Elgin Public Museum Of Natural History & Anthropology
225 Grand Blvd, Elgin, IL 60120, www.elginpublicmuseum.org
Summer Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday, 12:00-4:00 pm
Admission: $2 adults, $1 children, EPM members free
For those of you who didn’t had the chance to visit Elgin Public Museum, or haven’t heard of it until now, I am kindly recommend you to go and check it out. You will be very impressed of how many interesting things this small museum has to offer, plus the beautiful Lords of Parks and Zoo sceneries.
I have discovered the museum last year, while browsing the events list from Facebook for local activities. And after visiting it, I have told my friends about it and now to you! Let me share you some more details about it, so I can convince you to go and have a family visit.
The Museum is the oldest building in Illinois, built expressly as a museum that is still serving that purpose. Its Neo-Classical style of architecture is unmistakable from the front, with its two free columns and two square-engaged columns. The Museum displays Natural History and Anthropology. You will be able to find collections about endangered species, Fox River Ecosystem, Ice Age Era, Native Americans, Rock and Minerals and many more.
Built in 1907 as the Lord Memorial Museum and opened in 1920 as the Elgin Audubon Museum, it is the oldest museum building in Illinois still used as such! The collection was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. G. P. Lord and was first exhibited in the Lords Park Pavilion in 1898. However, the Lords asked that their collection be housed in its own building, and local architect David E. Postle was contracted to design the building in 1904. The original plan for the museum called for 3 wings, but only the West wing and Central hall were completed before funds ran out. The East wing was added in 1998, restoring the Neo-classical symmetry of the building's original design, and was built to match the original structure, including the brick and oolithic limestone detailing. The museum's interior includes beautiful and original oak woodwork, plaster wall ornamentation and ceramic tile floors. In July 2000, the museum reopened with several new features, including a handicapped accessible north entrance, elevator and public restrooms.
Collections: the museum contains varied collections, which focus on natural history and anthropology. The collections provide an opportunity for visitors, young and young of heart, to add to their knowledge and to pique their curiosity about the world we live in; like the Discovery Room, Endangered Species, Fox River Ecosystem, Ice Age Era, Irish Deer, Mazon Creek Fossils, Native Americans, Natural History, Rock and Minerals.
Lords Park is a beautiful 108-acre municipal park that features picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, a family aquatic center, a nature trail and three lagoons. Visitors can enjoy watching the American bison, elk, and white-tailed deer that live in wooded enclosures throughout the year. During the summer months, The Lords Park Farm Zoo features sheep, cattle, chickens, pigs, goats and more! The Zoo will open from June 1 and it will close by August 9.
Lords Park was originally a farm owned by Dr. Joseph Tefft. In 1893, the property was purchased by George and Mary Carpenter Lord and presented to the City of Elgin as a gift with the agreement that the property would be used as a city park. The park was dedicated in 1898.
May Events
1st - The Happy Invention: The Documentary Value of Picture Postcards
4th - Story Hour: The Rainforest
10th - Science Night: Beetle Mania
A Special thanks toNayeli Benitez, the Museum Coordinator who was kind enough to give me some details about the history of the museum and the May events! Also, for this summer, you will find in our Events tab, the museum events, all Free and "happy" to have you!
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