Events

Take a walk through time as we explore the historic area bordered by Lake Street, East Avenue, North Boulevard and Oak Park Avenue. You'll hear the fascinating stories behind familiar landmarks like the Scoville Block anchor buildings and the high school stadium. You’ll also learn about some of Oak Park’s long-lost buildings including a central heating plant that served over 600 homes, a military

Join us for a special evening edition of our highly popular "Growing with the Gundersons" Walking Tour! Our stroll through southeast Oak Park's Gunderson Historic District will, of course, tell the story of how the Gunderson Brothers developed and promoted this neighborhood, but it will also include lesser-known stories, like the house once named the Oak Park Academy of Fine Arts, the

This year, our August Women's History Walk focuses on Forest and Kenilworth Avenues. You’ll see the homes and hear about the lives of women who made a difference in Oak Park and around the world. Meet a founder of the Art League who has a school named for her in Colombia, an activist who has a chapel named for her, a suffragist who won the vote for women in Illinois, a radio pioneer and newspaper

Calling all readers and lovers of history for the History Book Club. This month, the group will read and discuss the book Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David Von Drehle. If you have a suggestion for a future book club discussion, please leave your suggestions in our Contact Form. Book Club is open to all current members of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest. Space may

Greater Downtown Oak Park boasts an array of marvelous examples of Art Deco design that are often overlooked. Join our guides on a walk down Lake Street as they point out many of these treasures that we walk past every day without noticing. The tour will start at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Medical Arts Building, proceed along Lake Street toward Harlem Avenue, and then loop back toward the

Calling all readers and lovers of history for the History Book Club. Check back soon for information on the book selection for September. If you have a suggestion for a future book club discussion, please leave your suggestions in our Contact Form. Book Club is open to all current members of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest. Space may be limited. To reserve your place or check

Please join us at Oak Park River Forest Museum on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 7 pm for a program by Dr. Elena Gonzales, Chicago History Museum's Curator of Civic Engagement and Social Justice. Dr. Gonzales will discuss her work on Aquí en Chicago, an exhibit at the Chicago History Museum open until November 8, 2026, and other highlights from her career as a museum professional. When students from

Where were you in 1976? Join us for an afternoon of storytelling as community members share personal memories of the nation's Bicentennial celebration. Do you have a souvenir from that time period to prompt a story? Whether you have a Bicentennial quarter, a souvenir button, a newspaper clipping, or a photo from that summer, we'd love to hear the story behind it. Museum staff and volunteers will

See local figureheads come to life and learn about how their lives relate to local history at the Cemetery Walk. This year’s walk starts at noon with groups departing until 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. Tickets can be purchased in advance at oprfmuseum.org and will be made available soon. Please check back! In keeping with the nation’s 250th anniversary, the theme of this year’s 35th annual