MHS Membership meeting
2025-03-13 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-10 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-08 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-06-12 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-07-10 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-08-14 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-09-11 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-10-09 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Join us for our monthly membership meetings. Details and special speakers will follow.

MHS Trivia Night
2025-03-29 18:00 - 21:00 | Monee Parks and Recreation Pavilion, 5218 W. Court St, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Monee Historical Society will host
Trivia Night on
Saturday, March 29, 2005 at 6:30 pm.
Do you think you have all the answers?
JOIN US FOR A MULTI-ROUND TRIVIA COMPETITION.
BRING A TEAM OR JOIN ONE HERE. TEAMS OF 4-6 PEOPLE.
6 PM – DOORS OPEN
6:30 PM TRIVIA BEGINS
$25 PER PERSONTICKETS INCLUDE SNACKS, SOFT DRINKS, COFFEE & TEA CASH BAR AVAILABLE
REGISTRATION REQUIRED – SIGN UP BELOW
MONEE PARKS & REC BUILDING 5218 W. COURT ST. MONEE, IL

American History Book Club
2025-04-03 19:00 - 21:00 | IL
John F. Kennedy had long been interested in the topic of political courage, beginning with his senior thesis at Harvard. The thesis, later published as Why England Slept, was a study of the failure of British political leaders in the 1930s to oppose popular resistance to rearming, leaving the country ill-prepared for World War II.
Kennedy’s election to the House in 1946 and the Senate in 1952 gave him personal experience in dealing with the conflicting pressures that legislators face.
When Kennedy took a leave of absence from the Senate in 1954 to recover from back surgery, it gave him the opportunity to study the topic of political courage. The project resulted in the publication of Profiles in Courage, which focuses on the careers of eight United States Senators whom Kennedy felt had shown great courage under enormous pressure from their parties and their constituents.
His own battles with physical pain and his experiences in World War II as a PT boat commander also gave him inspiration. Profiles in Courage, which Kennedy dedicated to his wife Jacqueline Kennedy, received thePulitzer Prize for biography in 1957.
Call for location of event 708-534-8635

Classic Book Club
2025-04-12 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-05-10 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-14 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-07-12 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-08-09 10:30 - 11:30 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a book set in the Jazz Age in New York, first published in 1925 in the United States.
The novel follows a cast of characters living in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The plot revolves primarily around the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his bizarre passion and obsession with the lovely former debutante Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby, considered Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, painting a portrait of the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale about the American Dream.

Classic Book Club
2025-04-12 10:30 - 11:30 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Travel along on the journey with Lemuel Gulliver as he takes you to Lilliput and beyond in this must-read classic tale.

Louis Jolliet: A Solid Path Through Water
2025-04-12 13:00 - 15:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
We are proud to present Jim Healy’s one-man performance that will surely transport you on the perilous journey with Louis Jolliet and Fr. Jacques Marquette. Free event, but registration is required for limited seating. Call 708-534-8635 or e-mail: info@moneehistoricalsociety.com to reserve your seat.

American History Book Club
2025-05-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
From the New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt (now an Apple TV+ series) and in the tradition of Empire of the Summer Moon comes “a vivid account” (The Wall Street Journal) of a forgotten chapter in American history: the deadly confrontation between natives and colonists in Massachusetts in 1704 and the tragic saga that unfolded.
Once it was one of the most infamous events in early American history. Today, it has been nearly forgotten.
In an obscure, two-hundred-year-old museum in a little town in western Massachusetts there stands what once was the most revered relic from the history of early New England: the massive, tomahawk-scarred door that came to symbolize the notorious Deerfield Massacre of 1704. This impregnable barricade—known to early Americans as “The Old Indian Door”—constructed from double-thick planks of Massachusetts oak and studded with hand-wrought iron nails to repel the tomahawk blades wielded by several attacking Native tribes, is the sole surviving artifact from one of the most dramatic moments in colonial American history: In the leap year of 1704, on the cold, snowy night of February 29, hundreds of Indians and their French allies swept down on an isolated frontier outpost to slaughter or capture its inhabitants.
The sacking of Deerfield led to one of the greatest sagas of survival, sacrifice, family, and faith ever told in North America. One hundred and twelve survivors, including their fearless minister, the Reverend John Williams, were captured and forced to march three hundred miles north into enemy territory in Canada. Any captive who faltered or became too weak to continue the journey—including Williams’s own wife—fell under the tomahawk or war club.
Survivors of the march willed themselves to live and endured captivity. Ransomed by the royal governor of Massachusetts, the captives later returned home to Deerfield, rebuilt their town and, for the rest of their lives, told the incredible tale. The memoir of Rev. Williams, The Redeemed Captive, published soon after his liberation, became one of the first bestselling books in American history and remains a literary classic. The Old Indian Door is a touchstone that conjures up one of the most dramatic and inspiring stories of colonial America. Now, in this “immersive and memorable book [and] with his gifts of great storytelling and penetrating insight, James Swanson has given us a compelling account of an unjustly forgotten episode in American history” (Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of And There Was Light).

