January – May 2023 Exhibit:
“‘Pulling It All Together’: Jewish Community Advocacy, Activism, & Fellowship in Central Illinois, 1959-1984”
The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “‘Pulling It All Together’: Jewish Community Advocacy, Activism, & Fellowship in Central Illinois, 1959-1984,” an exhibit featuring administrative documents, news media, ephemera, photos, and artifacts from the Central Illinois Jewish Communities Archives (CIJCA). This exhibit explores how small-town Jewish Illinoisans used identity-based organizations to participate politically and socially in the mid to late 1900s.
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC reading room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from January 2023 through May 2023. Please check our homepage for current hours.
April – September 2022 Exhibit:
“Constructing Utopias: Examining Communitarianism Efforts in America, 1825-1940”
The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “Constructing Utopias: Examining Communitarianism Efforts in America, 1825-1940,” which explores the promotion and study of communitarian colonies in America through research collections and personal papers at IHLC.
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC reading room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from April 1, 2022 through September 2022. Our current hours can be found on the homepage.
To read more about the curation process of this exhibit, including the disruption due to the COIVD-19 pandemic, check out our latest blog post!
2019-2020 Exhibit: “‘Here I Have Lived’: Recreating the Land of Lincoln”
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC reading room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from November 8, 2019 to February 2020.
The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “‘Here I Have Lived’: Recreating the Land of Lincoln,” an exhibit about the history of Central Illinois’s two most prominent Lincoln heritage sites. Featuring materials related to the reconstruction of Lincoln’s New Salem near Petersburg and the restoration of the Lincoln Home area in Springfield, the exhibit offers a glimpse into how the places Abraham Lincoln called home in the Prairie State have been recreated after decades of changes to the natural and built environments.
Items on display include photographs, letters, booklets, postcards, architectural designs, sketches, and more, such as a rare woodcut print of the New Salem sawmill and an original souvenir brick from the Lincoln Home!
2019 Exhibit: “Iron Horse of the Prairie State”
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC reading room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from July 12 to October 18, 2019.
The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections is pleased to present “The Iron Horse of the Prairie State,” an exhibit that explores the evolution of the railroad in Illinois’s history. The exhibit showcases the IHLC’s holdings related to railroads, from their inception when railroad fever struck Illinois in the 1830s to today.
Exhibit items featured include letters, photographs, books, tickets, souvenirs, and artifacts that span over one hundred years and depict the significant and dynamic roles of the railroad throughout the state’s history.
2019 Exhibit: “Votes for Women”
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC reading room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from mid-February through June 2019. Note: Extended to July 10, 2019.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Illinois’s ratification of the 19th Amendment, the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections is pleased to present “Votes for Women,” an exhibit on the women’s suffrage movement in Illinois. The exhibit showcases IHLC’s holdings related to the fight for women’s suffrage in Illinois and across the country, placing the role of Illinois suffragists in a national context.
Exhibit items featured include postcards, illustrations, and publications in various formats.
If you missed it, check out the online version of the “Votes for Women” exhibit on the IHLC blog.
2018 Exhibit: “World’s Fairs of the Midwest”
The exhibit will be on display in the IHLC reading room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from mid-September through December 2018.
In celebration of the bicentennial of Illinois statehood and the 125th anniversary of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “World’s Fairs of the Midwest,” an exhibit featuring items in our collections from three world’s fairs: the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, and the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. The items in this exhibit depict the grandeur of these expositions and offer a glimpse of what one would have experienced while visiting—from the impressive architecture and industrial achievements to carnival-like attractions and souvenirs.
Items featured include tickets, souvenirs, and publications in various formats, including a miniature book housed inside a walnut shell.
If you missed it, check out the online version of the “World’s Fairs of the Midwest” exhibit on the IHLC blog.
2018 Exhibit: “‘I Shall Never Be Able to Forget What I Saw’: A Brief History of Illinois Disasters”
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC Reading Room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from June through mid-September 2018.
The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “‘I Shall Never Be Able to Forget What I Saw’: A Brief History of Illinois Disasters,” an exhibit featuring materials on six tragedies from Illinois’s past. Our state has seen tornados, fires, mining disasters, riots, epidemics and many other catastrophic happenings that have shaped its history. The items on display illustrate some of these events through firsthand accounts and contemporary photographs, offering insight into these catastrophes through the eyes of those who endured them.
If you missed it, check out the online version of the “A Brief History of Illinois Disasters” exhibit on the IHLC blog.
2018 Exhibit: “State No. 21: Celebrating the Illinois Bicentennial”
The exhibit will be on display in the North-South corridor of the Main Library from early April through May 2018.
