We Depend on Your Support

The Glencoe Historical Society is a nonprofit organization supported through membership, contributions to capital and operating funds, and the sales of five publications we wrote about Glencoe.

We need your support to keep the Museum open and to provide the history services offered by the Research Center. Without continued support we can not maintain the public garden in the heart of our downtown.

By joining the Society, making a contribution, or buying one of our publications, you help ensure that the Glencoe Historical Society continues enhance our Village and help those interested in preserving and learning about our history.

Get Involved: Volunteer

The Glencoe Historical is looking for eager, enthusiastic volunteers who would like to join us in the work of running the Eklund History Center and museum.

The historical society has been in existence since 1937 and has been run by volunteers throughout its history. As we become more involved in the community we are looking for those who would like to work a half-day or more a week to help us move forward preserving the Village’s history and heritage:

  • Research Center Volunteer
    Are you interested in mysteries? Weekly (Wednesdays) a group of volunteers meets to keep the archives of the historical society up-to-date. We file and catalogue, but we also are involved in solving history’s mysteries. When someone calls about Indian Trail Trees or a significant person in Glencoe we’re the ones who find the answer to questions by looking things up, delving into old telephone directories or maps. You don’t have to know history to work here; we’ll teach you. But if you like knowing about the beginnings—and even the middle and modern—days of the Village, we’d love to have you join us. The major project right now is organizing the huge photo collection, but if you’d rather read old newspapers for clippings or organize a person’s life using old documents like a jigsaw puzzle, this is for you.
  • Exhibition Aide
    Working with professionals who have mounted exhibits on all sorts of topics, an exhibition aide will be learning how to “see” exhibitions from the bottom up. Begin with planning what the message of the exhibit will be, work to collect the materials needed to tell the story and finally work on putting the clothes on the mannequins, mounting the signage and placing the artifacts artfully. If you like sewing, art, creating dioramas or just dressing up this is a job for you. Meetings are once a week for an afternoon. Right now we’re meeting on Tuesday afternoons but we can be flexible.
  • Shopkeeper
    Always wanted to run a shop but were afraid to try? We have an opportunity to give you experience and fun. The Glencoe Historical Society runs a small shop out of its 375 Park Avenue building. We are looking for a few people willing to help staff the shop and/or help us with inventory and ordering. Choose what is best to sell and order those items, create the front window that features gift items, changing it seasonally; and/or staff the shop for one or more mornings a week. This is a new shop in Glencoe and we’ll need help in publicizing it, talking it up and creating the necessary buzz for sales. We are hoping to make the shop a significant source of revenue for the society’s work and maintenance of the two buildings we own at 375 and 377 Park Avenue. We are looking for a team of people who would like to work together to do this so the work won’t be onerous. This could be the start of a new retail career or just a fun way to indulge your shopping urges.
  • Special Events
    Become a part of an enthusiastic group of volunteers who love planning and running our special events. We have annual events, such as our award-winning Amazing Chase and our July Garden Gala. Each year we choose a new theme and run with it!

    We also have opportunities to help with our educational events, such as our Black History Month discussions, historic talks or other issues that interest the community. You could join for one or many events.