Museum Collecting Stories, Photos To Preserve Coronavirus History

ST. CHARLES, IL — The St. Charles History Museum is calling on residents to share what they’ve experienced during the coronavirus pandemic as part of its new “Save Our History” COVID-19 Community Collection and Fund. The initiative also seeks to raise money to support the museum during its temporary shutdown as Illinois residents remain under stay-at-home orders.

Through a page on the museum’s website, residents and business owners can submit stories and photos showing how they’ve adapted their lifestyles, or how the outbreak has affected their lives, according to a news release.

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Museum officials are planning to create a display of signs and messages gathered from residents that pay tribute to essential workers and “those affected by the historic pandemic,” the release states. The display will be placed in one of the museum’s exterior display windows so that it is visible from Main Street, and it will also be featured on the museum’s social media accounts, according to the release.

“We have already seen a tremendous outpouring of support in our community, not just for our museum, but for our neighbors all around St. Charles,” Museum Board President Mike Corbett said in the release. “We hope that through this display, we can capture that generosity and community spirit and contribute something back to St. Charles.”

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Museum officials are also asking for monetary donations to help sustain the facility’s operations, the release states. Donors will be recognized as part of the display and on the museum’s website.

“There is no understating the historical significance of the times we are living through now,” said Lindsay Judd, the museum’s executive director. “But we want to show future generations how our city was able to rally and help each other during such extraordinary circumstances.”

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