History

Lockport is hosting its 52nd Old Canal Days festival this weekend featuring a carnival, food court, artisan vendors, beer garden, entertainment and special events. The festival runs through Sunday. The event is held at 303 W. Second St.

Tom Wadsworth’s one-hour PowerPoint presentation about the kidnapping of Della Stackhouse starts at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Learning Center, 611 E. Third St. in Sterling, and includes free refreshments.

This is the final part of a five-part series about Dixon’s remarkable role in the Civil War. Today's column focuses on the battle at Chickasaw Bayou on Dec. 28-29, 1862, complete with a list of 44 soldiers from the Illinois 13th who died as a result of the battle.

A major antiques show, date night options, entertainment at Morton Arboretum, vintage cars, debut of performance venue, festival fun and an arts weekend are all on tap in DuPage and Cook counties.

Lockport's annual Old Canal Days festival will take place from June 4-8, 2025 with a carnival, parade, fireworks, food, and live entertainment.

The administration building at the Old Joliet Prison now is open for visits. Must be 16 and older to go on tours,

As the future of a 19th-century building that served as Crystal Lake’s first school is in limbo over a pending landmark vote by City Council, historic advocates push fundraising efforts to save it.

The Gemini Giant now has a neighbor near his new home on South Island Park in Wilmington.

Take a trip through time in a historic walking tour in downtown Montgomery. The Historic Preservation Commission is hosting a free walking tour at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 7.

Mark Hutson of Woodstock is on a mission to document every military service member from McHenry County who has died in service, going back to World War I.

The Gemini Giant now has a neighbor near his new home on South Island Park in Wilmington.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has completed a roughly $6.5 million project to improve the Danada House in Wheaton

The June Brown Bag Lunch and Local Lore series at the Ellwood House Museum will feature a program on the story of history through artwork. Jubilee Artisans exhibition curator Ayanna Johnson will discuss how art creates space for diverse perspectives.

The Will County Thresherman’s Association's annual 40-mile Vintage Tractor Drive Fundraiser goes from Manhattan to Wilmington.

The Bureau County Special Schools BEST Program visited Aitken School, a one-room schoolhouse on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at the La Salle County Historical Society in Utica. The schoolhouse was originally established as a school in a deed notarized by Horace D. Hickok, brother of “Wild Bill” Hickok on Aug. 3, 1865. The schoolhouse was originally constructed in Troy Grove and “Wild Bill” Hickok attended school there. The La Salle County Historical Society hosts field trips to over 800 children each spring.

Trustees voted 4-1 to donate the building to the Polo Area Community Theatre following a presentation by Hart DuBois, a PACT board member, who outlined how the not-for-profit group planned to raise enough money to keep the building viable as a performance venue.

Many World War II artifacts will be on display, including tanks, trucks and cannons.

The City of Joliet is encouraging Black residents to come out and tell their stories as part of a research initiative to help revitalize the Black community in Will County.

Organizers of the Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study will hold the first of three community interview events on Saturday to collect information relevant to local Black history.

Brian “Fox” Ellis will portray Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon, at the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society meeting Sunday, May 18, in Sterling.

Special events range from The Morton Arboretum's Arbor Day Plant Sale and a production of "Our Town" at the MAC to live music, a showcase of jewelry artistry and an interactive exhibition on farming in DuPage County at the Elmhurst History Museum.

The DeKalb County History Center recently received an Award of Excellence from the Illinois Association of Museums.

Ed Britton, wildlife refuge manager of the Savanna District, will present a program on the 100th anniversary of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 18, at the Fulton Martin House Museum.

The Ganymedes’ home venue, south of the Chana School Museum home at Oregon Park East, cannot be used for 2025 games due to renovation work at Park East.

Her passion for teaching turns her classes into hands-on learning experiences that embrace a wealth of topics designed to nurture well-rounded students.

The new Landing Pad in Will County won't have burgers and fries, but it will be a Route 66 souvenir shop 'just steps away' from the relocated Gemini Giant is Thursday.

Spring concert to include favorite tunes, reenactments from 1940s radio show

Art in Wilder Park and Lilac Time lead off festival fun, and there's also a DuPage and Cook lineup of hit rock bands, classical gems, kite flying and history tours.

The new Landing Pad in Will County won't have burgers and fries, but it will be a Route 66 souvenir shop 'just steps away' from the relocated Gemini Giant is Thursday.

The museum will be dedicated at 10 a.m. May 3 with a ribboncutting. Guided hikes, food vendors and a grist mill corn grinding demonstration are all planned for a day of fun.

The traveling museum, which will not be open to the public, will be stationed at RFHS, 101 12th Ave., from Monday, May 5, through Thursday, May 8. The museum will also visit the Rock Falls Middle School, 1701 12th Ave., on Friday, May 9.

The book was written by George John Beier, the great-great-grandson of Reinhold Beier, a German immigrant who founded the Beier Baking Company in 1869 with his wife. The pair traveled over 3,700 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a new beginning.

Ken Lerner will be recognized April 30 at the Downers Grove Historical Society's Historian of the Year

The Joliet Area Historical Museum was recently honored by The Illinois Association of Museums by winning its highest award.

Eclectic activities feature a highly anticipated regional premiere at Drury Lane Theatre, bluegrass, ABBA tribute, magic show and a celebration of science and history with a local documentary presented at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove.

Marriott Theatre continues its 50th anniversary season celebration with “Titanic: The Musical.”

Program begins at 10 a.m. at the Oregon Depot

The Elmhurst History Museum has appointed Emma Marston as curator of education and public programs.

The Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum shines a spotlight on Generation X with the Illinois State Museum’s traveling exhibit “Growing Up X,” which will remain on display until June 14.

A community night will be from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, for the general public to view the “Anne Frank: A History for Today” traveling exhibit.

April 28, 6:30 p.m. in Oregon

This presentation, based on Dana Starkell's trip from Canada to Brazil, will begin at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Learning Center, 611 E. Third St., Sterling.

You don't have to drive into Chicago for an exciting and educational excursion. There are plenty of museums in the suburbs and northern Illinois that are well worth a visit.

Join the W.A. McConnell Foundation for its third annual McConnell Ball Saturday at The District, 10308 Main Street in Richmond.

The members of the Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance are taking a breather after decades of service to Downers Grove and are passing the torch of community activism.

The future of a late-1800s building that served as Crystal Lake’s first school will be determined next month in a Landmark status vote by City Council.

Starting on Saturday, April 5 and going until Sunday, April 13, the public is invited to visit at least eight of the 10 participating museums and libraries in McHenry and Lake counties, scavenger hunt style, to receive a prize at the eighth location.

If you’re interested in learning what Lake County life was like in the early days, visit Lake Villa District Library and explore the Millburn Historic District Exhibit.

Workers continued to demolish the historic, but dilapidated, school building that had stood in Polo for 126 years. Demolition crews from Fischer Excavating of Freeport continued demolishing the Congress School, 208 N. Congress Ave., Tuesday, March 28, 2025, creating small clouds of dust as the 18-inch-thick brick walls were collapsed, sparking waves of nostalgia from former students.

The Crystal Lake Park District has started to plan for the preservation of a 140-year-old historic barn after talks of demolition were on the table. But its future remains uncertain.