7Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Shullsburg McCoy Public Library
Shullsburg, Wisconsin
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Shullsburg.
1900 to 2024Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
10,266Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Shullsburg, Wisconsin.
Explore the past of Shullsburg, Wisconsin through yearbooks and annuals as well as cemetery and funeral home records in the Shullsburg McCoy Public Library's digital archive. Its seven titles include material from 1900 to 2024. The collection also includes sports and athletic collections.
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Selected titles
Shullsburg McCoy Public Library shares titles including “Shullsburg High School Yearbooks” and “Red Hat Miners Of Shullsburg”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
Yearbooks and annuals bring together the people and activities their editors chose to remember, offering a view of life within a particular year.
Yearbooks and annuals can offer glimpses of the people, activities and institutions of an earlier time, placing familiar names within the communities around them. A name, class, or activity can lead you through a yearbook's pages. Read captions and nearby references where present, without assuming they tell one person's whole story. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse seven titles and 10,266 digitized pages, with material from 1900 to 2024. This collection is shared through Shullsburg McCoy Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A familiar name or place can be the beginning of a story. Explore the titles below to see where that connection leads.
Centenary United Methodist Church
44 pages in 1990
LaFayette County Funeral Records
302 pages in 2006
Looking Backwards
88 pages from 1983 to 1985
Red Hat Miners Of Shullsburg
256 pages in 1900
Shullsburg High School Baseball
80 pages in 1951
Shullsburg High School Yearbooks
8,034 pages from 1947 to 2024
Stabers Family History
1,462 pages in 1967
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About the Archive
About The McCoy Public Library’s History Archives
McCoy Public Library offers free access to local history and genealogical resources, empowering the community to explore and connect with the people, places, and events that shaped Shullsburg and Lafayette County. Through its digital archive hosted at Advantage Archives , the archive provides practical online access to historical newspapers, photographs, maps, and related materials that document Shullsburg’s history as told by those who witnessed it. The collection spans significant decades of local history and serves as an educational research tool for genealogy, local history, and community engagement at no cost to users.
Local History
Local History Resources
- Shullsburg Newspapers & Obituary Collections (years vary historical content)
- Historic Shullsburg Maps (1900s – 1950s)
- City and County Genealogical Records (varied years)
- Historic Photographs and Local Documents (varied years)
The archive includes historical newspapers and genealogical documents relevant to Lafayette County, such as early newspaper titles and maps that help unlock firsthand accounts of daily life, community events, and demographic changes. This digital archive serves as a portal to local history, enabling researchers and residents to discover primary sources and explore the “first rough draft of history” at no cost. ([turn1search4][turn1search10])
About the Library
About The McCoy Public Library
McCoy Public Library, located at 190 N Judgement St, Shullsburg, Wisconsin, is a full-service public library serving the community with books, online databases, public computers, Wi-Fi, and a variety of programs for all ages. The library’s services include access to genealogy and local history collections, maker-space activities, digital resources, and community events that encourage lifelong learning and engagement. Library staff and volunteers support research, reference services, and exploration of both print and digital collections, making the library a central resource for education and community connection in the region.
Library History
The History Of The McCoy Public Library
The McCoy Public Library originated in Shullsburg in 1933 and served the community at its original location on Water Street until 2003. At that time, the current building was constructed thanks to generous donations from the McCoy family and a Community Development Block Grant for Public Facilities. Over the years, the library has grown its local history holdings and outreach, supporting residents and researchers in uncovering their roots and understanding the area’s cultural heritage. Today, the library continues its mission of providing accessible information, resources, and programming to enrich community knowledge and historical engagement.
About the Community
About Shullsburg, Wisconsin
Shullsburg is a city in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, first settled in the 1820s and formally established in 1827. It is one of the oldest settlements in the state and is known for its lead-mining roots and historic architecture, including the Water Street Commercial Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city’s history is reflected in its built environment and cultural traditions, and it remains a vibrant hub for exploring regional heritage.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that Shullsburg is where the term “Badgers” was first used to describe the local lead miners, long before it became the official mascot of the University of Wisconsin? This unique piece of local history reflects Shullsburg’s early mining heritage and cultural influence.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Look beyond a name on the page
A name, class, or school activity connected with Shullsburg can lead to other pages from the same period. The yearbooks and annuals shared by the Shullsburg McCoy Public Library can help you follow a student or organization beyond one entry. Captions, activities, and nearby pages may add context when present, while each volume offers only a view of school or community life at that time. Read the surrounding pages as well as an individual entry. Captions, activities, and organizations can provide context when they are present in the volume.
When a promising lead runs out, return to the titles and dates shown for the collection, where available. Try another spelling, name, place, or nearby period connected with your question. Keep searches that did not help alongside useful findings; gaps in historical coverage can limit what any search reveals.
As you piece together a story from the past, note where each detail came from and why it matters. Include the title, date, and page or item reference. Mark uncertain identifications and unanswered questions so a promising connection does not become an unsupported fact.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Shullsburg McCoy Public Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
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May 7, 2025
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
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March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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