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Vernon County Museum


Vernon County Museum


General Store Exhibit


Classroom Exhibit


Agricultural Tools


Archaeology Day at the Museum


Gov. Rusk Chair


Tobacco Exhibit


Astronaut Mark Lee Exhibit


Museum Hours

June/July/Aug/Sept:      Monday - Friday 11-4; Saturday 10-2
April/May/October:       Monday - Friday 11-4
Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb/Mar:  Tuesday/ Wednesday/Thursday 11-4
-Or-
OPEN BY APPOINTMENT — contact us to schedule a time
The museum is closed on major holidays.

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The museum's entrance faces its parking lot, which is located at the corner of Main and South streets. We share a parking lot with the medical clinic next door. Please park in the spaces marked "museum," located along the museum's west wall.

The Vernon County Museum located at 410 S. Center Avenue in Viroqua, built during 1918 and 1919, was a training school for teachers. The Teachers College or "County Normal School" as it was called, was under the jurisdiction of the County Board of Supervisors.

The students were required to complete a one-year program until 1937 when it was changed to a two-year course. As part of the program, a (Model) School, was included for future teachers to work with actual students until 1965. In 1972 only four year college degreed teachers were being licensed. Therefore the teachers college was closed after graduating nearly 2,000 teachers. No permanent use was made of the building until 1989 when it was purchased by the Vernon County Historical Society to be used as a museum.

Today the Historical Society has genealogy and a local history research area. Exhibits include the teaching classroom, archaeology, military history, a general store, the Astronaut Mark Lee Space exhibit and agricultural exhibits such as the tobacco exhibit, which was an important agricultural product in Vernon County for many years.

The museum is also fully wheelchair-accessible from the first floor entryway, research area, conference room and restroom to all of the second and third floor exhibits - Thanks to the new elevator!

Suggested donation of $5 for adults and $2 for students for touring the museum.
Suggested donation of $5 for doing research.


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