Welcome to the LaSalle County Historical Society’s website.
The Society is celebrating its Centennial, 1907-2007, this year—a remarkable milestone.
Events for the remainder of the Centennial year include:
The Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra concert, September 26,
“Rags to Riches,” featuring composers of LaSalle County
The 38th Annual Burgoo Festival, October 7
The Centennial Annual Meeting, November 11
The Annual Christmas Dinner Dance, December 2
Earlier this year the Society sponsored the LaSalle County History Fair, in which almost 100 young historians prepared displays showcasing their research into a wide variety of people and events significant to the county’s history.
This year marks the seventeenth year the Society has invited all public and private school fourth graders in the county to the Aitken one-room school. A daylong program allowed students to experience a school session as it was more than 100 years ago.
The students then visited the museum, the barn, and blacksmith shop. More than 1,100 students participated in 2007.
The one-room schoolhouse is a symbol that Midwesterners hold dear. It speaks of individualism, democracy, and their faith in the powers of education to improve the lives of their children.
This centennial birthday celebration presents an opportunity for us to prepare for the next century of growth. The board of directors has established a Capital Building Fund for building a new exhibit and educational wing adjacent to the stone warehouse museum beside the Illinois and Michigan Canal.
Come join us as we celebrate our first one hundred years.
