Fairbury Echoes Museum

Fairbury Echoes Museum Fairbury Echoes Museum preserves and presents local historical items from the Fairbury Illinois area.

Several times each year it changes a one-room exhibit to a specific theme but there are four other rooms of permanent displays.

Join us at Dominy Memorial Library on Saturday, June 27th at 2 PM for an interesting program by Dale Maley celebrating t...
06/17/2026

Join us at Dominy Memorial Library on Saturday, June 27th at 2 PM for an interesting program by Dale Maley celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Fairbury Fair. Please help us spread the word by sharing this post. Thanks!

Have some fun stepping back in time and you might win some money, too! Pick up an entry at Fairbury Echoes Museum and c...
06/12/2026

Have some fun stepping back in time and you might win some money, too! Pick up an entry at Fairbury Echoes Museum and count the flags. The museum is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 1:00 to 4:00 and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 11:00. There is no admission charge. We will be closed on Saturday, July 4th.

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country by participating in a flag counting contest at the museum. Just come in,...
06/05/2026

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country by participating in a flag counting contest at the museum. Just come in, grab an entry blank, and tour all five rooms of the museum. Count the flags in each room, submit your entry into the drawing, and you may win one of the four cash prizes. The museum is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 1:00 to 4:00 and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 11:00. We will be closed on July 4th. We are located at 126 W Locust in downtown Fairbury IL. There is no admission charge. Help us spread the word by sharing this post. Thanks!

In the 9/6/1912 issue of The Blade newspaper, these two ads are staring at each other on opposing pages. Definitely a p...
05/29/2026

In the 9/6/1912 issue of The Blade newspaper, these two ads are staring at each other on opposing pages. Definitely a period of transportational transition.

Information written on the back of this old unmailed real photo postcard identifies the residence as the "Wilson Kelso h...
05/26/2026

Information written on the back of this old unmailed real photo postcard identifies the residence as the "Wilson Kelso house". We found a 5/3/1907 item in the Blade stating that JK Shook was building an addition to the Wilson Kelso property.

We are putting the final touches on our next exhibit, The 150th Anniversary of the Fairbury Fair. Would you like a phot...
05/26/2026

We are putting the final touches on our next exhibit, The 150th Anniversary of the Fairbury Fair. Would you like a photo of your family at the Fair to be part of the exhibit? Bring (or mail) a 4x6 photo with the year and names of the people in the photo to the museum (126 W Locust St, Fairbury IL 61739). The museum is open Thu-Fri 1:00 to 4:00 and Sat 9:00 to 11:00. If you want your photo returned in the fall, also include your phone number. Alternatively, photos can be e-mailed to [email protected] but just be sure to include the names and year, too.

Found this fun photo at the museum today. It's always great when there are names written on the back!
05/19/2026

Found this fun photo at the museum today. It's always great when there are names written on the back!

This is one of our unidentified photos taken at one of Fairbury's early photographers. An eagle-eyed Facebook fan notic...
01/31/2026

This is one of our unidentified photos taken at one of Fairbury's early photographers. An eagle-eyed Facebook fan noticed that the woman is wearing a piece of jewelry that possibly says "Blaine". There are two possible explanations. The presidential election in 1884 had Grover Cleveland defeat James Blaine with Blaine winning the state of Illinois so the jewelry could be related to that election campaign. The other explanation is that her last name is Blaine and this might be Laura McDowell who married Theron Blaine. They had three daughters named Helen (1878-1971), Hortense (1881-1971), and Gladys (1892-1935). Hortense married a man named Koehler. Are there any descendants who might be able to confirm if this is Laura McDowell Blaine or maybe Theron Blaine's mother? Thank you to Abbey Weber Jones for spotting this great clue. We have lots of other unidentified (& many identified) old photos at the museum. Come and take a peek at the past sometime. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: See posts below to the answer as to what her jewelry signified.

Address

126 W Locust Street
Fairbury, IL
61739

Opening Hours

Thursday 1pm - 4pm
Friday 1pm - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 11am

Telephone

+18156922191

Website

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