Slavery, the Great Migration, Civil Rights and other mileposts are covered in permanent exhibits that have evolved since the 1950s when the museum was founded in an old Bronzeville mansion. Now in stately quarters in Washington Park with an extensive garden, the museum presents temporary exhibits and archival displays. It's named for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a black Haitian-French trader who in 1780 was Chicago's first settler. The main galleries are just off the ninth floor Winter Garden. Also on the ninth floor and on the ground floor are exhibit spaces for books, manuscripts, art and other pieces from the library's collections.
Most visitors head to the substantial genealogical materials.
Others come for the art exhibits of artifacts, photographs, maps, paintings, drawings and writings. And many enjoy concerts of the resident ensemble, the Newberry Consort, which performs music from the library's collections. Lincoln Park , 600-5800 N. Lake Shore Dr., is the largest city park in the United States, covering thousands of acres of lakefront. Soft gravel and parallel paved paths wind through the park, providing routes for bicyclists, joggers and inline skaters. Numerous pedestrian tunnels and bridges make crossing Lake Shore Drive by foot easy and safe.