http://www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejournal/local/46796.php see the article in the Wisconsin State Journal following is just a few paragraphs As a public history enterprise, the Wisconsin Historical Society stands to suffer lasting damage from these crippling cuts," Thomasgard added Friday in a statement. "Unless we can find a way to mitigate the depth of these cuts, the society will have lost one-third of its work force in two years. Any prudent manager will recognize that if you lose a third of your work force, you can no longer fulfill the same mission." The cuts ordered last year and this year are the largest reductions the agency has faced since its creation in 1846, two years before Wisconsin became a state. The society owns nine historical sites, including Old World Wisconsin in Waukesha County, Wade House in Sheboygan County, Madeline Island Historical Museum and the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, which is operated by a nonprofit museum foundation. It also maintains a research library of more than 3.8 million items, handles the state's archives, collects and exhibits artifacts, publishes books and periodicals, and identifies and restores historic structures and archaeological sites.