Top 9 History Museums in DuPage County, DuPage County

September 27, 2021 Stefan Strunk

Discover the best top things to do in DuPage County, United States including Lombard Historical Society, Naper Settlement, The Museums at Lisle Station Park, Elmhurst History Museum, DuPage County Historical Museum, Villa Park Historical Society & Visitors Center, Isle a la Cache Museum, Stacy's Tavern Museum, Center for History.
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1. Lombard Historical Society

23 W Maple St, Lombard, IL 60148-2512 +1 630-629-1885 [email protected] http://www.lombardhistory.org
Excellent
75%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
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Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 4 reviews

Lombard Historical Society

The Lombard Historical Society operates the Victorian Cottage, Carriage House, and Sheldon Peck Homestead. So come and play in the Pioneer Playhouse, give your senses a treat in the Sheldon Peck Accessible Garden, see how the Victorians lived, trace the Underground Railroad through northern Illinois at the Peck Homestead, step into the Carriage House for exhibits (rotating on diverse topics) or, if your timing is right, take a guided tour of Lilacia Park (month of May). There is an extensive archive for research please make an appointment in advance.

2. Naper Settlement

523 S Webster St, Naperville, IL 60540-6517 +1 630-420-6010 http://napersettlement.org/
Excellent
66%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 219 reviews

Naper Settlement

Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States

Native Chicagoans often forget or tend to overlook the fact that there is more to the history of the area than what happened before and after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Chicago's vast network of suburbs have a lot of history to tell. For example, when I was living in Wheaton, I learned about the tavern that catered to travelers on the old stagecoach road from Chicago to Galena. And now I've learned about Naper Settlement, a 12-acre outdoor history museum that consists of a collection of 30 historical buildings and structures from the Naperville, Illinois, area. Established in 1969 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, Naper Settlement, located at 523 South Webster Street, is situated on land bequeathed to the City of Naperville in 1936 by Caroline Martin Mitchell, whose father made his riches after he co-founded the Naperville Tile and Brick Works and built Pine Craig, a historic 12-room mansion that is part of Naper Settlement. Many of the buildings in Naper Settlement were moved here from their original locations and refurbished in a style fitting of their time periods that range from 1831, when Naperville was founded, through the early 20th century. Naper Settlement is an outdoor history museum that offers numerous special events, including Civil War Days, a two-day reenactment where the settlement is converted into a large encampment, featuring more than 300 actors and actresses who re-enact historical life and battles.

3. The Museums at Lisle Station Park

921 School St, Lisle, IL 60532-1951 +1 630-968-0499 [email protected] http://lisleparkdistrict.org/museumsatlislestationpark.html
Excellent
40%
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4.5 based on 10 reviews

The Museums at Lisle Station Park

The Museums at Lisle Station Park provide visitors the opportunity to learn about the heritage and culture of 19th century Northern Illinois. Settled in 1832, the life of this agricultural community soon revolved around the railroad depot and the area became known as Lisle Station. Historic buildings on-site include the Beaubien Tavern, Blacksmith Shop, Lisle Depot Museum, CB&Q Waycar #14584, and Netzley-Yender Farmhouse.

Reviewed By 146pamr - Naperville, United States

Every year Lisle hosts Depot Days and the Museum is an important part of this "back in time" event. 9.15.18 - 9.16.18. It is a two day event with games for kids, wagon rides, a pettintg zoo and tons of "yesteryear" events! You will not be dissapointed, this is our 7th year going with the grandkids. Lisle is such a nice town and this is what they do best!

4. Elmhurst History Museum

120 E Park Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126-3420 +1 630-833-1457 [email protected] http://www.elmhursthistory.org
Excellent
43%
Good
43%
Satisfactory
9%
Poor
4%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 23 reviews

Elmhurst History Museum

The Elmhurst History Museum is an award-winning regional history museum founded in 1957 and operated by the City of Elmhurst. The museum engages people with history through its collection, ongoing and changing exhibits, and diverse educational experiences. The Elmhurst History Museum is located in a historically significant landmark known as the Glos Mansion, the former home of Elmhurst's first village president, Henry Glos, and his wife, Lucy. The Elmhurst History Museum also operates the Churchville Schoolhouse, a restored National Register of Historic Places property located on Church Road in Bensenville. The Churchville Schoolhouse provides schoolchildren and groups with an authentic living history experience led by an old-fashioned school marm from the early 1900s (by appointment only).

Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States

The Elmhurst History Museum isn't to be compared to the Chicago History Museum or the Museum of Science and Industry or the Field Museum. But it's the kind of regionally oriented museum that every small town should endorse. Located at 120 East Park Avenue in Elmhurst, one of Chicago's western suburbs, at York Street, south of North Avenue, it was founded in 1957 in a historically significant landmark known as the Glos Mansion, the former home of Elmhurst's first village president, Henry Glos, which was built in 1892. The museum, which is open from 1 to 5 Tuesday through Friday, from 10 to 5 on Saturday and from 1 to 5 on Sunday, also operates the Churchville School House, which was built in 1850 and is one of the only remaining one-room school houses on its original site. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it provides today's school children with an authentic living history experience led by an old-fashioned schoolmarm from the early 1900s. Meanwhile, the museum connects visitors with Elmhurst's own history through a collection of more than 15,000 three-dimensional artifacts, archives featuring letters, manuscripts and more than 10,000 historic photographs, a library of more than 500 books, enlightening exhibits, engaging interactive displays an microfilm copies of Elmhurst newspapers. Current exhibits include Frank Lloyd Wright: Architecture of the Interior and By All Accounts: The Story of Elmhurst. As a life-long Chicago resident and a historian, I think it is a fascinating and educational experience to learn about everything and everybody that we come in contact with. The Elmhurst History Museum is worth a visit.

5. DuPage County Historical Museum

102 E Wesley St, Wheaton, IL 60187-5321 +1 630-510-4941 http://dupagemuseum.org
Excellent
60%
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Satisfactory
20%
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Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 5 reviews

DuPage County Historical Museum

Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States

The DuPage County Historical Museum, formerly the Adams Memorial Library, opened in 1967 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. In 2018, it was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects Illinois. The museum's mission is to educate the general public through the collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of materials which document the history of DuPage County and its relationship to Illinois and the nation, and to provide local history services for historical organizations and for scholarly endeavors. Located at 102 East Wesley Street, at the southeast corner of Wesley and Main Streets in Wheaton, it stands two stores tall and was built with coursed limestone and Bedford stone trimmings in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It is characterized by rough-hewn stone blocks, emphasized horizontal lines, wide rounded arches and intricate ornamentation. The interior features oak floors and plaster ceilings. The first floor is dominated by a main hall with an oak staircase on the west wall. The building originally housed the Adams Memorial Library, one of the first two public libraries in DuPage County. Designed by Charles Sumner Frost, it was built for John Quincey Adams, a fourth cousin twice removed of President John Quincy Adams and co-founder of the Chicago Board of Trade. The DuPage Country Historical Society purchased the building in 1965 and turned it into a museum.

6. Villa Park Historical Society & Visitors Center

220 S Villa Ave, Villa Park, IL 60181-2656 http://www.vphistoricalsociety.com/
Excellent
33%
Good
50%
Satisfactory
17%
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4.0 based on 6 reviews

Villa Park Historical Society & Visitors Center

7. Isle a la Cache Museum

501 E Romeo Rd, Bolingbrook, IL 60446-1538 +1 815-886-1467 http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/preserves-trails/preserves/isle-a-la-cache
Excellent
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4.0 based on 2 reviews

Isle a la Cache Museum

Reviewed By Peter-DG - Chicago, United States

This is a great nature museum highlighting local area wildlife and the history of the fur trade by the French "voyageurs" and the local native peoples. It sits on an island in the Des Plaines River. There are a few interesting walking paths and an "in the round" amphitheater with some outdoor displays. Drinking water and indoor bath rooms are available. A paved path connects to the 12 mile long Centennial Trail along the Des Plaines.

8. Stacy's Tavern Museum

557 Geneva Rd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-3728 +1 630-469-1867 [email protected] http://www.gehs.org/
Excellent
50%
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Satisfactory
25%
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4.5 based on 4 reviews

9. Center for History

315 W Front St Fl 2, Wheaton, IL 60187-5015 +1 630-871-6601 http://www.wheatonhistory.org
Excellent
33%
Good
33%
Satisfactory
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Terrible
34%
Overall Ratings

3.5 based on 3 reviews

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