If you are new to Huntley or have been a long-time resident for a while, there is still a lot to learn about a town and its culture. Huntley is home to a number of museums that offer educational and historical information to visitors. If you are looking to brush up on your history, look no further than these museums either in or not far from the town of Huntley, Illinois.
The Huntley Historical Society
If you are looking to learn a little more about the humble beginnings of the town of Huntley,come and visit The Huntley Historical Society. The Society’s mission is to preserve and promote the town’s history through educating its visitors and surrounding citizens and engaging in community activities. To get involved, you can contact the board for membership opportunities and to learn more about local events. The more people that are interested in learning about the town’s history, the more events that the Society will be able to host and benefit from.
Lake in the Hills Historical Society
If you are looking to uncover some local history about Village of Lake in the Hills, then Lake in the Hills Historical Society can help. Its mission is to preserve and perpetuate the history of Village of Lake in the Hills, a community of settlers that came and converted the barren prairies to prosperous farmland. The Society also works to collect more information and date about the first settlers and promote true curiosity about this town’s unique, local history. You can tell the citizens that keep this Society growing have a true passion for preserving this slice of local origin and history. Visit the preserved Ford School or make a donation so that the Society may continue its preservation and education efforts long into the future.
Illinois Railway Museum
This museum located in Union, Illinois, which is not far from Huntley. It is known as the Museum in Motion because it is home to a number of pieces of railway transportation equipment. The museum’s mission is to educate visitors about the nation’s railroad and railway history. The neat thing about this museum is that it was all made possible through the hard work of volunteers that are very passionate about preserving this history. At one point, the railroad industry was the largest private employer. Additionally, the Illinois Railway Museum is a non-profit and runs entirely off of donations and revenue derived from ticket and on-site sales. The museum is composed of many different departments run by volunteer curators. These departments include the following: Electric Car, Steam, Diesel, Building & Ground, Track & Signal, and many more. Whatever age you are, as long as you enjoy the beauty of the railroad industry, there will be something here at the museum that will grab your attention.
Huntley is home to these three very unique museums; however, there are more museums to explore with Huntley being only one hour outside the heart of Chicago. If you would like more suggestions on interesting museums to explore around Huntley or in the greater Chicago area, please reach out to me via phone or email and I would be delighted to respond.