The IDHH contains some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Our cultural heritage partners collect materials from history, as well as artifacts from many cultures and time periods, to preserve and make available the historical record. Please view the Digital Public Library of America’s (DPLA) Statement on Potentially Harmful Content for further information.
In recognition of Labor Day, the IDHH would like to highlight several collections from our contributors and curated searches of IDHH items that tell different stories about the history of labor movements, worker advocacy, and labor strikes in Illinois:
Recordings of the Illinois Labor History Society (Roosevelt University): explore oral history audio recordings that tell stories related to labor unions and movements, marginalized communities and worker advocacy, and labor strikes in Illinois.
Mary G. Harris Jones: explore images and text related to “Mother Jones,” an Irish-born school teacher, seamstress, labor organizer, activist, and self-described “hell-raiser”.
Labor and Industry: explore images, texts, and audio recordings from multiple IDHH collections and institutions related to labor, industry, and organization and advocacy for workers.
You can also view the IDHH’s previous posts with topics related to Labor Day:
Local Union No. 183 in parade. 1903. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Picture Chicago. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.History of Local 208, American Federation of Musicians [page 1]. Louise Henry, creator. October 23, 1939. Chicago Public Library. Illinois Writers Project: Negro in Illinois Collection. Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library.
With Memorial Day and military march concerts around in the corner in the United States, the IDHH is featuring a collection related to the “American March King”: the Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), known as the “American March King,” was a conductor and composer best known for his military marches. Some of his well-known marches are “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (the National March of the United States of America) and “The Liberty Bell” (used as the theme for the television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus). In addition to his music, Sousa helped to develop the sousaphone, a brass instrument related to the tuba that is easier to perform while marching.
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music (SACAM) seeks to document America’s diverse music heritage through the acquisition and preservation of archival records and historical artifacts in multiple formats. Their Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection is a collection of images of photographs taken from multiple viewpoints of musical instruments in the Center’s physicalcollections, ranging from flutes to trumpets to guitars; some of the instruments also have a 3D digital model constructed that can be viewed online as well.
Here are a few of our favorite instruments:
Clarinet [front side view]. [undated] University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.Heckelphone [front side view]. 1926. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.Cornet [right side view]. 1880. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.Saxophone (soprano) [right side view]. 1947. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
The IDHH contains some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Our cultural heritage partners collect materials from history, as well as artifacts from many cultures and time periods, to preserve and make available the historical record. Please view the Digital Public Library of America’s (DPLA) Statement on Potentially Harmful Content for further information.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, the IDHH would like to highlight several collections from our contributors and curated searches of IDHH items that tell different stories about the history of women in Illinois:
Jane Addams: explore photographs and documents related to Jane Addams, social reformer, and settlement and women’s suffrage activist, who co-founded Chicago-settlement Hull House in 1889 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
Gwendolyn Brooks: explore photographs related to Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet Laureate of Illinois and the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize.
The Creative Woman (Governors State University): a collection containing issues of GSU’s quarterly feminist journal The Creative Woman, which featured articles, essays, and creative writings on the lives and experiences of women.
The Woman’s Study Club of Joliet (Lewis University): a collection containing documents and records of the Women’s Study Club of Joliet, a club with the goal of educating women members which grew from the Columbian Clubs and The Woman’s Building organized by Bertha Palmer for the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition.
You can also visit the IDHH’s Digital Exhibits to learn about the life and career of two turn-of-the-twentieth-century Illinois women: Rachel Crothers, a playwright from Bloomington, Illinois, and Fanny Butcher, Literary Editor at the Chicago Tribune.
You can also view the IDHH’s previous posts with topics related to Women’s History Month:
The IDHH contains some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Our cultural heritage partners collect materials from history, as well as artifacts from many cultures and time periods, to preserve and make available the historical record. Please view the Digital Public Library of America’s (DPLA) Statement on Potentially Harmful Content for further information.
In recognition of Black History Month, the IDHH would like to highlight several collections from our contributors and curated searches of IDHH items that tell different stories about the history of Black people in Illinois:
Gwendolyn Brooks: explore photographs related to Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet Laureate of Illinois and the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize.
EBR African American Cultural Life (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville): a collection containing photographs, posters, and pamphlets centered around Eugene B. Redmond, Poet Laureate of East St. Louis whose work is connected to the Black Arts Movement and Professor Emeritus at SIUE.
EBR Million Man March (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville): a collection containing photographs about the Million Man March, a demonstration by Black men marching to Washington on October 16, 1995, and its second Anniversary celebration.
Timuel D. Black, Jr., Digital Collection (Chicago Public Library): a collection containing handwritten and typed letters and speeches by Timuel D. Black, Jr., civil rights activist, educator, and historian of Black life and politics in Chicago.