Kids Butterfly Event
2025-05-03 11:00 - 12:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Flutter on by and learn all about butterflies. Make your own Butterfly Wind Chime!
Registration is required at: www.peotonelibrary.org

American History Book Club
2025-06-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Part 1
An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963 is a 2003 biography of the 35th president of the United States, John F, Kennedy (JFK), who was assassinated in 1963. It was written by Bancroft Prize-winning historian Robert Dallek, a prominent History professor at Boston University. The author is a presidential historian who taught at Columbia University and UCLA prior to accepting his professorial role in Boston, and was the author of nearly two-dozen books. Dallek researched JFK for five years, using National Security Srchives, oral histories, White House tapes, and medical records in his preparations. Dallek contends that historians have underestimated JFK’s achievements, especially in regards to his impressive accomplishments in foreign policy, including his averting nuclear war during the Cuban Missle Crisis and his early steps towards detente with the Soviet Union, which began with his Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of August 5, 1963

Mrs. Furst's Charity Tea at the Rose Garden
2025-06-07 13:00 - 16:00 | IL
Mark your calendar and purchase your tickets early for this very special event. Please call 708-534-8635 for any additional information.
Please note on-line purchase include a small convenience fee.
Purchase tickets below

American History Book Club
2025-07-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Part 2
An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963 is a 2003 biography of the 35th president of the United States, John F, Kennedy (JFK), who was assassinated in 1963. It was written by Bancroft Prize-winning historian Robert Dallek, a prominent History professor at Boston University. The author is a presidential historian who taught at Columbia University and UCLA prior to accepting his professorial role in Boston, and was the author of nearly two-dozen books. Dallek researched JFK for five years, using National Security Srchives, oral histories, White House tapes, and medical records in his preparations. Dallek contends that historians have underestimated JFK’s achievements, especially in regards to his impressive accomplishments in foreign policy, including his averting nuclear war during the Cuban Missle Crisis and his early steps towards detente with the Soviet Union, which began with his Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of August 5, 1963

American History Book Club
2025-08-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
WINNER, 2023 Illinois State Historical Society Russell P. Strange Book of the Year Award!
A territory split by slavery, a state forged for union
Avenues of Transformation traces the surprising path, marked by shame, ambition, and will that led to Illinois’s admission to the Union in 1818. Historian James A. Edstrom guides the reader through this story by associating each stage of the narrative—the original statehood campaign, the passage of Illinois’s statehood-enabling act by Congress, and Illinois’s first constitutional convention—with the primary leaders in each of those episodes. The lives of these men—Daniel Pope Cook, Nathaniel Pope, and Elias Kent Kane—reflect the momentous tangle of politics, slavery, and geography. This history maps the drive for statehood in the conflict between nation and state, in the perpetuation of slavery, and in the sweep of water and commerce. It underscores the ways in which the Prairie State is uniquely intertwined—economically, socially, and politically—with every region of the Union: North, South, East, and West—and captures the compelling moment when Illinois statehood stood ready to more perfectly unify the nation.
This volume is the first full-length book in over a century to describe and analyze Illinois’s admission to the Union. It marks the first time that a historian has analyzed in detail the roll-call votes of the first state constitutional convention, seated evenly by pro- and antislavery delegates. Edstrom’s wit and prose weave a lively narrative of political ambition and human failure. Patiently crafted, Avenues of Transformation will be the first source for readers to turn to for gaining a better understanding of Illinois statehood.

