Updated: 8/18/2012 
Iroquois County Historical Society
Watseka, Illinois
Description

We are currently working on several projects to enhance the tour of our museum. We also hope that it will make the museum more educational. We are trying to shine a new light on the history of Iroquois County. We are renovating our Iroquois County History Room to show what this land was like in the early settlement days.

A visit to the Old Courthouse Museum can be a unique visit to people of all ages. We have artifacts from all over Iroquois County that show the true history of Iroquois County. I have heard many stories of kids when they were little playing in the jail cell and doctor's office. Everyone that visits remembers the Old Courthouse because we have such a wide variety of exhibits. Being able to see real treasures from real events in Iroquois County, like a piece of Princess Watchakee’s cabin or a mastodon tooth that is thousands of years old, has stirred my imagination and has led me to a great interest in history.

Are you looking for a place to hold an event? Do you want in inside or outside? Well it doesn't matter, the Old Courthouse offers both.

Come visit our Chapel, it's a beautiful place for a small wedding.

Mission

The mission of the Iroquois County Historical Society is to bring together those people interested in history, especially of the Iroquois County area. The Society's major function would be to discover and collect any material that would help establish or illustrate the history of the area. It will display the County's history to arouse interest in the past. Preservation of this material is also key in our mission.

History

On May 15 of 1865, it was decided that a new courthouse was needed. Macaijah Stanley, an early settler, donated 8 lots of land for the building of a new courthouse. On January 2, 1866 building began. The building was to include 2 vaults and a basement housing the jail and living quarters for the janitor. As winter came on the building was completed on November 1st, 1866. The total cost of the building was $28,000. In 1893, a new jail was built on the corner of Third and Cherry Streets. After the completion of that jail the one in the basement was no longer used. In 1962, land was left by Kathryn Clifton for the building of a new courthouse and jail. In 1964 the new jail opened and in 1965 the new courthouse opened. After the new courthouse was opened the Old Courthouse fell into disrepair for 3 years until the Iroquois County Historical Society formed and restored the courthouse as a museum. On June 13, 1975 the Old Courthouse was registered as a Historic Place by the United States Department of the Interior.

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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

April 27 - April 29, 2025

Oregon Museum Association 2025 Conference

TBA

Independence, Oregon

Beginning in 2025, the OMA annual conference will be held in Spring rather than Fall

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism

Check our website for more details in early 2025

The OMA newsletter is emailed every month with updates on OMA events, museum news, other events, trainings, jobs, grants and more for the museum community in Oregon.

For more information, please email connect@oregonmuseums.org.

October 1 - October 4, 2025

Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Annual Meeting

TBA

Reno, Nevada

Save the Date for WMA 202

As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, join us to build relationships and soar higher than ever before. With the theme of ELEVATE, WMA 2025 will explore ways to lift up the experiences of cultural professionals and the communities they serve.

In Reno, Nevada, 4,400 feet above sea level, we will forward the progress of museums by looking to the future.

May 6 - May 9, 2025

2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) ANNUAL MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, California

AAM 2025 will focus on the theme, Museums & Trust.

Museums have long inspired high levels of public trust, surpassing news outlets, government organizations, researchers and scientists, corporations, and social media platforms. This consistent finding underscores our institutions’ unique position in society as stewards of knowledge, culture, science, and history—areas where credibility and reliability are paramount

In an era marked by mistrust and misinformation, museums have a rare ability to counterbalance the proliferation of false narratives and polarized perspectives. Using our trusted position, we can cultivate a more healthy, empathetic, and informed society.

But to do so, we must maintain our credibility proactively, embracing thoughtful, transparent, and collaborative practices that will defend against influences like bias, resource challenges, abuse of power, and social injustice

An Incredible MuseumExpo

AAM is again partnering this year with the Museum Store Association to host an incredible combined expo hall. Find the most innovative services, products, and solutions in the museum field. With 350 exhibitors, you are bound to find the right partner for your museum’s current challenges and opportunities.

May 5 - May 9, 2025

Museum Store Association FORWARD 2025 in LA

The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Join MSA in LA

We’re excited about our next MSA FORWARD Conference & Expo in “The City of Angels” – Los Angeles, California in conjunction with the American Alliance of Museums

Join the Museum Store Association (MSA) and hundreds of nonprofit retail professionals for the 70th Annual MSA FORWARD Retail Conference & Expo, taking place May 5-9, 2025 at The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Once again, MSA FORWARD will be held in conjunction with the 2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Expo

Learn best practices and new ideas for store merchandising, operations, marketing, and sale

Participate in dedicated networking events and create connections that will inspire new ideas

Meet with over 200 MSA vendors about your product needs

Hear from knowledgeable industry experts during session breakouts and keynote presentations

Network with AAM attendees and exhibitor

September 10 - September 13, 2025

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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