The Ogle County Historical Society

The Ogle County Historical Society The Ogle County Historical Society began in 1954 as a project of the Ogle County Federation of Women The Nash Home and Museum opened in 1962. to 6:00 p.m. O.

It was the home of the Chester Nash family and was built in 1878 of Midwestern prairie-type architecture; square, with long porches and high ceilings. Chester's daughter, Miss Ruby Nash, taught school for 50 years from 1891 to 1941. Nash School, now Nash Recreation Center, was named after her. The Nash Home/Museum is furnished with artifacts from all over Ogle County and from the earliest settlers

to present day. In addition to the Nash Home we have an annex building which contains more displays as well as our research and office area. Open for groups and by appointment. Genealogical research from 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. For help with research e-mail: [email protected] or send inquiries to: P. Box 183 Oregon, Illinois, 61061. Monthly Meetings:
Every 4th Monday at 6:30 pm with the exception of December. Annual Potluck instead in August. Come visit us! Tours are available for individuals and groups. Call 815 732 7475 and leave us a message. Someone will return the call as soon as possible. We welcome volunteers and new members at any level of participation. Donations are also greatly appreciated.

05/17/2026

St. Paul's Lutheran Church - Oregon, Illinois - Pencil Sketch by Erwin Weber, 1975.

Established in 1848, the Oregon congregation was also an early and important parish of the Northern Illinois Synod. The Lutheran church' first location was on the north section of the courthouse lawn. It was the first church built in Oregon in 1850 and would serve until the new church was built in 1893.

This pencil sketch by artist Erwin Weber (1975) shows the church, built in 1893. It is a typical example of the style of building erected by many congregations around the turn of the century.

Pictured is a colorized postcard of the Chicago North Western Railroad Depot which was located on the SW corner of Main ...
05/17/2026

Pictured is a colorized postcard of the Chicago North Western Railroad Depot which was located on the SW corner of Main & Cedar Streets in Rockford, Illinois. Built in the 1880s and torn down in the 1950s, it was one of four depots that rose to prominence in Rockford; the Chicago & North Western, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific (the Milwaukee Road) and the Illinois Central. Railroads were key to Rockford’s rise as a thriving manufacturing and commercial center.

The “Those Were the Days” presenter at the Oregon Depot on Saturday, May 30th at 10:00 am will be Rockford historian, Lynell Cannell. Canell is a Winnebago Boone County Genealogical Society board member, a speaker and docent at Rockford's Ethnic Heritage Museum and a presenter at Rock Valley College's Center for Learning in Retirement. Canell will speak about the Rockford Railroad Convention of 1846, the start of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, the first railroad in Chicago and the first to serve Rockford. She’ll talk about the the completion of the route from Chicago to Freeport in 1853 and the eventual merger with the Chicago & North Western in 1864-65. She’ll talk about its visionary first president, William B. Ogden, the 1st Mayor of Chicago, about the route across northern Illinois, local depots, the earliest locomotives (and where you can still visit the first one!). Canell will show recent photos that will help you recognize parts of its route that you may encounter as you visit the communities of Rockford, Winnebago, and Pecatonica. Canell thinks you’ll want to hear the story about the first railroad, the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad.

For more information about this or other presentations or if you have a depot program topic you’d like to see or present, contact Roger Cain 815-757-9715, Chris Martin 815-742-8471 or Otto Dick 815-440-0639.

The Pioneer: The Little Locomotive That Could

https://www.chicagohistory.org/the-pioneer-the-little-locomotive-that-could/

http://oregondepot.com/

05/16/2026

1936. Jerry Harms crushed the district record for the javelin throw. Jerry threw 182 feet, 6 1/2 inches. Beating the old record by more than 15 feet.

05/16/2026

1981 Tatler. Marching Band at Soldier's Field.

Address

111 N 6th Street
Oregon, IL
61061

Opening Hours

Wednesday 3:30pm - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 1pm

Telephone

+18157327545

Website

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