History

Walk through women's history in downtown Skokie. Learn about important women and pivotal moments in the struggle for equal rights, including Skokie's first resident doctor and the development of the first commercial contraceptive. Drop-ins welcome. Children under 10 free with a paid adult.

Meet in the Devonshire Park gazebo to learn about the site's past as a Cold War military base, and then set off through the Devonshire Manor neighborhood to discover Skokie's Cold War-era history. The tour will cover the development of Skokie's Jewish community, mid-century modern aesthetics, the evolution of the nuclear family and second-wave feminism, and the 1960s civil rights and fair housing movements in Skokie. Drop-ins welcome. Children under 12 free with a paid adult.

Learn about the historic buildings, people, and events that made Skokie what it is today through this guided tour of historic downtown Skokie. This will be a casually paced walk with stops throughout the downtown area. Drop-ins welcome. Children under 10 free with a paid adult.

Learn about bungalow architecture and how the design reflects shifting societal values in the early 1900s, inspired in part by Jane Addams' Hull-House reformers and Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School. This will be a casual stroll with frequent stops to look at building exteriors around the Lorel Park area. Drop-ins welcome. Children under 10 free with paid adult.

Listen to spine-tingling and sometimes silly stories of murder and mayhem in Skokie. Explore downtown and learn about the ghosts of Skokie's past, including a serial arsonist, the attempted murder of Skokie's founding father, local ties to infamous gangsters, and some eccentric small-town emergencies. Drop-ins welcome. Children under 10 free with a paid adult.

Just in time for Halloween, get spooky with a tour of St. Peter's UCC Cemetery (8530 Harms Rd.), featuring some of Skokie’s local legends! Each year features new stories and ghosts. Set off among the tombstones to meet our friendly graveyard ghosts and hear their stories about Skokie's early days. Tours last about an hour and depart the front gates every 10 minutes, with last tour leaving at 11 a.m. Tickets are $15 with pre-registration or $20 at the gate.

Hand dip candles for the holidays, craft festive garlands, and make a variety of vintage wintery crafts while enjoying hot chocolate in our cozy, historic firehouse. Holiday carolers will perform from 3-3:30 p.m.

Bake up some vintage holiday cheer with a cookie recipe straight from the museum archives! Learn to make Mrs. Mayer's Chocolate Spice Cookie recipe from start to finish just as she wrote it in 1929 for the District 69 PTA Cookbook. Enjoy a taste test and have enough to take some home.

Revisit Millennium-era fan-favorite movies like Shrek, Legally Blonde, Lord of the Rings, and post-Renaissance Disney films in this presentation exploring their legacies today. Enjoy light refreshments and share your thoughts on what pop culture today should be included in Skokie's next 25-year time capsule.

Tour the Skokie Heritage Museum and learn about the Village of Skokie's founding. The tour includes a look at the building as it was when it served as Skokie's first firehouse and jail. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our collection of artifacts, including old yearbooks and photos. Behind the museum, experience pioneer life in an original Skokie log cabin from 1847.

Celebrate the grand opening of Skokie's 2000 time capsule and our newest exhibit exploring iconic pop culture from the Millennium era. You won't want to "Skip-It" as we peel back the layers of history like an onion (or an ogre!) to the early aughts. Join us for light refreshments and a series of lightning talks that will keep your memory "Razr" sharp as we get back "*NSYNC" with cultural phenomena like Furbies, Neopets, iPods, and more!

Test your memory of the Millennium years (c. 1998-2002) in this lightning-fast trivia competition covering pop culture, politics, major events, and more. Play solo or with a partner for a chance to win fun prizes!

Learn about the historic buildings, people, and events that made Skokie what it is today through this guided tour of historic downtown Skokie. This will be a casually paced walk with stops throughout the downtown area. Tour meets at Skokie Heritage Museum (8031 Floral Ave.). Children under 10 free with a paid adult.

Walk through women's history in downtown Skokie. Learn about important women and pivotal moments in the struggle for equal rights, including Skokie's first resident doctor and the development of the first commercial contraceptive. Children under 10 free with paid adult.