Glen Ellyn Center for Historical Research

Archives staff

Archives staff

The Glen Ellyn Cen­ter for His­tor­i­cal Research is main­tained by the Archives Com­mit­tee of the Glen Ellyn His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety at 800 N. Main Street in Glen Ellyn for the ben­e­fit of those who are inter­ested in study­ing the his­tory of our Vil­lage. Vis­i­tors will find a vari­ety of mate­ri­als telling the story of Glen Ellyn and its devel­op­ment, includ­ing pho­tos, real estate records, books, and box col­lec­tions of mem­o­ra­bilia, to name a few. Vil­lage res­i­dents can research their house his­to­ries, early Glen Ellyn fam­i­lies and sur­names. Stu­dents and researchers may find a wide range of top­ics such as sub­ur­ban com­mu­nity stud­ies, local gov­ern­ment devel­op­ment and fam­ily life.

The archival col­lec­tions give pri­mary empha­sis to local Glen Ellyn his­tory, but also include mate­r­ial on neigh­bor­ing communities, DuPage County and the Chicagoland area history.

Loca­tion and hours

The Glen Ellyn  Cen­ter for His­tor­i­cal Research is located in the His­tory Cen­ter,  at 800 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn, Illi­nois. The His­tory Cen­ter is just south of Stacy’s Tav­ern Museum. Ample park­ing is available.

Mem­bers of the Archives Com­mit­tee are avail­able for assis­tance every Wednes­day from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. or by appoint­ment. To make an appoint­ment or for gen­eral ques­tions, please e-mail archives@gehs.org or call (630) 790‑9670.

Resources Avail­able

  • Var­ied genealog­i­cal resources such as inter­ment records for For­est Hill Ceme­tery, lin­eage records for early Glen Ellyn families
  • Grow­ing pho­to­graph collection
  • Early bound vol­umes of the Glen Ellyn News
  • Year­books from Glen­bard West High School and Glen­bard South High School
  • Early DuPage County Atlases
  • Glen Ellyn phone books begin­ning in the 1920s
  • Local com­mu­nity his­tory books
  • Real estate records
  • Obit­u­ary file
  • Ver­ti­cal file
  • Map col­lec­tion
  • Peri­od­i­cals
  • Box col­lec­tions
  • Munic­i­pal codes for 1929–1949, 1953 and 1965

Ser­vices

  • Indi­vid­ual search/reference assistance
  • Refer­ral to and net­work­ing with other local his­tory sources
  • Access to archival col­lec­tions, photo pro­cess­ing, com­puter research assistance

Scan­ner Information

User Fees for Large Scan­ner: Mem­bers of the gen­eral pub­lic or GEHS mem­bers may use the scan­ning facil­ity for lim­ited or long term projects. User fees are based on the type and scope of the scan­ning project and begin at the $20 level. Fees for larger and on-going projects are based on a mem­ber­ship in the Glen Digi Cen­ter (GDC).  Fees and annual dues (cal­en­dar year) may apply. Inter­ested par­ties are invited to make an appoint­ment at the His­tory Cen­ter (800 North Main Street) on Wednes­days from 1:30–4 p.m.. To arrange an appoint­ment at a dif­fer­ent time, con­tact the archives via email at archives@gehs.org.

The archive staff is also avail­able to answer phone calls every Wednes­day from 1:30–4 p.m. Call the Cen­ter for His­tor­i­cal Research (the archives) at 630–790-9670.

House Plaquing

The Glen Ellyn His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety has adopted the fol­low­ing cri­te­ria for the recog­ni­tion and plaquing of his­tor­i­cally and/or archi­tec­turally sig­nif­i­cant struc­tures in Glen Ellyn. The word “struc­ture” refers to var­i­ous types of build­ings, e.g., houses, churches, stores and schools.  If you think you’re house is 80 years old, it may qual­ify for a plaque from the Glen Ellyn His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety.  Call 630–790-9670 or email archives@gehs.org for more infor­ma­tion on fees and how to proceed.

Please visit our Plaqued Houses and Build­ings .