Thanks to everyone's tireless restoration efforts, The Cedarville Area Historical Society moved into its new home, the 1889 Cedarville School, in May 2005. It is located on Second Street west of Mill Street, at the top of the hill.

Established in 1975, the historical society contains a permanent exhibit about Jane Addams's early years in Cedarville and has many artifacts from the period before she moved to Chicago to establish Hull-House with her friend Ellen Gates Starr. The museum also features a changing exhibit.

Now that the museum is in its new home, it will feature special evening programs this summer. The June program featured Dr. Gordon Dammann, Lena dentist and chairman of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. On Wednesday, July 13 Carole Brtram, well-known local piano teacher, will perform popular music from the turn of the nineteenth century on the Society's old upright piano. Paul Fry of Cedarville, who wrote a biography of his aunt, Mary Fry, a close friend to Jane Addams's family, will speak on Tuesday, August 14. All programs are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling Jim Bade at (815) 563-4485. The cost is $2 for historical society members and $3 for non-members. 60 tickets are available for each program.

Museum hours: Saturday and Sunday from 1:00p.m. to 4:00p.m., May through October.

Free admission, donations are welcome.

Image credit: Contemporary painting by artist Duane Smith.Courtesey of Jim Bade.