Elmhurst History Museum

What Elmhurst History Museum does

The Elmhurst History Museum is a regional history museum founded in 1957 and operated as a department of the City of Elmhurst, Illinois. It preserves and exhibits local and regional history through a permanent collection of more than 15,000 three-dimensional artifacts, over 10,000 historic photographs, 300+ linear feet of archival records, and 500+ books spanning 165+ years of Elmhurst history. The museum operates two venues: the Glos Mansion (c. 1892) headquarters at 120 E. Park Avenue in Elmhurst, and the Churchville Schoolhouse (c. 1850, National Register of Historic Places) in Bensenville, which supports living history programming.

Core offerings include permanent and rotating exhibits (e.g., 'By All Accounts: The Story of Elmhurst,' 'History of Her: Women Who Shaped Chicagoland'), educational programs (school field trips, portable classroom visits, scout badge programs, summer camp, adult lectures and tours), collections and genealogy research services, a free summer concert series, and documentary/book productions. The museum serves general public visitors, K-12 school groups, scouts, children in grades 2-5, adults, and seniors in DuPage County and the broader Chicagoland area.

The revenue model is primarily donation- and subsidy-driven rather than commercial. General admission is free with a $5 suggested donation. Earned revenue comes from nominal program fees (scout programs $2–$5 per scout, summer camp $225/camper, adult lectures $50/session, school programs free locally / $5 per student externally, portable classroom $40/class non-local), gift shop and publication sales, and grants/sponsorships. The museum's fundraising arm is the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides memberships, donations, and strategic support. Operational funding flows through City of Elmhurst municipal appropriations, supplemented by Foundation contributions and event sponsorships. The museum employs approximately 7 people, including an Executive Director, two Curators, a Marketing & Communications Specialist, and administrative/program support staff.

Name

Elmhurst History Museum

Legal name

Elmhurst History Museum

Website

https://elmhursthistory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Elmhurst History Museum is a municipal regional history museum founded in 1957 and operated by the City of Elmhurst, serving DuPage County and Chicagoland visitors with exhibits, educational programs, archives, and living history experiences at the Glos Mansion and Churchville Schoolhouse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

History Museum and Cultural Education Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Historical Sites (71212), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

Keywords

• History museum exhibits
• Educational programming
• Local history archives
• Living history experiences
• Community cultural programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmhurst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Admissions: The museum offers free general admission with a suggested $5 donation to support education programs, public events, and exhibitions. This creates a voluntary revenue stream from visitors.
2. Program Fees: Nominal fees for tours and select programs including scout badge programs ($5/scout), summer camp ($225/camper), and adult lectures/tours ($50/session).
3. Gift Shop and Publications: Sale of museum merchandise, photography book 'Snapshots: Elmhurst Now & Then', and other educational publications.
4. Elmhurst Heritage Foundation Support: The museum is supported by the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides fundraising and financial support through memberships and donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Elmhurst History Museum is a regional history museum that preserves and interprets the history of Elmhurst and the surrounding DuPage County area through permanent and rotating exhibits, a collection of more than 15,000 artifacts and 10,000 photographs, and educational programs for schools, scouts, families, and adults. It operates from the historic Glos Mansion (circa 1892) and also manages the Churchville Schoolhouse (circa 1850), offering living history experiences, lectures, tours, a free summer concert series, and research/genealogy services.

