Lake Bluff History Museum

09/04/2026

Planning ahead! We’re looking for host homes for the 2026 Lake Bluff History Holiday Home Tour. It’s truly a fantastic way to get share your collections, decorating style, holiday collections and joy with the community. Email [email protected].

09/02/2026

We interrupt back-to-school stress and Halloween ads — and this nasty heat wave—to announce that the 2026 Lake Bluff History Museum Holiday Home Tour is on December 6!

Save the date!

09/02/2026

SAVE THE DATE! Experience America’s foundational history up close on October 22 with "The Promise of Liberty," brought to the Lake Bluff and Lake Forest communities by the Lake Bluff 250 Committee and Lake Bluff History Museum.

Nationally recognized historic document expert Seth Kaller will present early printings and replicas of the nation’s founding texts at Lake Forest High School. This offers a rare experience typically reserved for major museums and institutions. Presented as a gift in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, the exhibition aims to inspire unity, pride and gratitude for American liberties.

Admission is free, but advance reservations are required; the sign-up link will be available soon at LakeBluffHistory,org.

Event Highlights:

Founding Documents: View items like the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution and Bill of Rights, plus the Emancipation Proclamation, George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and materials on Abraham Lincoln and women’s suffrage.

Expert Presenter: Kaller has handled documents now held by the Smithsonian and presidential libraries, with work featured in The New York Times and Forbes.

Schedule & Location: Three presentations on Oct. 22 at Lake Forest High School include two for area 8th grade and high school students during the school day, and an evening presentation for the general public at 7:00 p.m. in the LFHS auditorium, with documents displayed in the school library.

08/20/2026

These days most people call Lake Bluff’s business district “Downtown, but early on Lake Bluff Camp Meeting summer visitors referred to it as “Uptown.”

Do you know why? Because to get to the shops, you had to walk (slightly) uphill from the tabernacle, cottages and hotels. This is just one insight shared in the newest episode of our podcast, View from the Bluff, which drops on Thursday, August 20.

In this episode, we discuss how quiet Uptown transformed into the vibrant community center we enjoy today, and how it earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places.

You can listen to the episode starting August 20 on your favorite podcast provider or click on the following:

Watch the Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwv8ARy9myROtmDphDZd94LknYn5nGw3n
Listen to the Audio: https://sites.libsyn.com/616765/site

08/13/2026

Whether you call it "Uptown" or "Downtown," our village's commercial center has a rich history spanning over a century. This is the topic of the latest episode of our podcast, View from the Bluff, which drops on Thursday, August 13.

In this episode, we uncover how our quiet shopping site evolved into a thriving business district recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

We’ll take you behind the scenes of historic landmarks like Village Hall, the Village Green and the landmark commercial brick blocks that anchored early village life.

You can listen to the episode starting August 13 on your favorite podcast provider or click on the following:

• Watch the Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwv8ARy9myROtmDphDZd94LknYn5nGw3n
• Listen to the Audio: https://sites.libsyn.com/616765/site

07/30/2026

For decades, a stories have circulated about a World War II spy house have circulated in Lake Bluff. But what are the actual, documented facts behind the rumors?

The Museum's latest episode of the View from the Bluff podcast drops on July 30. Hosts Kathy O'Hara and Joanna Rolek move past local lore to look strictly at what happened in 1942 to a family of German immigrants living at 711 Prospect Ave. The story includes reports of unusual wiring seen under the family's porch, unfamiliar vehicles parked out front, FBI searches without warrants, internment camps ... and more.

Was this a case of genuine national security, or a casualty of wartime hysteria? The family's own records and memoirs help piece together a complicated, factual look at civil liberties and small-town suspicion during a global crisis.

Learn for yourself:
Watch -- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwv8ARy9myROtmDphDZd94LknYn5nGw3n

Listen -- https://sites.libsyn.com/616765/site

Lake Bluff History Museum worked with Lake Bluff's 250 Committee to bring you the View from the Bluff podcast.

Step back in time with View From the Bluff, where 250 years of history come alive. Join Museum co-founder Kathy O’Hara and Joanna Rolek (director of LF/LB Chamber of Commerce) for an episodic journey through the stories and scandals that built our community. Kathy’s vivid narratives replace dust...

07/27/2026

The Chautauqua program on Lake Bluff's Artistic Roots has been postponed until the fall. We'll let you know the new date soon!

07/23/2026

Death by furnace? You've likely heard about the woman found badly burned in the Lake Bluff Village Hall furnace room in 1928. You’ve also probably heard theories about what went on down those narrow stairs. But have you ever heard just the facts?

The tragic mystery of Elfrieda Knaack is the focus of this week’s episode of Lake Bluff History Museum’s new podcast, “View from the Bluff.” Hosts Kathy O’Hara and Joanna Rolek strip away decades of headlines to outline the documented history of the case and the key players involved.

The episode drops on Thursday, July 23!

There are no rumors and no hypotheses here — just evidence, giving you a chance to evaluate what is known versus what has been projected over the generations.

For extra intrigue, Kathy also shares intel about a local ghost — but we’re not going to say another word about that in this email!

Learn for yourself:

Watch the Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwv8ARy9myROtmDphDZd94LknYn5nGw3n

Listen to the Audio: https://sites.libsyn.com/616765/site

07/22/2026

Discover Lake Bluff's artistic roots! Join Lake Bluff History Museum on Sunday, August 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the third installment of our Chautauqua-style Programs. We'll travel back to the early 20th century when a bohemian enclave of intellectuals, painters, poets and musicians lived and worked in a lakefront area known as the Artists Colony.

This interactive session brings local history to life through the stories of cultural icons like author Sherwin Cody and muralist Marguerite Kreutzberg, exploring how their collaborative spirit shaped the region's identity. The presentation will be held at Grace United Methodist Church, reviving a classic American tradition of community storytelling and education rooted in our village's past.

Space is limited, so make sure to register early; here's the link: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/lakebluffhistorymuseum/2237771