Wilmette History Museum

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Wilmette History Museum The Wilmette History Museum is dedicated to exploring, preserving, and sharing Wilmette's history. http://www.wilmettehistory.org/involved.html

Our Museum is operated by the Wilmette Historical Society, a volunteer organization devoted to promoting local history, and by the Village of Wilmette. Located in the historic Gross Point Village Hall building, we offer exhibits, a research room, and special events and programs in our meeting space. For more information, visit our website at:
http://www.wilmettehistory.com

Interested in membership or volunteer opportunities?

Wilmette history is always around if you take a look! We spotted this piece of local history yesterday at the Wilmette F...
10/04/2026

Wilmette history is always around if you take a look!

We spotted this piece of local history yesterday at the Wilmette Fire Department Open House. Wilmette has a rich firefighting history, which was the focus of our scavenger hunt this past summer.

You may even recognize the name Walter Zibble! Zibble was hired in 1906 to drive Wilmette’s horse-drawn hose cart and went on to become the Village’s first full-time fire chief in 1921.

We love finding pieces of Wilmette history out in the community. 🚒

10/02/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for our Annual Auto Historica Car Show! With amazing weather and an even better lineup of Japanese cars, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.

We’re already starting to plan for next year, so stay tuned for some exciting new additions!

Need a rainy day activity? Join local researcher Angelique Burbach tonight at the Wilmette Public Library for her talk a...
10/01/2026

Need a rainy day activity? Join local researcher Angelique Burbach tonight at the Wilmette Public Library for her talk at 7 PM, 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘨𝘰’𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦.

Learn how German settlers helped shape New Trier Township, leaving a lasting mark on the area’s communities, businesses, buildings, and architecture, including New Trier High School, the Village of Gross Point, and St. Joseph’s Church.

A big thank you to Wilmette Auto Body for sponsoring this year’s Auto Historica Car Show! 🚗We’re so grateful for their s...
09/24/2026

A big thank you to Wilmette Auto Body for sponsoring this year’s Auto Historica Car Show! 🚗

We’re so grateful for their support in helping us bring this community favorite to life. Be sure to join us this Sunday from 12–2 PM for an afternoon celebrating Japanese cars, local history, and our wonderful community!

Thank you, Wilmette Auto Body, for helping make Auto Historica possible!

🚗 Our annual Car Show is back next Sunday!This year, we’re celebrating Japanese cars! Stop by the Museum from 12–2 PM to...
09/20/2026

🚗 Our annual Car Show is back next Sunday!

This year, we’re celebrating Japanese cars! Stop by the Museum from 12–2 PM to check out a great lineup of cars featuring different makes, models, styles, and decades.

Bring the whole family and spend the afternoon exploring the cars, chatting with their owners, and enjoying activities for kids!

Special thank you to Wilmette Auto Body for being our sponsor this year!

We love stumbling across something unexpected during our research!A longtime Museum member stopped by this week with a q...
09/19/2026

We love stumbling across something unexpected during our research!

A longtime Museum member stopped by this week with a question about an unusual feature on a Wilmette home. After a little digging through our archives, we came across this advertisement for a film lab that opened right here in Wilmette in 1915!

You never know what a simple question might uncover.

🎬 Ready to show off your trivia skills?Grab your team and hit the streets on Saturday, October 10 for our first-ever Tri...
09/17/2026

🎬 Ready to show off your trivia skills?

Grab your team and hit the streets on Saturday, October 10 for our first-ever Trivia Trek! And the theme? Well, of course… Hollywood in Wilmette!

Gather a team of up to four and spend the afternoon trekking through downtown Wilmette, testing your knowledge of the movies, television, and media that have put Wilmette on the big screen. Keep your eyes open, you never know where some advantages may be hiding.

🎟️ Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Register through our website or link below!

After the trek, we’ll meet up at the Village Lodge for snacks, drinks, prizes, and a little post-game bragging.

https://wilmettehistory.org/event/hollywood-in-wilmette-trivia-trek/

Grandparents’ Day is this Sunday Septemer 13!❤️ Celebrate this Grandparent’s Day by listening to their stories.An hour a...
09/12/2026

Grandparents’ Day is this Sunday Septemer 13!❤️

Celebrate this Grandparent’s Day by listening to their stories.

An hour at the Wilmette History Museum is a great way to start a conversation about their own history!

Or even better - give them a senior membership for only $25! They can come to lectures, see new exhibits and enjoy walking tours!

Photo from our collection showing a bake sale in the late 1900s.

Only a few more spots available for our Walking Tour at the Rosehill Cemetery! Grab yours before it’s too late! Free for...
09/10/2026

Only a few more spots available for our Walking Tour at the Rosehill Cemetery! Grab yours before it’s too late!

Free for Museum Members, $10 for Non-Members

Join us for a guided walk through Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago. Rosehill, Chicago’s largest cemetery, opened in 1859 and is the final resting place of almost 200,000 people. We’ll see the graves of several Wilmette residents and learn more about them as we also explore other notable memorials.

The 🔗 is in the bio to get your ticket today!

https://wilmettehistory.org/event/rosehill-cemetery-walking-tour/

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by our table at the Wilmette Block Party! 🎉One of our activities challenged fa...
09/10/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by our table at the Wilmette Block Party! 🎉

One of our activities challenged families to guess the prices of food items from a 1941 Van Deusen’s Market ad.

Think you can match each item to its 1941 price?

🥛Gallon of Milk
🥚 Dozen Eggs
🧈 Pound of Butter
🥓 Pound of Bacon
🍪 Salerno Butter Cookies

15¢
29¢
32¢
35¢
36¢

Drop your guesses in the comments! We’ll share the answers soon.

Address

609 Ridge Road
Wilmette, IL
60091

Opening Hours

Monday 1pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday 1pm - 4:30pm
Wednesday 1pm - 4:30pm
Thursday 1pm - 4:30pm
Sunday 1pm - 4:30pm

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