Home | McLean County Museum of History

Tickets for the in-person walk are available for purchase online, at the Museum's Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center and Gift Shop, or at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Tickets purchased will help support more than 2,000 students, chaperones, and older adults living in senior care facilities to participate in the Walk in-person and online.

We are not exaggerating when we say that we could not do any of this without you—our members—and your unwavering support.

For questions or issues with purchasing tickets, contact Candace Summers, Senior Director of Education.

Museum Visitor's Center

Evergreen Memorial Cemetery

Events & Programs

Looking for something new to do? Check out our upcoming events and programs. Tune into a livestream, or watch a recording of a past program on our YouTube channel.

2024 History Makers Gala

Tuesday, June 18th

5:00pm – 8:00pm

Each year, the History Makers Gala recognizes long-standing residents whose outstanding, life-long contributions of time and ta...

Featured

Sweet Greeks: First-Generation Immigrant Confectioners in the Heartland with Author Ann Flesor Beck

Saturday, April 20th

1:00pm – 2:00pm

The Museum is pleased to host Dr. Ann Flesor Beck for a program exploring the history of the first generation of Greeks coming ...

Online + In Person

Josh Henderson's "One More Night" presented by pt.fwd

Tuesday, April 23rd

7:00pm – 8:00pm

The Museum, in partnership with pt.fwd, is excited to host composer and musician Josh Henderson for his "One More Night&qu...

2024 Futures in History Camp Registration Begins

Wednesday, April 24th

9:00am

Futures in History Camp 2024 is coming! This 5-day camp experience includes facilitation by Museum staff and other experts, all...

For kids

A Black Woman’s Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor: Lessons about Race, Class, and Gender in the United States with Author Dr. Menah Pratt Clarke

Thursday, April 25th

12:10pm – 1:00pm

A Black Woman's Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor: Lessons about Race, Class, and Gender in America...

Sembrando Raíces: Oral Histories of Latinos in Central Illinois

Saturday, April 27th

9:00am – 12:00pm

Join us in hearing from ISU seniors in Dr. Maura Toro-Morn's sociology capstone class who have conducted oral history inte...

Online + In Person

With five exhibit galleries, a hands on Discovery Room, and four floors of Museum to explore, there's a lot of history to get caught up on. So let's cover the essentials to help you plan your Museum visit.

Admission

Adults $10
Seniors (65+) & Veterans $8
Museum members FREE
Students & Children FREE
Every Tuesday, for all visitors FREE
SNAP Recipients (with EBT card) FREE
Indigenous Tribal Members (with ID) FREE
Active Duty Military (with ID) FREE
Big Brothers/Big Sisters and their Little Brothers/Sisters FREE
Many community groups & corporate members FREE

How to Get Here

Our address is 200 N. Main Street, but our entrance is on Washington Street. There are bicycle racks on the Washington Street plaza behind the Lincoln Bench.

All city buses drop off on Front Street, one block south of the Museum. Parking around the Museum is free but you must move every 90 minutes. We recommend parking in the Lincoln Parking Deck on Front St. ($1/hr) for more extended visits. Parking downtown is free after 6pm and on weekends.

Hours

Monday: 9am to 5pm
Tuesday: 9am to 8pm
Wednesday: 9am to 5pm
Thursday: 9am to 5pm
Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: Closed

Exhibits

Explore the rich history of McLean County in our five permanent exhibits, hands on Discovery Room, and numerous displays. Our online exhibits bring McLean County history to you, wherever you are.

Merwin Gallery

The Merwin Gallery features almost 300 objects from the Museum's 18,000+ object collection. In this display space, objects from the collection will be moved in and out of the gallery regularly so visitors can return again and again, always to see something new.

Challenges, Choices, and Change

This exciting 5,000-square-foot exhibit in four galleries explores the experience of living, working, farming, and creating community in McLean County.

Digital Exhibits

Read the rich histories featured in our Challenges, Choices, and Change as well as Abraham Lincoln in McLean County exhibits from anywhere!

Research

The Museum has thousands of online and on-site resources for researching local history topics and genealogy. These are some of our most popular resources.

Pantagraph Negatives Collection Overview

Overview of the project that has digitized over 100,000 so far, and video tutorials

Finding Aids

Detailed inventories of archival collections in the Museum, organized by subject, from the 1820s to the present.

City Directories

Thanks to a partnership with Bloomington Public Library and intern Noah Tang, local directories from 1855-1920 have been digitized, and are available on the Internet Archive.

Search our Library Catalog

See what books we have in our library. We are a non-circulating library so you must come to the library to see these books, and they cannot go home with you.

Learn

Our educational programs reach thousands of students, seniors, and community members each year.

Evergreen Cemetery Walk

The Evergreen Cemetery Walk brings the voices of McLean County's history to life. Costumed actors portray people representing all walks of life from the county's past on the grounds of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Tickets go on sale September 5th.

School Programs

The Museum is an award-winning educational institution accredited by the American Alliance of Museums that offers FREE hands-on, educational programming for grades pre-K through college.

Senior Reminiscence

Bring Museum educators directly to your facility at no cost to you. Using authentic objects, photographs, and inquiry-based facilitation, we encourage older adults to recall, share, understand, and connect.

Speakers Bureau

Local experts are ready to give presentations on a variety of fascinating topics. Invite them to your club, meeting, or classroom!

Become a Member

Want free admission to the Museum every day of the year? Or invitations to special member-only events? Becoming a member is a meaningful contribution to the Museum's mission of preserving local history. Plus, enjoy reciprocal benefits at over 400 museums & historic sites in the U.S. through the Time Travelers Program.

Join us

Become a Volunteer

We provide rewarding opportunities for active volunteers and flexible positions for occasional volunteers too.

Explore opportunities

Cruisin' with Lincoln on Route 66 Visitor's Center

Cruisin' with Lincoln on Route 66 Visitor's Center contains a gift shop and local tourism information. We feature locally produced products, Abraham Lincoln souvenirs, and Route 66 souvenirs. When you visit the Museum, you will enter and exit through the Visitors Center!

Learn more