Learn

Welcome to the Madison County Historical Society’s Online Resources. Here you can examine and explore more about local communities, research or browse our online collections, visit the online exhibits, and learn about our resources, and discover more about the museum exhibits

Archival Library Online Resources

The Madison County Historical Society’s Archival Library preserves and provides researchers access to historic photographs, documents, maps, non-fiction books, and genealogical materials. The archival collection focuses on Madison County, its communities, and the people who have lived in its borders.

To explore the Archival Library’s resources and collections, visit the Resources page.

For tips on getting the most out of your research time at the archival library, go to our Research at the Archival Library page.

You can visit the archival library during open hours or set up an appointment. We also offer virtual services for out of area researchers. Contact us for more information.

Digital Collections

The Madison County Archival Library is proud to partner with The Illinois Digital Archives to display digital collections of annotated images and/or documents. The Illinois Digital Archives is an online repository for the Illinois State Library as well as other libraries and cultural institutions in the State of Illinois.

Online Catalog

The Madison County Historical Society’s collections span hundreds of thousands of artifacts, photographs, archival materials, and reference publications. Only a small fraction of our holdings are displayed in the museum. Several more are described in our Online Catalog. Search through available library and museum collections items using keywords or view randomly selected records. MCHS is committed to making our collections accessible and available to the public.

Community History

Learn about the many communities within Madison County. Browse building histories, find walking and driving tours, or find a new place of historic interest to visit when you Discover Your Community History.

Educator Resources

The Madison County Historical Society offers a plethora of resources for educators. Download free lesson plans and activities created by area educators on local history topics.

Virtual Exhibits

Explore Madison County History from anywhere with virtual exhibits. Each virtual exhibit presents a narrative on a topic in Madison County history supplemented with images of items in the collections. Many of the virtual exhibits include bibliographical references.

Beyond the Museum

Investigate deeper into the exhibits with Beyond the Museum. Find more images and expanded information on the topics explored in the museum. Check back for sneak peaks at new exhibits while the museum is under construction.

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