SPEAK Des Plaines, in partnership with the Des Plaines Clergy Alliance and Christ Church United Church of Christ, is hosting a Community Pride Celebration on Saturday, June 7, 2025. The event is free and open to all. Come see us at our tent! READ MORE HERE

We’re bringing old fashioned games to this annual Park District event!

Calling all kids in grades K–8 to the fourth annual KIWANIS CUP race around beautiful Lake Opeka! Read all about it on the Park District website.

58th Annual Members Meeting. Board elections; dinner, entertainment. Shoreline Room at the Lakeview Center, 1177 Howard Ave. RSVP by May 7 at contact@desplaineshistory.org, or 847-391-5399. Members are free. Non-members are $25. Read more HERE.

This year’s featured presentation, Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick, is a compelling living history performance and author talk, that brings to life one of the most fascinating and misunderstood women of the 20th century.

Hers was not a wonderful life … but had it never been, we may not have Brookfield Zoo, Chicago opera, James Joyce’s Ulysses, a cure for scarlet fever, and the popularity of Jungian psychoanalysis.

The daughter of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, Edith (1872-1932) married into the wealthy McCormick family and was once estimated to be the nation’s richest woman. She was a patron of the arts, a champion of science and health, and an unapologetically independent thinker. And yet, her life ended in financial ruin and isolation.

Historical interpreter Ellie Carlson steps into Edith’s shoes, while biographer Andrea Friederici Ross shares insights from her acclaimed book. Together, they illuminate the complex, often controversial legacy of this remarkable woman. Please join us for an insider’s look at Edith and to hear Edith’s “opinions” on how she has been portrayed by history.

2:30p at the Des Plaines Public Library
Presenter: Bucky Halter.
Coal miners in Illinois and the rest of the US have a long tradition of writing poetry and music related to their occupation. This program brings that tradition to the forefront. “Down in the Mine” combines music performance (guitar and vocal) and spoken commentary.

The presentation features songs and poems by coal miners, including Illinois miners. The commentary places this important folk tradition in a broader historical context and offers details on coal mining, coal-miner bards and songwriters, early country music, and individual songs.

1:30p Based on his just-released book, “Dead Air: The Night Orson Welles Terrified America” William Hazelgrove uses the actual broadcast and many media stories to detail the great Halloween hoax of 1938. That’s when 23-year- old Orson Welles broadcast to the world that Martians had landed in New Jersey and were exterminating humans with heat ray guns and poisonous gas. The coast-to-coast terror takes viewers on a wild ride through America as people head for the hills, contemplate suicide, get into accidents, run out of restaurants, theaters, and churches believing the war had ended.

1:30–2:30p
Stroll the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition with presenter Krista August! View monumental sculpture that decorated the buildings, bridges, lagoons, as well as private viewing rooms. Learn exciting history behind these mostly temporary sculptures that dazzled before they disappeared.

You are cordially invited to a special reception celebrating the Des Plaines Art Guild’s 2025 exhibit. This free event offers a wonderful opportunity to meet the talented local artists behind the exhibit. Enjoy refreshments, and connect with fellow art enthusiasts.

The show features an impressive collection of works from 15 local artists, showcasing a diverse range of styles and mediums, including watercolor, oil, acrylic, photography, and scratchboard. You will find a mix of creative expressions that highlight the skill and passion of artists in the Des Plaines community!

The winter prairie may appear quiet, but beneath the snow-covered landscape it remains a vibrant and essential ecosystem. Guest speaker Cindy Crosby, a master gardener and natural history writer, will share insights into how the prairie continues to support diverse wildlife, even in the coldest months. Through stunning photography and engaging storytelling you’ll learn how animals, pollinators, and birds rely on native plants to survive the winter.

This free program is open to the public, but registration is encouraged as space is limited and these talks often reach capacity. To reserve your spot, call 847-391-5399 or email contact@desplaineshistory.org.

Our monthly Coffee Talk series is supported by sponsorships from Village Bank & Trust and the Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines. While these events are free, donations are always appreciated to help sustain future programming.

History Center Board Meetings are the second Wednesday of every month, at 6:00p in the Visitor & Education Center. If you wish to address the Board, please send your name and topic to contact@desplaineshistory.org no later than the 5:00p on the Monday prior to a meeting. Community members are allowed 5 minutes for their presentation.

You've all seen them and loved them: The Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. And this year is particularly noteworthy since it marks the 60th anniversary of Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the 50th anniversary of The Year Without A Santa Claus (with Heat/Snow Misers) and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas! Join Rick Goldschmidt, the official biographer/historian of Rankin/Bass author of seven books about the company and the people who made it special. 

As space is limited, registration is encouraged. Tickets are $8 for Des Plaines History Center members, $10 each for non-members. Register HERE.

Dave Harms and Lynne Eltrevoog, historical society and Golden Glow of Christmas Past members from Marengo, are collaborating with the Des Plaines History Center to create “A Kinder Christmas.” The signature house will be decked out with rare, period holiday items. Special timed tours will be available as a ticketed event every 30 minutes from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. only on Saturday, Dec. 14, in the historic 1907 Kinder House, 789 Pearson St. A secondary vintage Christmas display will be in the Visitor Center.

Tickets for the special exhibit opening are $8 for History Center members, $10 for nonmembers. Each docent-led tour, featuring Harms or Eltevoog, will last 30 minutes. Visitors are asked to arrive at the Visitor Center next door, 10 minutes before their tour time. Register HERE.