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Illinois statehood (1818-2018), the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “State No. 21: Celebrating the Illinois Bicentennial,” an exhibit that explores the history of Illinois from the time the French arrived in 1673 to the present day. Learn what life was like for Illinoisans during the early days of settlement on the prairies, the Civil War, the rise of industrialization, the World Wars, the political turbulence of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and other events throughout the state’s history. Through facsimiles of photographs, letters, records, sketches, and other materials, explore the development of the Prairie State and its contributions to the nation and the world.
2018 Exhibit: “The Leveretts’ Alton: One Family’s Life in Alton, Illinois”
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC Reading Room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from February to May 2018.
In celebration of the bicentennial of Illinois statehood (1818-2018), the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “The Leveretts’ Alton: One Family’s Life in Alton, Illinois,” an exhibit featuring archival materials dating between the 1840s through the 1860s from the Leverett family, who settled in Alton early on in its development. Alton, located north of St. Louis on the bank of the Mississippi River, served as a major port of trade and travel and played a significant role in Illinois history.
Newlyweds Warren and Mary Ann Leverett moved from New England to Alton in the 1830s, where they soon became involved in the community. Photographs, letters, and other personal papers offer insight into one family’s experience living in Alton during a period of growth, as well as what life was like in southwestern Illinois during and after the tumultuous period of the Civil War.
This exhibit was created in conjunction with the Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s exhibit “Designed, Displayed, and Discarded: Ephemeral Printing in Alton, Illinois, 1835-1855.”
If you missed it, check out the online version of “The Leveretts’ Alton” exhibit on the IHLC blog.
2017 Exhibit: “Home: Illinois Immigration Stories”
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC Reading Room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from late October to January 2017.
The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “Home: Illinois Immigration Stories,” an exhibit featuring archival documents from three families who immigrated to the United States and chose to make Illinois their home. Two of the families, the Gutmanns and the Stevens, emigrated from Europe in the mid-1800s, eventually settling in Champaign County. The third family, the Alayus, emigrated from the Philippines in the early 1900s and settled in Chicago. Photographs, letters, and notebooks from the three families show how each sought the opportunity to create a new home in Illinois.
If you missed it, check out the online version of the “Illinois Immigration Stories” exhibit on the IHLC blog.
2017 Exhibit: “‘Prepare for the Stormy Times Before Us’: Chicago’s Haymarket Affair”
This exhibit will be on display in the IHLC Reading Room (room 324) on the third floor of the Main Library from late August to mid-October, 2017.
In honor of Labor Day, the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections presents “Prepare for the Stormy Times Before Us: Chicago’s Haymarket Affair,” an exhibit that explores both the event and its aftermath through selected print and archival materials. On May 4, 1886, violence erupted at a labor rally held in Haymarket Square, Chicago, when an unknown assailant threw a bomb into the crowd soon after the police had arrived to disperse the attendees. The violence at Haymarket Square deepened xenophobia and anti-labor sentiments not only in Chicago, but also around the world. This exhibit explores the initially peaceful rally that quickly turned into a scene of chaos, as well as the controversy surrounding the subsequent trial and its ramifications.
If you missed it, check out the online version of the “Chicago’s Haymarket Affair” exhibit on the IHLC blog.
New IHLC Reading Room Location: Now in Room 324 of the Main Library!
In order to create more space for researchers, as well as for mounting small exhibits, the IHLC reconfigured its public space and staff areas in July 2017. Our reading room is now in the largest room we have, room 324. The reading room includes our reference desk, a larger table for researchers, a public computer and scanner, space for our reference book collection, and two new exhibit cases that will feature rotating exhibits on Illinois history and Lincoln. The ox yoke (which was allegedly made by Abraham Lincoln) also remains on display at the head of the research table. Come by and check out our new space!
2017 Exhibit: “Working for Change: Stories of Labor History in Illinois”
This exhibit was on display in the North-South Corridor of the first floor of the Main Library from June 5-August 30, 2017.
In honor of the 70th anniversary of the Steelworkers Summer Institute at the University of Illinois, the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections has collaborated with the University Archives and the Champaign County Historical Archives to present this exhibit on the history of labor in Illinois. Labor organization and activism across a variety of industries, from the sweatshops of Chicago to the mines of southern Illinois, have a rich history throughout the Prairie State. Drawing from collections held at these local repositories, the exhibit focuses on select figures and stories that exemplify the impact of labor activism in Illinois.
2015 Exhibit: “A Nation in Tears: 150 Years after Lincoln’s Death”
This exhibit, featuring items from the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, was on display in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois from February 12 to May 4, 2015.
If you missed it, the exhibit catalog is still available for download.