ISGS President Candace Marx and Past President Laura Kovarik visited the ISGS Office in Springfield on July 15th. Did you know that the ISGS Office is located inside the Illinois State Archives building? Laura, Candace, and ISGS Office Manager Evelyn Edwards were treated to an exclusive tour of the Archives building by Dr. Dave Joens, Director of the State Archives!
Margaret Cross Norton was the dedicated and well-respected State Archivist who was largely responsible for the design and layout of the current Archives Building, which was completed in 1938. Norton served as Director of the State Archives from 1922 until 1957.
Highlights of the tour included viewing the storage bays, the conference room with its original curtains (where the photo above was taken), and pieces of Cook County court documents damaged in the Great Chicago Fire, that are awaiting restoration! ISGS was also lucky to get a peek at a document that will become a HUGE resource for Will County research- a page from the recently-discovered 1845 State Census for Will County! Senior Conservator Alex Dixon explained the restoration process to the ISGS team.
As a souvenir, the ISGS team received a special booklet commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Illinois State Archives. Thank you to Dave, Rochelle and Alex for the great information, we really enjoyed the tour!
Are you interested in visiting the State Archives? Be sure to visit the Archives page on CyberDriveIllinois to view their collections and plan your trip- appointments are not currently needed! Members, be sure to watch the State Archives "Good To Know" Video on the ISGS website to be prepared for your visit!
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