If you have never had the opportunity to visit our museum campus we hope that you will enjoy this video! If you would like to take a tour of our campus in person, please visit our Museum Tour Appointment Calendar and schedule your tour today!
Breaking News
Summer Programs for Young Historians
Get your young historian ready for summer programming at the Mount Prospect Historical Society!
Cost: $25 per program (fee is non-refundable)
(Are you looking for week-long History Camp? Click here!)
Life as a Prairie Kid I
Thursday, July 20, 2023
9:30-11:30 am
Ages 7+
Come explore life in the late 19th century as a prairie kid. Try old-fashioned chores and games, make a yarn kid, sample homemade lemonade, and plant vegetables.
Life as a Prairie Kid II
Thursday, July 20, 2023
1:30-3:30 pm
Ages 7+
Continue your exploration of life in the late 19th century as a prairie kid. Try your hand at old-fashioned chores and games, make a paper chain and a no bake snack, and learn sewing skills.
The Science of History!
Thursday, July 27, 2023
9:30-11:30 am
Ages 7+
This year we’ll explore weather in our popular STEAM based program: Rain sticks, weather vanes, and rain gauges. We’ll even make rain and lightning!
If You Lived During the Gold Rush
Thursday, July 27, 2023
1:30-3:30 pm
Ages 7+
Celebrate the 175th Anniversary of Gold being discovered in this fun, interactive program. Plan your route to head out west. Learn what life was like in a mining town. Pan for gold.
Registration is now closed.
Thank You to Our New Business Members
APC Financial Group
Busse Automotive
Formula Auto Repair
Friedrichs Funeral Home
Hearth & Home
Law Office of Mark J. Watychowicz
Mount Prospect Child Care Center
Picket Fence Realty (Thomas and Mary Zander)
Specialized Janitorial Service
Van Driel’s Medical Support Wear
Vista Linda Eye Care
Wilkin Insulation
Visit www.mtphist.org/membership/ to learn how your business can become a member too!
North Shore National Historic Landmarks Bus Tour 2022
The Society has planned its next bus trip for Saturday, May 14, 2022. We will be exploring historic delights in the northern suburbs of Evanston and Wilmette.
In the morning, tour-goers will tour both the picturesque home of Frances Willard, a founder and president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and the mansion of Charles G. Dawes, who served as Calvin Coolidge’s vice president.
The Frances Willard house was built in 1865. The author and activist lived and worked in this house during the years of her presidency of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). For many of those years, the house also served as an informal national headquarters for the WCTU and a boarding house for its workers.
The nearby lakefront Dawes mansion was, from 1909 until his death in 1951, the home of Charles Gates Dawes and his family. Dawes earned the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize for his plan to alleviate the crushing burden of war reparations that Germany was required to pay after World War I. He also served as President Calvin Coolidge’s vice president and as a general during World War I .
After lunch on your own in Evanston, the tour will continue north to Wilmette’s renowned Baha’i House of Worship, an architectural masterpiece built over a 30-year span from 1921 to 1951, where we will be treated to a private tour. It was dedicated in 1953 and has received many architectural awards. In fact, in 1978 it was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places and in 2007 the Illinois Bureau of Tourism named it one of the “Seven Wonders of Illinois.”
Tickets for the May 14, 2022 trip are $67 per person which includes tour admissions and bus transportation. The tour bus will depart from the Historical Society, 101 S. Maple St., promptly at 9 a.m. and is expected to return back there by 5 p.m. Lunch will be on your own. Comfortable clothing and shoes are strongly urged.
Also, be aware that the Society will follow all CDC COVID-19 recommendations in effect at the time of the tour, so please be prepared to wear a mask on the bus and during the tours, if that is required at the time.
Space is limited and tickets are non-refundable.
Mount Prospect’s Slogan
In 1950, the Chamber of Commerce held a contest to choose a slogan that best described Mount Prospect. The winner, Elmer Bussert, won the contest with his slogan, “Where Town and Country Meet.” This slogan for Mount Prospect was used until 1965 when the Chamber felt it no longer applied due to the expansion of the town. A new contest was held and “Where Friendliness is a Way of Life,” submitted by Delores Wells, was chosen to represent Mount Prospect. It remains our town’s motto to this day.