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For our 35th Annual Tales Tombstones Tell the West Chicago City Museum is celebrating the 175th Anniversary of West Chicago.
Join the Friends of the West Chicago City Museum & the West Chicago Historical Society for an entertaining Tasting Party with history presenter Ellie Carlson.
Learn all about the history of cooking during the 1930s and enjoy the full tasting menu prepared as it would have been during the time! Tickets are $20 for We Go History Members and $22 for non-members. You can reserve your spot by emailing us at wegohistory@gmail.com or stopping into the City Museum at 132 Main Street during our open hours Thursdays & Fridays 9:30am-2:30pm and Saturdays 9:30am-3:30pm.
Details about the program: It is the Depression in America. The stock market has crashed, Roosevelt is trying to repair the country and thousands of Americans are changing the way they eat. Slide9Many rural folk are leaving for the cities and learning to cook on hotplates in rented rooms. A meal in a diner might have only cost a few cents but many didn’t have that so they made do with what they could cook themselves.
Still and all, many people who lived through that time have fond memories of the tastes and smells of that era.
Join the Friends of the West Chicago City Museum & the West Chicago Historical Society for an entertaining Tasting Party with history presenter Ellie Carlson.
Learn all about the history of cooking during the 1930s and enjoy the full tasting menu prepared as it would have been during the time! Tickets are $20 for We Go History Members and $22 for non-members. You can reserve your spot by emailing us at wegohistory@gmail.com or stopping into the City Museum at 132 Main Street during our open hours Thursdays & Fridays 9:30am-2:30pm and Saturdays 9:30am-3:30pm.
Details about the program: It is the Depression in America. The stock market has crashed, Roosevelt is trying to repair the country and thousands of Americans are changing the way they eat. Slide9Many rural folk are leaving for the cities and learning to cook on hotplates in rented rooms. A meal in a diner might have only cost a few cents but many didn’t have that so they made do with what they could cook themselves.
Still and all, many people who lived through that time have fond memories of the tastes and smells of that era.
For our 34th Annual Tales Tombstones Tell the West Chicago City Museum is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Incorporation of our community as the Town of Turner. In 1873 formal incorporation papers were filed that created our Village of Turner, which in 1896 would become the Village of West Chicago.
Join the City Museum and our wonderful volunteer cemetery walk interpreters that will tell the story of those who lived through the historic early years of the community. Stories that will be featured include: John B. Turner, the man who created the railroad junction that would become West Chicago, Salome Wurtz whose husband ran the successful Turner Co-operative Creamer, Charles Clark who presented the petition for the incorporation of the Village of Turner in 1873, Nicholas Reuter the child of German immigrant parents, Clara Haffey Church the wife of the first President of the Village of Turner, Sutter Conley whose husband served on the board of the Oakwood Cemetery, and Adelaide Evenden who was in the first graduating class from Turner School in 1878.
Tours leave from the Cemetery entrance at Garden Street starting at 6:30pm and every 10 minutes after, with the last group stepping off at 7:30pm. Those waiting to enter the cemetery will be entertained by the music of Roger Kotecki. The event is free and open to all, donations are appreciated.
Come join us for this impactful evening stroll, with lanterns and luminaries lighting the path through West Chicago’s oldest cemetery. For more information please call the Museum at (630) 231-3376 or email us at museum@westchicago.org.
Join the West Chicago City Museum for our summer free drop-in art making events "Fascinating Fridays at the City Museum."
Children of all ages are invited to stop in to our pop-up makers space, see a fascinating piece of history and experiment with art supplies to create their own pieces. History features will rotate each week and take home craft bags will also be available. The Museum exhibits and kids train table will also be open for families to view and interact with during their visit.
These drop-in Friday morning events are free and open to all. Can't make it to the City Museum, email us at wegohistory@gmail.com or DM us and we will deliver a free craft bag to your West Chicago home.
Join the West Chicago City Museum & People Made Visible for our latest mental health and history workshop on Saturday, June 10th with artist Ruth Hong. Participants will be invited to do some gratitude journaling after the presentation; instruction and supplies will be provided.
Ruth works in mixed media mostly on paper and loves using prismacolors and sharpies. Creating art is one of the few activities, along with being in nature, that allows her to appreciate the present. Some of Ruth's recent work address self-compassion and she hopes to continue the conversation surrounding the healing capabilities of art.
This event is part of the Resilience Collective, a grant funded through the Illinois Association of Museums.
On Friday, October 14th, the City Museum will present the 33th annual Tales Tombstones Tell at Oakwood Cemetery, located at York Street and Oakwood Avenue. Tours begin at 6:30 pm and start off every 10 minutes thereafter, with the last tour starting at 7:30 pm. Tours last approximately 45 minutes and no reservations are necessary. If the weather is inclement the program is cancelled.
Guests will be entertained by historic music from Roger Kotecki as they wait to start to the tour. The program is appropriate for families and is based on our community’s history.
Come join us for this impactful evening stroll, with lanterns and luminaries lighting the path through West Chicago’s oldest cemetery. Although the program is free, donations are appreciated. For more information please call the Museum at (630) 231-3376 or email us at museum@westchicago.org.
