Living History Days Returns in 2024

PLEASE NOTE: The concert at the Wildey scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4, featuring Michael Martin Murphy has been POSTPONED. All other activities will continue as planned.

The 2024 Living History Days Festival will be held in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon, Illinois, on October 4-6. The Madison County Historical Society (MCHS) created the festival five years ago to provide opportunities for residents of all ages to connect with history. The schedule of events includes something for everyone. From vintage ball games to reenactments from the Civil War and the War of 1812; concerts, book fairs, crafts, demonstrations, and more will be waiting for visitors in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon in early October.

The historic Wildey Theatre at 252 N. Main Street will feature concerts on Friday and Saturday nights. The Col. Benjamin Stephenson House at 409 S. Buchanan St. will have special activities on all three days.

On Saturday, Historic Leclaire Field on Troy Road and the surrounding area will have vintage “base ball” games, a Civil War cavalry encampment, and tours of the Leclaire National Historic District. Next door, the Edwardsville Children’s Museum and Nickel Plate Station will have free museum admission and vintage children’s games.

A few blocks north of Leclaire, the Edwardsville Book Fair at City Park will feature music, local authors, and thousands of new and used books. Nearby, the St. Andrew’s Quilt Guild will showcase an array of beautiful quilts. At Woodlawn Cemetery, the Alumni Players! have a community partnership event that presents “Voices of Our Past,” a program celebrating the lives of past residents of Edwardsville who were buried in the 1871 cemetery.

In Glen Carbon, Yanda Log Cabin Day, invites visitors to tour the historic cabin and browse artisan booths on the grounds.

Sunday’s primary location is Edwardsville’s City Park where visitors will attend the MCHS Chautauqua that features speakers Mary Todd Lincoln, Edward Coles, and Ninian Edwards. Between speakers there will be music from an a capella choir, a jazz combo, gospel choir, and the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko drums.

In addition, visitors can peruse a War of 1812 military encampment, watch indigenous craft demonstrations, shop at the MCHS book sale, or grab a bite to eat from a food vendor.

Also in Edwardsville, on Living History Days weekend is the SIUE Homecoming Kickoff and Family Weekend in the Stratton Quad on Friday evening and the Homecoming Soccer game Saturday at Korte Stadium.

A full schedule of events is listed below. For more information, call 618-656-1294.