Inside the Collection is a video series that invites you into the Chicago History Museum’s storage spaces to explore unusual, interesting artifacts from our vast collection. In this installment, senior collection manager Britta Keller Arendt discusses three artifacts related to Elmer Ellsworth, a law clerk to Abraham Lincoln who became a martyr at the onset More
On October 1, the Chicago Transit Authority celebrates its 70th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, we have compiled some highlights about the CTA’s rich history from the Chicago History Museum’s collection. A CTA train heads west on the Lake Street elevated line, June 30, 1967. CHM, Hedrich-Blessing Collection, HB-30550 Long gone are the electric-powered trolley More
Project archivist Adam Melville worked with CHM archivist Julie Wroblewski as part of his graduate school practicum. In this blog post, he describes how he processed one of our largest acquisitions in recent history. This summer, I received the exciting but daunting opportunity to process the papers of US congressman Sidney R. Yates—a 262-linear-foot collection More
CHM curator Petra Slinkard takes you through the process of a gallery rotation, which helps us preserve artifacts and refresh exhibitions. The Chicago History Museum’s permanent exhibition Chicago: Crossroads of America is a 15,000-square-foot installation dedicated to our city’s rich and complex past. The installation opened in September 2006 and contains hundreds of artifacts and More
Senior curator Olivia Mahoney introduces the new Chicago Cubs items on display at the Chicago History Museum and reflects on the team’s past. On November 4, 2016, millions of Cubs fans gathered in downtown Chicago for the victory parade and rally. Photograph by CHM staff, NC_217_034 Like Cubs fans everywhere, I’m thrilled that they won More