Welcome Center
ROUTE 66
Get your photograph taken at our Route 66 Diner Scene! Photographs playing outside the windows of the diner scene are all historical images of Route 66 in Joliet.
MADE IN JOLIET
Collection of artifacts manufactured in Joliet from a 1909 Economy Motor Buggy to handcrafted wicker furniture made by inmates at the Old Joliet Prison.
BLUES BROTHERS
- View the original suits worn by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi
in the filming of the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.
Permanent Exhibit Galleries
Explore Joliet area's rich history through our award-winning permanentexhibit galleries located on the main and upper museum levels
JOHN C. HOUBOLT GALLERY
This state-of-the-art Apollo/Houbolt Exhibit celebrates the historic 1969 moon landing and honors former Joliet resident and key proponent of the lunar orbit rendezvous concept, Dr. John C. Houbolt. The 500 square-foot, two-story exhibit features interactive panels, diagrams and maps, audio-visuals, flat-screen narratives, and period dioramas to tell the exciting story of the race to the moon, the Apollo 11 mission, the moon landing, and Dr. Houbolt's vision.
This state-of-the-art Apollo/Houbolt Exhibit celebrates the historic 1969 moon landing and honors former Joliet resident and key proponent of the lunar orbit rendezvous concept, Dr. John C. Houbolt. The 500 square-foot, two-story exhibit features interactive panels, diagrams and maps, audio-visuals, flat-screen narratives, and period dioramas to tell the exciting story of the race to the moon, the Apollo 11 mission, the moon landing, and Dr. Houbolt's vision.
ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN CANAL
Explore the history of the Illinois & Michigan canal in a life-sized replica of the canal base constructed in the Joliet area between 1836 and 1848.
CITY OF STONE AND STEEL
In the 1860s and 1870s the steel industry became the second major source of employment in Joliet, the first being limestone quarries, earning Joliet the nickname “City of Stone and Steel.” Visit this exhibit to learn more about Joliet’s industrial history.
OLD JOLIET PRISON
This exhibit demonstrates that beyond the iconic, imposing architecture, the story of the Old Joliet Prison was, and continues to be a story of human interaction. Joliet’s relationship with the penitentiary, while complicated, was not always antagonistic. These interactions occurred through residents’ employment at the Prison, local faith-based institutions ministering inside the walls, and a variety of artistic, cultural, and recreational activities that allowed for visibility between the residents of the City of Joliet, and behind the walls of its “city within a city,” the Old Joliet Prison.
This exhibit demonstrates that beyond the iconic, imposing architecture, the story of the Old Joliet Prison was, and continues to be a story of human interaction. Joliet’s relationship with the penitentiary, while complicated, was not always antagonistic. These interactions occurred through residents’ employment at the Prison, local faith-based institutions ministering inside the walls, and a variety of artistic, cultural, and recreational activities that allowed for visibility between the residents of the City of Joliet, and behind the walls of its “city within a city,” the Old Joliet Prison.
JOLIET STREETSCAPE
Hop on the trolley and experience a ride in downtown during the 1920s and 1930s. Stop at a local theater for a show, or enjoy some window shopping at local businesses!
STRIKE UP THE BAND
Today, Joliet is known as the City of Champions, not because of its sports teams or movie stars, but because of its world-class high school band program, the Joliet Township High School Band (JTHSB). An estimated 25,000 students have taken part in band activities over the past 100 years. This permanent exhibit celebrates the program that has performed for luminaries such as John Phillip Sousa, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mickey Mouse.
ALL AMERICAN CITY
During the 1950s, the suburbs began to stretch out, as more and more Americans were able to own homes for the first time. This exhibit showcases artifacts of this time period, or the modern era; things that came about as increasingly more and more people were able to enjoy the American dream.
CIVIL WAR - 100th ILLINOIS INFANTRY
Learn the history of Joliet’s involvement in the Civil War through the 100th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, predominately made up of men who mustered out of Joliet and Will County.
WAR HEROES GALLERY
The War Heroes Gallery showcases the men and women from Joliet who fought in conflicts from the Civil War to the
Gulf War including; Colonel Frederick Bartleson, Sargeant Sator Sanchez, and Corporal Daniel Campus.
GALLERY OF CHAMPIONS
This exhibit features local notables who have been honored through the Joliet Sports Hall of Fame, Joliet Hall of Pride, and features sculptures from the Friends of Community Public Art.
Temporary Exhibits
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FOCUS: INSIDE THE JAHM COLLECTION SERIES The FOCUS Series displays some of our smaller collections of artifacts that are not otherwise seen by the public. The current exhibit focuses on the history of Lewis Brothers Shoes, a local Joliet shoe store founded in 1919. See original shoes, photographs, advertisement materials, and packaging from the store. |
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“The exhibition Wallace W. Abbey: A Life in Railroad Photography stems from source material drawn from the book of the same title (Indiana University Press, 2018). To celebrate the publishing of Abbey’s gorgeous display of black-and-white images and to honor the generous donation by the Abbey family of more than 35,000 slides to the Railroad Heritage Archive, the Center developed this exhibition.
A lesser-known figure in the railroad photography community, Abbey transitioned his profession from journalism to public relations over the course of his forty-year career. Through Abbey’s various career changes he never lost the initial passion that fueled him at first as a young boy of thirteen photographing Frisco Line freight trains in his grandparents hometown of Cherryvale, Kansas, all the way to his retirement in Pueblo, Colorado where he passed his time at the Association of American Railroad’s Transportation Technology Center. His unique role as a photographer, journalist, historian, and railroad industry executive allowed him to capture often overlooked perspectives spanning primarily from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Abbey’s masterful skill combined journalism and artful vision to help people from differing backgrounds understand and appreciate the world of locomotives, passenger trains, big-city terminals, small-town depots, and railroaders. He witnessed and photographed the sweeping changes in the railroad industry following the shift from steam to diesel locomotives, and showcased the transformation of transportation and photography after World War II.
The exhibition Wallace W. Abbey: A Life in Railroad Photography serves as a platform to present the life work of one of America’s most dynamic railroad photographers. Abbey offers a full understanding of all aspects of railroading and delivers his visual ideas in an exciting presentation enjoyable to the railroading community and the general public alike.”
*Source: Center for Railroad Photography and Art
A lesser-known figure in the railroad photography community, Abbey transitioned his profession from journalism to public relations over the course of his forty-year career. Through Abbey’s various career changes he never lost the initial passion that fueled him at first as a young boy of thirteen photographing Frisco Line freight trains in his grandparents hometown of Cherryvale, Kansas, all the way to his retirement in Pueblo, Colorado where he passed his time at the Association of American Railroad’s Transportation Technology Center. His unique role as a photographer, journalist, historian, and railroad industry executive allowed him to capture often overlooked perspectives spanning primarily from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Abbey’s masterful skill combined journalism and artful vision to help people from differing backgrounds understand and appreciate the world of locomotives, passenger trains, big-city terminals, small-town depots, and railroaders. He witnessed and photographed the sweeping changes in the railroad industry following the shift from steam to diesel locomotives, and showcased the transformation of transportation and photography after World War II.
The exhibition Wallace W. Abbey: A Life in Railroad Photography serves as a platform to present the life work of one of America’s most dynamic railroad photographers. Abbey offers a full understanding of all aspects of railroading and delivers his visual ideas in an exciting presentation enjoyable to the railroading community and the general public alike.”
*Source: Center for Railroad Photography and Art