Inside the walls of the History Museum, the past comes alive through the stories, photographs and artifacts of people of the Fox Valley. Our mission is to inspire appreciation for the rich history of the Fox River Valley area communities through the collections, exhibits and education at the History Museum at the Castle. Owned and operated by the Outagamie County Historical Society, the History Museum holds the collections representing the history of the Fox Valley dating back to 1840s.
Museum exhibits weave national and local events and periods together to provide both perspective and local relevance. The History Museum presents education programming related to our exhibits and workshops for adults, families and students.
It is great fun for the whole family!
I expected the History Museum at the Castle to be like many other local museums, having at most 2 rooms staffed by untrained volunteers. Suffice it to say I was shocked and impressed when I entered the museum in Appleton. Housed in an old Masonic Temple, the building provides a great backdrop for a local history museum. The second floor houses a kid-friendly interactive Houdini exhibit that is welcoming and enjoyable. The basement holds an exhibit about technological advancements and their effect on the Fox Valley Area. On the main floor are exhibits about: local sports history (complete with push-and-sniff buttons to complete the experience), Edna Ferber (reknowned author), and postcards showing the Appleton of yester year. Overall, the museum is delightful and a good way to spend a few hours. It is neither stuffy nor overpriced and can be fun for the whole family!
This was the biggest waste of $15.00 for 2 adults. We were so excited to see this museum about Harry Houdini. The museum looks so big, but there is only one small floor dedicated to Houdini. There was pretty minimal information and I feel like it is a stretch to have such a place dedicated to man who lived here for such a short time.