Join the West Chicago City Museum for our July Stroll Through History all about Trains! Meet for this walk and talk about the 1860s CB&Q Depot, located at 134 Turner Court behind the Museum. These walks are free and open to all. Please contact the City Museum with any questions at museum@westchicago.org.
This event is held in collaboration with Healthy West Chicago.
Join the West Chicago City Museum for our June nonfiction book club Historiography where we will be discussing The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home, about the home of the Vanderbilts.
Historiography is held each third Thursday of the month at the City Museum at 1pm. All welcome, no need to have read the book to join the discussion.
Masks strongly encouraged
For our 32nd Tales Tombstones Tell, the City Museum will be focusing on celebrations from our community, of all shapes and sizes! This year the program will be presented in a video format, released on Friday, October 8th and will feature the stores of West Chicagoans throughout our community’s history that saw and lived through significant occasions. William Brice, one of the Chicago & NorthWestern’s most experienced engineers tasked with two historic train trips; Lavina Parker Campbell who saw a marvelous event at the Grove (today’s Egg Yolk Café) which featured Stephen Douglas, but despite local lore NOT Abraham Lincoln; Joseph Colwell another promising railroad worker who supervised the first railroad on the Isthmus of Panama; John Bet-A-Million Gates, perhaps one of West Chicago’s most famous hometown sons who went on to found Texaco Oil Company; Lorenzo Hartman who oversaw the building of many of West Chicago’s historic downtown buildings; Jane Ripley a businesswoman ahead of her times that ran the successful Ripley Hotel (200 Main Street); and Jacob Weger who was a respected West Chicagoan celebrated for his happy life.
Join the West Chicago City Museum for a lunch time Town Hall Share. Join Museum director Sara Phalen for a presentation about the train workers that powered the industry in West Chicago. Hear their stories of struggle and success in a hard industry followed by some time for community members and history lovers to share their own stories about the railroads in West Chicago. This event is free and open to all. A zoom link will be shared 30 minutes before the event on Facebook and our website www.wegohistory.com.
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 842 3909 8456
Passcode: 677872
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Due to the popularity of our school break History at Home Craft Kits, the City Museum will have a grab and go History at Home Craft Kit Pick Up every Second Friday of the month.
On Friday, April 9th from 10am-noon FREE kits can be picked up in front of the City Museum at 132 Main Street, West Chicago. Kits are designed for children ages 5-9, but all ages can have fun with the kits. Bags contain 4 activities and a local history booklet. **Supplies are limited and once they are all gone, we will post in the event. Can't make it to the museum? Reserve your child's by emailing us at wegohistory@gmail.com and we will deliver it to your door if you live in West Chicago. Got questions? Send us a Facebook message or email us at wegohistory@gmail.com.
Join the West Chicago City Museum for a lunch time Town Hall Share. Join Museum director Sara Phalen for a presentation about the trains that built West Chicago and some time for community members and history lovers to share their own stories about the railroads in West Chicago. This event is free and open to all.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83512280948
Meeting ID: 835 1228 0948
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,83512280948# US (Chicago)
+13017158592,,83512280948# US (Washington DC)
Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 835 1228 0948
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kymT3GScN
Join the West Chicago City Museum and the Warrenville Historical Society for our February non-fiction book club discussing Robin Wall Kimmer's book "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants." Connect to nature in 2021 and start your year off right by reading this wonderful book that has been a mainstay for many over the last year. All are welcome and no need to have read or completed the book to join.
Currently meeting on Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89887385120
Join the West Chicago City Museum and the Warrenville Historical Society for our January non-fiction book club discussing Robin Wall Kimmer's book "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants." Connect to nature in 2021 and start your year off right by reading this wonderful book that has been a mainstay for many over the last year. All are welcome and no need to have read or completed the book to join.
Currently meeting on Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83788441501
Join the West Chicago City Museum & the Warrenville Historical Society as our monthly book club continues virtually!
On Thursday, July 16th at 1pm the group will meet to discuss “Hamilton” the Broadway Hit streaming on Disney+. A link to join the meetings can be found on the Friends of the West Chicago City Museum’s Facebook Page or on our website wegohistory.com.
All are welcome, and feel free to join the conversation even if you have not read the book or watched the film.
Join the West Chicago City Museum & the Warrenville Historical Society as our monthly book club continues virtually!
Following a recent meeting on the Ron Chernow Book "Grant," we will discuss the History Channel's recent Documentary of the same name. Grant is available on-demand on online. All welcome, no need to have read the book or watched the documentary. Join us to discuss Ulysses S. Grant and his position in Illinois and U.S. history.
The non-fiction book club will continue online through Zoom on the third Thursday of every month on 1pm until it is safe to reconvene in person programs.
