Glen Ellyn Historical Society

What Glen Ellyn Historical Society does

The Glen Ellyn Historical Society (GEHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1969 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and presenting local history. It was established one year after the Village of Glen Ellyn purchased the Stacy's Tavern building (an 1840s stagecoach inn originally built by Moses and Joann Stacy in 1846), and the Society's first mission was to assist the Village in restoring the structure to its original condition. Today the Society operates the Stacy's Tavern Museum (listed on the National Register of Historic Places and described as the only fully restored stagecoach inn in Illinois on its original foundation), the Glen Ellyn History Center with research archives and the Center for Historical Research, the Stacy's Corners gift shop, the Anderson Multi-Purpose Room (seating up to 200), Ward Plaza, and a Historical House Plaque Program that has recognized over 100 significant local structures.

The Society's technology footprint is modest and traditional: a WordPress-based website (gehs.org), social channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube), email newsletters (including the biannual The Messenger), and cataloged physical and digital archives containing photos, yearbooks, county atlases, phone books from the 1920s, oral histories, and local newspaper records. There is no proprietary software platform; operations are supported by 1-10 staff and a large volunteer base, including a 10-person board led by President Tim Loftus, Vice President Nancy Sternik, Treasurer Hal Hothan, and Secretary Mark Pfefferman.

GEHS's revenue model is diversified across modest recurring and transactional streams: annual membership dues across eight tiers (Senior/Student $35, Individual $50, Family $65, Business $100, Sustaining $200, Friend $500, Heritage $1,000, plus a Non-Profit tier); museum admission at $5 adult / $3 child; facility rental at $35/hour (members) or $60/hour (non-members, 3-hour minimum); event program fees of $10 for non-members; gift shop sales; and donations. It serves local Glen Ellyn residents, DuPage County students and educators through Educational Outreach Programs, members and donors, and community groups renting the Anderson room. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Glen Ellyn Historical Society

Legal name

Glen Ellyn Historical Society

Website

https://gehs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Glen Ellyn Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 that preserves and presents Glen Ellyn, Illinois history through Stacy's Tavern Museum, the Glen Ellyn History Center and archives, educational outreach, events, and a historical house plaque program, serving local residents, DuPage County schools, members, and donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Society and Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120), Libraries and Archives (519210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAI

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

Keywords

• Historical society services
• Museum education programs
• Local history preservation
• Cultural heritage programs
• Community archives research

Headquarters

HQ city

Glen Ellyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees ranging from $35 to $1,000 depending on tier, providing benefits including free museum admission, event discounts, newsletter subscription, and store discounts.
2. Museum Admission: Admission fees for Stacy's Tavern Museum tours: $5 per adult, $3 per child ages 6-17. GEHS members and children 5 and under are free.
3. Stacy's Corner Gift Shop: Retail merchandise sales featuring Glen Ellyn merchandise, books by local historian Dan Anderson ('24 Tales of Murder, Mayhem...' and 'A Romp Through Glen Ellyn History'), and gift items. All proceeds benefit the Historical Society.
4. Facility Rental: Rental of Anderson Multi-Purpose Room (seats up to 200 people) with rates of $35/hr for members and $60/hr for non-members. Additional fees for custom room setup ($50), overhead projector ($25), and coffee service ($1/person, minimum $20).
5. Donations: The society accepts donations to support museum operations, educational outreach, exhibits, and house plaques.
6. Programs and Events: Admission fees for special programs: $10 for non-members, free for members and children. Events include historical presentations, workshops, and community gatherings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Glen Ellyn Historical Society collects, preserves, and presents the history of the Glen Ellyn area through a portfolio of museum exhibits, a research library and extensive photo archives, educational outreach programs for DuPage County schools, adult seminars and workshops, a venue for area-wide cultural activities, and a commemorative house plaque program. Its core assets are the National Register-listed Stacy's Tavern Museum (an 1840s stagecoach inn) and the Glen Ellyn History Center (with Stacy's Corners gift shop, research archives, and Anderson Multi-Purpose Room rental).

