Des Plaines History Center - Des Plaines, Illinois

Agnieszka Stepinska “Aki”

PHOTOS - You can take photos of exhibits and the Kinder House. You can also actually touch some exhibits.
TIP - Request a private tour of the Kinder House

PRICE - Free

LOCATION - Near downtown Des Plaines

PARKING - Free parking on the street

DURATION - 2 hours

EXHIBITS - Right when you enter you are greeted and welcomed. We were told that if we wanted we could be given a tour of the Kinder house, which you should do.

The History Center is small. It won’t take you longer than an hour to see all the exhibits and read all the exhibit captions. However, at least you feel that you actually are able to see everything and read most of the center’s descriptions. When you go to a very large museum, you sometimes feel overwhelmed with the amount of information.

It will take another hour to see the Kinder house, which is a house next door. It was built in 1907 by the affluent Kinder family that owned and operated a local hardware store. The tour is very personal. You can ask questions and even touch some exhibits.

For such a small place, DPHC had some very interesting items: WW I and WW II military and navy uniforms were interesting. They were not behind bullet-proof glass but rather out in the open. You could see close & personal the material, the cut & seams.

There were couple fascinating items in the Kinder house: 1) the double electric/gas lights. Since electricity was new at the time that the house was built, the gas side served as ‘just in case’ the new technology - electricity didn’t work ;-); 2) the three nobs in the kitchen - for hot, cold and hard water. Since the plumbing system was rather new, the hard water served as ‘just in case’ alternative; 3) ‘modern,’ for the time, toys and books - fun for kids to see.

Mark Taylor

Great little museum. Well worth a visit if you are nearby. Staff were outstanding and the tour of the house was exceptional the young lady was very good. Don't forget to make a donation to keep this little gem going.

Valentin Tikhvinskiy

Забавный музей маленького городка. Ничего особенного. Но приятно, что в таком маленьком поселении есть свой музей, который поддерживается и организован с большой любовью и старанием.

Abigail Milovancevic

The museum is fun, and I believe the exhibits rotate.
What I really enjoyed was the gift shop, which had affordable Des Plaines merch with local jokes on them. Was very happy to get some souvenirs!

Elizabeth Ohman

I love it here, I live one block away.
My cardiologist tells me to walk, which I do, pulling my pink ZUCA to sit and rest on.
I stop in, always a warm greeting and something new and interesting going on.
Most of the neighbors across the street in the high rise have never been in the history center.
I prompt them to go visit, for it is a plethora of information and beauty.
My grandchildren and greatgrandchildren always want to go. They say they like it better than the library!
Always a pleasure
Liza Ohman
Cohasset Punch

Diane Bakker

Explored the Old Kinder house and saw some of the old things that were in my house, which is even older. Mine has been renovated though.

Amazing that all old houses seemed to have the really steep staircases. I guess to utilize space they just made them narrow and straight up, with curves as well.

A fascinating house that I would have loved living in!

Marlyn Brouder

Love this place!! My girls and I went to the Des Plaines History for the first time. The staff were extremely caring! My girls did not want to leave!
Thank you so much for the smiles you've given to my girls and to other children as well (Emma ?)!

Grzegorz J. Kałuża

Great, local museum. Tours are provided by members of the Historical Society. Very competent and amiable people. Their love to the past of own town and friendly attitude to visitors are something worth to remember.