Product overview

The Elmhurst History Museum operates as a regional history museum offering a unified portfolio of in-person and educational experiences rather than a software platform. Core offerings include rotating and permanent museum exhibits (By All Accounts, History of Her), educational programs (school field trips, portable programs, scout programs, summer camp), collections and research services (artifact access, archives, genealogy), the Churchville Schoolhouse living history experience, summer concert series, and documentary/book productions. The museum serves as a department of the City of Elmhurst, with operations supported by the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation nonprofit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Exhibits Rotating and permanent in-gallery exhibitions exploring local and regional history, including award-winning interactive displays such as By All Accounts: The Story of Elmhurst and temporary exhibits on topics including healthcare history, women's history, and Chicago Bears football. Open to the general public with free admission (suggested $5 donation).
• Educational Programs Curriculum-aligned educational offerings including school field trips, portable classroom programs brought to schools, scout badge programs ($5/scout), Museum Explorers Summer Camp ($225/camper for grades 2-5), and adult lectures and tours ($50/session). Targeted at K-12 schools, scouts, children, and adult lifelong learners.
• Collections and Research Services Access to more than 15,000 three-dimensional artifacts, 10,000+ historic photographs, 300+ linear feet of archival records, and a 500+ book library, along with photo ordering services, genealogy and family history research assistance, and digital archives accessible via the CatalogIt Hub platform. Designed for genealogists, local historians, students, and researchers.
• Churchville Schoolhouse Living History Program Immersive living history program at the restored circa 1850 Churchville Schoolhouse (National Register of Historic Places) where costumed staff lead school groups through a simulated 1910 school day. Free for Elmhurst and Bensenville schools; $5/student for other school groups (2.5-hour half-day program).
• Fourth Fridays Summer Concert Series Free outdoor summer concert series held on the museum's bandshell, featuring local musicians performing genres from classic rock and brass to Chicano rock and tribute bands. Open to the community with sponsorship-supported costs.
• Photography Book and Documentary Productions Award-winning publications and media productions including the Snapshots: Elmhurst Now & Then rephotography book and the Elmhurst Foundations documentary celebrating the museum's 50th anniversary at Glos Mansion. Sold through the museum gift shop and distributed to the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission offered to all visitors with nominal $5 donation suggested
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Feze RoofingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Concert series sponsor for the 2026 Fourth Fridays Summer Concert Series. Feze Roofing provides financial sponsorship supporting free community concerts at the museum's outdoor bandshell.
• Elmhurst Living MagazineminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Concert series sponsor for the 2026 Fourth Fridays Summer Concert Series, promoting local community engagement.
• Dollars & Sense for Nonprofit SuccessminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Concert series and exhibition sponsor supporting museum programming and community events.
• Elmhurst City CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership for the Fearless & Fun Summer Jam event featuring Fearless Taylor Swift tribute band, promoting community events in downtown Elmhurst.
• Elmhurst Art MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Field trip destination for Museum Explorers Summer Camp, providing cultural arts experiences for children.
• Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary ArtminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Field trip destination for Museum Explorers Summer Camp to learn about fossils and lapidary art.
• Fischer FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Historic site visited during summer camp programming for living history experiences.
• Slone Commercial, LLCminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor for the History of Her: Women Who Shaped Chicagoland exhibition.
• Elmhurst Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for the Elmhurst Independent Newspaper Archive project, providing digital access to newspapers from 2015 through present.
• Rock Valley PublishingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner in Elmhurst Independent Newspaper Archive, enabling digitization of local newspaper archives.
• Bensenville Park DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Cooperative seasonal programs with the Bensenville Park District at Churchville Schoolhouse.
• Elmhurst Heritage FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1957The museum's nonprofit 501(c)(3) fundraising arm. The citizen-led board stimulates broad-based support for local history, the museum, and the Churchville Schoolhouse through advocacy, education, and fundraising. Provides essential financial support, memberships, and strategic guidance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art: Specialized Chicagoland museum partnering with Elmhurst History Museum for summer camp programming; comparable small-staff museum operation with similar community education and field-trip offerings.
• Elmhurst Art Museum: Sister cultural institution in the same city of Elmhurst, partnering with Elmhurst History Museum on summer camp field trips; serves overlapping local audience with complementary (art vs. history) programming focus.

Direct peers

• Glen Ellyn History Center: Suburban Chicago history center operating historic buildings, archives, and education programs in Glen Ellyn, IL — same small-staff, community-led municipal/nonprofit hybrid structure as Elmhurst History Museum.
• DuPage County Historical Museum: County-level history museum located in Wheaton, IL, serving the same DuPage County market as the Elmhurst History Museum with overlapping exhibits, school programming, and local history collections.
• Naper Settlement: Outdoor living-history museum in Naperville, IL, operating a comparable mix of historic structures, immersive school programs, scout badge activities, and heritage events in the same DuPage/Chicago-western-suburbs region.
• Kline Creek Farm: DuPage Forest Preserve District living-history farm offering authentic 1890s interpretive programming, school field trips, and volunteer-led operations — directly analogous to the Churchville Schoolhouse living-history model.
• Addison Historical Museum: Village-operated local history museum in Addison, IL with similar artifacts collection, school programming, and volunteer-driven operating model in the same DuPage-adjacent market.
• Bensenville Historical Society: Local historical society in Bensenville, IL already partnered with Elmhurst History Museum on Churchville Schoolhouse programming — operates a comparable small-scale local history collection and community programming in an adjacent municipality.
• Lombard Historical Society / Victorian Cottage Museum: Adjacent suburban historical society operating a historic house museum, local archives, and community history programming in Lombard, IL — directly comparable scale, model, and audience to Elmhurst History Museum.

Broad incumbents

• Cantigny First Division Museum: Larger Chicagoland military history museum and park with more extensive exhibits, grounds, and staff, serving overlapping regional school and family audiences at a greater scale than Elmhurst History Museum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=6aErWgchODU

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elmhurst History Museum