Product overview

The Glen Ellyn Historical Society operates a single unified offering centered on collecting, preserving, and presenting local history. The core portfolio includes Stacy's Tavern Museum (an 1840s stagecoach inn on the National Register of Historic Places), the Glen Ellyn History Center with archives and research services, and the Stacy's Corners gift shop. Supporting offerings include the Anderson Multi-Purpose Room for event rentals, the Historical House Plaque Program for property recognition, Educational Outreach Programs for schools, and History Park/Ward Plaza as an outdoor venue. The Society also offers membership programs with various tiers providing benefits including free museum admission and discounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stacy's Tavern Museum An award-winning restoration of an authentic 1840s stagecoach inn at 557 Geneva Road, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Open for tours by appointment Wed–Sat 10am–4pm, with admission $5 per adult, $3 per child ages 6-17, free for GEHS members and children 5 and under, and free for active-duty military and families under the Blue Star Museum program.
• Glen Ellyn History Center A cultural center at 800 N. Main St. providing museum exhibits, a research library with a large photo collection, extensive archives of local and regional history, the Stacy's Corners Store gift shop, and a venue for area-wide cultural activities. Open Tuesday–Saturday 10AM–5PM.
• Stacy's Corners Store

Quantifiable outcome

• Museum visited by students who return with parents to share the experience

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Village of Glen EllyncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Village of Glen Ellyn acquired Stacy's Tavern in 1968 and partnered with the Historical Society (formed 1969) to restore the building. The museum stands today through joint efforts of the Village and Society. The society also works with the Village on historical sidewalk plaques integrated with the Streetscape plan.
• DuPage County School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Glen Ellyn Historical Society provides Educational Outreach programs at all DuPage County School Districts, including special tours, classroom programs, exhibits, and first-person portrayals.
• Anan Harmon Chapter DARminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDaughters of the American Revolution chapter co-sponsoring the Nationwide Reading of the Declaration of Independence event on July 8, 2026.
• Fox Valley Chapter SARminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSons of the American Revolution chapter co-sponsoring the Nationwide Reading of the Declaration of Independence event.
• VFW #6663minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVeterans of Foreign Wars post participating in the Nationwide Reading of the Declaration of Independence event.
• Glen Ellyn Public LibraryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner participating in the Nationwide Reading of the Declaration of Independence event and general community collaboration.
• Glen Ellyn Woman's ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity women's organization participating in the Nationwide Reading of the Declaration of Independence event.
• Glen Ellyn Park DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPark district took over Lake Ellyn and surrounding area in 1919 when the school district gave the property to the newly formed district. Historical society documents this shared history.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Kline Creek Farm: Living history farm in DuPage County operated by the Forest Preserve District. Comparable as a 19th-century interpretive site within the same county, offering costumed interpretation and educational programming, though focused on agriculture rather than stagecoach-era civic life.
• Lake County History Museum: County-level historical museum serving Lake County, Illinois with exhibits and educational programming. Similar operating model to GEHS (nonprofit historical museum, school outreach) but operating at county rather than town level in a different Chicago suburb geography.
• Cantigny Park (First Division Museum): Regional history/military museum complex in Wheaton, IL (also DuPage County) operated by the McCormick Foundation. Comparable in geographic market and museum programming but at substantially larger scale and with a military history focus rather than local-town history.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago History Museum: Major metropolitan history museum in Chicago, IL. Comparable in mission (preserving and presenting regional history through exhibits, research library, and educational programs) but operates at city-scale with substantially larger budget, staff, and footprint than GEHS's town-level focus.

Direct peers

• Naper Settlement: Open-air living history museum in Naperville, IL operating 30+ historic structures across 13 acres. Comparable to GEHS in that it presents 19th-century regional history through restored buildings, educational programming, and special events, though at substantially larger scale within the same Chicago western-suburbs market.
• Geneva History Museum: Local history museum in Geneva, IL operating from a historic building and offering exhibits, programs, and research services. Comparable as a small Illinois suburban historical society with museum, archives, and community programming in a similar-sized town.
• Elmhurst History Museum: Local history museum in Elmhurst, IL operating a restored historic home and offering exhibits, archives, and educational programs. Closely comparable to GEHS in scope (single-town historical society), programming mix (exhibits, school outreach, research), and suburban Chicago setting.
• DuPage County Historical Museum: County-level historical society and museum serving DuPage County, Illinois. Direct peer to GEHS given shared geography, overlapping archival/research mission, and similar educational outreach to local schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gehistory
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@glenellynhistoricalsociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/glenellynhistory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glen-ellyn-historical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Glen Ellyn Historical Society