Hartland History

Local History Room

Overlooking the Bark River, the Local History Room is one of the loveliest locations in the Hartland Public Library. A gift from the Hartland Historical Society, the Local History Room is an historical resource for the Hartland community.

Local History Room

Advancing Technology

The Local History Room is working to bring Hartland’s history to the public in written form. Portfolios are being developed on Hartland’s buildings, events and people. A state-of-the art microfilm reader is available to access the estimated 200 rolls of in-house microfilm of Hartland newspapers dating back to 1894. Early volumes of Wisconsin and Waukesha histories are also on display in the Local History Room. You will also find a collection of Waukesha County Historical Society’s Landmark Magazine, as well as the Wisconsin Historical Society’s publications of Columns and the Wisconsin Magazine of History.

Hartland Artifacts

Make sure you take a look at the two display cases located near the entrance to the Local History Room. Hartland artifacts can be found there including an original piece of the Watertown Plank Road! Old plat maps of Hartland from 1873, 1891, 1914 and 1930 adorn the walls of the Local History Room. You can also ask to see a collection of old high school yearbooks, from the 1917 Hartland High School Beaver to the most recent Arrowhead Warhawk.

Contact Hartland History

Of course, if you have information to share (such as photographs, a family tree, or house abstract) or have any questions, we’d love to hear from you! You may email the Hartland Public Library's Local History Room at hartlandhistory@hartland.lib.wi.us. Please allow for 1-2 weeks for responses.