This year, the Aurora Historical Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving Aurora’s rich heritage, is celebrating its 120th anniversary, Saturday, Oct. 3, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. the Historical Society will hold its Fall fundraising banquet at the Aurora Country Club, 1548 Prairie St., Aurora. This year’s banquet,
The Aurora Historical Society will hold its 59th annual Independence Day celebration on the grounds of its Tanner House Museum, corner of Oak Avenue and Cedar Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 4. This is a free, family-oriented event. As the Nation celebrates its 250th birthday, the
The Aurora Historical Society’s historic Tanner House Museum is now festively decorated for the holiday season and ready for guests. Every room in the 1857 home is decked out in seasonal finery. Most rooms have a Christmas tree, including the formal parlor, which boasts a 12-foot tree. The house will
The Aurora Historical Society exhibit, “Poster Art of the World Wars,” the exhibit features more than 25 colorful, lithographed patriotic posters from World War I and World War II. The exhibit, in honor of Veterans Day, is featured in the first floor gallery of the David L. Pierce Art &
One-hundred years ago, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the classic novel of the Jazz Age, was released. In honor of that anniversary, the Aurora Historical Society is celebrating with a 1920s-themed fundraiser from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 Aurora Country Club, 1548 Prairie Street, Aurora. Guests
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, I hope everyone enjoyed the Fourth of July weekend, which is traditionally a time spent with family and friends, often including cookouts, parades, and fireworks. As we start the final part of North Avenue in Aurora’s history, I hope you have enjoyed the memories so
In a nod to election season, “Buttons, Banners and Ballots” is an exhibit featured at the Aurora Historical Society’s Pierce Art and History Center. The public is invited to the show at the center, 20 E. Downer Place in Aurora. Admission and parking are free. The exhibit runs to Nov.
The Aurora Historical Society’s newest exhibit is now open. “Buttons, Banners, and Ballots: Political Memorabilia of the Past,” includes political buttons, signs, images, commemorative memorabilia, and more, from the 1860s to the 2000s. Items from both local and national elections are included. The exhibit, which will run through Saturday, Nov.
By Al Benson Dolores Theodore of Aurora, a Burlington Railroad queen in 1959, was in the spotlight again Sunday, July 28. Theodore was among 70 guests at an Aurora Historical Society (AHS) banquet saluting the Burlington Railroad’s 175th anniversary at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora. After John Jaros, AHS executive
The Aurora Historical Society is celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Burlington Railroad with a special exhibit at its downtown museum and a banquet at the roundhouse. The exhibit is currently at the David L. Pierce Art & History Center, 20 E. Downer in downtown Aurora. It features dozens of
Aurora Historical Society will hold a Burlington Railroad 175th anniversary banquet program from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 28, at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway in Aurora. The public is invited. Admission by July 16 is $75 for AHS members, $85 for nonmembers; after July 16, admission
Those attending can explore the history of Aurora and the Burlington Railroad with an Aurora Historical Society exhibit, “Celebrating 175 Years, 1849-2024,” through August 17 at the Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place in Aurora. The public is invited. Admission is free. Artifacts include photos, a handcar,
Mary Clark Ormond continues to be a history-maker as the third recipient of the Aurora Historical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Having retired from the Society’s Board of trustees in 2023, the Board recently recognized Mary for the impact she made not only at the organization but Aurora at-large through the
A visit with the animals is a treat for kids at the Aurora Historical Society Tanner House independence Day celebration Tuesday, July 4.
Dr. James Varney is a retired educator who spent nearly five decades working with students from preschool through master’s degree candidates. He served as principal at several Aurora schools and directed the Partnership School for fourth and fifth graders at Aurora University. Varney taught both undergraduate and graduate students at
Hours of the 1857 Tanner House Museum, 304 Oak Avenue, Aurora, will resume May 28 and tours will be offered every Sunday afternoon of the Summer through September 3. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated. Hours for the 45-minute tours are 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.. President of the
A touchstone of the arts in Aurora, Nancy Smith Hopp left us March 23, 2023 with the same unassuming grace she showed in all she did in Aurora. And, she did a great amount. As a historian, biographer, connoisseur of art and architecture, philanthropist, executive, trustee, conservationist, gardener, mentor, and
The Aurora Historical Society is adding a series of five talks by Aurora-area art experts to the Spring exhibit on display at the Pierce Art and History Center at 20 E. Downer Place in Aurora. Entitled Aurora’s Own Ruth Van Sickle Ford, the show features more than 30 watercolors by
More than 100 Aurora Historical Society members and guests turned out Friday, March 3 to preview an exhibit paying homage to famed Aurora artist Ruth Van Sickle Ford (1897-1995). “Aurora’s Own Ruth Ford,” an exhibit of approximately 35 Ford paintings loaned by local collectors, will run through May 13 at
The life and work of artist and educator Ruth Van Sickle Ford (1897-1989) is the subject of the Spring exhibit at the Aurora Historical Society (AHS). “Aurora’s Own Ruth Van Sickle Ford” will present her life story from her earliest days as the daughter of restaurateurs in Aurora to her
