Family history shadowboxes, Midewin Prairie history on tap at Oswego’s Little White School Museum

Mark your calendars now for entertaining and informative history-related programming at Oswego’s Little White School Museum.

At noon on Saturday, Feb. 25, family historians won’t want to miss “Thinking Inside the Box: Display Your Family History in a New and Unique Way,” in the museum’s Roger Matile Room.

Creating a family history shadowbox is fun and easy, and expert Candace Marx will walk participants through the fascinating procedure, step-by-step from gathering supplies, planning a composition, and putting the finishing touches on a unique shadowbox that highlights your participants’ achievements, hobbies, and personality. In addition those who attend will learn some crafting “best practices” and find out about great online resources to get their creativity flowing. Plus, the history behind shadowboxes and displaying treasured items from loved ones will be discussed.

Registration is $5 in advance (recommended to help presenters plan) but walk-ins are always welcome. To register, call the Oswegoland Park District at 630-554-1010 or visit oswegolandparkdistrict.org/.

Then at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 18, enjoy “From War Plants to Prairie Plants: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and the Joliet Arsenal.”

During World War II, thousands of area residents worked at the Joliet Arsenal to manufacture ammunition for the nation’s Armed Forces. Today, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is 26 years into an ambitious 100 year-long program to restore 20,000 acres of the former Joliet Arsenal (1940-1996) to a native tallgrass prairie.

But the history of the Arsenal Era isn’t something to merely glance at in time’s rearview mirror. It represents a pivotal period in the saga of the United States. More than 50 square miles of agricultural land had been transformed in a matter of months into one of the world’s largest explosives and weapons manufacturing and assembly plants. At its peak, the Joliet Arsenal employed more than 20,000 people, many of whom had never before been a part of the workforce. From the tragedy of catastrophic explosions to employee-staged musical reviews, much of our national life through three wars played out at the Joliet Arsenal.

Join Midewin NTP Heritage Program Manager and Archaeologist Joe Wheeler to explore some of those stories.

Registration is $5 per person, either at the door or in advance by calling 630-554-1010, or by visiting the Oswegoland Park District web site at oswegolandparkdistrict.org/.

Programs are hosted by the Oswegoland Heritage Association in partnership with the Oswegoland Park District. The museum is located at 72 Polk Street, just two blocks east of Oswego’s historic downtown business district.

For more information about the Little White School Museum, the Oswegoland Heritage Association, or other museum programming, call 630-554-2999 or visit littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org.