LCHS owns and manages two museums, Riverside Museum at 401 E. Veterans Drive, and Historic Hixon House Museum at 429 7th St. N. Both are in La Crosse WI.
While our articles of incorporation state that our purpose includes the discovery, collection, preservation and publication of historical records and data relating to the county, and, the purchase, holding and management of both real and personal property of historical significance, we believe that changing times equate to a broader mission.
The history of La Crosse County includes the history of all its peoples, from the earliest natives to its newest immigrants. As we move forward, we hope to constantly better ourselves, doing much more than managing collections of artifacts. Yes, we will certainly preserve and protect precious artifacts ... but we will also strive to reach out to community, bringing history to life with events and programming, and teach our newest generations about our, and their, local history. Because, if you hold the support of today's young, you hold the future of history.
LCHS is a non-profit membership corporation, founded in 1925 (and merging with another organization by the same name, founded in 1898). The organization incorporated in 1939. Its early constituents called for the collection of historical materials of all kinds and the use of these in encouraging "the spread of knowledge about the history of La Crosse County". This original mission is still a part of what we do today, but we believe there is more to achieve.