The legend of The Christmas Tree Ship is a true story of faith, hope and love, and is considered one of the most loved legends of the Great Lakes. Captain Herman Schuenemann became affectionately known as "Captain Santa" for his yearly voyages from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Chicago with a load of freshly cut Christmas trees during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Despite the crew's best efforts, the ship went down off the coast of Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1912. Today, the Christmas Tree Ship is remembered as one of the most "storied shipwrecks" of the Great Lakes, and the legend has held its place in history for nearly a century already. Through vintage photos, newspaper clippings, and interviews with persons directly connected to the story, presenter Rochelle Pennington details these extraordinary events.

Have you ever seen a snowflake close up? Photographer and meteorologist Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley was the first known person to take detailed photos of these delicate ice crystals! Come learn more about Snowflake Bentley and the science behind snow this winter at the History Center!

Have you ever seen a snowflake close up? Photographer and meteorologist Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley was the first known person to take detailed photos of these delicate ice crystals! Come learn more about Snowflake Bentley and the science behind snow this winter at the History Center!

Musician and storyteller Dave Martin takes us on a good-natured romp through the Midwest which explores the culture and storied history of the region, performing both traditional and original songs while infusing quixotic anecdotes about his family’s place in America’s heartland.
Beginning at seed-time on the Fertile Crescent, (where history began, after all), Martin takes us on a clockwise trip around the Great Lakes via a travelogue that details endearingly peculiar facts; listeners will get a lesson in agricultural industrialization and a tender ode to his grandfather, an Iowa farmer. 

Fall is finally here, and we’re celebrating by using real leaves to make art! Join us to learn more about trees in our area and make beautiful watercolor rubbings to capture the natural beauty of autumn!

Fall is finally here, and we’re celebrating by using real leaves to make art! Join us to learn more about trees in our area and make beautiful watercolor rubbings to capture the natural beauty of autumn!

Lori Indovina-Valus has pursued art, in one form or another, her entire life. And now she is sharing that passion with residents in and around Des Plaines. The Des Plaines History Center is hosting an artist’s open house from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at 781 Pearson St. Light refreshments will be served.

“My dad had a cottage in Michiana, two blocks from Lake Michigan,” Indovina-Valus said. “Nature was the lake and the woods and the animals and the berries and the wildflowers and everything. … When I retired, I decided to concentrate on watercolors because I always liked how it looked.”

And it was that love of the outdoors that led her to embrace nature photography and art. She likes that organic element, the transition of an idea from a pencil sketch or ancillary photograph into a finished work – many of which she has entered in shows

How did a desecrated grave in Sycamore, Illinois lead to Batavia’s Bellevue Place where Mary Todd Lincoln was committed for insanity? It’s a trail through the Fox River Valley, strewn with riots, seances, generals, and detectives – all woven into the veil of Civil War era Spiritualism. Other notable people mentioned in this story include Alan Pinkerton, General George Farnsworth, Myra Bradwell (the first woman attorney in Illinois), and numerous other Spiritualists of the era. Supported with countless visuals, readings from first-person sources, and a connect-the-dots theme all add to the intrigue of this unique tale, presented by Michael Murschel.

Celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos with the History Center this fall! Join us to learn more about the meaning and history behind this holiday, try your hand at traditional papel picado art, and decorate your own sugar skull!

Celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos with the History Center this fall! Join us to learn more about the meaning and history behind this holiday, try your hand at traditional papel picado art, and decorate your own sugar skull!

Celebrate local watercolorist Elaine Tejcek with an open house from 5–8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Gallery at the Visitor Center. Talk with Elaine about her work and her creative process. Light refreshments will be served. All of the beautiful pieces in this extensive exhibit are for sale. The show closes on Tuesday, Oct 1.

For much of the 20th century Chicagoland was the manufacturing capital of the world! More appliances, bicycles, candy, clothing, electronics, furniture, musical instruments, office equipment, pinball machines, toys, tools, tractors, watches, ect. were mass produced in the Chicago area that anywhere else on the planet.

Come explore and celebrate Chicagoland’s proud industrial history with presenter Barbara Barrett and learn more about many of its famous companies such as International Harvester, Pullman, Schwinn, Lyon and Healy, Sunbeam, Western Electric, and Motorola just to name a few.

It’s been 200 years since scientists named the first dinosaur: Megalosaurus! In the centuries since, hundreds of other dinosaurs and historic sites have been excavated and studied by archaeologists. Come learn more about these historic dinosaur hunters and test your archaeology skills with our mini dig this month!

It’s been 200 years since scientists named the first dinosaur: Megalosaurus! In the centuries since, hundreds of other dinosaurs and historic sites have been excavated and studied by archaeologists. Come learn more about these historic dinosaur hunters and test your archaeology skills with our mini dig this month!

Powerful, sacred songs that derived from the heart of the antebellum enslaved African were melodic outflowings of religious expression, passion, and the hope to be free. Negro spirituals, as originated in America, tell of sorrow, trials and tribulations, secrecy and hiding, and hope for a sense of community.

Join presenter Connie Martin as she explains the connections of plantation songs, or Negro Spirituals with meanings and interpretations of lyrics of some songs used in regions of the South that signaled a multiple of signs and tips that aided enslaved fugitives to find freedom.

Join the History Center for our globetrotting Summer Adventures for Kids programs as each week we explore the unique art and culture of cities across the world!

Join the History Center for our globetrotting Summer Adventures for Kids programs as each week we explore the unique art and culture of cities across the world!