About Us

What We Do

About Washington Historical Society

The mission of the Washington Historical Society is to preserve Washington’s rich history and share it with current and future generations via education, activities, and community outreach. We are currently restoring our new office building at 128 Washington Square and hope that work will be finished so that we can open our archives to the public for research by the end of 2021. We are a tax-exempt organization that is sustained by our members and others who make donations of time and money. Most events are free and open to the public.

Activities of the WHS include sending volunteers to teach local history in our schools via the “Trunks & Treasures” program, partnering with the Washington Park District for Geo-cashing fun, honoring someone that has spent part of childhood growing up in Washington with our prestigious Roots Award, hosting a May Day event, and other community outreach and events that change slightly from year to year. We also encourage you to look for the “Lincoln walked footsteps” around Washington to see where Abraham Lincoln walked in Washington, Illinois.

Click here for a brief history of the Washington Historical Society

Please consider becoming a member today or make a donation to our organizations so we can continue to offer this historical education to the community. It’s because of generous donors that the WHS can thrive!

Board of Directors

President

bawardinc@comcast.net

Patricia Wagner

Vice President

patriciawagner1963@gmail.com

Sue Freeberg

Secretary

Jennifer Essig

Treasurer

jennifer.essig@alvarinc.com

Julie Smith

Education Committee Chair

j.ellen1226@hotmail.com

Judy Gross

Chair of Displays Committee
grossjudy5@hotmail.com

John Stromberger

Chair of Archiving & Collections
washingtonhsarchivist@gmail.com

Kit Zinser

At-Large Board Member

zinserkit@gmail.com

Melissa Heil

Executive Director
mbheil@mtco.com