Lost Wilmette
Through 2023
First Floor
This reprisal of the exhibition from 2009 (originally on display on the lower level) looks at some of the historic buildings that have been demolished. We revisit these structures with more images, artifacts, and stories.
This updated Lost Wilmette also includes new material on the historic preservation “wins” in the village, and offers ways for how you may be able to safeguard historic buildings in Wilmette.
Ritual & Regalia: Societies with Secrets
Through March 2024
Lower Level
Fraternal societies flourished in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, offering ordinary citizens membership in secretive, mystical brotherhoods.
Created by the museum’s Costume Curator, Jane Textor, this exhibit educates visitors about Wilmette’s fascinating history of local participation in secret societies and fraternal organizations including the Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and more!
From Settlement to Suburb
Ongoing
First Floor
On the first floor is this exhibit about the people who settled Gross Point and Wilmette in the 19th century.
Among the rare artifacts on display are the medicine bag (complete with vials!) of the Village’s first doctor, Byron Stolp, the surveyor’s compass used to lay out Wilmette’s first streets, and a phrase-book that Gross Point’s German immigrants used to help them make their way across America.
Native Americans on the North Shore
Ongoing
First Floor
Before 19th century treaties forced them to relocate, there were Native American communities in the Wilmette area for more than 10,000 years. On display are examples of their finely crafted stone tools and ceramic objects, including the haunting “effigy head,” one of the oldest and most famous artifacts in our collection.
Don’t miss a chance to see locally made objects that are thousands of years old!
Wilmette Stories
Ongoing
First Floor
The Gross Point Village Hall’s former fire station bay features stories that help to illuminate the special character of our community and its people.
We begin with the tale of the Ouilmettes, from whom the Village got its name, and continue with tales about the controversial saloons of old Gross Point, “Made in Wilmette” stories, the long battle over “No Man’s Land,” the story behind Wilmette’s miles of brick streets, and the creation of beloved Roemer Park.
Adding to the exhibit are two special paintings created for the Village by local artist George Lusk in 1934. These enormous murals of Wilmette scenes—each painting is fourteen feet long—were out of public view for many years and are now proudly on display.
Local Legends
Ongoing
Lower Level
This corridor exhibit on the Museum’s lower level features a selection of celebrities who have called Wilmette their home. Pictures and stories illuminate the local lives of such accomplished hometown favorites as Bobbi Brown, Jens Jensen, Bill Murray and many others.
Historic Gross Point Jail
Ongoing
Lower Level
The Gross Point Village Hall had it all: clerk’s office, fire department, and police department—including four jail cells. Thanks to this restoration you can find out how it felt to be locked up in one of the gloomy old basement cells. (Kids of all ages love this exhibit!)
In the adjoining cell, Early Policing in Wilmette and Gross Point features antique equipment like handcuffs and a billy club.