January - 2018

TELLING OUR STORY

The museum's primary educational mission is to tell the stories of Champaign County. We strive to tell those stories in various ways, including monthly articles curated by our volunteers and staff, our monthly recorded "History Talks," and our oral history collection that allows residents to tell their own stories. These resources are available to the public below.

Breaden Belcher, Museum Manager

Jan 31, 20182 min read

99th Pursuit Squadron

99th Pursuit Squadron at Chanute Air Field Source: Museum of the Grand Prairie, Mahomet, Illinois During World War II, the United States...

418 views

TJ Blakeman

Jan 31, 20182 min read

99th Pursuit Squadron

Breaden Belcher, CCHM Museum Manager During World War II, the United States armed forces were segregated. But this didn’t stop African...

620 views

‘A Desolation for Wandering Cattle and Pigs’: The First U of I Class Encounters the Elephant

Doug Peterson

Jan 30, 20183 min read

‘A Desolation for Wandering Cattle and Pigs’: The First U of I Class Encounters the Elephant

The University of Illinois began with one lone building, which looked out on a wide, open landscape on the southeast corner of University...

207 views

Oral Histories

Our local history is best told by those who lived through it. To that end, the museum has in its collections a series of recorded oral histories told by residents. These recordings were made by museum staff and volunteers and have been digitized from audio cassette recordings. The opinions expressed by the interviewee are those of the subject and are intended for personal or educational purposes.

These recordings are presented in an unedited format and are the copyright of the Champaign County History Museum. Duplication and use without the museum's expressed written permission are prohibited.

History Talks

Each month, we welcome a topical expert to speak on various topics of Champaign County History. These talks are recorded and viewable here.