Photo of Captain A.Z. Blodgett from the History of the 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 1887. Asiel Z. Blodgett was born at Fort Dearbo...

I have worked in the museum's archives for 21 years and am still making discoveries. Of course, there is always something new to be lea...

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. The first military action of the war was the Confederat...

In 1888, when the Northwestern Military Academy opened in Highland Park, locals thought a boys' military academy would cause problems in...

The historic town of Half Day claims many firsts in the annals of Lake County history—the first post office (1836), the first school (1836) ...

On August 26, 1903, Miss Eleanor McCaskey married Captain Arthur Stewart Conklin at the U.S. Army post at Fort Sheridan. The wedding was b...

The first hero of the Civil War was Colonel Elmer Ellsworth of the Zouave Corps. In the years before the war, Ellsworth was considered...