Chicago, IL

Chicago History Museum in Chicago

Address: 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614 - MAP
Phone: (312) 642-4600
Web: www.chicagohs.org

The Chicago History Museum is located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on North Clark Street. The museum was founded in 1856 but much of its early collection was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire. Some of the original artifacts lost in the fire include the original Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln.

Since rebuilding, the museum has amassed quite a collection of historical artifacts relevant to Chicago and the nation. Items in the museum's possession include Abraham Lincoln's deathbed and furniture from the room where he died, the clothes he and his wife wore the night of his assassination, the first passenger car to operate on the Chicago 'L' system, and other materials, manuscripts, paintings, sculptures and photos related to Chicago's local history.

The Chicago History Museum also boasts the second largest collection of costumes and textiles in the country with over 50,000 pieces that date from the late 19th Century to present day. The collection is only surpassed by the costume and textile collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.