Champaign County Historical Museum

Mission:

The mission of the Champaign County Historical Museum is to discover, collect, preserve, exhibit, study, and interpret objects relating to the history of the County, and to provide educational programs about the County's heritage and the Museum's collections.

History:

The Champaign County Historical Museum is a 501(c)(3) organization and exists to “collect and preserve artifacts relating to the history of Champaign County, Illinois, and, by using those artifacts in formal and informal educational activities, to interpret that history to the public.”  The Museum was founded in 1972 and opened for exhibition in 1974.  The Museum’s original home was the Wilber Mansion located at 907 West University Avenue.  The Wilber Mansion was sold in 1997 with proceeds being used to acquire the Museum’s current home at 102 East University Avenue.  The current building, named the Cattle Bank, is Champaign County’s oldest documented commercial structure, having been constructed in 1857. 

About Us:

The Champaign County Historical Museum is the steward of an immense collection of over 20,000 artifacts directly linked to Champaign County's history.  Our mission is to use these artifacts to tell our collective story.

One of our most profound responsibilities is to ensure that our artifacts, and the stories they tell, live on.  We do this by offering educational opportunities in order to bring history to life for all ages.

The museum strives to offer access to not only the collection but also a rich archive of documents, papers, photographs and publications that help our citizens explore their own past.

At our core, we are a museum and that means exhibiting the many objects that have been entrusted to our care.  We will strive to ensure that our artifacts don't simply sit behind glass but come alive through the stories they tell.