Archival Collection

The Evanston History Center’s Archival Collection is extensive, providing a thorough overview of the city’s history.

Our archives contain a wealth of materials related to the people and homes of Evanston. With years of experience, our staff is skilled at interpreting primary sources and helping individuals uncover the stories of their families and residences.

These collections are vital for documenting the rich history and growth of Evanston, serving as the foundation for our exhibits and research.

We invite scholars, students, genealogists, filmmakers, journalists, and the general public to explore our Archival Collections, which primarily consist of 2-D materials, including prints, photographs, manuscripts, architectural drawings, books, and other published works.

How to start your research

Contact the archivist, Grace Lehner at glehner@evanstonhistorycenter.org, to learn about how they can help you with research.
Visit the Evanston History Center between 1-4 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday to conduct in-person research. In-person research is $10/visit.
District 65 and District 202 educators receive free admission to the research room during regular hours.
View the Evanston History Center’s digital collections.

Registration

Registration is not required to visit the research room.
Please make sure there hasn’t been a last-minute closure before visiting.
Closures will be posted on our Calendar of Events.
Educators can register in advance by clicking here or simply show up during regular hours and register onsite.
All educators must show their school photo IDs at the door.

What is in our archives

Archival collections documenting many Evanston schools, churches, civic and social organizations, businesses, and residents, including correspondence and organizational records.
Building records, including: house files with city records and real estate listings for every house in Evanston and some commercial structures; Sanborn fire insurance maps; blueprints and plat surveys for many structures; and documentation for historic districts and local landmarks.
Records of the town, village, and city of Evanston, and Ridgeville and Evanston township, from the 1840s to the present
Newspapers, and clipping files from local newspapers, including the Evanston Index, Evanston Press, Evanston News, Daily News, Evanston News-Index, Evanston Review, and Evanston Roundtable.
Books and publications on various subjects, including:
- Evanston history and Evanston authors
- Evanston City Directories from 1879-1963 (some including Rogers Park and other North Shore communities)
- Evanston Telephone Directories from 1926 through the present
- Evanston Architecture
- Family history
- Maps of Evanston and vicinity
Photographs (biographical and subject files), film, videotapes, and DVDs.
Oral history interviews and other audio recordings

Support the Archival Collection

The History Center requires ongoing resources to maintain its collections of objects and documents. This work includes cataloging, storing, and preserving the artifacts, and the specialized activity necessary to make this unique resource available for use in exhibitions, publications, public programs, scholarly research, and loans to other institutions. We encourage you to consider making a financial contribution to help support this important work.

Learn more about visiting the research room >

Interested in donating an item to the Evanston History Center's collection?

The Evanston History Center’s collections are always growing!

The EHC maintains collections that interpret the rich history of the City of Evanston and all its people.

Before an item is accepted into the collection, it is reviewed by curators. Not everything is accepted. Please review our donation criteria. If you think that you have materials to donate to the collection, please contact the EHC about making a donation.

Donation criteria

The Evanston History Center collection is dedicated to Evanston-associated artifacts. Each item contributes to the multi-faceted story of our community and its people.
We carefully screen and curate our incoming donations before accepting the responsibility of their care. Each of the three collection divisions has a distinct curator. Please contact the appropriate person directly.
To offer a donation to the artifact collection, or for general questions, please contact Kris Hartzell, Director of Collections.
To offer a donation to the archives, please contact Grace Lehner, Director of Archives.
To offer a donation to the costume collection, please contact Rachel Jennens, Costume Curator.