Local Archives & Collections - HIS 4990 Senior Seminar in History - Primary Sources

Local archives and collections have a variety of historical material, including primary sources. Many have online resources as well as materials that can only be accessed in person.

Contacting Archives

Visiting a Local Archive or Collection

Many local archives are staffed entirely by volunteers and hours of operation vary widely. Follow these tips to ensure a successful visit.

Call ahead

Find out hours, location, and check for any entrance/research fees.
Explain that you are a college student working on a research paper (and check if they can waive any fees).
Tell the archive volunteers or staff what you are researching.
- They know their collections and can make sure you see everything about your topic.
- Listen to the volunteers and staff of the archives--they may just suggest a fascinating angle on your research.

Understand the photocopy policy

Can materials be photocopied? Is there a cost?

Plan for the unexpected

Allow time in your schedule for the unexpected such as difficult to read hand-written materials or material that you just can't put down.

Aurora University Resources

Aurora University is home to the Schingoethe Center and two archives which may have sources relevant to your research topics. Appointments are required to visit these collections and contact information for each collection is found below.

The Doris K. Colby Memorial Archives
The Doris K. Colby Memorial Archives collects, preserves, makes accessible, and interprets/exhibits materials related to the establishment and operations of Aurora University and George Williams College and their predecessors; the people associated with these institutions; and institutional relationships with surrounding communities, affiliated religious denominations, and national organizations.

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Contact:
Zachary Bishop, Museum Manager
630-844-7845
zbishop@aurora.edu
The Jenks Memorial Collection of Adventual Materials
The Jenks Memorial Collection of Adventual Materials collects, preserves, makes accessible, and interprets materials concerning the Millerite Movement (which preached the imminent return of Jesus Christ to earth [especially his return in 1843-44], based on the biblical interpretation of William Miller [1782-1849]), as well as materials concerning early Adventism and the Advent Christian denomination (one of six denominations to come out of the Millerite movement).

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Contact:
Dr. Susan L. Palmer
630-844-5499
spalmer@aurora.edu
jenks@aurora.edu
Schingoethe Center of Aurora University
The Schingoethe Center is best known for its Native American collection, which spans prehistory to the present. Indigenous cultures from all over North America are represented in the collection with examples from Central and South America as well. The museum also holds a collection of non-Native American art, much of it from local artists. Currently, we have approximately 4,000 pieces in our collection.

The Schingoethe Center holds original historical books no longer in print. Written by white explorers, military personnel, and settlers, these materials describe their impressions of, and encounters with, Native Americans in the nineteenth century. As the vast majority of American Indians left behind no materials written in the English language, white writers' reports and publications, however expurgated and influenced by prevailing notions of race and culture, form a large part of the available primary resource materials pertaining to this subject and period.

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Contact:
630-844-7844
museum@aurora.edu

West Suburbs

Aurora Historical Society
"Documentary materials dating 1830s-present, including letters, legal documents, books, and maps. Photographic collection dates 1850s to the present. Resources cover all aspects of Aurora's history--buildings, people, business, industry, religion, entertainment, etc."
Batavia Historical Society
Collections include: Books, papers, photographs, and museum displays, Circuit Court Records, Civil War Histories, city directories, County census records, and more.
Billy Graham Center Archives
The Archives gathers, preserves and makes available for use unpublished documents on the history of North American nondenominational Protestant efforts to spread the Christian Gospel. Although anyone may come and use the collections, these materials are especially intended as a resource for the evangelistic mission of the church.
DuPage County Historical Museum
The DuPage County Historical Museum holds more than 10,000 images in its photography archive. This collection includes everything from local residents, businesses, schools, events and more. Only a very small percentage of the images in the collections of the Museum archives have been digitized. - See more at: https://dupage.pastperfectonline.com/
First Division Museum at Cantigny
Consisting of the Military Library, the Military Archives, the McCormick Archives and Research Services, the Research Center is open to all seeking knowledge about the 1st Infantry Division and America’s military heritage. The Col. McCormick Research Center is located within the First Division Museum at Cantigny. The Research Center’s Reading Room is open to the public and researchers.
NIU Regional History Center
The Center’s mission is to acquire, preserve, and make available to the public the most significant historical records of the northern Illinois region. The Center actively collect from the eighteen northern counties of Illinois excluding Cook County.
Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures
The Schingoethe Center serves both as the University's museum of Native American culture and as a setting for research and teaching related to the study of cultural artifacts and related texts.
St. Charles Heritage Center
he Heritage Center has the largest amount of records on St. Charles history anywhere, including birth, death, marriage, probate, newspapers, photographs, maps, letters and more. The archives are available for self-research by appointment only.
Theatre Historical Society of America
Located in Elmhurst, IL this historical society collections information about theatres nationwide.

