St Charles History Museum

Stopped by the St. Charles Heritage Center this afternoon and checked out the museum and store. Pretty cool! Lots of history in a compact space, but well documented. Gives you a deeper appreciation of how the Fox Valley has changed in the last 150 years — from American Indian paradise to new frontier for folks from Vermont and Massachusetts to industrial powerhouse to cultural destination for folks all around. Check it out — highly recommended!
TIP: They have lots of well-​priced St. Charles souvenirs in the store!

This is a small one room museum on the history of St. Charles. They really need some more space; they’re set up in an old gas station. One enters through the gift shop; there is a timeline set up that one follows through the room, with several standalone glass cases, and a few cases shoved up against the walls behind the railing showing the timeline.
A few costumes (half a dozen) are featured, including a reproduction Civil War uniform and some authentic World War 1 uniforms, a flapper dress and a dress Miss USA 1977 wore during her reign. Standout pieces include an old dentist’s chair with various items from a dental office and a beautiful woven cane baby carriage with beautiful lace trim on the canopy. Do spend a minute to stop at the tiny pickle display to read about how St. Charles was the Pickle Capital of the World, even though no pickles were ever made there. There’s also some very nice cut glass in a small display. A couple of pianos and a traveling trunk are jammed into the foyer. When there are visitors they turn on several different documentaries; one, from WTTW, includes a fairly interesting bit on Garfield Farm down the road on the 38.
There’s a lot of information jammed in here, and I came away with an appreciation for all the various industries that once called St. Charles home, but not a good overall picture. They just need more space. Still, donations are voluntary only, they’re not getting any support from the city, and they’re only asking for two bucks.

This museum is just great! They have an enormous amount of historical artifacts. The museum is well put together and the staff is really great. Natalie runs a junior program as well as a book club at the library. Julie oversees the Fall Cemetery Walk as well as the museum. They sell some really great things: Christmas ornaments dated by the year, cookbooks, postcards, coasters, maps, blankets, etc. If you are interested in history this is the place to come. If they can’t meet your needs they will direct you to someone who can!