Fairbury Echoes Museum

Fairbury Echoes Museum Fairbury Echoes Museum preserves and presents local historical items from the Fairbury Illinois area.

Several times each year it changes a one-room exhibit to a specific theme but there are four other rooms of permanent displays.

In the 9/6/1912 issue of The Blade newspaper, these two ads are staring at each other on opposing pages. Definitely a p...
05/29/2026

In the 9/6/1912 issue of The Blade newspaper, these two ads are staring at each other on opposing pages. Definitely a period of transportational transition.

Information written on the back of this old unmailed real photo postcard identifies the residence as the "Wilson Kelso h...
05/26/2026

Information written on the back of this old unmailed real photo postcard identifies the residence as the "Wilson Kelso house". We found a 5/3/1907 item in the Blade stating that JK Shook was building an addition to the Wilson Kelso property.

We are putting the final touches on our next exhibit, The 150th Anniversary of the Fairbury Fair. Would you like a phot...
05/26/2026

We are putting the final touches on our next exhibit, The 150th Anniversary of the Fairbury Fair. Would you like a photo of your family at the Fair to be part of the exhibit? Bring (or mail) a 4x6 photo with the year and names of the people in the photo to the museum (126 W Locust St, Fairbury IL 61739). The museum is open Thu-Fri 1:00 to 4:00 and Sat 9:00 to 11:00. If you want your photo returned in the fall, also include your phone number. Alternatively, photos can be e-mailed to [email protected] but just be sure to include the names and year, too.

Found this fun photo at the museum today. It's always great when there are names written on the back!
05/19/2026

Found this fun photo at the museum today. It's always great when there are names written on the back!

We are happy to introduce Mary Ifft as our new Museum Coordinator at Fairbury Echoes Museum. Stop in and say hello. Th...
05/02/2026

We are happy to introduce Mary Ifft as our new Museum Coordinator at Fairbury Echoes Museum. Stop in and say hello. The museum is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 1:00 to 4:00 and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 11:00. There is no admission charge. Four rooms contain permanent displays of local historical items and the fifth room will soon have a summer display celebrating the Fairbury Fair's 150th Anniversary.

Fairbury Echoes Museum congratulates Judy Smith on a job well done in serving as Museum Coordinator for the past 13 year...
04/25/2026

Fairbury Echoes Museum congratulates Judy Smith on a job well done in serving as Museum Coordinator for the past 13 years. Here are pictures of a framed item that will become a permanent part of the museum's displays and one of Museum President Dale Maley presenting Judy with a spring bouquet. We will be introducing our new Museum Coordinator next week.

We are beginning to plan our next exhibit at Fairbury Echoes Museum which will feature the Fairbury Fair in honor of its...
04/09/2026

We are beginning to plan our next exhibit at Fairbury Echoes Museum which will feature the Fairbury Fair in honor of its 150th anniversary. If you have any item that you would like to loan or donate, please get in touch, via our page, phone (815) 692-2191, e-mail [email protected], or stop in and see Diane at Antiques & Uniques of Fairbury (105 W Locust). One thing we will be trying to assemble is a collage of photos featuring families at the fair. Be sure to include the family name, year (& phone number if you want it returned). Thanks!

This is one of our unidentified photos taken at one of Fairbury's early photographers. An eagle-eyed Facebook fan notic...
01/31/2026

This is one of our unidentified photos taken at one of Fairbury's early photographers. An eagle-eyed Facebook fan noticed that the woman is wearing a piece of jewelry that possibly says "Blaine". There are two possible explanations. The presidential election in 1884 had Grover Cleveland defeat James Blaine with Blaine winning the state of Illinois so the jewelry could be related to that election campaign. The other explanation is that her last name is Blaine and this might be Laura McDowell who married Theron Blaine. They had three daughters named Helen (1878-1971), Hortense (1881-1971), and Gladys (1892-1935). Hortense married a man named Koehler. Are there any descendants who might be able to confirm if this is Laura McDowell Blaine or maybe Theron Blaine's mother? Thank you to Abbey Weber Jones for spotting this great clue. We have lots of other unidentified (& many identified) old photos at the museum. Come and take a peek at the past sometime. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: See posts below to the answer as to what her jewelry signified.

Address

126 W Locust Street
Fairbury, IL
61739

Opening Hours

Thursday 1pm - 4pm
Friday 1pm - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 11am

Telephone

+18156922191

Website

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