Hauberg Museum, Illinois, United States

4STPtraveler01 5:00 PM Apr 28, 2019

Gem Historical Museum
A small but well-conceived museum that focuses on the two tribes that originally inhabited the region - the Sauk and Meskwaki. It is located in part of a much larger Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp built in the 1930s. When we entered, we were greeted by the Director who was manning the front desk. She was very knowledgeable and eager to tell us about the life cycle of the Native Americans in that area. The rest of the tour is self-guided as you work through a series of life size dioramas showing how they lived and worked in each season in the year. A bonus in another part of the lodge is the story of the CCC crews who constructed the building and its surroundings. The museum is free but a donation is suggested. Although somewhat off the beaten path, this museum is well worth taking the time to visit.

3Sharon W 5:00 PM Sep 7, 2015

I wanted to love it.
I wanted to love this. I liked it. I appreciated it. But I think it could be much better with not that much effort. The museum is nice--much smaller than I expected, but it's very well put together and maintained. The "fee" is a $2.00 donation, which is extremely reasonable. I also enjoyed the section of the lodge devoted to the CCC. The park is beautiful. But I was disappointed at the lack of information available to visitors about the park itself. I asked for a map of the grounds and was given a poorly photocopied map that included symbols that were nowhere explained. The print was tiny and blurred and extremely difficult to read. I was interested in the pioneer cemetery I had read about online, but had a very hard time finding it, even with the map, because so little was labeled. There were no signs on the roads to tell you where it was. The cemetery itself has no markings whatsoever--just an open field with a few tombstones. I think the whole site would benefit greatly with interpretive signage. It seems the least that should be done for a state historic site. Presumably there are items for sale at the museum, but I did not see any. It would be nice to see a printed history of the site as a "take-away." I would conceivably visit again, but only if I were already going to be in the area for another reason. It just didn't seem that there was enough information available to warrant a lengthy drive (my trip was 2 1/2 hours each way). I would love to see more care invested in educating the visitor.