The circumstances leading up to the greatest battle ever fought in the western hemisphere made July 1st-3rd 1863 some of the most pivotal days in American history. The first shot of the Battle of Gettysburg is credited to Lt. Marcellous Jones, an 8th Illinois Cavalryman who mustered and trained here in St. Charles, IL at the site of Camp Kane (Langum Park today).
Seeking Freedom in St. Charles: The Garner Family Story
Lessons from 1918 Flu Pandemic Visible Today
Over 100 years ago, the world lost approximately 6% of its total population. 100 million individuals were wiped out over the course of one year. The 1918 Influenza, the “Spanish Flu,” remains to this day one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history. The lessons learned from this historical event have helped guide us as we fight a new strain of virus.
Remembering the Ordinary People - and Extraordinary Actions - of the Underground Railroad
From all of us at the St. Charles History Museum, we would like to thank the hundreds of visitors we had at our spring exhibit: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Actions: St. Charles and the Underground Railroad. Our dedicated museum staff spent hundreds of hours researching local connections to the freedom-seeking movement of the mid-1800s.