Museums Illinois Historical Society
L

Browse Museums

L. Haas Store Museum
Carmi, Illinois

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Specialized

The museum contains everything from native american artifacts (on loan from the Rebstock family) to a circa 1918 mail rig to hundreds of tools, photographs, and vintage clothing. One highlight are the hanging tools of Hawthorne township farmer Phil Hanna, "the humane hangman", who ended the life of Southern Illinois' most famous or infamous outlaw, Charlie Birger. Hanna presided over many early 20th century executions. The Haas Store building is a wonderful example of a cast iron storefront, and is located directly across from the Ratcliff Inn. You can tour the museum on line at L.Haas Store Museum. The museum underwent repairs in 2001 and has been organized with church and kitchen areas, communications, homelife, Native American, medical, military, and Carmi sections.

LaGrange Area Historical Society
LaGrange, Illinois

Historical Society

Lakes Region Historical Society
Antioch, Illinois

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

We are a small but growing institution. Our capabilities at this time are limited but we have a wonderful collection of artifacts of the area. We are totally volunteer.

Lawrence County Historical Society
Lawrenceville, Illinois

Historical Society

Lee County Historical Society
Dixon, Illinois

History, Historical Society

Lewistown Society for Historical Preservation
Lewistown, Illinois

History, Historic House, Historical Society

Little White School Museum
Oswego, Illinois

History, Historical Society

The Little White School Museum is located in a restored former Methodist-Episcopal Church and community elementary school. Permanent exhibits tell the story of the 68 square miles inside the Oswego School District. Seasonal temporary exhibits enhance the museum experience, while the community archives are a valuable resource for historians, genealogists and others. The building's restored main room is a venue for community civic meetings as well as available for rental for events that fit in with the museum's mission.

Lombard Historical Society
Lombard, Illinois

History, Historical Society, Library

The Victorian Cottage Museum (formerly known as the Lombard Historical Museum) is an 1882 historic house museum that provides information and examples of a middle-class Victorian household as part of the history of Lombard.

La Harpe Museum
LaHarpe, Illinois

Art, Culture, General, History, Historical Society

The local membership does research of families (at a nominal fee) for those who visit the museum and many who correspond. Most of the local histories have been indexed, as have the scrapbooks compiled from local newspapers containing obits, weddings, and anniversaries. The museum also has many family files and card files with cross-indexing. Microfiche of Illinois marriages including Hancock county 1829-1890 are also available to those doing research, and copies of numerous township burial records.

Lake County Historical Society
Lake Forest, Illinois

History, Historical Society

LaSalle County Historical Society
Utica, Illinois

Anthropology, Archaeology, Culture, History, Historical Society

The LaSalle County Historical Society celebrated its centennial anniversary during 2007. The founders had a vision in 1907. They wrote "Without an organization of this sort much of value to posterity would be obliterated by the passage of years from the annals of our county's history."

Our resolve today is much the same--to procure and save the historical treasures of LaSalle County for the present and future generations.

The Society does this through a four-building complex located in downtown Utica.

Lebanon Historical Society
Lebanon, Illinois

History, Historical Society

Lena Area Historical Society
Lena, Illinois

History, Historical Society

The museum building was built and occupied in 1986 and contains local memorabilia. In 1987 the first log school house was dismantled and moved to the museum site and reconstructed by a group of volunteers. It has been furnished as it probably was when built, in 1849 by Samuel F Dodds in his orchard. At the same time an old building was moved to the site and converted into an old time blacksmith shop. In 1989 an Illinois Central Caboose was purchased and moved to the site and is now being furnished with railroad memorabilia. In 1996 a summer kitchen was moved to the site and has been furnished with items of the day.

Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society
Libertyville, Illinois

General, History, Historical Society

Established in 1955, the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society collects and preserves historical material and information relative to Libertyville, Mundelein and surrounding areas in Lake County, Illinois. The 1878 Ansel B. Cook House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is home to the society’s archives and Victorian museum. Please feel free to browse our website to learn more about the society, our events, and ways you can participate in preserving the community's past for future generations!

Livingston County Historical Society
Pontiac, Illinois

History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

Pontiac is the legendary Ottawa Indian chief for which the city was named in 1837. The first settlers arrived in 1838. The city was platted in 1837 and became a center of population growth for the area. Industry was established in 1838 when a sawmill opened; the first grain mill opened in 1851. Because of its strategic location along the rail line connecting Chicago, Springfield and St. Louis in the late 1870s, Pontiac became an important regional trading center. Its location along the original Route 66, one of the nation’s first major interstate highways and traveled by hundreds of thousands of people from 1926 to the mid ‘60s, also contributed to the industrial and retail growth of the community.

Long Grove Historical Society
Long Grove, Illinois

Historical Society

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

Wednesday, February 5 - Friday, February 7, 2025

Ina Dillard Russell Library Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

Hosted by: Georgia Association of Museums

The Whole Story Is The Meanin

“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”― Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Pros

Join us in Milledgeville, Georgia, for the annual Georgia Association of Museums conference as we explore the profound wisdom of Milledgeville author Flannery O'Connor’s words. In a world where narratives intersect and perspectives diverge, this theme invites proposals that delve into the essence of storytelling within museums and cultural institutions. Our work in the museum field requires us to look at stories from as many angles and perspectives as possible so that we might do our best to tell the “whole story.

Through thought-provoking discussions, interactive workshops, and engaging presentations, we will uncover the layers of meaning embedded within every artifact, exhibition, and historical account. Just as O’Connor masterfully crafted narratives that resonate with universal truths, museums hold the power to illuminate the whole story behind many objects, artworks, and cultural phenomena

We will examine how museums can embrace inclusivity, diversity, and authenticity in their storytelling practices. By acknowledging multiple perspectives and amplifying marginalized voices, we can enrich our understanding of the past and present, fostering empathy and connection within our communities.

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

Monday, February 17 - Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Hosted by: Small Museum Association

The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues.

We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers

Theme for 2025: Make It Happen!!!

Is there an exhibit, program, or fundraiser that you've been talking about doing for years? Do you feel stuck because of procrastination, lack of board support, or insufficient funds? It's time to take action

At SMA 2025, small museum professionals will share their tips and tricks of how they made it happen!

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

Tuesday, February 18 - Saturday, February 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Hosted by: California Association of Museums

CAM is hard at work planning for the 2025 conference, set to take place from February 18–22, 2025 in San Francisco. We look forward to highlighting best practices and innovative ideas from California's museum community

The California Association of Museums is excited to continue offering in-person programming for 2025. We will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination/s, but highly encourage vaccination and boosters. For the health and safety of our colleagues, masks are also encouraged (but not required). Capacity and spaces will be thoughtfully considered in the planning of this event.

For more information, please email programs@calmuseums.org.

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

Wednesday, September 10 - Saturday, September 13, 2025

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

Hosted by: American Association for State and Local History

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

view all conferences
RECENT UPDATES

Museums

03/07 Pointe Coupee Parish Museum

New Roads, Louisiana

03/07 Uintah County Heritage Museum

Vernal, Utah

Museum Vendors

03/07 Digiscura

Encino, California

Museum Associations

03/07 Public Lands Alliance

Washington, District of Columbia

03/07 Oregon Museums Association

Portland, Oregon

03/07 Virginia Association of Museums

Richmond, Virginia

03/07 American Association for State and Local History

Nashville, Tennessee

03/07 Small Museum Association

Dover, Delaware