Exhibits

Every object has a story. The best stories are those that help us understand ourselves. This exhibit looks to objects - some at the History Center, while others are found throughout the county - to tell us stories.

Click the image below to visit the online exhibit.

The exhibit has four themes, "Daily Life, Change, Special Events and  Government." It was a challenge to pick the objects for this exhibit. As part of the process we asked:

• "Which objects tell great stories?"
• "Which ones tell stories you don't expect?
• "Which have hidden stories?"
• "Which objects mean different things to different people?"
• "Which pieces mean something different today to when they were originally created?"

These questions were not confined to objects at the History Center. We reached out to other history groups, as well as considered National Landmarks throughout the County.

Here is one example of an object featured in the exhibit: In the special event section of "History of DeKalb County in 100 objects"; we highlight sheet music from the Gualano Brothers, who lived in Sycamore. Wes Carr, a 2019 Mandolin Champion, recorded these two pieces - Waterman Hall Waltz and the DeKalb Polka.

The songs were composed in around 1894-1895 and have most likely not been heard in over 100 years. To learn more about Wes Carr, visit his website: www.rwcarr.com.

Join the friendly competition to identify the historically significant "objects" in
DeKalb County, IL

The "PLUS ONE" Winner

Winning Object: Farm Bureau Mural

Champion Announcement

Winning Object Champion: Dairy Joy Drive In