Mission Statement: The Bartlett History Museum collects, preserves, and interprets Bartlett’s rich heritage and shares it with the community through exhibitions, education and media in order to increase public knowledge and awareness.

CURRENT EXHIBITS 

Visit, discover and the experience the stories that make up Bartlett’s rich history through changing exhibits. When your museum visit is over, pick up a free self-guided walking tour, one for adults or one for children, and explore the village's historic downtown. 

I'll Drink to That! From Temperance to Tolerance - Bartlett's Libation History

The consumption of alcohol has been a heated topic of debate throughout history, both in Bartlett and across the United States.

The village’s 150-year libation past follows the same course as the nation’s. It begins with the disputes between residents who were proponents of temperance and those who opposed the prohibition of alcohol and continues with the local ordinances, licenses and laws that govern every aspect of the sale and serving of beer, wine, and hard liquor in all of Bartlett’s venues today.

The Bartlett History Museum's new exhibit, "I'll Drink to That! From Temperance to Tolerance," follows Bartlett's libation journey from its temperate founders of 1873 to the current culture of drinking found within its borders.   

"Three Cheers for Root Beer" is a section of the exhibit especially for children that recreates two of the old-time soda fountains from Bartlett’s past.  

Route 20: A Century of Travel Through Bartlett

In November of 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System was approved, thus initiating the official beginning of Route 20. To celebrate its centennial, the Village of Bartlett Museums partnered with the Addison, Elmhurst, Elgin, and McHenry County Historical Societies to launch the Route 20 Collaboration.

Displayed along the hallway leading to the council chambers is a portion of Bartlett’s contribution to the highway’s history. What was once part of Rural Route 1, a term used for mail carriers to determine the locations of rural homesteads, is now one of the busiest roads in town, with an estimated 35,000 vehicles traveling along it each day. Its history ranges from rumored Al Capone visits and UFO sightings to a scandalous drive-in movie theater and famous roadside railroad attraction. Take a look inside the cases and their corresponding binders to learn more about the importance of Route 20, and how one road can shape the history of Bartlett.