Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society

06/20/2026

*****************It's almost Petunia Time in Dixon !******************
Be sure to stop by the LCHGS office in Dixon or watch for us to be out and about selling Petunia Festival buttons between now and the 7th ! You'll be entered into a raffle for some great prizes with each purchase !
We'll also be at the Old Settlers' Log Cabin on July 3rd and July 4th from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. We'd love to share information about the cabin and collection and plan to have toys & games from times past for the kids !

06/19/2026

We are excited to be a part of the Dixon Petunia Festival, Inc. again this year and are offering this year's button for sale ! This year, you will also be entered into a raffle for some great prizes with each button purchased ! We have Tom Wadsworth's book, "Distinctive Dixon", Jeff White's book celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Petunia Festival, and local restaurant gift cards.
Stop by the office or catch us at local events between now and July 7th when we do the drawing !

06/11/2026

The Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society will present a program entitled, "Riding the North West Carousel Part II - Winter", detailing the trials and tribulations of working on the railroad in the winter as it went through Dixon, Sterling and Nelson.The program will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 22nd at the LCHGS office at 113 S. Hennepin Avenue in Dixon.
The speaker will be Mike McBride, a well-known expert on the railroads that helped form the history of our area. Mike was born in Dixon and graduated from Dixon High School in 1966. He traveled for a number of years while in the Army, but returned to Dixon to resume his life after serving his country. He worked for the Chicago Northwestern RR, the Chicago Central Pacific RR and the Illinois Central RR.
Mike has authored books on freight cars and has photos in 49 hardcover books, advertising and various magazines. He has wonderful stories of these early years in our history to share. Please come join us. There is no fee and there is ample parking nearby. The office is handicapped accessible. For further information, call 815-284-1134.

06/08/2026

05/30/2026

From the February 24th, 1914 Dixon Evening Telegraph -