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The Lansing Historical Museum
Britne Amos In 1975 the Lansing U.S. Bicentennial Commission formed as part of the nation's birthday celebration. A heritage committee also formed to expand the history of the community in a series of programs and exhibits and to leave something of value to the village of Lansing. The Lansing Historical Society was organized a year later. It officially registered with the State of Illinois on February 17, 1976. The society had established a historical exhibit in the First National Bank. The society soon realized that they needed a more permanent location. A museum committee was formed a year-and-a-half later to plan a site for a society. In 1980 after much hard work, dedication, and perseverance, a permanent museum opened on the ground floor of Lansing's new library. The museum was formed to record and preserve area history. The museum is a non-profit organization, and volunteers of the Lansing Historical Society run it. The Lansing Historical Museum houses considerable information in a small space. The information contained is unique. Some of the articles that are displayed in the museum were used in the early 1900s. Some of these items include cookware, tools, and clothing. The museum features foreign money from France and China, a phonograph from the early 1900s, and a display of kitchen utensils from the 1900s to the 1950s. Some of these utensils include brass irons, glass milk bottles, a cast-iron waffle iron, and an enamel coffee pot. Farming tools and household tools are also on display. There is an old, hand-powered washing machine, a bullet mold from the 1800s, and early farming tools. There is also a collection of metal action figures used by children in the early 1930s and a beautiful collection of china dating from the 1830s. Some of the many interesting articles on display are political campaign buttons. Some of the faces include Presidents Lincoln, Taft, Cleveland, Nixon, and Theodore Roosevelt. Other interesting items that the museum contains are dolls that resemble the country's first ladies and women who attended the inaugural. They are dressed to match the woman they represent. Approximately forty-six women are represented. The museum also has a display of birds and animals native to the village of Lansing. There are about seventy-five birds and animals on display. The birds were collected between the years of 1900 and 1950 by Louis Frese, a longtime resident of Lansing. One of the museum's successes has been Lansing's annual Festival of lights. Each Christmas about forty Christmas trees and four Christmas scenes are displayed. The trees are decorated to resemble a Christmas tree of a particular country. This festival alone brings two to three thousand visitors every year. Every year in June the museum puts on a wedding display. Mannequins are dressed in bridal gowns of different periods of time. This display shows the difference in styles and fashions over the last twenty to thirty years. Approximately five thousand people participate in museum activities each year. The museum has a series of activities throughout the year, some of which include family histories, sports, student history projects, craft exhibits and demonstrations, and histories of music, business, and civic organizations. The Lansing Historical Museum has many displays that show Lansing's growth. They also have many artifacts that show just how much times have changed and how lifestyles have improved. The Lansing Historical Museum takes great pride in Lansing and all its achievements. The museum owns records and pictures of Lansing's winning softball teams, Lansing's first public school, a history of the churches in Lansing, and a series of pictures and artifacts on the Lansing airport. The Lansing Historical Museum is a public display of all the great works of Lansing and all its residents.— [From Grace Bazylewski, Lansing Historical Society; student historian's interview with Don Olsen, Oct. 24, 1998; student historian's interview with Maxine Olsen, Oct. 24, 1998; Lansing Centennial Commission, The Laming Centennial Album; Lansing Historical Society, "First Lady Dress/Doll Collection."]
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