Let's Talk Kankakee County History

<p>Dear Francis, &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As you might have heard, I have a gift for you.&nbsp; If there’s anyone I can temporarily trust this dear old farm to, it’s you.&nbsp; I think my grandfather, David Perry and his father-in-law, Thomas Durham would have found you to be a decent owner as well.&nbsp; I don’t expect &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2022/06/20/a-letter-to-francis/" class="more-link">Continue re...

<p>Contributing Author: Robert Sievert Around 1970, my dad took me to Ted&#8217;s Shoes to get me a new pair of shoes. I got the clodhoppers (tan colored boots that went up a bit past your ankle, like work boots). We came out and there was this sawhorse barricade. I wanted to show my dad that &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/teds-shoes/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">...

<p>Transcription by Norma Meier of an oral interview with Laura Marcotte Hamende, March 5, 1981 (Laura Marcotte Hamende, 1887-1982).  Reflections from her wedding day.  &#8220;It was on a Wednesday. It was the 17th of April, 1907. Oh yes, we had Mass &#8211; High Mass. Oh yes, there was a lot of people there. A wedding &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/1907-laura-marcotte-hamende-wedding-in-lerable/" class...

<p>Contributing Author: Ken Ponton My parents, Earl and Florence Ponton, and my brother, Ron and I lived on the E-Z Way Bumps Road in Limestone from the early 1940s until we grew up and moved out. Dad and Mom continued to live there for the remainder of their lives. In early February of 1946, Dad &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/1946-ken-ponton-departmental-school-fire/" class="more-link">Continue reading...

<p>Contributing Author: Ken Ponton In the earlier days of Kankakee County, grocery stores did not exist. When Rivard Grocery Store opened in Bourbonnais, and shortly thereafter Erzingers in  Kankakee, and then The Big Bear on East Court Street, a good selection for grocery shopping became available. My mother worked part-time at Erzingers for several years. &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/1950s-ken-ponto...

<p>As the summer is drawing to a close, I have to face the reality that school is starting again. Although I enjoy school for the most part, it is always a tough first couple weeks getting back into a busier schedule and not sleeping in at least once in awhile. I really hope you have &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/08/24/one-last-time/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">One La...

<p>Kankakee has many beautiful parks, especially along the river. I remember going to Bird Park and feeding the ducks when I was younger. We probably weren&#8217;t supposed to feed them, but they sure enjoyed it! There are quite a few parks here, and I was interested to see what history they entailed. I did not &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/08/20/a-walk-in-the-parks/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span...

<p>The year is 2016. A seemingly normal reader comes across a local museum&#8217;s blog. Intrigued, they start to read, unaware they are entering&#8230;.The Twilight Zone. (Dum dum dum) Okay, so no one is really going to enter this fifth dimension. The Twilight Zone is one of my favorite tv series, and my sister&#8217;s favorite is Supernatural, so &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/who-ya-gonna-call/" clas...

<p>While I was researching different movies filmed in Kankakee County, I also found quite a few actors and actresses that have connections to Kankakee. This post includes actors/actresses who visited, lived, or was born here, and also famous shows that have been performed in Kankakee County. (In Alphabetical Order by Last Name) Buffalo Bill Buffalo Bill brought his show for two performances &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpr...

<p>Kankakee is not famous for their contribution to film. I remember hearing a rumor that Tom Hanks was coming to Momence to film a movie when I was about 6 or 7. At the time I did not know who Tom Hanks was, so I didn&#8217;t know why people cared. There have actually been quite a few movies filmed &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/lights-camera-action/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="scr...

<p>For this post, I thought I would share a little bit about what I do during my time at the museum. Although every day is different (which is one of my favorite things about it!), I have been working on a few big projects. I try to be here most days either from 10-4 or 1-4 on &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/07/23/a-day-in-my-life/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">A Day in M...

<p>&nbsp; When 2016 came we knew it would for sure bring two things: An extra day in February and a presidential election. We see enough comments about the election coming up, so I am not going to say too much on that subject. However, since we just celebrated the 4th of July and the election &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/07/15/presidential-pop-ins/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-rea...

<p>Even though I have lived in Kankakee County for most of my life, I was not familiar with the museum until the past year or so. The first time I walked through the museum was the day of my interview, and I was overwhelmed with how nice everything was! I never realized how much history &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/exhibit-observations/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-te...

<p>Before I start this blog, I just want to take a second to introduce myself. My name is Sadie Witvoet, and I live in Grant Park. I will be a senior at Olivet Nazarene University this upcoming fall, and I’m studying Business Administration and Marketing.  I was so excited to start an internship here at &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/intern-insights/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="scre...

<p>Our beautiful Dr. Small home is being lovingly cleaned and treated this week. Check it out for yourself! It looks brand new, despite being 159 years old!</p>

<p>Chris Nicklas is a local high school student with a passion for history. This summer, we gave him access to one of our uniforms and all the accompanying information. He then traced the uniform&#8217;s history through the past and wrote a report on his findings. A big thank you to Chris for his time and &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/a-close-look-at-the-distant-past-uniform-research-report-by-chris-ni...

<p>Here at the museum we have a wide range of volunteer opportunities. As a small historical museum, we would be lost without the help of our volunteers. From cataloging photographs to working festival events, the possibilities are endless, and we always welcome more help. As a curator spending most of my time in the back, I &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress.com/2014/09/30/insight-from-an-intern/" class="more-link">Conti...

<p>The Kankakee County Museum is looking for Guest Curators for our Virtual Museum. Guest Curators are responsible for choosing a subject relative to Kankakee County, researching and composing a clear interpretation of the material, and providing photos related to their subject. To submit your idea, email the Curator of Exhibits at kateymoore.k3museum@gmail.com Guidelines: Materials must &hellip; <a href="https://kankakeecountymuseum.wordpress...