Echoes of Elgin: Timeless Tales from the Elgin History Museum

Elgin's Bluff City Cemetery holds the remains of two individuals who had only a fleeting connection to Elgin, but whose stories are of interest to fans of the American West.  Tune in to this echo from September 10, 1989 to learn more about Dan DeMarbelle and Annie Tallent as we complete our mini series on Elgin’s municipal cemetery and its stories.

Oscar Hammerstein once said "a bell's not a bell until you ring it".  An echo from February 28, 1999, tells the story of Elgin's noteworthy bells.  

Learn about some of the unique markers in Bluff City Cemetery in this echo from August 14, 2003.

This echo from September 16, 1990 details the lives of all the Elgin High School graduates of '77.  Class of 1877, that is.  If you are attending the 2024 Bluff City Cemetery Walk on September 21/22 you will learn about Cecil Harvey, but what adventures did her sister Illione have after graduation?

Illinois Park is the only Elgin School that was once independent.  Learn more about the Little Red Brick School in this echo from May 31, 1998.  To learn more about its teacher, Abbie C. Saunders Wing, consider attending the 37th annual Bluff City Cemetery Walk on September 21/22, 2024.  Tickets are available on the Elgin History Museum website. 

Bluff City Cemetery opened 135 years ago and its history is as interesting as the stories of those that rest there. An echo from September 3, 1989 tells the story of its founding and early years. 

Tune in to this echo from November 16, 2002 hear the big issues presented in the school board election of 1895.

Where were Sherman and St. Joseph's hospitals located in the old days?  What was Mrs. Brockhoff's wild ride? Where did a local chewing gum magnate live?  Listen to this echo from September 17, 1995 to find out.