Long before Troy became a forgotten name on old maps, it was a busy industrial suburb of the growing Village of Oswego, shaped by water, business, and railroads. Its story began in the 1830s, when early entrepreneurs followed settlers into the Oswego area and built one of the earliest dams
Oswego’s Little White School Museum will host a special presentation, “The History of Fermilab,” starting at noon at the museum Saturday, Feb. 7. The museum is at 72 Polk Street, just two blocks from Oswego’s historic downtown business district. Batavia’s Fermilab is the United States’ premier high-energy particle physics laboratory.
Did you know that you—yes, you—are not only essential to making history, but have the opportunity to be a part of it? This winter, Oswego’s Little White School Museum invites you to share your stories with us. Whether your family has lived in Oswego for generations or you just moved
Honor Oswego’s veterans from the Civil War through the 21st Century by visiting the Little White School Museum annual “Remembering our Veterans” special exhibit at the museum, 72 Polk Street (Jackson at Polk), just two blocks from historic downtown Oswego. This is the 21st year the museum has hosted a
Time was, you could catch the interurban trolley at Main and Washington streets in downtown Oswego and, with inexpensive transfers, ride electric lines all the way east to the Atlantic Coast and all the way west to the Mississippi River. That era will be brought to life once again at
As soon as Ruth and Bev Skaggs bought their home in Don L. Dise’s brand new Boulder Hill subdivision in 1956, Bev, a skilled amateur photographer, and his wife began chronicling the development’s progress in both words and pictures. Eventually, Ruth began giving slide lectures on Boulder Hill’s history and
Are you a longtime Oswego resident, or are you new to the Oswegoland community? Either way, you won’t want to miss “Oswegoland Trivia Night” Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Fox Valley Winery, 59 Main Street in the heart of Oswego’s historic downtown business district. Starting at 7 p.m. and for
Ever wonder how Oswego’s downtown business district evolved to become the vibrant collection of shops and offices it is today? Find out when the Oswegoland Heritage Association and the Little White School Museum host “Oswego History Tour – Downtown,” starting at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. All communities evolve and
The Little White School Museum’s first intern, Ronja Schmitz-Weincke, wrapped up her two-month stint as the museum’s first intern in July. The museum internship program was instituted by the Oswegoland Heritage Association Board of Directors early this year. It is being conducted and organized for the heritage association by museum
Between the early 1950s and the early 1980s, the Oswego area underwent a profound change. What had once been primarily a community catering to surrounding farms rapidly changed into a fast-growing Chicago exurb. Children who grew up during that era saw the entire character of northern Kendall County change, literally
When the private Lincoln Highway Association laid out the nation’s first improved coast-to-coast highway, its route from Plainfield to Aurora zigzagged through northeastern Kendall County’s Oswego Township on existing country roads. When plans to pave the highway in the 1920s were being made, Naperville made a strong case to run
This year marks the 175th birthday of Oswego’s iconic Little White School Museum. To celebrate, a new exhibit capturing the historic building’s many lives and changes it has experienced since it was completed in 1850. To kick off the year-long birthday recognition, a new exhibit, “Restoring the Little White School
Honor Oswego’s veterans from the Civil War through the 21st Century by visiting the Little White School Museum annual “Remembering our Veterans” special exhibit at the museum, 72 Polk Street (Jackson at Polk), just two blocks from historic downtown Oswego. This is the 18th year the museum has hosted the
Honor Oswego’s veterans from the Civil War through the 21st Century by visiting the Little White School Museum annual “Remembering our Veterans” special exhibit at the museum, 72 Polk Street (Jackson at Polk), just two blocks from historic downtown Oswego. It will be the 18th year the museum has been
Each Sunday within a few years of its inception in 1954, the Oswego Drag Raceway was drawing three times the village’s total population to the quarter-mile asphalt strip on the Wally Smith farm on U.S. Route 34 a mile and a half west of Oswego. There’s still plenty of time
The Oswegoland Heritage Association, the Oswegoland Park District, and the Little White School Museum are partners to offer two entertaining local history programs in early August. From 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, those 21 and older are invited to the latest “History Happy Hour at Christina’s.” No
The site of the Grove School south of Oswego where the Lucas children (shown above in 1894), members of one of the area’s Black farming families attended classes, will be one of the stops when Oswego’s Little White School Museum hosts “Oswego History Tour – African American Heritage” at noon Sunday, July 7.
Are you a proud quilt owner? If so, why not share your fabric art treasure with the whole community during the 2024 PrairieFest Quilt Show? The show is co-hosted by the Quilters Dozen Quilt Club, the Oswegoland Park District, and the Little White School Museum. Area residents who own heirloom
Oswego’s Little White School Museum and the Oswegoland Heritage Association will start their observance of National Historic Preservation Month at noon Saturday, May 4, with “Lost Oswego,” a chronicle of the loss of some of the Community’s landmarks during the last century- and-a-half. The Museum is at 72 Polk Street,
Sixty years ago, the Oswego area, still overwhelmingly rural, was in the midst of its first major population growth spurt since the settlement era. Those in attendance can find out what it has been like to live through the community’s profound changes since that time when the Little White School
