Hamilton County Illinois Historical Society & Genealogy Library

03/14/2025

The first meeting for 2025 of the Hamilton County Historical Society will be on March 25th at Farris Family Restaurant at 7:00. Our speaker will be Angela Mason who wrote Death Rides the Sky. The 100th Anniversary of the Tri-State tornado will be coming up in a few days. If you want to learn about it then come to our meeting. You do not have to be a member. Refreshments will be served.

03/01/2025

As many of you may know, on March 18, 1925, the worst tornado in U.S. history occured. It started in Missouri, went all the way across Southern Illinois, including Hamilton County and into Indiana before finally disappearing. 42 people in Hamilton County lost their lives because of this tornado. The National Weather Service will be holding a Commemoration event in Murphysboro, Illinois on March 15th from 8 AM - 4 PM at Murphysboro High School. All of the Historical Societies along the path of the tornado have been asked to make displays of what happened in their County. They will have numerous speakers all day long and a gym full of memories from that day in 1925. Please consider attending!

11/30/2024

09/06/2024

We want to let everyone know about some members of our community that went above and beyond on Wednesday to help out the Historical Society. Andy Rubenacker, Mike Cunico and Jared Pryer put up our tent and Tom Barker helped there and carried everything down from the museum and unloaded it at the tent. We couldn't have done it without them! We are blessed to have men like this in our community!

09/05/2024

Ok Folks it's that time of year again! We are set up on the Southwest corner of the courthouse. Come out and check out all of our books. We have 9 books on sale for 50% off. We are also having a raffle with great prizes. Get yourself a ticket and you could win a 1 ounce silver bar. Stop by and see us!

08/14/2024

How many of you know that a St. Louis Cardinals player named Ray Blades came from Hamilton County? If you want to hear more about his life, then come to the next meeting of the Historical Society. It will be on August 27th at the Farris Family Restaurant at 7:00 PM. Free Refreshments will be served. You do not have to be a member to attend the meeting! Hope to see you there!

12/08/2023

In 1978, the Historical Society interviewed a lot of people for an Oral History Project. We have these in typed transcripts or on cds...sometimes both. We are offering copies of these for sale. If you are interested in what they had to say about their lives---please contact Donetta Malone at 618-231-7778 for more information. If there is an X next to their name, they have a transcription and a cd.
Mary Ellen Afflack X, Earl Allen, Omar E. (Petie) Allen X, Albert Anselment X, Hazel Auten, Nancy Auxier, John Aydt, Helen Allen, Neva Brooks, Jimmie Biggerstaff, Frank Bonan, Irene Brewster X, Ralph Clark, Dana Darnell, Blanch Dulaney, Estill Drew X, Tony Eckerle, Tom English X, Vada Edwards, Freda English X, Emelia Engel X, Wendell & Emelia, Paul & Ada Friel, Rose Frey X, Christine Frey, Jake Frey X, Olivia Frey, Jasper Goin, Mano Gunter, Kath Goodrich, Mary Gwaltney, Lodge Grant X, Joel Hammonds, Corda Hogan X, Auda Hardesty, Lena Hansman, Catherine Hardesty, Ralph Harrelson X, Lewis Herzing X, Clara & Saraphine Hopfinger X, Rufus Irvin & Clyde Jines, Ovah Jones, Ben Johnson X, Laura Johnson, Nora Ward Johnson, Poems of Emory Lambert, Emma Karcher, Susie Kaughman, Minnie Kirsch X, Marjery Knapp, Beulah Levato, R. W. Linder, Mary Malone, Pearl McCollar, Alve Lasater McGill, Frank McNair X, Margaret Judd McPherson X, Ruth Miller, Julia Mitchell, Julia Hall Moore, Eulah Nance Morgan (dedication), Irene Mundy X, Emelia Nice X, Wayne Pemberton X, Nora Phillips, Felix Poore, Mayme Ross, Dortha Richardson X, Christine Rubenacker X, Ed Rubenacker X, Oscar Sapp, George Schuster, Omus, Clem & Sam Schuster, Clara & Ed Schuster X, Clarence Smith, Jerome Smith X, Omar Smith, Sarah Smith X, Otis Sodders X, Claude Spillman, Ellis Stafford, Fred (Buck) Stull, Lizzie Thomas X, Mabel Trout, Herbert Tucker X, Ralph Upton, Lela Ward & Irene Ward Jack, Lionne Warren X, Andy Wellen, Ben Wellen, Joe Wilson, Anna Wheeler, John (Hub) Wheeler X, Kate Wilson, Mabel Wright, Iva Yoder, Leslie York X, Lawrence Zachman X

11/25/2023

Here is your chance! Stop by the old High School gym on Dec. 2nd for the Christmas Bazaar! We will have 9 books for 50% off! We will also have the 1925 tornado book, the 1955 Centennial book and all of our Bicentennial books! These books would make wonderful Christmas presents!

09/11/2023

The members of the Historical Society would like to praise one of our local teenagers! Today we were struggling to move all the equipment and books back upstairs from our tent and Serenity Smith, daughter of Drew and Rainbo Smith, who was in the library at the time, jumped up and helped us bring things upstairs! I can't tell you how much we appreciated that act of kindness!

09/01/2023

If you have ever wanted to buy some of our books but thought they were too expensive then now is the time!
We will be at the Fall Festival and 9 of our books will be 50% off! If you have been seeing the posting of parts of the 1955 Centennial Times Leader on Hamilton County Talk, then you will be able to pick up your own copy when you buy our hard cover edition.
We are hoping to have the reprint of the 1925 Tornado book back from the printers by the Fall Festival. And of course we will have all of our other books available too. Stop by our tent and say hello!