Upcoming Events
Something for Everyone
The History Center is proud to offer a diverse array of lectures, tours and special events bringing to life local, national and world histories. Check out our upcoming programs and events below and join us.
Upcoming Programs, Special Events and Tours
For a simpler, text-focused event listing, select List View from the calendar view options.
Events
List of events in Photo View
Events
List of events in Photo View
Past Programs
Library of Past Programs
If you are interested in seeing some of our past programs, please check out our YouTube page. Most programs are recorded and remain available for audiences to watch.
The keynote lecture for our series on American History, Cornerstones of History, can be found here:
Rose Miron, VP of Research and Education, The Newberry Library, adjunct professor Northwestern University launches our 10-part History of the United States series. Miron, will examine this land as it existed 250 years ago, centering the Native peoples of the Illinois and southern Wisconsin region and the worlds that predated, and were disrupted by, the traditional settlement narrative that often dominates the “American story.”
a few of our most popular lectures
The Great Gatsby at 100
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has turned 100 this year. To discuss the enduring significance of the novel, we are excited to host literary scholar Dr. Julia Stern on Tuesday, September 9. Dr. Stern has been teaching the novel since the mid-1980s, when she was a graduate student at Columbia University. Dr. Stern will present the argument that by unpacking the epic dimensions of The Great Gatsby, according to criteria developed to understand Homer, Virgil, and Dante, the audience will gain a distinctive appreciation of Fitzgerald’s masterpiece.
The Rondout Train Robbery
One hundred years ago, the largest train robbery in U.S. history happened a few miles east of Libertyville. More than two million dollars in securities and cash were stolen. The plan seemed flawless, yet all the culprits were captured, tried, and sentenced in just under six months. Join us at the History Center on the evening of Thursday September 26 as we welcome Libertyville Historical Society board members Pamela Krueger and Jenny Barry for a review of the known information on the events and outcome of the heist. Jenny Barry is president of the Libertyville Historical Society and the local history librarian at the Cook Memorial Public Library. She holds a BA in History from Augustana College, a Master of Library Science from Indiana University, and an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago. Pamela Krueger is a 28-year Lake County resident, a member of the Libertyville Historical Society board, and a volunteer docent at the Ansel B. Cook home.
38 Miles North and South from Chicago: African American History in Lake Forest and Joliet
In this presentation, the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff has partnered with Lewis University to showcase two distinct community experiences in African American communities, situated 38 miles north and 38 miles south of Chicago’s center, through a new museum exhibition called “38 Miles North and South from Chicago.” Both communities began in the mid-1800s and were served by strong, self-supporting organizations, led from within the Black community. The following panel discussion—moderated by History Center Executive Director Carol Summerfield—features guest speakers Dr. Dennis Cremin and Grant Student Coordinator Morgan Jennings of Lewis University, Dr. Courtney Joseph of Lake Forest College, and filmmaker Sue Lawson of Lake Forest. African Americans called the Joliet region home before its incorporation in 1852. They built up the community, found jobs, and enjoyed life in the Des Plaines River Valley. In Lake Forest, the first families arrived from the south in the late 1860s.
By 1900, the second police officer on the Lake Forest force was African American and numerous Black-owned businesses were thriving. Both cities saw the rise of strong Black community organizations, churches, and cultural centers that supported their residents and provided a foundation for the growing communities. In spite of this long history, Black communities have often been on the periphery of the local historical narratives. The museums and their partners have curated a collection of documents and materials, including organizational and family histories, papers, and images, that helped to inform the exhibition.