Chicago

Adler Planetarium Collections
The Adler boasts one of the largest and most significant collections of historic scientific instruments in the world. In addition, the collections include rare and modern books, works on paper, photography, paintings, models, and archives.
Archdiocese of Chicago
The archives and records center is the official repository for the records of the Archdiocese of Chicago and acts as a research tool to the Chicago Catholic past. The purpose of the archives is to identify, preserve, and make available Archdiocesan records, which have long term value for local, national and international communities. These primary sources provide unique opportunities to examine our history, celebrate our unity as a Catholic community, and confidently face the future.
Chicago Film Archives
Chicago Film Archives is a regional film archive dedicated to identifying, collecting, preserving and providing access to films that represent the Midwest.
Chicago Collections Consortium
Brings together, connects, digitizes, and preserves the collections of many organizations and institutions, the Consortium seeks to provide a rich and enduring resource on the region's history and culture that is free and easily accessible to all.
Chicago History Museum
The archive contains items related to Chicago history including: 20th-century neighborhood life, community organizations, African American history, ethnic history, women's history, civil rights,religious-centered social action, labor unions, and more. Nonmembers must pay an entrance fee.
Chicago Public Library Archives
The archives include the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature, the Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Other emphasis is on theater in Chicago, Mayor Harold Washington, the American Civil War and the 1893 World’s Fair. An AtoZ list of the archival collections include some finding aids for researchers.
DuSable Museum of African American History
The DuSable Museum of African American History, the first and oldest institution of its kind in the country, has been dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of the history and culture of Africans and Americans of African descent for more than 46 years.
National Archives at Chicago
The National Archives at Chicago has more than 85,000 cubic feet of historical records dating from 1800 to the 1990's, including textual records and non-textual records such as maps and photographs from Federal courts and some 85 Federal agencies in the Midwest.
Pritzker Military Library
Located in Chicago. Open to the public, nonmembers must pay $5 admission fee. Collection includes books; audiovisuals; prints; magazines; letters, journals, and books by Prisoners of War; letters and diaries of American soldiers serving in WWI; and more.
Spertus Jewish Archive
Preserving the Material Culture of the Jewish people is fundamental to the mission of Spertus.
Our collections — of books, films, music, artworks, artifacts, rare antique maps, and archival items — number more than half a million.
The Newberry
A world-renowned independent research library in Chicago, the Newberry offers readers an extensive non-circulating collection of rare books, maps, music, manuscripts, and other printed material spanning six centuries. Its staff provides award-winning service and supports a rich array of programmatic opportunities.

Illinois

Illinois During the Civil War
Collection includes letters, diaries and reminiscences of Union soldiers, as well as important documents, images, and other resources from the home front.
Illinois During the Gilded Age
Presents primary source materials which shed light on major themes in this period's society, politics, and culture. Includes sources on Pullman Strike; Ida B. Wells; American Populism; Haymarket Bomb; Frances Willard.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
Since neither Lincoln nor Douglas wrote down the complete text of their speeches, citizens relied on newspaper accounts. In general, newspapers at that time were expressly party-affiliated, so accounts differed based upon which candidate the reporter was rooting for. It is interesting to examine these debates by comparing the texts offered by Republican (R) and Democratic (D) newspapers.