University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student projects launched during the spring semester will breathe new life into one of Portage County’s historical gems.
The small but determined staff of the Portage County Historical Society (PCHS) has the goal of opening Heritage Park in Plover to wider use and providing visitors with a deeper awareness of its historical significance. Located between Madison and Washington avenues in Plover, the park contains 11 historic structures from across Portage County.
A collaboration across three academic disciplines at UW-Stevens Point had students in forest recreation planning and site design, taught by Professor Laura Anderson McIntyre; interpretive media, taught by Assistant Professor Chris McCart; and history, taught by Assistant Professor Cory Haala, playing a role in a long-term plan to make Heritage Park a regional attraction.
In the coming months, historical narratives curated from written records, newspapers and photographs will help tell stories long forgotten. Haala said his students in the Seminar in Public History have finished their drafts detailing the history of buildings now located at Heritage Park, including one that was a post office turned into a bar.
Each professor tailored their own project deadlines for the course objectives. Students researching building histories shared their findings with interpretive media students in the College of Natural Resources, who designed interpretive signs for the Heritage Park property. At the same time, forest recreation planning and site design students created conceptual plans for the park’s outdoor space plans that will include recommendations for sign placement.
UWSP students visited Heritage Park early in the spring semester to learn about their project.
“It has a tangible public research outcome and it’s exciting for me as an instructor not just for campus, but that chance to give back to the community,” Haala said. “My students are getting high level historical research and translating that into real-world historical skills by working for a stakeholder.”
Students are at the center of the work, even getting to choose the buildings they would research to create living histories.
One of the students involved in both the local history research and the creation of permanent signage for the project is junior Lilian Mahon, Stevens Point. Mahon is majoring in environmental education and interpretation, with minors in history and museum studies. As a previous PCHS volunteer, she was somewhat familiar with the buildings and looked forward to doing her part to preserve their history.
“I think that the more people understand the stories of the place in which they live, the more that they can understand its inhabitants and hold their environment in higher esteem,” Mahon said.
The project is exactly the type of resume-building work that students can use for growth in their career path. They are hands on with some delicate records, some in deteriorating condition, to delve into research that makes a difference in their community. Students are weighing how best to approach the information and how future visitors will react to the material.
“From binders of information they are pulling the history together in a narrative and learning, not everything that shows up in research, needs to be included.” said Cheyenne Antell, PCHS curator of collections and exhibits.
Antell said PCHS had previously partnered with students in the History Lab on campus. They provided records and students have catalogued documents and artifacts to make them accessible to the public in the archives. To date that work has produced about a half a million historical primary source archival materials. When PCHS reached out again on the Heritage Park collaboration, she said, UWSP faculty enthusiastically agreed to engage students in the work.
“We can help bolster student education with the volunteer opportunities. They are seeing real world examples of how their skills are going to impact a local organization,” said Antell.
Students take a look at the historic perspectives offered at Heritage Park as part of their course project.
Site design students were tasked with creating a user-friendly recreation plan – one that balanced functionality, sustainability and accessibility. From trail layout improvements to interactive spaces, their work was focused on making the park more inviting to a broader audience, including families, school groups and tourists. The mission of the Historical Society aligned in the work and skill building it provided students.
“The most carefully crafted lecture can’t replace the mutual benefits of working directly with a community partner,” added Anderson McIntyre. “Applied learning opportunities bring energy, meaning, and value to the classroom.”
As five student groups pitched their final presentations on their park design recommendations for stakeholders, all of them noted how interesting it was to have a role in the future of Heritage Park. They also envisioned how future visitors would be better able to enjoy the park’s physical spaces and connect to its history through the collaboration.
“I hope that with this project, visitors to Heritage Park will spark curiosity in and appreciation for Portage County’s buildings, its land, and its present and former members,” said Mahon. “I know that in my research for it, I have a new-found fondness for the place I call home.”
