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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.

Please join us on Thursday, February 23 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. inside the “American Revolutionaries: Art & Disruption” exhibition to enjoy a one of a kind presentation. Dr. Christian McWhirter, Lincoln Historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Civil War Music scholar, will be the second installment in the Art Bridges funded series of American Revolutionaries: Americana. Dr. McWhirter will talk about his book "Battle Hymns," wherein he explores the role of music in Civil War America.

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.

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.

Join the Lincoln Presidential Foundation on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 7 p.m. CT for an engaging program led by Prof. Pohlad as he takes us through a visual slideshow examining several of the artworks and photographs made of the Sixteenth President, how they influenced Lincoln's career, and how they continue to shape historical memory of him today.