Illinois State Museum in Springfield Offering Free Admission Aug. 11-12 Through Doors Open Illinois

ISM Location: Springfield

For Immediate Release:

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Museum will be taking part in the Illinois Office of Tourism’s Doors Open Illinois program.  During the weekend of August 11-12, the Museum will offer free admission, giving visitors an opportunity to see the new exhibition Bicentennial and Beyond! The Illinois Legacy Collection. This major exhibition, in celebration of the State’s 200th birthday, features rare and rarely-seen artifacts from the Museum’s 13.5–million-object Illinois Legacy Collection to highlight the dynamic story of Illinois.

Reflecting the fact that the complete story of Illinois goes well beyond the 200 years since statehood, artifacts range from 400-million-year-old fossils to contemporary art. Visitors will see a helmet worn by a World War I soldier; a trunk brought by German immigrants in 1852; a wedding dress made from a father’s parachute; a small sampling of the Museum’s fire arms collection; an Olney albino gray tree squirrel mount; and a portrait miniature done by an itinerant Illinois artist, among many other treasures. Visitors will learn about the featured objects and the fascinating stories behind them.

The Doors Open Illinois program will feature a different region of the state each weekend to celebrate and encourage visitors to learn more about Illinois history and heritage. Regions in the spotlight in the weeks ahead:  Central Illinois, Aug. 11-12; Western Illinois, Aug. 18-19; and Northeastern Illinois, Aug. 25-26. For more information on Doors Open Illinois visit https://www.enjoyillinois.com/illinois-bicentennial/doors-open-illinois

The Illinois State Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.  The Museum is located at 502 South Spring Street in Springfield on the Capitol Complex.  For more information visit www.illinoisstatemuseum.org.

Contact Person: Karen Everingham

Contact Email: karen.everingham@illinois.gov

Contact Phone: 217.782.5949

Release File (pdf): ism-doorsopen.pdf

Release File (doc): ism-doorsopen.docx