Editor’s note: The following announcement was provided by the Rock County Historical Society.
The grand opening of the Rock County Legacies exhibit, focusing on the history of local employees of General Motors, JATCO, Fisher Body, and the UAW in Janesville, is Wednesday, August 31 from 5 – 9 p.m. at the Rock County Historical Society (RCHS). The public is invited to attend, and exhibit admission will be waived for this one evening. Located in the lower level of the RCHS Museum & Visitor Center at 426 N. Jackson Street, the exhibit will run through September, 2023. The grand opening event includes live music by Jeremiah Fox and the Odd Company Band, food trucks, a “Janesville made” car show, and more.
The Rock County Legacies exhibit was developed through a partnership with Blackhawk Community Credit Union (BHCCU) and RCHS. Planned as a series, this first Rock County Legacies exhibit will focus on the history of General Motors in Janesville from its beginnings in 1919 as the Janesville Machine Company to its closing in 2008-2009. It will include employees’ stories, a large collage of employee photographs, and more than 100 artifacts dating from 1900 – 2005. Some of the artifacts that will be on display include artillery shells the plant produced in World War II, original union buttons from the 1930s, and employee tags from Fisher Body and Chevrolet. Photographs, stories and many artifacts have been shared or donated by community members.
A highlight of the display is the 100 millionth vehicle built by General Motors in the U.S. The 1967 Chevrolet Caprice Custom Coupe, which rolled off the assembly line on April 21, 1967, was built at the Chevrolet-Fisher Body Assembly Plant in Janesville. The vehicle is on loan to RCHS from the Sloan Longway Museum in Flint, Michigan.
RCHS’ Assistant Director and Curator Cara Kinzelman says the exhibit is especially meaningful because it tells a story about our community.
“The thing that makes this exhibit so special is that it is really about the men and women who worked at the plant. As much as possible, the history is told with excerpts from interviews with employees who worked there as far back as the 1920s and as recently as the 2000s,” Kinzelman said. “When you walk through the exhibit you will read their own words what it was like to work at the plant and what General Motors meant to them and their families. It is a story of determination, perseverance, grit, and pride, and it’s a story that I think will resonate with all visitors, whether or not they or their family had a connection to the plant, because it is ultimately the story of our community. We are so proud to present this history and to celebrate these individuals.”
Kinzelman added that she feels the final visual in the exhibit, which is titled “I Am the Legacy,” is impactful, as it is a photo collage of roughly 100 photos of former employees, including each person’s name and dates of employment. The photos were submitted by their family members as a way to honor their memory.
The Rock County Legacies Exhibit was developed in a collaboration with BHCCU, which was founded within the walls of the GM plant 56 years ago. The credit union has been collecting stories, artifacts, and mementos from the community and the plant for many years. They have been working with RCHS for more than a year to help share this history with the community and future generations.
“RCHS is honored to share the history of the thousands of people who worked at the Janesville General Motors family of businesses and the UAW through the Rock County Legacies exhibit,” said RCHS Executive Director Tim Maahs. “Thanks to BHCCU and all the community members who shared artifacts, stories and photographs, the history of GM employees is captured, not lost.”
Following the grand opening, the Rock County Legacies exhibit will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tickets are available at the RCHS Visitor & Museum Center, 426 N. Jackson Street in Janesville. Tickets prices are $15 for adults, $11 for children ages 6 – 17; free for children age 5 and under; and free for RCHS members.
RCHS has been welcoming the community to its campus since 1950 when William Tallman’s Italianate-style mansion was donated to the city of Janesville, with the agreement that it serve as a museum for the community. RCHS operates the Lincoln-Tallman House, along with a Museum & Visitor Center; the Tallman Carriage House; the RCHS Archives; the Frances Willard School House; and the Wilson King Stone House. A nonprofit organization, RCHS offers tours to people of all ages, provides thought-provoking programs, and hosts many events each year, including an annual awards gala and a holiday tree show.
The history of GM in Janesville dates back to 1918, when the company branched out into farm vehicles by buying the Samson Tractor Co. Within 12 months after the purchase, nearly 150 tractors per day were rolling off the production line. Car production at the Janesville plant began in 1923, but the Great Depression shuttered the plant from 1932 to 1934. The plant made 16 million 105 mm artillery shells during World War II, then returned to automotive production. after the war. The Janesville GM plant ceased all production in April, 2009.
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Home to six uniquely different historic sites on a 3.5-acre campus in the historic Look West Neighborhood, the Rock County Historical Society’s mission is to bridge past and present through capturing and sharing stories about Rock County, Wisconsin. Its sites include the award-winning Lincoln-Tallman House, Helen Jeffris Wood Museum Center, RCHS Archives and Preservation Facility, Tallman Carriage House, Wilson-King Stone House, and the Frances Willard Schoolhouse.
