A variety of helpful equipment, archives and services are available at your local Marathon County Public Library! Some resources are only available at certain MCPL locations, as noted below.
The Wisconsin Collection at MCPL Wausau includes nonfiction items related to Marathon County and Wisconsin. This includes nonfiction books, family genealogies, maps and more.
The following are databases to which the library has subscribed and websites that are affiliated with the library or host library-owned content. For an A-Z listing of all online resources, click here.
This online archive contains U.S. news from the 1980s to the present day, featuring key national and regional sources including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday and Chicago Tribune, as well as over 80 Gannett titles, including the Wausau Daily Herald (... (read more)
Produced for over a century, more than 660,000 Sanborn maps chart the growth and development of more than 12,000 American towns and cities. Sanborn maps are large-scale plans of a city or town, drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch. They were created to assist fire insurance companies as they assessed the risk associated with insuring a particular property... (read more)
Meticulously detailed, color-keyed street maps created for all sizes of cities and villages, Sanborn Maps helped insurance agents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries determine the degree of fire hazard associated with a particular property. Most maps date between 1883 and 1930. Please note: As of 2021, MCPL subscribes to Digital... (read more)
This digital collection focuses on the rich local history of the towns, villages, and cities of Marathon County. It includes centennial histories written by local residents, with many illustrations documenting family life and economic development in central Wisconsin. The Marathon County Public Library’s goal is to preserve and make widely accessible to all... (read more)
"Libraries and Schools in Marathon and Lincoln Counties" contains historic images representing central Wisconsin schools and libraries in Marathon and Lincoln Counties. In this collection, you will find: Lincoln County rural schools, contributed by the TB Scott Library, Merrill and the Merrill Historical Society; Marathon County rural... (read more)
The following are third-party websites suggested by library staff for your consideration according to our Materials Selection Procedure. Use these websites at your own risk; they are not controlled or monitored by the library.
MCGS is group of professional and amateur genealogists who meet to share research strategies, discuss local history, plan research projects and assist others in their research.
The purpose of the Marathon County Historical Society is to collect, preserve and exhibit materials relating to the history of Marathon County. The museum library collects and catalogs printed materials and documents to aid the public in historical and genealogical research. Members of the museum staff initiate and carry out general research projects, site...
WAAM offers a live stream of the "Government & Education" cable channel, as well as on-demand videos of recent content. WAAM broadcasts board meetings of the city council, county board and school board; high school sports games; high school graduations; church services; parades; locally produced programs; programs from federal...
Wisconsin 101 is a collaborative public history project that includes both an interactive online exhibit and programming on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR). Students, amateur historians, and other Wisconsin residents nominate objects of interest or importance to their communities, then research, write, and illustrate histories of those objects for...
This directory provides information about more than 350 local affiliates of the Wisconsin Historical Society. It lists museums, archives, hours, directions and contact information.
This site hosts many digitized collections of historical photos, maps, documents, genealogical data and more, all related to Wisconsin and its history.
The Wisconsin Historical Society's WLHBA Collection contains 16,000 historical newspaper articles on notable Wisconsin people and communities.The entire collection is available digitally and displays actual articles clippings that are downloadable. Most articles were published 1860-1940.
