A Gateway to Illinois State History

The Illinois Digital Heritage Hub brings together unique digital cultural heritage resources from across Illinois. Explore collections immense in volume and rich in historical detail, including photographs, manuscripts, books, audio recordings, and videos. Established in 2015 by four institutions, the Chicago Public Library, the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois, the Illinois State Library, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, the content of the IDHH is made possible by a network of more than 150 partners from across the state, including dozens of institutions providing content through the Illinois Digital Archives and CARLI Digital Collections.

Illinois History

• Sports

  Illinoisans participating in all kinds of sports throughout the years

• Postcards

  Postcards throughout the ages featuring scenes and people from around Illinois

• Art

  Illinois art collections and the people who enjoy them

• Architecture

  Structures in Illinois that range from historic to modern, commercial to residential, rural to urban

• Century of Progress

  Chicago's second world's fair celebrated the city and the nation's future, 1933-1934

• Cherry Mine Disaster

  1909 deadly mining disaster spurred Illinois to create stronger mine safety legislation

• Civil Rights

  Activism for voting rights, integration, and equal wages

• Civil War

  Illinois' crucial roles in the US Civil War and contributions to the Union army

• Columbian Exposition

  Chicago's first world's fair, hosted in 1892

• Great Chicago Fire

  The 1871 fire that burned over three square miles of Chicago in three nights

• Labor and Industry

  Labor, industry, and organization and advocacy for workers

• Lincoln-Douglas Debates

  1858 debates for a US Senate seat drew national attention for their focus on slavery

• Maps

  Illinois geography, geo-political boundaries, and infrastructure

• Military History

  Documentation of Illinois and its military personnel in national and global conflicts

• Protest Movements

  Historical protest movements with local and national impact

Notable Illinoisans

• Richard J. Daley

  Six-term Mayor of the City of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976 and his family

• George Pullman

  Industrialist who developed the “Pullman Sleeper” railroad sleeping car and founded the company town of Pullman

• Jane Addams

  Social reformer, activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner. "The Mother of Social Work" founded Hull House in 1889

• Frank Lloyd Wright

  Architect and designer whose well-known works include Prairie School houses, the Guggenheim Museum, and his personal estate and studio Taliesin

• Gwendolyn Brooks

  The poet laureate of Illinois, one of the best known US writers, and the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize

• Stephen A. Douglas

  Known for the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Douglas bested Lincoln for a seat in the US Senate

• Ernest Hemingway

  Born and Raised in Oak Park. Journalist and author of "The Sun Also Rises", "The Old Man and the Sea", and his adventurous life

• Mary G. Harris Jones

  Better known as Mother Jones, Irish-born school teacher, seamstress, labor organizer, activist, and self-described "hell-raiser"

• Abraham Lincoln

  The Sixteenth US President who held seats in the Illinois and US Houses of Representatives

• Mary Todd Lincoln

  First Lady of the US, wife of President Lincoln and witness to her husband's assassination

• Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak

  The leader of the Sauk People more widely known as Black Hawk organized several campaigns against the US Military

• Barack Obama

  The 44th President of the United States began his political career as a community organizer in Chicago

Illinois Communities

• Chicago

  Illinois’ largest and North America’s fourth most populous city

• Aurora

  The “City of Lights” is one of Illinois’ most populous

• Naperville

  Home to one of the best-loved public libraries in the U.S.

• Joliet

  Founded on one of the earliest European settlements in Illinois

• Rockford

  Learn about the rich history of the Forest City

• Springfield

  The Home of Lincoln and the Illinois state capitol

• Elgin

  The Jewel of the Midwest has a long history of settlement since the pre-Columbian era

• Peoria

  Peoria is known for museums and one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the U.S.

• Champaign

  Home of Roger Ebert and the University of Illinois flagship campus

Collections by Format

• Images

  An immense collection of images, including posters, postcards, portraits, and paintings

• Text

  A wealth of textual documents, including historical newspapers and clippings, dime novels, and letters

• Audio

  Sounds recordings include interviews and oral histories with civil rights activists, veterans, and scholars

• Physical Objects

  Digitized physical artifacts, such as prehistoric tools and weapons, artwork, clothing, and jewelry

• Video

  Videos include interviews with Illinois veterans, theatrical performances, lectures, historical footage, and more

IDHH Highlights Blog

Check out the IDHH Highlights blog for posts highlighting new contributors and collections as well as items relevant to certain holidays and current or historical events.

IDHH Exhibits Site

Check out the IDHH Exhibits site for digital exhibits that dig into topics important to Illinois History and relevant to current and historical events, featuring items curated from our collections that are immense in volume and rich in historical detail.