Ellwood House Museum

10/09/2026

👻 Off to the Little House! 🕷️

Today, Ghosty is revisiting the Little House. This haunt of hers isn’t too spooky, but beware! The tree that guards this tiny home is currently dropping walnuts.

We wonder where she’ll be next week…

10/08/2026

🔴⚫ How can NIU students get involved at the Ellwood House? ⚫🔴

🏛 Students looking to get involved off campus or gain volunteer experiences have opportunities to volunteer as tour guides, at our front desk, or transcribing diary entries. We often partner with NIU for Cares Days, where many students volunteer to clean up our campus. We also have internships for current students, most of which are held in the fall. Students are also welcome to use our archives for research projects.

🍁 For students looking to relax, the Ellwood House campus is located on a public park and welcomes visitors year-round. Anyone is welcome to walk, bike, run, or just relax on the campus. bring a blanket and some friends for a fall picnic with great views!

🎨 Students interested in arts, interested in museums, history, education, and NGOs will find that we feature two art exhibits per year inside our Visitor Center (Frame of Mind and Arts in Action). Our other exhibits also feature signature pieces from the Ellwood collections that exemplify a multitude of styles the Ellwood family chose to display. The grounds are always open to the public, and anyone is welcome to paint, sketch, and photograph the buildings and nature within the property. Students also have opportunities to volunteer, apply for internships, and use our archives for research projects!

🎓 While students are in study at NIU, we hope we can provide a space for them to escape campus and take an interest in local history. There is always something to do at the Ellwood House. We hope to see you soon!

10/08/2026

👻Something spooky is coming... 🕯

🎃 Experience the historic Ellwood House Museum like never before with our nighttime flashlight tours! Guided by museum docents by candlelight, guests will explore the mansion in low light, uncovering the history of the Ellwood family while enjoying an atmospheric, after-hours adventure.

🕷 Before or after the tour, visitors can explore Ellcourt, our other historic building. Join in on Victorian parlor games and learn more about the home’s fascinating history.

🕸 Ellwood After Dark will be held on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24 from 7PM-9PM, with doors opening at 6:30PM. Spots are limited, so make sure to reserve ahead of time!

10/07/2026

🔴⚫ The Original Ellwood House x NIU Collab ⚫🔴

Way back in the 1800's, Isaac Ellwood wrote letters, petitioned, and generally bugged the state legislature about selecting DeKalb as the site for Northern Illinois University.

DeKalb, however, was generally low on the list compared to Rockford and Oregon because it was considered an industrial city rather than a natural oasis like some other sites. Thankfully, Isaac got himself onto the site selection committee and helped get the land that Joseph Glidden donated ready for the committee's visit.

Through his connections and influence, Northern Illinois University was brought to DeKalb instead of another site in the state. The more you know!

Featured are photos of Altgeld Hall, and the Ellwood family celebrating Crimson Days, a festival held to celebrate the founding of NIU. Plus Jessie Ellwood as Crimson Queen!

10/06/2026

🔴⚫ Our NIU Connections ⚫🔴

Did you know every Ellwood House employee has a connection to Northern Illinois University? To celebrate this homecoming week, we're sharing our NIU connections:

✏ Matthew (Executive Director): Student at large
🎨 Audrey (Assistant Director & Chief Curator): Current graduate student in Art History
🏛 Ethan (Director of Operations & Finance): B.A. History 2016
🏛 Buddy (Assistant Curator & Collections Manager): B.A. (2008) & M.A. History (2014) & Grad certificates in Museum (2014) and Women's Studies (2013)
🎨 Cher (Event Coordinator & Gift Shop Manager): B.F.A. and a minor in SEA 2010
🎨 Sue (Museum Educator): B.A. (1994) & M.A. (1997) Art History
✏ Riley (Marketing Manager) - Current Graduate student in Higher Education and Student Affairs

10/05/2026

🔴⚫ Happy Homecoming Huskies! ⚫🔴

Northern Illinois University is celebrating its 119th Homecoming this year, and we are proud to be a Huskie Host! We are offering free standard tours of the Ellwood Mansion for alumni, students, and up to four family members this week in celebration. Stop by to take up this offer anytime from Wednesday-Saturday during our regularly scheduled tours (1pm and 3pm) this week.

10/02/2026

👻She’s here to haunt your feed once again! 🕷️

Ghosty has made her return to the Ellwood House Museum, and today she is checking out our terraces and patios. She is soaking in this nice weather before it cools down too much. If it does, she might have to go inside…

10/01/2026

💐 Congratulations! 💍

While last week we were wrapping up W**e on the Terrace, another special museum related event was happening...

Congratulations to Buddy (Assistant Curator & Collections Manager) and Cher (Event Coordinator & Gift Shop Manager) on your marriage! We hope everyone will join us in wishing them well on their new journey together.

09/30/2026

See you there!

🏠 TOMORROW AT NOON! 🏠

Ready for a sneak peek at this year’s Pumpkin Fest Historic Homes Tour? Join us TOMORROW, Thursday, October 1, at 12 pm at the History Center for our October Brown Bag Lunch!

The House Walk Committee will reveal this year’s featured “Patriotic Pumpkin Festival" homes and share some of the fascinating stories behind these red, white, and blue houses before the House Walk tickets officially go on sale! 🎃

You’ll also learn more about volunteer opportunities for the Historic Homes Tour happening Saturday, October 24!

📅 Thursday, October 1
⏰ Noon–1 p.m.
📍 DeKalb County History Center
💵 FREE!

Bring your lunch, bring a friend, and join us for a first look at what’s in store for this year’s House Walk! We’ll see you tomorrow at noon.

The Brown Bag Lunch program is held on the first Thursday of the month and is co-sponsored by the Ellwood House Museum. For more information, visit dekalbcountyhistory.org or call 815-895-5762!

This free program is partially funded by the Illinois Arts Council.

09/29/2026

🔴⚫ Ellwood House x NIU Collab ⚫🔴

Over the last month, we have had the pleasure of hosting two classes from Northern Illinois University for projects on our collections. Topics in Art History and Collaborative Photography have been focusing on Asian art pieces within our collection to create an exhibit opening in December, 2026. Working together, these students will create exhibit text, display items, and document pieces though photos.

We look forward to sharing more about this project as it progresses. Stay tuned for more details and opening dates of the exhibit!