Mt. Morris Historical Museum finds new home in College Hall

MT. MORRIS – Slowly but surely, the Mt. Morris Historical Museum is moving into its new home.

For decades, the museum was in the basement of Mt. Morris Village Hall, accessible only by appointment or during an election, when voting was occurring across the hall.

“The museum has had an admirable location for a long time, but it’s time to be in a better-quality space,” Howie Herman said. “We now have a newly formed committee – all local folks – who are really working hard to tell the story of Mt. Morris.”

Herman chairs the Mt. Morris Historical Committee, which is under the purview of the Mt. Morris Village Board.

Over the past several months, committee members have worked to move museum items to a space in College Hall – formerly the Kable News building – on the Mt. Morris College Campus.

College Hall, located at 16 S. Wesley Ave., is owned by John Russell. On June 25, the Village Board unanimously approved of renting space on the first floor of the building for $625 per month, with no increase in rent for at least three years.

Village President Phil Labash said having a line item in the budget to support the museum’s first year of development and beyond was a priority for him.

“It’s actually been a goal of mine for a couple years, so I’m excited that it’s actually moving forward,” Labash said.

It’s going to take more than a year to move everything and design all the exhibits, but the first one – a wall telling the story of what Mt. Morris was like from the 1830s through 1870s – opened June 7, Herman said.

It’s a big hit, with several hundred people coming through since it opened, he said. People love the stories and photos, Herman said.

Labash said he was there opening night and has visited with friends almost every week since.

“Every time I go in, I’m excited to see different people learning about the history of Mt. Morris,” he said.

The excitement and enthusiasm from the public is something committee members are incredibly grateful for, Herman said.

“We’re anxious to hear from the public of any ideas of things they think our committee should work on, or any particularly compelling stories they’d like to see us present in the museum,” he said.

The topics to tell and stories to tell are endless.”

—  Howie Herman, chair of the Mt. Morris Historical Committee

Herman credited Kerry Knodle and Spencer Mosner from the Midway Village Museum in Rockford and Edwards Creative Services for their assistance in getting the museum set up.

Mosner, a curator at the Midway Village Museum, and Knodle, a tenured volunteer there, met with committee members and “gave us a lot of tips and pointers,” Herman said.

Edwards Creative Services is a professional museum design company in Milan, Illinois.

“I have to give them a lot of credit,” Herman said of the company. “We did almost all the writing, sourced all the photos and information from history books, but Edwards really took all of that and put it into a professional-grade museum design, and this is what put the polish on our efforts.”

One of the committee’s main goals is to tell local stories with local artifacts, Herman said.

“The early part of Mt. Morris, we have very few artifacts,” he said. “But as the decades go by, we’ll have more tangible things to display.”

The committee hopes to have a second wall exhibit that discusses the final quarter of the 19th century set up sometime next year, followed by an exhibit about the Kable brothers, Herman said.

Twin brothers Harvey and Harry Kable founded the Kable News Co., through which they distributed many of the publications printed at their other business, Kable Brothers Printing.

Other stories the committee hopes to share include how shopping and schools have evolved over time, Herman said. They also plan to include some displays that are changed out once or twice a year with new stories to keep the museum fresh, he said.

“The topics to tell and stories to tell are endless,” Herman said.

If you go

Museum hours

The Mt. Morris Historical Museum is open from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays during the Kable Concert Band performances and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays during the Mt. Morris Jamboree concerts.

Kable Concert Band concerts run through July 31. The Mt. Morris Jamboree events go until Aug. 30.

Once the concerts are over, the Mt. Morris Historical Committee will announce new museum hours, Herman said. It plans to be open one Saturday a month, but those dates and times are not yet set, he said.

ADA accessibility

Currently, the museum is not Americans with Disabilities Act accessible, but it’s working on that, Herman said.

“There are steps when you go into this building, and there is a brand-new lift there, but the state hasn’t quite approved that for use,” he said. “But we will eventually be able to say we’re an accessible building for our purposes.”

Donating to the museum

The Mt. Morris Historical Committee is accepting item and financial donations, Herman said.

To donate financially, send a check to Mt. Morris Village Hall, 105 W. Lincoln St., Mt. Morris, with the envelope and check itself clearly marked as being for the Mt. Morris Historical Committee.

To donate items or ask any questions about the museum, call Herman at 815-499-9107.