Historic Elsah Foundation

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Historic Elsah Foundation

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Elsah ... gives us a strong hint of the setting of nineteenth century life along the river. - Elsah: A Historic Guidebook It has served Elsah in many ways.

HEF owns and maintains 37 Mill Street, Farley’s Music Hall. It was a music hall, Knights of Pythias building, Methodist Hall and antique shop. Now it is an important meeting place. Members of the community have family reunions, celebrations of a life gatherings, dinners, wedding receptions, community dances and educational programs. Since its incorporation in 1971, the Historic Elsah Foundation has been sustained mainly by small contributions. Besides providing Farley’s Music Hall as a community resource, HEF has restored two other Elsah buildings, the Village Hall and the Mott Building. In addition, HEF sponsors educational talks and programs, publishes printed material including our newsletter, Elsah History, and supports the publication of books and pamphlets about Elsah and our neighbor, Chautauqua.

09/14/2026

Talk on Frederick Oakes Sylvester: Artist, by Dr. Julie Dunn-Morton, in Elsah, Illinois.

Thursday, September 17, at 7 p.m. at Farley Music Hall, 34 Mill Street, Elsah, a lecture will be presented on Frederick Oakes Sylvester, by Dr. Julie Dunn-Morton, Curator Emerita of Art for the Mercantile Library of St. Louis on the UMSL campus. Dunn-Morton served on the Mercantile Library staff for over two decades.

Frederick Oakes Sylvester was an important local and regional artist for the Mississippi River setting in the St. Louis area. His work has been exhibited locally and nationally, including the at the St. Louis Art Museum. Principia College, where Sylvester taught for many years, has a major Sylvester collection.

This lecture will also be virtually presented. You may register at https://historicelsah.org

The Hosmer-Williams Lecture Series is a major contribution of Historic Elsah Foundation to the understanding of local history. The Series is underwritten, in part, by Liberty Bank of Alton, Illinois, by anonymous donors, and by the membership of Historic Elsah Foundation.

06/15/2026

Architect John C. Guenther will speak on the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on June 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. Mr. Guenther, FAIA, LEED AP, has taught at Washington University, St. Louis, and serves as president of the Society of Architectural Historians, St. Louis Chapter. He has written about The Gateway Arch and Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Mr. Guenther also designed buildings at Principia College in Elsah, continuing the tradition and theme presented by the original architect in the 1930s, Bernard Maybeck. The presentation will be at Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, in Elsah. Refreshments will be served.

This talk is also virtual. Please register at https://historicelsah.org if you wish to attend virtually.

05/09/2026

Excited to announce this Hosmer Williams lecture sponsored by Historic Elsah Foundation.

Cahokia: America’s First City, Thursday, May 14th, 2026, 7pm. Farley’s Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, Elsah. The speaker is Bill Egan. This promises to be a fascinating look at ancient America’s largest metropolis.

The lecture is free and refreshments will be served afterwards.

05/08/2026

Cahokia: America’s First City

Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 7 p.m., Historic Elsah Foundation presents Bill Egan, who will share his expertise on Cahokia Mounds. Egan is from Collinsville, Illinois. He served in the United States Air Force in Vietnam. After a career in industrial battery sales, Egan began volunteering at Cahokia Mounds Historic Site. He was recognized as Outstanding Volunteer of the Year in 2021. The presentation will be at Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, in Elsah. Refreshments will be served.

This presentation will also be available virtually. If you wish to attend virtually, please register at https://historicelsah.org

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. Parking is available. Refreshments will be served following the lecture.

This presentation is one of this year’s Hosmer-Williams Lectures sponsored by Historic Elsah Foundation and underwritten by Liberty Bank: A United Community Bank.

12/05/2025

Come Home to Elsah for the Holidays This Weekend

Take a step back in time this holiday season while strolling the historic streets of Elsah, Illinois, often called the town that time forgot, during Elsah’s annual Home for the Holidays House Tour from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, December 6. For more than 50 years, Historic Elsah Foundation has offered visitors an opportunity to explore inside historic homes and buildings in the village.

Sixteen historic buildings will be open for the event, including private homes, the two room school house, Farley Music Hall, the Elsah Museum, the bed and breakfast inns, churches (Methodist Church pictured above) and villages shops. Tickets for the annual Holiday House Tour are $20 in advance or $25 on the day of the tour. Ticket prices include a tour booklet with a photo and description of each building and a self-guided walk thru the historic village.

https://www.historicelsah.org/tour

11/12/2025

The 1858 Lincoln Douglas Debates in Alton - talk in Elsah

Dr. Erik Alexander, History Professor at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, presents “The 1858 Lincoln Douglas Debates in Alton” on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 7 p.m., at Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, Elsah, Illinois. Dr. Alexander specializes in United States history during the 19th century, particularly party politics leading to the Civil War and Reconstruction.

You may register for watching the presentation online at https://historicelsah.org

11/07/2025

The 1858 Lincoln Douglas Debates in Alton
Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 7 p.m., at Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, Elsah, Illinois

Presentation by Dr. Erik Alexander, History Professor at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Dr. Alexander specializes in United States history during the 19th century, particularly party politics leading to the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Dr. Alexander is completing his book entitled, Revolution Forestalled: Northern Democrats and the Politics of Reconstruction, 1865–1877.

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. Parking is available. Refreshments will be served following the lecture.

This presentation is one of this year’s Hosmer-Williams Lectures sponsored by Historic Elsah Foundation and underwritten by Liberty Bank: A United Community Bank.

09/08/2025

Towboat Stories on the Mississippi, talk by Jeff Ruyle

Jeff Ruyle, Elsah resident, will present, “Towboat Stories on the Mississippi,” on Thursday, September 25, at 7 p.m. at Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, in Elsah. Jeff will share stories from his own experience as a deckhand for 20 years on the Mississippi River.

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. Parking is available. Refreshments will be served following the lecture. The presentation will be streamed live, with registration available on historicelsah.org.

This presentation is one of this year’s Hosmer-Williams Lectures sponsored by Historic Elsah Foundation and underwritten by Liberty Bank: A United Community Bank.

04/02/2025

The Village of Elsah Museum 2025 Photography Contest awards and reception will be held this coming Saturday, April 5 at 3pm. The event is taking place at the Museum, 26 LaSalle Street in Elsah.

The opening day of the Museum season is also on April 5th and doors will be open from 1-4 pm Saturdays and Sundays through October.

You are invited!

03/03/2025

Lewis and Clark in Illinois, talk by Brad Winn, Historian

Brad Winn, Historian, will present a talk, “Lewis and Clark in Illinois,” on Thursday, March 6, at 7 p.m. at Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, in Elsah, Illinois. Illinois was the point of departure for the two-and-half-year journey. The team spent more time in Illinois than any other state except North Dakota.

Winn taught at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois, winning Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member in History and Humanities in 2022. He also served as Superintendent of the Lewis and Clark State Historical Site in Hartford, Illinois.

This talk will be in-person and available virtually.

Register at https://historicelsah.org

This presentation is one of this year’s Hosmer-Williams Lectures sponsored by Historic Elsah Foundation and underwritten by Liberty Bank: A United Community Bank.

Address

37 Mill Street PO Box 117
Elsah, IL
62028

Telephone

+16183741059

Website

http://www.historicelsah.org/

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