This entry includes a walking tour! Take the tour.
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images

The Grand Prairie Story

The Grand Prairie Story

How Long Must Women Wait? Woman Suffrage and Women's Rights in Champaign County

Discovering Home - Wigwam

Discovering Home - Storytelling during Exhibit Opening Event

Champaign County's Lincoln - Simulated Eighth Judicial Circuit Buggy Ride

Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
In turbulent times, it is customary to look to the past for answers. In 1968, Champaign County’s answer to that quest was opening a museum.
The August 8, 1967 issue of The News-Gazette reported on the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, “The most outstanding project by far, is the Early American Museum, now under construction. Early American artifacts and antiques donated by William Redhed, Homer, will be on view in the two-story building and adjoining structure.” By June 16, 1968, that outstanding project was completed and the Early American Museum opened its doors.
For over fifty years the Early American Museum, now the Museum of the Grand Prairie, has been collecting and interpreting the past, telling the stories of the lives of Champaign County’s people, providing fun and stimulating experiences for its audience all in hope of informing current and future generations.
The Museum of the Grand Prairie also offers several virtual exhibits, including the Gray Family Photos archive, an oral history project summarizing the experiences of the East Frisian community of German immigrants, and information from the Doris K. Wylie Hoskins Archive for Cultural Diversity detailing the lasting contributions of African-American women and men to the community.
An extensive amount of information on museum updates, events, and featured museum artifacts can be found on Museum Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. See the links below for more info.
Sources
Museum of the Grand Prairie. May 15th 2020. Accessed May 15th 2020. www.museumofthegrandprairie.org