Thursday, June 18 1pm
Online Eventhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/85962532150?pwd=N1lMKzBQcGpVMGl6akdYUExjYXNYdz09
The City Museum is continuing its Historiography program in July, a non-fiction book reading group held in collaboration with the West Chicago Public Library. On Thursday, November 15 at 1pm the group will meet to discuss The Strange Case of Dr. Couney: How a Mysterious European Showman Saved Thousands of American Babies by Dawn Raffel. The book group is open to all, feel free to bring a bag lunch; complimentary drinks and desserts will be provided. Copies of the books being discussed can be checked out from the Museum or Library while available, limited copies available. Guests are also invited to come and discuss the topic, even if they have not read the book.
On Stage
Be prepared to be whisked away on a literary adventure! Join West Chicago Library and the West Chicago City Museum once a month as we team up for a story-time experience. We will look, listen, create, explore and play - with a new theme each month. Ms. Kelli from the Library will be reading stories linked to the City Museum’s collection. Afterwards we will have some fun with a variety of hands-on activities. This program is FREE of charge and requires no registration. Meet us on the second floor of the City Museum.
Magic
Be prepared to be whisked away on a literary adventure! Join West Chicago Library and the West Chicago City Museum once a month as we team up for a story-time experience. We will look, listen, create, explore and play - with a new theme each month. Ms. Kelli from the Library will be reading stories linked to the City Museum’s collection. Afterwards we will have some fun with a variety of hands-on activities. This program is FREE of charge and requires no registration. Meet us on the second floor of the City Museum.
Flowers & Showers
Be prepared to be whisked away on a literary adventure! Join West Chicago Library and the West Chicago City Museum once a month as we team up for a story-time experience. We will look, listen, create, explore and play - with a new theme each month. Ms. Kelli from the Library will be reading stories linked to the City Museum’s collection. Afterwards we will have some fun with a variety of hands-on activities. This program is FREE of charge and requires no registration. Meet us on the second floor of the City Museum.
The City Museum is continuing its Historiography program in July, a non-fiction book reading group held in collaboration with the West Chicago Public Library. On Thursday, November 15 at 1pm the group will meet to discuss Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott. The book group is open to all, feel free to bring a bag lunch; complimentary drinks and desserts will be provided. Copies of the books being discussed can be checked out from the Museum or Library while available, limited copies available. Guests are also invited to come and discuss the topic, even if they have not read the book.
Chicks and Ducks and Bunnies, Oh My!
Be prepared to be whisked away on a literary adventure! Join West Chicago Library and the West Chicago City Museum once a month as we team up for a story-time experience. We will look, listen, create, explore and play - with a new theme each month. Ms. Kelli from the Library will be reading stories linked to the City Museum’s collection. Afterwards we will have some fun with a variety of hands-on activities. This program is FREE of charge and requires no registration. Meet us on the second floor of the City Museum.
The City Museum is continuing its Historiography program in July, a non-fiction book reading group held in collaboration with the West Chicago Public Library. On Thursday, November 15 at 1pm the group will meet to discuss Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. The book group is open to all, feel free to bring a bag lunch; complimentary drinks and desserts will be provided. Copies of the books being discussed can be checked out from the Museum or Library while available, limited copies available. Guests are also invited to come and discuss the topic, even if they have not read the book.
Be prepared to be whisked away on a literary adventure! Join West Chicago Library and the West Chicago City Museum once a month as we team up for a story-time experience. We will look, listen, create, explore and play - with a new theme each month. Ms. Kelli from the Library will be reading stories linked to the City Museum’s collection. Afterwards we will have some fun with a variety of hands-on activities. This program is FREE of charge and requires no registration. Meet us on the second floor of the City Museum.
Queen Elizabeth II
In this new historical portrayal, historian Leslie Goddard, Ph.D., explores the life of Britain’s famous monarch, from her childhood, the abdication of her uncle, her marriage to a navy officer named Philip, her World War II service, and her struggle to balance her roles as queen and mother.. Get to know the woman behind the images, her sense of humor and savvy intelligence with which she meets her demanding obligations. Note: This program is a historical portrayal, not a lecture.
Free, all ages. Drop in to try your hand at drawing an item from the Museum’s collection during “Drawing on History” and view our current exhibits.
Be prepared to be whisked away on a literary adventure! Join West Chicago Library and the West Chicago City Museum once a month as we team up for a story-time experience. We will look, listen, create, explore and play - with a new theme each month. Ms. Kelli from the Library will be reading stories linked to the City Museum’s collection. Afterwards we will have some fun with a variety of hands-on activities. This program is FREE of charge and requires no registration. Meet us on the second floor of the City Museum.
Free, all ages. Drop in to make a historically inspired Valentine and view our current exhibits: West Chicago POP! and Building Community.
The City Museum is continuing its Historiography program in July, a non-fiction book reading group held in collaboration with the West Chicago Public Library. On Thursday, November 15 at 1pm the group will meet to discuss Sharp by Michelle Dean. The book group is open to all, feel free to bring a bag lunch; complimentary drinks and desserts will be provided. Copies of the books being discussed can be checked out from the Museum or Library while available, limited copies available. Guests are also invited to come and discuss the topic, even if they have not read the book.
City Museum / Museo de la Ciudad
132 Main Street
West Chicago, IL 60185
(630) 231-3376
wegohistory@gmail.com
Current Winter Hours:
Thursdays-Fridays 9:30am-2:30pm
