Madison County Historical Society

Living History Days
2024-10-04 10:00 - 2024-10-06 16:00 UTC | Wildey Theatre, 252 N. Main, Edwardsville, 62025, United States
Three days of discovery and family fun in and around Edwardsville, Illinois from the Madison County Historical Society. Concerts, reenactors, vintage baseball, a quilt show, book festival, cemetery tours, a Chautauqua, and more. Many events are free. For a full schedule of events and times, go to https://madcohistory.org/living-history-days-festival-2024/
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Dining in History
2024-11-03 18:00 - 21:00 | Crystal Gardens, 1230 University Drive, Edwardsville, IL, 62025, United States
The Madison County Historical Society (MCHS) will hold the 2024 Dining in History event at Crystal Gardens along old Route 66. Following a delicious meal, nationally known Route 66 historians Joe Sonderman and Cheryl Eichar Jett will present a program on the history of Route 66 in this area. This is a ticketed event open to the public. Tickets are available now on the MCHS website at https://madcohistory.org/dining-in-history-2/. For additional information call 618-656-1294.

Speakers Series - Parlor Music of the Civil War Era
2025-04-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Main Street Community Center, 1003 N. Main Street, Edwardsville, IL, 62025, United States
In Lincoln’s time, music played a major role in households where many owned one or more instruments to provide entertainment in the home. For the April MCHS Speaker Series, Wild Columbine, an ensemble that specializes in the music of that era, will demonstrate instruments, give a little history and play a lot of music. The event is on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at 2 P.M. at the Main Street Community Center at 1003 N. Main Street in Edwardsville, Illinois. “Parlor Music of the Civil War Era” is a free program and open to the public.
Wild Columbine, consisting of musicians William Furry, Sally McDaniel-Smith, and Megan Thornberry, specializes in 18th and 19th century traditional and parlor music. They perform their repertoire on acoustic instruments of the period, violin, flute, mandolin, guitar, concertina, harmonium, whistles, and bodhran. The trio is from central Illinois and plays often in the Springfield area as well as throughout the state. Collectively the musicians have more than 80 years of performance experience.
The musicians also provide context and commentary to explain the background, composers, and other relevant information for each selection. Programs in this series combine the arts and history to provide depth and a greater understanding of the past.
Wild Columbine is the first performance in a series from the Illinois State Historical Society (IAHS) called “The Arts, Historically Speaking.” MCHS is grateful to be one of seven Illinois county historical societies chosen for various programs in the series that is funded by the Illinois Arts Council’s (IAC) Creative Catalyst grant program. The Illinois Arts Council has been supporting the arts in Illinois for more than sixty years.
This is the 13 th season for the Madison County Historical Society’s Speaker Series. Still ahead this year is
a program with historian Kathrine Harris as Harriet Tubman on June 22, and historian Stacy Lynn will tell stories about her new book on Lincoln and women on August 10. For further information on programs, contact MCHS at 618-656-1294.
MCHS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has been preserving the stories, photographs, and artifacts of Madison County for more than a century. The Society owns and operates the Madison County History Museum and Archival Library at 715-801 N. Main Street in Edwardsville, and provides educational programming throughout the county. To learn more about the Madison County Historical Society, visit their website at https://madcohistory.org/ or call 618-656-7569.

Quilt & Stitchery: Past and Present
2025-05-14 12:00 - 2025-07-31 16:00 | Weir House Museum Building, 715 N. Main, Edwardsville, IL, 62025, United States
The Madison County History Museum will host a new exhibit in May featuring quilts and stichery from the private collections of Donna Bisset, Mary Grose, and Candace Ladd. The exhibit, Quilts & Stichery: Past and Present, will be on display from May 14 – July 31 at the museum. Exhibit hours are Wednesday – Friday, noon – 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m.

A Literary Salon
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Weir House Museum Building, 715 N. Main, Edwardsville, IL, 62025, United States
The Madison County History Society will present A Literary Salon on May 15, 2025, starting at 7 p.m. The program will consist of the Great Hits of the Romantic Era, featuring Jeff Skoblow.
Prepare for a delightful evening of poetry (with a little wine) on the second floor of the 1836 Weir House. The event is free and open to the public (donations gleefully accepted).

Chicken Dinner Benefit
2025-06-01 11:00 - 15:00 | Edwardsville Moose Lodge, 7371 Marine Road, Edwardsville, 62025, United States
The Edwardsville Moose Lodge will host a Chicken Dinner Benefit for the Madison County History Society on Sunday, June 1, 2025, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The lodge is located at 7371 Marine Road (Route 143) in Edwardsville.
Dinners are $14 per person and $7 for children age 12 and under. The menu: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, bread, salad, and beverage. Homemade desserts are sold separately. Eat in or take out.
A portion of each dinner price, plus the sale of desserts, will benefit the Madison County Historical Society.

