Click Here to Visit the Forest City Newspaper Archives

The Leibrand-Whiteis Historical Center is a compilation of decades of history collected and researched available in several formats.  The library has been the life work and passion of two of the Winnebago Historical Societies most dedicated board members and the namesakes of the Historical Center, Ruth Leibrand and Carol Whiteis.

If you or your family has an interest in learning more about your family history or our local history, come to the Leibrand-Whiteis Historical Center and find a wealth of interesting information all in one amazing location!

Historical Center Dedication Photos

Vault Protects One-of-a-kind Historical Items

The construction of the new vault has been completed at the Mansion Museum in Forest City. The vault is on the west side of the museum annex. The 20’ x 32’ structure is all concrete with a single fire door for access. After the Winnebago Historical Society took ownership of the bound volumes of the Forest City newspapers, it became apparent that an additional structure was needed to provide safe, archival protection for the materials.
The new structure now holds many historical items, including:

• • • • • Forest City newspapers from 1871 through 2018
        • Forest City Community High School annuals back to 1946
        • Waldorf College annuals dating back to 1921
        • Indexed family newspaper clippings
        • Family histories
        • County records of births, deaths, citizenship, and marriage
        • Cemetery records
        • Historical photographs
      • • •