Upcoming events

• Fact vs. Fiction: Lincoln and Kennedy (2/19/2019 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
  2/19/2019 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

  Fact vs. Fiction: Lincoln and Kennedy

  Do you know about all the eerie parallels between Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy? Elected 100 years apart, both former boat captains, both replaced by men named Johnson, the list goes on — except the “parallels” are routine coincidences, exaggerations, or outright lies. Join our experts for a fun look at what’s fact and what’s fiction in this famous claim. 

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• Lincoln on the Circuit & Mary Lincoln in the White House (2/26/2019 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM)
  2/26/2019 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

  Lincoln on the Circuit & Mary Lincoln in the White House

  Guy Fraker, J.D., retired attorney, author, and Lincoln historian, will discuss Abraham Lincoln's 20-plus year career as a lawyer and part-time judge on the 8th judicial circuit.

  Kathryn Harris, immediate past president of the Abraham Lincoln Association, and former director of library services at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, will present a first-person portrayal of Elizabeth Keckley, former slave and Mary Lincoln's trusted friend and modiste, who later wrote about her White House years.

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• A Rich and Fertile Land (3/21/2019 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
  3/21/2019 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

  A Rich and Fertile Land

  Join Bruce Kraig, Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois, and Michelle Podkowa, DuPage County Historical Museum, as they discuss "A Rich and Fertile Land”. Kraig and Podkowa examine how American food habits transformed the Midwest from virgin prairies to the nation’s farming heartland. Podkowa will talk about how her family’s history is a living example of how this happened and what life is like “down on the farm”.

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• Irish Heritage & History (3/27/2019 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM)
  3/27/2019 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

  Irish Heritage & History

  In celebration of Irish heritage in Illinois, Dr. Eileen McMahon, professor and chair of the History program at Lewis University, will discuss her research on the parish communities found along the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and the Irish immigrants who built this vital passageway.

  Dr. Theodore Karamanski, professor of History and Public History Director at Loyola University Chicago, will present on the Irish in the Civil War. Live music by ​Wild Columbine.

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• A League of Their Own (Movie Screening) (3/30/2019 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
  3/30/2019 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  A League of Their Own (Movie Screening)

  Did you know A League of their Own was partially filmed at Cantigny? Watch this iconic movie based on a true story in our Museum Auditorium. Concessions available. Proceeds benefit the Museum.

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• Three-I Baseball & Forgotten Voices of Illinois (4/30/2019 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM)
  4/30/2019 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

  Three-I Baseball & Forgotten Voices of Illinois

  Bill Kemp, archivist and librarian at the McLean County Museum of History, will explore the Three-I professional baseball league (Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League) and how it shaped the history of professional sports in the Midwest from 1920-1940.

  Dr. John Hallwas, award-winning author and editor of more than two dozen books related to Illinois history and literature, and professor emeritus of English at Western Illinois University, will present "Forgotten Voices: Six Illinois Authors You Need to Know".

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• Illinois History Day (5/2/2019 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
  5/2/2019 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

  

  Illinois History Day

  Illinois History Day (IHD) is a state-wide program for students grades 6-12 who are interested in building research skills while learning about their state’s history. Students will present their research at regional contests across the state. Those who receive a superior ribbon at their regional will present their projects at the state competition hosted in Springfield in May. 

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