Display a list of the current Officers Historic Markers in Hamilton County 1978 Oral history project Get copies of HCHS Newsletter HCHS Museum HCHS genealogy library Available publications Membership information Return to the Homepage

Welcome to the Hamilton County Historical Society web site!

What's New!

26 Jul 2019: Museum and Gen Library hours changing again: Both are now open only Wednesday 11am to 2pm.

14 Sep 2018: We are having a special presentation at the Red Barn on September 18th at 7 P.M. The speakers will be Willie & Kenny Grubb, who will be speaking about the history of Belle Prairie City. Refreshments will be provided.

16 Nov 2017: A special meeting on "A Drone's View of Hamilton County" was held on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at the Big Red Barn. Click here for details.

15 Oct 2017: New publications are available! A 2018 Early Schools of Hamilton County calendar and a book on the 1925 tri-state tornado. Click here for a calendar flier or here for the 1925 book or select the Publications tab above to view/order.

19 Sep 2017: A special meeting on Indian artifacts found in Hamilton County was held on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Big Red Barn. Click here for details.

13 Jun 2017: Here is a flier about our next Historical Presentation to be given at the Red Barn on June 28. Please mark your calendar for this event. Micki has been researching a lot about the 1925 tornado and its effect on Hamilton County and surrounding areas, and will be presenting interesting and little-known facts about this horrific event, the longest tornado ever recorded. Please try to come.

4 Dec 2015: The HCHS took part in the 2015 Christmas Parade. Here is a picture of our group.

7 Dec 2014: The Open House for the 50th Anniversary of the Hamilton County Historical Society was held at the library on December 7, 2014 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. The Cloud and McCoy families were present to tell about their life when they lived there. The whole house was decorated extra special for Christmas. Click here for images of the event.

7 Oct 2013: The 2013 Cemetery Walk was held Saturday. October 5th. Unfortuantely, due to inclement weather, the actual Walk had to be held inside the old high school gym. Click here for images and additional information. Click here for images of the May 2012 Cemetery Walk.

Sep 2012: The Fall Festival Parade was held Saturday, September 15, 2012. To open a new page to view photos of the event click here.

What is the Hamilton County Historical Society?

The purpose of the Hamilton County Historical Society is to bring together those persons interested in history, and especially in the history of Hamilton County, Illinois.

The Society's major function is to discover and collect any material which may help to establish or illustrate the history of the area and to arouse interest in the past.

The Society maintains a museum and genealogy library on the second floor of the McCoy library where these items are preserved and made accessible to those who wish to examine them.

 

 McCoy Memorial Library
118 S. Washington St.
2019 Meeting Schedule
 
March 26
April 23 (next meeting)
May 28
June 25
July 23
August 27
September 24
October 22
 
Regular meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. unless notified otherwise. The place will be the Farris Family Restaurant as shown below.
 
Next Historical Society Meeting
 
Program:

The next meeting will be on October 22nd so mark your calendars.

 

Presenter:

We will be having a Potluck and please bring something for the Show & Tell. Our yearly election will also take place this night. Remember this meeting starts an hour earlier than usual at 6:00 PM.

 

When: Tuesday, 22 October 2019 at 6 p.m.

 

Where: Farris Family Restaurant (formerly Pat's Cafe)
  608 E. Randolph St.  (view MapQuest)
 

McLeansboro, Illinois