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Alexander
Cairo Historical Association / Magnolia Manor
The Cairo Historical Association purchased Magnolia Manor in 1952. This Victorian Mansion was completed in 1872 and was the scene of the President Grant visit and reception in 1879. Because it is an outstanding example of Italianate architecture, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
Thebes Historical Society
On a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River sits the 1848 Thebes Courthouse. Built by architect Henry Ernst Barkhausen, it was the Alexander County seat until 1860. The Thebes Historical Society opens the courthouse for tours and maintains the building and grounds. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Right now we are opening from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM on Saturdays and 12 PM - 4 PM Sundays, weather permitting. Check our website or our facebook page for current hours.
Franklin
Frankfort Area Historical Museum
This is a museum with 16 rooms of unique displays of the area: Coal mining room, Vintage Wearing Apparel room, One Room School, Early Home, Art and Music room, Medical room, Early Church, Vintage Farm equipment, Vintage Children’s toys, General Store, Sports room, Early Business machines, Tea Room, Gift Shop, Genealogy, Library and Quilt room.
Franklin County Historic Preservation Society and Jail Museum
The Historic Jail Museum in Benton serves as the home of the Franklin County Historical Preservation Society. This beautifully restored 1905 structure houses memorabilia of the gang era from the days of prohibition, as well as mementos from famous Benton natives, including General John A. Logan, actor John Malkovich, NBA basketball star Doug Collins, and Beatle George Harrison, who visited his sister in Benton in the summer of 1963. In addition, tour our fully restored 1910s Ford garage featuring gangster era cars, trucks and memorabilia
West Franklin Historical District & Silkwood Inn Museum
The Inn was built in 1827, by Brazilla (Basil) Silkwood, who had come to Illinois from Pennsylvania. It is the only remaining original structure along the Old Shawneetown-Kaskaskia Trail that connected communities in Southern Illinois during the early 1800s. Also known as the Silkwood Tavern, Halfway House, and the old Slave House, the inn was a popular stop along one stagecoach line.
Gallatin
John Marshall Home and Bank Museum
The Gallatin County Historical Society owns and operates the John Marshall Home Bank/Museum. We are open May through Oct., on the 1st & 3rd Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Additional Tours by appointment. Operated with donations & by volunteers, you can find us on the Ohio River Scenic Byway.
Jackson
Jackson
The Jackson County Historical Society is a registered 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Educational and Literary Organization. An annually-elected, all-volunteer board meets each month to review operational procedures and to recommend policies. The Society is overseen and staffed by unpaid volunteers. Two to four people are usually available to assist patrons with research. Other volunteers collect and compile data, answer queries, and prepare publications. Over 30 publications have been compiled and published by volunteers throughout the years.
General John A. Logan Museum
The Museum provides educational and cultural programs while exploring and educating visitors on Logan’s life and legacy.
Jefferson
Jefferson County Historical Society
The Jefferson County Historical Society Museum and the Village with its buildings and their contents, reflect life in Jefferson County from the mid 19th century to more recent years. Among the furnished buildings one finds homes of the 19th century, a one-room school, a log church, a print shop, a log jail, an operating blacksmith, merchandise in the general store and a variety of medical equipment from a foot-treadle dentist's drill to a Civil War amputation kit in the Medical Building.
Johnson
Johnson County Genealogical & Historical Society
The Paul Powell Museum in Vienna is not actively open right now
Madison
D.D. Collins House
This Greek Revival home was built in 1845 by Judge Daniel Dove Collins, first president of the Collinsville Village Board, and founder of Plank Road. The home is now owned by the City of Collinsville. The Historic Preservation Commission is coordinating the home's complete restoration, almost entirely funded from grants and donations.
Glen Carbon Heritage Museum
The Glen Carbon Heritage Museum offers a wide array of artifacts that reflect the early history of the area. Rich in mining, agriculture, railroad and brick making, Glen Carbon served as a melting pot for immigrants who settled this region. The Yanda Log Cabin, an extension of the Glen Carbon Historic Commission, was originally the home of a blacksmith and his family. The Cabin offers a glimpse into life in the Land of Goshen.
Yanda Cabin
The Yanda Cabin offers an historic look into the Village of Glen Carbon’s past. See a rug loom used by the family that built the cabin, listen to the reed organ’s music, or view the historic garden and learn the cabin’s story from the front porch.
Massac
Massac County Historical Society
The Massac County Historical Society, founded in 1976, is located in the Major Elijah P. Curtis Home, a two story Classic Revival style brick structure constructed in 1870. The National Register home has been restored as much as practicable to its original appearance and contains furnishings and items that were in use during the latter half of the 19th century. The Society meets at 6:30 P.M. the first Monday of each month except September (second Monday).
Monroe
Miller-Fiege (City of Columbia)
This 1850 historic German cottage traces 150 years of Midwest history. Columbia is located along the upland Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail, originally laid out in 1820 and incorporated in 1859. The city maintains an historic home museum, a one room school museum and a full range of preservation activities.
History Museum of Monroe County
The Monroe County History Museum in Waterloo offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience history through a variety of changing displays and permanent exhibits. The museum's three galleries represent a broad span or eras and interests plus artifacts from the "Kueker Collection" including the Schrieber Storefront.
Perry
Illinois Rural Heritage Museum
The Mission of the Illinois Rural Heritage Museum is to tell the story of the fortitude and innovative spirit of the individuals and organizations who created the rural heritage of Illinois. The Museum explains the ever changing story of rural life in agriculture, education, medicine, technology and much more.