MHS Annual Art Auction & Wine and Cheese Reception
2025-08-09 15:00 - 19:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Join us for our Annual Art Auction & Wine and Cheese Reception.
Stroll the beautiful Creamery building, while enjoying a live musical performance by the Doug Horne Quartet. Sip a glass of wine, enjoy artisian cheeses and charcuterie among friends, old and new. Our silent auction will feature a variety of items, including one-of-a-kind art pieces from local artisians. All while helping to support the on-going mission of the Monee Historical Society.
Tickets include an exclusive MHS wineglass, 2 glasses of wine and light hors d’oeuvres.*
Must be 21 or older to purchase wine tickets.
*Online purchase includes convenience fee

Burnham's Chicago
2025-08-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Join us as we spend a day at the fair. Co-presented with the Peotone Public Library District.

American History Book Club
2025-09-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Doris Kearns Goodwin’s classic life of Lyndon Johnson, who presided over the Great Society, the Vietnam War, and other defining moments the tumultuous 1960s, is a monument in political biography. From the moment the author, then a young woman from Harvard, first encountered President Johnson at a White House dance in the spring of 1967, she became fascinated by the man–his character, his enormous energy and drive, and his manner of wielding these gifts in an endless pursuit of power. As a member of his White House staff, she soon became his personal confidante, and in the years before his death he revealed himself to her as he did to no other.
Widely praised and enormously popular, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream is a work of biography like few others. With uncanny insight and a richly engrossing style, the author renders LBJ in all his vibrant, conflicted humanity.

American History Book Club
2025-10-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Part 1
A deeply researched, superbly crafted biography of America’s most complex president.In Richard Nixon , award-winning biographer John A. Farrell examines the life and legacy of one of America’s most controversial political figures. Beginning in 1946, when young Navy lieutenant ‘Nick’ Nixon returned from the Pacific and set his cap at Congress, Farrell traces how this idealistic dreamer became the ruthless man we remember Nixon as today.Within four years of that first win, Nixon would be a senator; within six, the vice president; and then president. His staff of bright young men devised forward-thinking reforms addressing health care, poverty, civil rights, and protection of the environment. It was a fine legacy, but Nixoncared little for it. He aspired to make his mark on the world stage instead, and his 1972 opening to China was the first great crack in the Cold War.But Nixon had another an America divided and polarised. It was Nixon who launched the McCarthy era, who set South against North,and who spurred the silent majority to despise and distrust the country’s elite. Finally, in August 1974, after two years of the endless intrigue and scandal known as Watergate, Nixon became the only president to resign in disgrace.Richard Nixon is a magisterial portrait of the man who embodied post-war American political cynicism — and was destroyed by it.

kids Book Reading and Craft Workshop
2025-10-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
A ghost who was a quilt?
Float in to hear the story and craft your very own ghost to take home.
Free event, but registration is required.
Space is limited.
Please sign up only for the child/children who will be participating.
Adults do not need to register for this event, but an adult must
accompany children on the day of the workshop.

A Walk Through Time
2025-10-04 12:00 - 13:30 | St. Pauls Cemetery, 5223 W Margaret Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
Take a walk through St. Paul’s Historic, Landmarked Cemetery. Just 2 blocks from the Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery.
Hear the stories of some of the founding settlers, then join us at the Monee Heritage Center for refreshments and genealogical research.
Free event, please RSVP to save your space.
Guided tour begins at St. Paul’s Cemetery: 5323 W. Margaret St., Monee, IL
Ask our expert genealogy researcher for tips on researching your family history. Use one of our laptops or bring your own device.
We’ve got all the ingredients for a hauntingly memorable afternoon.

MHS Veterans History Project
2025-10-28 - 2025-10-30 | Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery, 5210 W Court Street, Monee, IL, 60449, United States
If you or someone you know would like to record an oral history interview, gather and donate a veteran’s original photographs, correspondence, or other materials, please call or e-mail your preference for scheduling times.
Please allow 1 hour for video interviews. Interviews will be held at the Monee Heritage Center at the Creamery
5210 W. Court St., Monee, IL
Videos are property of MHS and will be available for public viewing on the MHS website.
