Special Exhibition Opens January 19 at Libertyville's Dunn Museum
The Booker T. Washington Progressive Club is a special exhibition on display January 19 through February 24 at the Dunn Museum, 1899 W. Winchester Road, Libertyville.
Visitors can celebrate African American History Month by learning about the Booker T. Washington Progressive Club, an African American-led civic organization located in Zion, IL, from 1936-1982. The Club's mission was to unite individuals "interested in promoting the cause of good citizenship, better civic relations and any topic that improved local relationships."
Retired railroad porter, Richard H. Williamson (1865-1953), founded the club after he came to Zion in 1902 to join John Alexander Dowie's church. Dowie's strongly enforced policy against racism attracted African Americans to join his church and settle in Zion.
The Club was named for Booker T. Washington, the founder of the Tuskegee Institute, an African-American college in Alabama. Membership of the Club was open to all, and people joined from communities from Racine, Wisconsin, to Maywood, Illinois.
The Club's civic contributions included sending care packages to service men and women during World War II, raising money to build the Pierce Campus for Zion High School, raising money to maintain the Faith Sunshine Nursery in Waukegan, and sending clothing for the students of the Tuskegee Institute.
The Club was most active through the 1960s after which membership began to decline. In 1982, the Club dissolved, selling its clubhouse at 2103 Gabriel in Zion.
The nationally accredited Dunn Museum--a distinction held by only three percent of American museums--holds a treasure trove of history about the Lake County area. Visitors are invited to take a chronological walk through local history from prehistoric times to the present. Pop-up exhibits, like the Booker T. Washington Progressive Club, provide a unique opportunity to exhibit a special collection of the Dunn Museum's Lake County History Archives. This collection and exhibition celebrates the achievements of the African American-led Booker T. Washington Progressive Club, and is available to research by making an appointment with collections staff at (847) 968-3400.