Perry County Jail Museum
The mission of the Museum is to preserve the history of Perry County, Illinois, for present and future generations.
Randolph
Misselhorn Art Gallery & Museum
Randolph County Archives & Museum
The Randolph County Archives and Museum is located in the former Courthouse Annex building which was constructed in 1864. The museum has in its collection documents and artifacts dating back to the French colonial era.
Red Bud Area Museum
The Red Bud Area Museum is on the square in Red Bud, Illinois. The mission of the museum is to collect, preserve and display historical items for present and future generations to enjoy and become educated.
Richland
Richland Heritage Museum Foundation
The museum foundation maintains two vintage buildings- an 1874 restored home and a retired 1903 Carnegie Library. These are used as museums for collectible antiques. The main educational activities are the county-wide fourth grade tour of both buildings, newspaper articles of Richland County history and a resource for those doing historical research.
St. Clair
Collinsville Historic Preservation Commission
City of Collinsville Historic Preservation Commission
The Collinsville Historic Preservation Commission is comprised of city of Collinsville residents with expertise, experience or interest in architectural history, building contruction, engineering, finance, historical and architectural preservation, neighborhood organization and real estate.
Mascoutah Historical Society
The Mascoutah Historical Society collects, preserves and displays historical artifacts about Mascoutah and Engleman townships. The Society owns and operates two properties: The Mascoutah Heritage Museum and the Berger-Kiel Log House.
St. Clair County Historical Society
The St. Clair County Historical Society (founded in 1905) operates three historic sites in Belleville: The Victorian Home Museum, an 1866 Greek Revival historic house museum and the Society's home; the Emma Kunz House, an 1851 working class cottage; and the Messinger Cemetery, which contains a 1942 Pearl Harbor Monument and the 1850s Messinger School.
Union
Bald Knob Cross of Peace, Inc.
Bald Knob Cross was originally completed in 1963 and is a large white cross located in Alto Pass, Illinois. The structure is 111 feet tall and is visible, when lit at night, over an area of 7,500 square miles. The base of the cross is 1,034 feet above sea level and overlooks the Shawnee National Forest.
P.A.S.T. of Union County
P.A.S.T. presents histories of homes, churches, businesses, and other structures through events such as a walking tour at Colorfest time, historic home tours, published local histories, grants to school projects and a Civil War weekend. The group has restored the 1886 St. Anne’s Church, now on the National Register.
Wabash
Wabash County Museum
The museum features the history and culture of Wabash County and surrounding area. Permanent exhibits include: Timeline, Tri-State Oil, Brace Beemer/Radio Lone Ranger, Church History, Music Room, Mt. Carmel Railroad hub, Wabash River, School Room and School History, Firefighters, Rural Remembrances, Civil War Medicine, Prairie Plants and Butterfly Garden.
Washington
Heritage House Museum
The Heritage House Museum property, listed as the Frank Schlosser Complex, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, joining the already-listed Original Mineral Springs Hotel and Bathhouse. The hotel is located just three blocks east on the same street and is believed to be the last operating mineral water spa in the state. The Frank Schlosser Complex includes the Laundry, Harness Shop and House Museum.
Wayne
Wayne County Historical Society
Wayne County Historical Society maintains two museums.
The Hanna House Museum is located at 101 East Center Street in Fairfield, and it is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. from April through October. It contains donated artifacts from Wayne County from the 1940s to the present. It includes items from Wayne County businesses, churches, funeral homes, schools, and sports teams as well as militaria. There is a large collection of photos and artifacts specific to Charlie Harris and the Shelton Gang, who conducted criminal activities in the early to mid-20th century here. There is also an area dedicated to Kenneth Kays, who was presented the Medal of Honor by President Nixon for heroism as a medic in Vietnam.
Our Early History Museum is located in the Fairfield Public Library at 300 Southeast Second Street, and it is open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. year-round unless the library is closed. It contains similar types of artifacts from Wayne County from the 1800s through 1940.
The society also oversees the collection inside the one-room Olive Branch School in Leo French Park here in Fairfield. The school has original desks and other fittings as well as information about the many one-room schools that once existed in Wayne County. It is open by appointment.
White
Norris City Community Museum
The Norris City Community Museum celebrates the life of our small community and its residents both present and past. Of particular interest is our military section featuring pictures of local veterans in uniform.
White County Historical Society
The White County Historical Society has worked since 1957 to preserve and protect the history of White County. The Robinson Stewart and Ratcliff are the oldest structures in town, the L. Haas has a wide variety of exhibits, Matsel Cabin represents how "regular people" lived, and the genealogy library, housed in an original Carnegie Library has a large collection of family history materials.
Operating the Robinson Stewart House Museum, Ratcliff Inn Museum, L. Haas Store Museum, Matsel Cabin Museum, The Old Graveyard, and Mary Smith Fay Genealogy Library.
Williamson
Carterville Heritage and Preservation Foundation
The Carterville Heritage Museum
Opened in June 2011, the Carterville Heritage Museum is a beautifully renovated building in downtown Carterville. The interior of the building incorporates architectural details from the former high school and showcases memorabilia from the towns of Carterville, Cambria and Crainville. Comprised of both permanent and rotating displays, every visit to the Museum will seem like your first.
Locust Grove Foundation
Williamson County Historical Society Museum & Genealogy Library
Williamson County Historical Society Museum and Genealogy Library.
The county jail museum and library is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and houses 4 floors of historic artifacts and an extensive genealogy and historic research library. Tours and the library are open to the public and special tours can be arranged by contacting the museum.