This second week of October marks the close of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. The national observance was established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and then extended in 1988 to cover an entire month from September 15th to October 15th. Hispanic Heritage Month seeks to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. To highlight just one of the many varied groups celebrated in Hispanic Heritage Month, the IDHH is featuring the Puerto Rican Cultural Center Collection and the Luis V. Gutiérrez Congressional Archives.
The Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) is a non-profit organization established in 1973 by the Puerto Rican and Latina/o community in Chicago to address both the social and cultural needs of the community. Currently located in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West side of Chicago, the Center is a community landmark on the historic section of Division Street known as Paseo Boricua (“Boricua [Puerto Rican] Promenade”). Acting as a community center, political organizing space, and cultural hub, the PRCC hosts educational workshops, publishes the bilingual community newspaper La Voz del Paseo Boricua, and partners with a number of affiliated organizations in the community.
Luis Vicente Gutiérrez is an American politician of Puerto Rican descent who was active in local Chicago politics as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. The first Hispanic Representative from Illinois, Gutiérrez first served as an alderman on the Chicago City Council from 1986 to 1993 before being elected as a Representative for Illinois in 1992. In addition to advocating for workers’ rights and LGBTQ+ rights throughout his political service, Gutierrez was also a steadfast champion of Puerto Rican independence. He protested the United States military use of the island as a bomb testing ground in the early 2000s and human rights abuses occurring on the island against University of Puerto Rico students in 2011.
The work of the Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center and of Luis Vicente Gutiérrez reflect the vibrant culture, community, and impact of Puerto Ricans in the United States. Here are a few of our favorite items from these collections:
Paseo Boricua. [n.d.] University of Illinois Chicago. Puerto Rican Cultural Center Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Chicago. Paseo Boricua Walk of Fame. December 29, 2004. University of Illinois Chicago. Puerto Rican Cultural Center Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Chicago. 1st World’s AIDS Day Event hosted by VIDA/SIDA. [n.d.] University of Illinois Chicago. Puerto Rican Cultural Center Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Chicago. Dance. [n.d.] University of Illinois Chicago. Puerto Rican Cultural Center Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Chicago. Courtesy of Northeastern Illinois University Archives. Luis V. Gutiérrez Congressional Archives. S1 B1.2.1 n.d. F1 Photos LVG Nydia Velazquez Rep. Serrano Pres. W. Clinton. [n.d.].Courtesy of Northeastern Illinois University Archives. Luis V. Gutiérrez Congressional Archives. S1 B1.1.1 F2 Campaign Materials (Our Congressman Luis Gutierrez). [n.d.].Courtesy of Northeastern Illinois University Archives. Luis V. Gutiérrez Congressional Archives. S3 B3.2.7 1996 F2 Living Wage Bill. May 17, 1996.
Through its more than half a million items, the IDHH provides invaluable glimpses into the history of the state of Illinois and the people that have lived here. However, all too often we do not know the viewpoint from behind the camera, the eye behind the lens. To better appreciate those capturing history with the snap of a camera shutter, the IDHH is featuring the Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection at the Illinois State Archives. Born in Mount Vernon, Illinois in 1911, Eddie Winfred Helm showed an interest in photography while still young, earning the nickname of “Doc” due to an early job delivering prescriptions for a local pharmacy. In 1934, Helm moved to Springfield to begin working with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. One of a few African-Americans working in the Capitol complex at that time, he initially performed a variety of duties for the Office, including that of putting the state flag on top of the Capitol Building each day without a harness or other protective gear.
During his first decade in Springfield, Helm held various positions within the Capitol Building, coming in time to microfilm documents for the Illinois State Library in the early 1940s. The Library contained a photo lab, where Helm began to develop personal film there on his lunch breaks, and Helm’s photographic talents caught the notice of the Head Librarian in 1944. This attention resulted in Helm’s appointment as the Official State Photographer in February 1944. Until his retirement in 1992, Helm photographed all manner of state events featuring dignitaries, celebrities, and everyday citizens alike. In his capacity as Official State Photographer, Helm possessed a proximity to the workings of government that few people of color had in the mid-20th century. As a Black American in a largely white space, Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm captured not only the official history of the state of Illinois but of Springfield as well as he bore witness to the integration of the city and the Civil Rights struggles of the era.
Below are a few of our favorite Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm photographs taken at Illinois State Fairs over the years:
Secretary of State Employees — Doc Eddie Winfred Helm self-portrait. October 15, 1960. Photographed by Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm. Illinois State Archives. Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.State Fair – Antique Auto Show. August 22, 1953. Photographed by Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm. Illinois State Archives. Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.State Fair Midway — Night Shots — State Fair. August 10, 1946. Photographed by Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm. Illinois State Archives. Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.State Fair – President Dwight Eisenhower reception – Lincoln’s Tomb – Lincoln Continental. August 19, 1954. Photographed by Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm. Illinois State Archives. Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives. Bumper Cars — State Fair. August 11, 1947. Photographed by Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm. Illinois State Archives. Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.Governor Green at butter cow — State Fair. August 11, 1947. Photographed by Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm. Illinois State Archives. Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.Governor Green cuts ribbon and opens 1946 State Fair — Daughters Nancy (left) and Gloria (right). August 1946. Photographed by Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm. Illinois State Archives. Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.
