned Little League in Wisconsin.

During the 1960 Wisconsin Primary, a little known senator from Massachusetts, John Kennedy came to Main Street to campaign for the presidency of the United States.During the Berlin crisis, Reedsburg was featured in Life Magazine. They reported the events, trials and tribulations from a small community as their local national guard members were sent to
Fort Lewis,Washington.

Reedsburg Newspapers, County Census Records, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Union Vets & Widows (1890), Citizenship Naturalization Records, LaValle Newspapers, Rock Spring Townsman Newspaper,