Joliet Area Historical Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Location | 204 N Ottawa Street Joliet, Illinois |
| Type | Local history |
The Joliet Area Historical Museum is a cool place to learn about history in Joliet, Illinois. It teaches you all about Joliet and the area around it, called Will County.
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Discovering Joliet's Past
The museum is located in an old church building. This church was built in 1909. It was designed by a Joliet architect named G. Julian Barnes.
The museum is also right on historic U.S. Route 66. It has a special "Route 66 Welcome Center." Here, you can explore a permanent exhibit called the "Route 66 Experience." This part of the museum connects to a building next door. This building is now part of Joliet Junior College.
The museum opened in 2002. It was created to help save and share the history of Joliet.
Meet John C. Houbolt
One special part of the museum is an exhibit about John C. Houbolt. He grew up in Joliet and went to Joliet Junior College. John C. Houbolt was a NASA engineer. He came up with the idea for the "lunar orbit rendezvous." This was a super important plan for the U.S. Apollo program. It helped astronauts get to the Moon and back safely. His idea involved using a lunar module to travel between the spaceship orbiting the Moon and the Moon's surface.
The museum is at 204 N. Ottawa Street in central Joliet. You need to pay a small fee to get in.
Exploring the Old Joliet Prison
The museum also helps people explore the famous former Collins Street Prison. This prison was built a long time ago, in 1858.
Since 2018, the museum has offered guided tours of the prison. These tours are popular with people traveling on Route 66 and other visitors. It's a unique way to see a historic landmark.
The Gemini Giant's Journey
The museum was very interested in buying the famous Gemini Giant statue. This giant spaceman is a well-known landmark in Wilmington, IL. It stands outside the Launching Pad Restaurant.
In 2023, the museum tried to buy the restaurant and the Gemini Giant. There were many discussions about the price. The museum wanted to turn the building into a visitor's center and gift shop. They hoped to lease out the restaurant part.
Later, the museum received a large grant. This money helped them. In the end, the museum won an auction for the Gemini Giant itself. They paid $275,000 for the statue. The museum then generously donated the Gemini Giant to the City of Wilmington. This means the giant will stay a public landmark for everyone to enjoy.
