Evanston History Center

Proud new addition to the Evanston History Center's permanent collection: the "Proud to Be" community garland, made by Evanston Pride and the Evanston community in 2021.

Thanks to Jackson Adams co-founder of Evanston Pride, Sarah Barton (both pictured here), and to all who came out for our cafe conversation this afternoon!

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The Evanston History at The Charles Gates Dawes House is proud to be a Blue Star Museum. Through this progrm, we provide FREE admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families from May 16 to September 7, 2026.

Museum hours are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1-4pm. Pre-registration is not necessary.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the and

Happy Pride Month Evanston! Our June Curiosity Cafe is Wednesday, June 10 at 12pm and the topic will be 🏳️‍🌈 Q***r History in Evanston.

We will share and honor the stories of Phyllis Jean Athey and Mary Jo Osterman, a le***an couple who founded Kinheart Inc. Women’s Center in Evanston in 1982. Together Mary Jo and Phylis fought against the homophobia engrained in organized religion (Phyllis was denied ordination in the United Methodist Church because she was a le***an). Kinheart, Inc. was radically committed "to creating womanspace and to engaging in and enabling social change.” It offered monthly calendars of events for women only, all people, q***r people, and le***ans only.

Moving forward into the 2020s, we will be joined by Evanston Pride co-founder Jackson Adams, who will talk about the beginnings of that organization and other current LGBTQ+ community spaces in Evanston.

Join us to listen, to share, or both. Coffee and tea will be provided. Free, no RSVP needed. Everyone is welcome! We especially invite anyone who may have attended programs at Kinheart.

🌼 June 10 12pm Free lunchtime cafe conversation on Q***r History and LGBTQ+ community spaces in Evanston. Come to listen or to share your stories; we'll provide coffee and tea.

🌼 June 20 11am Walking Tour: Brick by Brick, an exploration of the beautiful materials that compose Evanston’s remarkable architecture. $15-$20

🌼 POSTPONED. NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY Nuestras Historias en Evanston/Our Stories in Evanston. Storysharing by Latino neighbors building home and community in Evanston. With Free.

Tickets, RSVP, and more info via link in bio

May is Asian American Heritage Month, and we honor and celebrate Evanstonians of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage throughout our City's history, and today.

One Asian American with an intriguing history was Kuo-chen Wu (1903-1984), who arrived in Evanston from China in 1953 with his wife Hsiu-hwei, known as Edith. K. C., as he was known here, had served with Chiang Kai-Shek and held a number of high profile positions in the Chinese Nationalist Party. When the party had fled to Taiwan after the Communist takeover of mainland China, Wu served as governor of the island. He disagreed with Chiang Kai-Shek’s shift toward authoritarian rule, was the target of an assassination attempt, and immigrated to the United States.

You can read the full story of the Wu family, including K.C's son, Sherman, who attended Evanston Township High School and Northwestern University, where his racial exclusion from the Psi Upsilon fraternity was chronicled in the Pete Seeger song "The Ballad of Sherman Wu," here: https://evanstonhistorycenter.org/kcwu/

Today, Evanston ASPA a local ASPA (Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander American)-led organization, "provide(s) resources and support for the local Asian American community, and increase(s) the visibility and representation of the Asian American diaspora in civic, cultural and community spaces through the arts." More stories of Evanstonians of Asian descent can be found in their Placemaking Project.

Thank you Katie Tucker Trippi for a meaningful presentation on the history of Camp Echo! Her engaging talk wove so many topics-including industrialization, polio, and logging-into the chronicle of this summer camp community.

Curiosity Cafes happen the second Wednesday of the month at 12noon at the Evanston History Center.

All are free, coffee and tea are provided, and you are welcome to bring your lunch. No rsvp needed.

Upcoming topics and dates:

🏳️‍🌈 June 10: Q***r History in Evanston: The Kinhearts and the founding of Evanston Pride

♿️ July 8: Disability Advocacy in Evanston, the founding of

⚓️ Great Lakes Sailing History with of the

Walking Tour season is almost here!
Our first four tours will be concentrated in South East Evanston. Seven more tours- in Lakeshore Historic, Ridge Historic, and North Evanston- will run from August-October and can be found on our website.

90 minute tours led by historians are $15-20. Tickets and information via link in bio or Evanston History Center website.

Come on out and walk with us!

Older Chicagoland homes were built to solve the problems of yesterday, but what do they need to thrive today?

Join for an engaging look at ➡️ Chicago-area home history
➡️ Solutions for homeowners of older buildings

What was the reason for common original designs such as radiators under windows, galvanized pipe, and basements? 🪟

How can the average homeowner address the challenges that these same features create today?

We’ll focus on what YOU, the average homeowner, can realistically do to preserve the character of older homes while improving comfort and efficiency.

With Vicki Parker and Cornelius Muszczynski in partnership with American Vintage Home Community Education Series.

FREE. Please RSVP via link in bio.