Friday, September 3, 2010
Kankakee County Museum
801 S. Eighth Ave., Kankakee
(815) 932-5279
www.kankakeecountymuseum.com
Hours: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 1 - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Fees: $3 per person, $1 for students and seniors, free for historical society members.
The Kankakee County Museum is the home of the Kankakee County Historical Society, founded in 1906, the oldest incorporated historical society in Illinois.
The museum currently contains eight galleries. Permanent galleries include the General History of Kankakee County Exhibit, the Three Governor's Exhibit (Small, Shapiro, Ryan), 1900 exhibit and the George Grey Bernard Sculpture Exhibit.
The museum complex also maintains the 1855 historic house of Dr. A.L. Small House, where former Illinois Gov. Lennington Small spent his childhood, and the 1904 Taylor School House, a historic one-room rural school house.
Housed within the museum complex to assist researchers are the three-dimensional Artifact Collection, the Photographic Still Collection, which holds more than 18,000 images of Kankakee County life, and a Paper Document Collection, with documents that support the history of Kankakee County. Research assistants are generally available from Tuesday through Friday.
For group tours, research visits and dates for special events, call (815) 932-5279. A gift store is also present within the complex.
Kankakee Railroad Museum
197 S. East Ave., Kankakee
(815) 929-9320
www.kankakeerrmuseum.com
Hours: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon - 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed every fourth weekend.
Fees: $2 suggested donation, $25 contribution for groups of 15-25.
Within Kankakee's restored train depot, museum visitors can see three large operating model train displays, railroad memorabilia and a scale model replicating the city of Kankakee during the 1950's.
Outside of the depot, a restored 1947 Pullman Stainless Steel coach containing a small theatre features railroad films during museum hours. The coach has been restored as a dining and meeting place and may be rented for small events. Brunches on the coach are held on periodic Sundays. Contact Linda at (815) 933-0527 for times and days.
A 1967 Union Pacific Caboose is currently under restoration, and the restoration of an original Kankakee Streetcar is nearing completion.
Letourneau Home
Stratford Dr. East & Rt. 102 Bourbonnais
(815) 933-6452
www.bbhistory.us
Hours: Open the first and third Sundays of each month and by appointment
The museum was home to the first Bourbonnais village president, George R. LeTourneau. The home, maintained by the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society, includes exhibits on the history of LeTourneau and centers on the French-Canadian influence in the Bourbonnais area.
The historic building started as a trading post in the 1830s until LeTourneau’s renovation in 1854 to how it looks today. Although moved from its original location because of commercial growth, the public can still glean a slice of19th century Bourbonnais life thanks to the historical society’s efforts.
Exploration Station: A Children’s Museum
1095 W. Perry St., Bourbonnais
(815) 933-9905
http://www.exploration-station.org/
The Exploration Station offers opportunities for children to explore a medieval castle, be a clerk in a grocery store, be a postmaster, direct a fighter plane from its cockpit, work in a hospital emergency room, work in a dentist’s office, create a flying machine, create water structures, learn about dinosaurs and fossils, view the planets and constellations, fly a passenger jet or just be creative!
Public Hours:
September – March
Closed Mondays (except special holidays)
Tuesday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Office Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
April – August
Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Office Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Daily Admission:
$4 for children and senior citizens, $5 for adults. Bourbonnais Township residents receive a 50 percent off admission discount.
Free afternoons at Exploration Station start Sept. 22. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 - 5:30 p.m. and select days during the summer months will be free afternoons. Regular admission prices will be in effect until 2 p.m.
Special Programs:
Group and birthday reservations can be made Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at 815-933--9905. The Exploration Station also sponsors group trips, museum sleepovers and play groups. Volunteering opportunities are also available.
Children under 11 years old must be accompanied by a paid museum attendee 16 or older.
The museum is closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4, the end of August to mid September for maintenance, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.