Elgin History Museum

The Elgin History Museum tells the story of the Fox River city from Old Main, a three-story brick and limestone Greek Revival building finished in 1856 as a private academy at 360 Park Street. The Elgin Area Historical Society, founded in 1961, leased the building from the city in 1981 for $1 a year and raised the money to restore it after a 1978 fire. The permanent exhibits run from the Gifford family’s log cabin through the railroad boom to the Elgin National Watch Company, which made pocket watches here for a century, and on to the Elgin Road Race and the city’s immigrant communities.

What to know

• Old Main was built in 1856 as a private school; the city leases the building to the Elgin Area Historical Society for $1 a year.
• Adult admission is $5; children under 18, teachers with ID and members are free.
• Exhibits include the Elgin National Watch Company, the Elgin Road Race and a model log cabin, with two levels of scavenger hunt for kids.
• The back entrance is mobility accessible and an elevator reaches all three floors.
• The museum runs a fall Cemetery Walk at Bluff City Cemetery and a classic car show, and the store sells Elgin watch books and local history titles.