Listen to an Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum oral history interview with Beverly Helm-Renfro, Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm’s daughter, to learn more about the famous photographer and his legacy.
As students return to campus and the Fall academic semester begins, the IDHH is featuring Millikin University, one of our many academic partners. Millikin University is located in Decatur, Illinois, along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois, and was founded by businessman James Millikin. Born in 1827, James Millikin grew up the son of a moderately wealthy farmer in Pennsylvania, helping to drive cattle to New York City as a child. While attending Washington College, Millikin vowed to establish a center of learning himself, though this ambition would not become a reality for another 55 years. Known at one point as “the cattle king of the Prairie State” due to his sizeable herds of livestock, James Millikin settled in Decatur in 1856, eventually transitioning into the banking business in 1860. In the last decade of his life James Millikin would finally realize his long-held desire to found an institution of higher education, founding Millikin University in 1901.
From the start, Millikin University operated under the philosophy of providing an education that combines theory with practice, embracing James Millikin’s wish for a university that would emphasize the practical side of learning. Today, this approach is embodied in Millikin University’s rich tradition of Performance Learning. Through various hands-on, real-world experiences, Performance Learning prepares students for life post-graduation, honoring James Millikin’s vision of students living out their learning. Digital collections shared with the IDHH of the university’s student-run newspaper, The Decaturian, and of select School of Music Programs illustrate just a few of the many unique ways in which Millikin University students perform their knowledge, while the Big Blue Photograph Collection offers snapshots of the history of the university.
Here are a few of our favorite Millikin University items from their collections (including a delightful April Fool’s issue of The Decaturian):
Lantern Parade – 1950s-1960s. 1950–1960. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.Tennis – Men’s & Women’s – Players – Unidentified. circa 1910. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.Homecoming – 1911. May 12, 1911. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.Maypole Festivals – 1909. May 1909. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.Bookstore – 1912. 1912. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.The Decaturian, 1951-03-30. March 30, 1951. Millikin University. The Decaturian. Courtesy of Millikin University.Illinois Independent Telephone Association Convention: Concert by members of the James Millikin University School of Music; assisted by the School of Music Students’ Violin Quartet, and Miss Allie V. Richmond, Reader, of Champaign, Illinois. November 10, 1909. Millikin University. School of Music Programs. Courtesy of Millikin University.
With spring coming into full bloom, the IDHH would like to feature one of our earliest contributors, Monmouth College, and their unique collection of Greek life dance cards. Located in Western Illinois in the city of Monmouth, the college was founded in 1853 by Scotch-Irish pioneers affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Notably, the College accepted women and students of color from its earliest days, being one of the first U.S. higher education institutions to do so. In fact, the College found itself with a primarily female student body shortly after its establishment, as virtually the entire male student body left for military service in the Civil War. Not to be outdone by the campus societies formed by male veterans returning to the College after the war, Monmouth College is home to Pi Beta Phi, the nation’s first “women’s fraternity” (what we would now call a sorority).
Spanning nearly 30 years, the Dance Card Collection is a testament to the vibrant Greek life at Monmouth College and the rich social history of groups like Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma, two early sororities known as the “Monmouth Duo”. Popular in European ballrooms during the 18th century, dance cards were originally used by women to record the names of dance partners at formal balls. They typically consisted of a booklet with a decorative cover and a decorative cord by which it could be attached to the wrist or clothing. The booklet might include sections providing details about the event menu and music, patrons and other featured guests, and most importantly, blank lines where dance partners’ names could be “penciled in”. In the hands of young college students, the dance cards reflect their owner’s individual personality as well as the variety and playfulness of the dance cards created for specific dances in campus Greek life such as the Rose Formal or the Holly Hop.
Below are a few of our favorite items from the Dance Card Collection at Monmouth College:
Kappa Alpha Sigma. May 23, 1931. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.Tau Kappa Epsilon 1933. December 9, 1933. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.Sigma Tau Omega 1934. November 28, 1934. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.Sigma Tau Omega 1935b. April 12, 1935. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.Kappa Delta 1947a. December 12, 1947. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.Alpha Xi Delta 1958. May 31, 1958. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College. Kappa Kappa Gamma 1959. May 23, 1959. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.
Want to see more?
Visit the IDHH to view even more items in the Dance Card Collection from Monmouth College, as well as items related to the pastime and art of dancing.
