Pollock has been a collector of Mechanical Music and Business Machines since 1974. Mechanical music items include phonographs, music boxes, automata, self-playing organs, pianos and related ephemera. Business machines include recording devices, adding machines, typewriters, and other office equipment. Pollock restored his first Victrola at age 13 and his first typewriter at age 14. His favorite part of collecting is bringing long silent machines back to life. Pollock is looking forward to the Appraisal Fair and helping you learn what your prized possession is worth.

About the event
The price of is admission is $20 in advance, $25 at the door and includes one appraisal and a wine and cheese “bistro” provided by Freshwater Farms so that folks can socialize during the event and tour the museum rather than simply wait in line. Regarding the “show” component, an appraiser will be announced at five times throughout the evening; he will then present a special item to those gathered in the main meeting room.

Tickets may be purchased at the museum (Mondays and Tuesdays), at local banks – Civista, First Central National, Peoples, Perpetual, all county Security locations – and online until 11am on April 25th. In addition to benefiting the museum and preserving its artifacts, this will be a fun event for people of all ages to enjoy and hopefully one that will build from year to year. This is an excellent opportunity to have a family heirloom, an item from the attic, or perhaps something found when spring cleaning to be evaluated.

Shipley has been a passionate collector of early Americana and Native American artifacts over 50 years. Early Americana items include relics from the Colonial and Federal eras (1620-1820). Native American artifacts include stone and flint arrowheads and cutting implements, trade goods, tomahawks, beads and wampum. Shipley is an avid amateur archaeologist whose favorite part of collecting is hunting for artifacts in the field. He looks forward to the Appraisal Fair and helping people learn the approximate value of their prized possession.

About the event
The price of admission is $20 in advance, $25 at the door and includes one appraisal and a wine and cheese “bistro” provided by Freshwater Farms so that folks can socialize during the event and tour the museum rather than simply wait in line. Regarding the “show” component, an appraiser will be announced at five times throughout the evening; he will then present a special item to those gathered in the main meeting room.

Tickets may be purchased at the museum (Mondays and Tuesdays), at local banks – Civista, First Central National, Peoples, Perpetual, all county Security locations – and online until 11am on April 25th. In addition to benefiting the museum and preserving its artifacts, this will be a fun event for people of all ages to enjoy and hopefully one that will build from year to year. This is an excellent opportunity to have a family heirloom, an item from the attic, or perhaps something found when spring cleaning to be evaluated.

The Champaign County Historical Museum will no longer be open on Sunday afternoons except when there is a scheduled program.

Museum hours are Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am - 4pm.

The recently-restored “Indian Hunter” sculpture was rededicated Saturday morning Oct. 27, 2018 at
Oak Dale Cemetery, Urbana.
 
Mayor Bill Bean presided and first introduced Marty Reich who described the project and how it came
about.  He thanked all sponsors who are listed on a plaque attached to the base of the sculpture.
Mayor Bean then introduced Dr. Ward Lutz who distributed copies of the original program held
June 29, 1914.  
 
Dr. Lutz went on to list some of the accomplishments of John Quincy Adams Ward, America’s premier sculptor in the Nineteenth Century and suggested that Ward, an Urbana native, would have been pleased to have this sculpture marking his grave.  He then read a letter lauding Ward written for the 1914 dedication by sculptor Daniel Chester French, a student of Ward’s, and noted that French was best known for his design of Abraham Lincoln’s statue in the Lincoln Memorial.  
 
Artist Mike Major then spoke to the aesthetic details of the sculpture and the restoration process
which he did.  
 
About 35 people attended in inclement weather.

Teachers are always looking for ways to spark their students' interest in their subject matter. For me personally, as a teacher of history to young people who sometimes struggle to see the relevance of the past on their lives, it was often a challenge to make my lessons come alive to draw them in. Regardless of how well organized a lesson plan was, my students were always more engaged if the learning was experiential, such as interacting with a visual aid, rather than passively listening to a lecture.

The Champaign County Historical Museum is a treasure trove of over 13,000 artifacts which could bring history to life for Champaign County students and the public in general IF it is more readily accessible. Presently, lacking a dedicated source of steady income, the museum's hours of operation are quite limited due to the forced reliance on volunteer help, thus greatly restricting the museum's ability to serve the interests of the county.

On November 6th CCHS is seeking passage of a 3/10 mil operating levy to finance and expand educational outreach and hours of operation. The effective cost of the levy amounts to $10/year on a $100,000 property. For a nominal cost Champaign County residents will realize an exponential benefit, the very definition of a bargain. Please join me on November 6th in voting "YES" for the Champaign County Historical Museum levy. As Santayana also said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

"The Glacial Kame in Champaign County"
 
At 2:00 pm on Sunday Nov. 18, well-known archeologist Bob Converse will present a program on Native American  settlements near and around Champaign County.

The Champaign County Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that preserves, protects, archives and displays the artifacts that tell the Champaign County story. The Society depends upon donations and dues to provide a free public museum located at 809 E. Lawn Ave., Urbana.  The museum is open from 10 -4 Mondays and Tuesdays and from 1-4 Sundays.

Willis, an Urbana University graduate, will be inducted into the U. U. Athletic Hall of Fame the following day.  
 
A limited edition football card autographed by Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Raymond Berry will be raffled off to a lucky attendee.  The program will end at 6:30 in order to permit people to attend local high school games.  The event, including the raffle, is free to the public, and the museum will be open.
 
The Champaign County Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that preserves, protects, archives and displays the artifacts that tell the Champaign County story. The Society depends upon donations and dues to provide a free public museum located at 809 E. Lawn Ave., Urbana.  The museum is open from 10 -4 Mondays and Tuesdays and from 1-4 Sundays.

Pictured above, Champaign County Historical Society Board President Dan Walter spoke at the Grimes Quarter-Century Club at the Champaign Air Museum on September 22, 2018.