News Archive

Mark your calendars! The Illinois State Historical Society will host its 124th Annual Meeting this year at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield on April 29, 2023. At this time, the ISHS will recognize the ISHS's "Best of Illinois History" award recipients for 2023. Twenty-nine remarkable nominees will be honored and awarded for their outstanding achievements and publications on Illinois history.

On Tuesday, December 3, the Illinois State Historical Society hosts its annual Illinois History Symposium, in conjunction with a UIS "Lunch and Learn" program.

Pack your bags and backpacks!

Southern Illinois is nature’s wonderland and in the fall it is magical! Join us as we explore the southeasternmost corner of the state for our fall tour, October 1-3, led by a team of historians and archaeologists. You won’t want to miss this adventure in “Egypt,” where we’ll explore the Shawnee National Forest, historic and prehistoric landmarks, the Garden of Gods, and sites associated with early industry, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad. We’ll also be lodging at the San Damiano Retreat Center, a beautiful hideaway on the cliffs above the Ohio River. This ISHS Fall Tour is the one you’ve been waiting for!

The Winter 2022 issue of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society is now available. The Journal, the scholarly publication of the ISHS, is published quarterly and is a benefit of membership in the Illinois State Historical Society. Each issue includes articles, essays, book reviews, and documents about history, literature, art technology, law, and other subjects related to Illinois and the Midwest. Visit our Membership page for membership options and information. Click on the “Read More” button to read this issue's Editor's Comments and see a list of articles and reviews included in this issue.

This issue of Illinois Heritage is full of fascinating stories about Illinoisans who have made a difference in Illinois and Midwestern history, starting with Robert Preston Taylor, a lawyer and scientist who worked at the Illinois State Museum; William Edgar Brotherton, WWI aviator who flew with famed pilot Eddie Rickenbacker; and the unveiling of a new ISHS public history initiative, “The Land and the People Hold Memories,” an opportunity for post WWII citizens to write about their experiences between 1946-1975.

The Heritage is published six times per year and is available as a benefit of membership in the Illinois State Historical Society. Individual editions can also be purchased by contacting our office directly. Visit our Membership section for membership options and information.

Click on the “Read More” button to see this issue’s Editor's Comments, Table of Contents, and sample articles.

We invite you to submit a proposal to present at the 25th Annual Conference on Illinois History.

The conference will take place on October 5-6, 2023. This conference is a great opportunity for historians, students, educators, and anyone interested in Illinois history to come together and share their knowledge and insights. We hope that you will consider submitting a proposal and joining us in October.

Looking ahead to the new year, the 2023 calendar is filling fast, with historical happenings popping up across Illinois like mushrooms on a warm spring day. We’re already planning historical marker unveilings in East St. Louis, Peoria, Decatur, Secor, Bloomington, Mt. Vernon, and several other cities, thanks to a grant from the WilliamG. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse, New York, and the dedicated volunteers who promote local history in their communities. We’re also getting ready for the annual “Best of Illinois History” awards, which takes place in April and honors historians, archivists, exhibitors, museum curators, writers, and the lifetime achievements of individuals whose passion for local history has changed lives, attitudes, and neighbor- hoods. Watch for details in Illinois Heritage and make your reservations early to join us for the celebration in Springfield.

The Conference on Illinois History is accepting proposals that deal with the history, culture, politics, geography, anthropology, sociology, or archaeology of Illinois. We also welcome proposals that use Illinois history as a lens to understand a regional, national, or international issue. The Conference is scheduled for October 5 & 6, 2023 at the  Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

Current or former residents of Madison County are invited to attend a second “History Harvest” on Saturday, January 21 from 11 A.M. – 2 P.M. at Collinsville Memorial Library. The library is located at 408 West Main Street in Collinsville. The focus of the History Harvest is to collect information for a future exhibit about immigration and migration to Madison County.

In the spring of 2023, the Illinois State Historical Society will launch a statewide project to encourage local historical societies to promote the writing of short memoirs—roughly one to three typed pages—by older residents which reflect their Illinois experience in the post-World War II era (the later 1940s, the 1950s, and the 1960s). A selection of those will then be published, either in a collection devoted to memoirs of that area within the state (which would be locally funded and sold) or in a series for a local newspaper or a society newsletter.