Nestled along the picturesque Rock River in northwestern Illinois, the city of Dixon bears a fascinating history in the early nineteenth century as a fledgling outpost in the newly incorporated state of Illinois. Established in 1828 by Joseph Ogee, who operated a ferry along the banks of the Rock River, the city would take its name from a “Father” John Dixon after coming to the area in 1830 and purchasing the ferry operation from Ogee. With its advantageous position on the Rock River for trade and commerce, the settlement prospered from the abundance of the significant waterway and quickly grew into a thriving community.
Fifty years later, the thriving city of Dixon saw the creation of Dixon College, a private college that operated with a teacher-training institution, the Northern Illinois Normal School. Dixon College advertised itself as an institution that taught “practically everything” and offered courses in such subjects as civil and electrical engineering, typewriting, and law. Though Dixon College closed around 1914 after only 35 years, the city of Dixon has a number of attractions that keep visitors coming to the area year after year. Designated the “Petunia Capital of Illinois” by the Illinois General Assembly in 1999, the city holds an annual Petunia Festival every summer featuring a parade, carnival, and fireworks show. In preparation for the festival, volunteers and citizens plant thousands of pink petunias along main streets, such as Galena Avenue with its iconic Dixon Arch.
The IDHH is pleased to welcome the Dixon Public Library to the IDHH and feature their collections with this Highlights post. Here are a few of our favorite items:
Beautiful Galena Avenue Dixon, (the petunia city), Illinois. 1960. Photograph by Ralph-Lois Pierce Studio. Dixon Public Library. Dixon History Documents and Photographs. Courtesy of the Dixon Public Library.Petunia lined Galena Avenue. 1980. Photograph by Ralph-Lois Pierce Studio. Dixon Public Library. Dixon History Documents and Photographs. Courtesy of the Dixon Public Library.Dixon Theatre. 1922. Photograph by Brooks Photo. Dixon Public Library. Dixon History Documents and Photographs. Courtesy of the Dixon Public Library.Dixon College Main Building sepia photograph. n.d. Dixon Public Library. Dixon College. Courtesy of the Dixon Public Library.Eighth Annual Commencement of the Scientific Class 1889. 1889. Dixon Public Library. Dixon College. Courtesy of the Dixon Public Library.Dixon College Staff. 1881. Dixon Public Library. Dixon College. Courtesy of the Dixon Public Library. Illinois Central crossing Rock River, Dixon, Ill. 1907. Photograph by E.C. Kropp. Dixon Public Library. Dixon History Documents and Photographs. Courtesy of the Dixon Public Library.
To ring in the new year, the IDHH is pleased to feature the North Suburban Library District Local History Collection, one of our oldest collections, from the North Suburban Library District (NSLD). Opened in 1944 by the North Suburban Woman’s Club, the North Suburban Library District serves Machesney Park, Roscoe, and Loves Park with branches in Loves Park and Roscoe. Fifty years after opening, the North Suburban Library District Local History Collection began taking shape when the Friends of North Suburban Library group formed a local history committee. From an 1869 assessor’s book for the town of Harlem to photographs taken in 2001 of the NSLD Loves Park branch building, this collection illuminates the humble beginnings of the communities that surround Rockford, Illinois as well as important developments in this area over the past 150 years.
Local landmarks such as the River Lane Outdoor Theater and Kiddieland amusement park in Loves Park are included in the collection and provide a sense of recreation and entertainment in the metropolitan area. A particularly distinctive addition to the collection are images from the telephone operators’ strikes in 1945-1948, a series of strikes over the span of three years in which “telephone girls” picketed against the Illinois Bell Telephone Company, including a walkout of more than 16,000 telephone workers across Illinois and Indiana in November 1945. These demonstrations ultimately won the workers better wages and advancement opportunities, and the images of these demonstrations offer a glimpse at traditionally unseen workers and speaks to the power of workers’ unions at the time.
With such vibrant items in the collection, we hope you enjoy revisiting the North Suburban Library District Local History Collection as much as we do! Here are a few of our favorite items from the collection:
Kiddieland roller coaster. 1952. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of the North Suburban Library District.Rockford Interurban Trolley Car, North Second Street. n.d. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of the North Suburban Library District.River Lane Outdoor Theater. 1949. Photograph by Bobbie Lusk. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of the North Suburban Library District.The Illinois, Rock River steamer excursion boat. circa 1912-1913. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of the North Suburban Library District.Roscoe’s first rural mail wagon. circa 1909. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of the North Suburban Library District.Roscoe, Illinois, veterinarian, Dr. Baldwin. circa 1899. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of the North Suburban Library District.Telephone operators on strike, Loves Park, Ill. circa 1945-1948. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of the North Suburban Library District.
For additional information about the North Suburban Library District and its history, visit the Local History section of the NSLD website.
To view digitized historical issues of the area’s local newspaper, The Post Journal/Monday Morning Mail, visit the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection.