MCHS Summer History Camp
2025-07-14 08:00 - 2025-07-17 17:00 | Center for Educational Opportunities, 201 Staunton Rd, Troy, IL, 62294, United States
The Madison County Historical Society will host a Summer History Camp from July 14-17, 2025. The topic will be “The Civil War and Abraham Lincoln.” It will involve four days of field trips and educational activities for youth ages 9-12. Registration fee is $150 and can be done online. Link: Event Registration
MCHS Summer History Camp is staffed by professional teachers and educators. Transportation is on school buses with experienced bus drivers. Fee included snacks, entry fees, and educational materials. Campers should bring a daily lunch.

Old-Fashioned Country Picnic
2025-07-19 11:00 - 15:00 | IL
Join the Madison County Historical Society for an Old Fashioned Country Picnic at Oakdale (the Mudge Family Farm at Grantfork), on Saturday, July 19, 2025, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Farm address: 4512 Mudge Road, Highland, Illinois. There will a boxed lunch, live music, house tours, and games for all ages, plus pick-up games of softball played with vintage rules. People are invited to bring their lawn chairs/blankets and enjoy an afternoon in the country. No advanced ticket sales. Please purchase tickets when you arrive. For more information call 618-656-7669.

Stacy Lynn Speaks About Abraham Lincoln
2025-08-10 14:00 | Main Street Community Center, 1003 N. Main Street, Edwardsville, IL, 62025, United States
Presenter Stacy Lynn will lead a Speakers Series event on Sunday, August 10, 2025, at 2 p.m., featuring the topic Loving Lincoln: Stories About Women and Abraham Lincoln.
The event will be held at the Main Street Community Center, 1003 N. Main Street, Edwardsville, Ill. It is free and open to the public.
MCHS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has been preserving the stories, photographs, and artifacts of Madison County for more than a century. The Society owns and operates the Madison County History Museum and Archival Library at 715-801 N. Main Street in Edwardsville, and provides educational programming throughout the county. To learn more about the Madison County Historical Society, visit their website at https://madcohistory.org/ or call 618-656-7569.

Madison County Historical Society Trivia Night
2025-08-23 19:00 - 21:00 | St. Gregory Armenian Community Center, 3501 Century Drive, Granite City, IL, 62040, United States
The Madison County Historical Society will host a trivia night on Saturday, August 23 beginning at 7 p.m. at the St. Gregory Armenian Community Center, 3501 Century Drive, Granite City, Illinois. The doors open at 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to join MCHS for a night of challenging fun. All categories include general interest questions anyone might know.
There will be cash prizes as well as many of the games typically played at local trivia nights. The MCHS Silent Auction will include books of local history, event tickets, gift baskets, and more.
Teams will consist of up to eight people at a cost of $25 per person. Mulligans will be available only at the door at a cost of three/$5 or a maximum of twelve/$20 per table. Since there is a cash bar, no outside drinks or alcohol is allowed in the hall, but attendees are encouraged to bring snacks.
For advanced reservations, call 618-451-2611 or email hyaghchig@charter.net. Walk-in teams are also welcome.
The Madison County Historical Society is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that has been preserving and researching Madison County history for over a century. The Society appreciates the support of all residents of Madison County as it looks for trivia teams, donated goods/services for the silent auction, and round sponsors.
For more information, call the MCHS Trivia Night Committee at 618-451-2611.

Family History Walk -2025
2025-09-13 10:00 - 14:00 | IL
The Madison County Historical Society’s Annual Family History Walk will take place along St. Louis Street in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Saturday, September 13. Participants will meet at the West End Service Station at the corner of St. Louis and West Streets in Edwardsville, at 10 a.m. The restored station is now the City of Edwardsville’s Route 66 Tourist Information Center. Parking is available at First Baptist Church at 534 St. Louis Street.
After a brief introduction, a guide will lead participants to ten St. Louis Street homes where actors portraying former residents of the houses will greet them. The first stop after the West End Service Station will be at Hadley House where Julia Hadley Griffin will talk about the “Marriage Triangle,” consisting of three generations of homes on the same corner, the E. M. West House, the Hadley House, and the Burley-Griffin House. The walk does not include entrance to any of the houses.
The History Walk began many years ago as a program for Edwardsville second graders. The students would tour Edwardsville’s Main Street. In 2022, MCHS brought back the tradition and invited families to participate in the walks which are held in different neighborhoods each year. This year, St. Louis Street was chosen because it is a National Historic District recognized for its beautiful and varied architecture.
This is a free event offered by MCHS to build awareness of and interest in the community around us. Allow two hours to complete the walk. For more information, contact the Madison County Historical Society at 618-656-1294 or visit the MCHS website at https://madcohistory.org/.

Living History Days Festival - 2025
2025-10-03 08:00 - 2025-10-05 17:00 | IL
The 2025 Madison County Historical Society’s Living History Days Festival will be held in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon, Illinois, on October 3-5. The MCHS created the festival six years ago to provide opportunities for residents of all ages to connect with history. The schedule of events includes something for everyone. Concerts, book fairs, crafts, demonstrations, and more will be waiting for visitors in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon in early October.
A full schedule of events is listed on the attached flyer. For more information, call 618-656-1294, or scan the attached QR code.
