I received one of the coolest Easter gifts ever last Sunday. We had the whole family up for dinner at our home, and my father-in-law says, "come out to the car and help me with something." First he hands me a small, glass tabletop and then the big surprise. He pulls out a 1962 Civil Defense… Continue reading My Easter Basket
Tag: Civil Defense
Inside the Fallout Shelter
In 2010 some homeowners in Neenah opened a backyard fallout shelter that was built by the previous property owners in 1960. Inside were ammo boxes filled with supplies (from food and games to medicine and radiation meters) to last a family of four for about 2 weeks. Some artifacts from the shelter were donated to the Neenah… Continue reading Inside the Fallout Shelter
The Neenah Shelter
This past Wednesday was a big day for our exhibition. The local news stations came to stories, and since then the story has gone national! How exciting that the exhibit is starting to pick up that kind of attention. I had my first appearance on television as well. It is amazing how USA Today, Huffington… Continue reading The Neenah Shelter
Going Underground…What Would You Bring?
Imagine a world where you live in constant fear of being annihilated by nuclear weapons. You are going about your day, and in the late afternoon the neighborhood sirens blast, your radio and TV switched to emergency messages saying terrorists are launching a nuclear attack on the United States. You have 15 minutes before the bomb hits,… Continue reading Going Underground…What Would You Bring?
Mapping Wisconsin Shelters
I have been working on a history project that I hope will get some of my fellow Wisconsinites involved in. I started a page on Facebook that is geared towards the Wisconsin experience of the Cold War. There are publications and scholarly works done on the Cold War, but I would like to hear the first-hand stories… Continue reading Mapping Wisconsin Shelters
Taking Shelter at UW-Oshkosh
Most universities have procedures in place for just about any emergency event. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's emergency information can be found in the Emergency Procedures Guide (EPG). It outlines almost any emergency procedure that could happen on campus or the surrounding area. Two emergency categories that seem very extreme, but also very relevant to our… Continue reading Taking Shelter at UW-Oshkosh
Blast From the Past
My recent work on historical projects related to Civil Defense and the Cold War era are strikingly similar to the events unfolding in North Korea. According to USA Today, North Korea is planning to launch a multi-stage rocket that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. CNN reports that North Korean officials stated that the missile… Continue reading Blast From the Past
Wisconsin Civil Defense
Wisconsin civil defense unofficially began on August 29, 1950, by the order of Governor Oscar Rennebohm.[i] The formal incorporation of the Wisconsin Office of Civil Defense was through the passage of the Act 433, Laws of 1951. By the time Wisconsin formally organized its state organization, the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) had already been… Continue reading Wisconsin Civil Defense
Allis-Chalmers & Civil Defense Part II
As a follow-up to my previous post, I would like to fill you in on some new information that I received from the National Archives. I sent an inquiry to the archives about Allis-Chalmers' involvement with the development of the National Emergency Alarm Repeater system (NEAR). If you haven't read that post yet, click here.… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers & Civil Defense Part II
Allis-Chalmers and Civil Defense
I am beginning to turn up some very interesting material for my History Seminar project. I've gone through boxes upon boxes, folders upon folders. papers upon papers, and I have run into Allis-Chalmers a few times in the old Wisconsin Bureau of Civil Defense information. The company played two interesting roles in Wisconsin Civil Defense. One was devising a CD plan… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers and Civil Defense
Austin M. Frederick 