Lake Co. offers 27 history museums

As Americans adjust their summer plans due to the rising cost of gas, many are looking for activities near home. Consider exploring your own backyard to rediscover the treasures close at hand. For instance, take in one or more of the 27 historical museums in Lake County.

If you're surprised by the number of museums, consider how much history the county has under its belt: from Marquette and Jolliet landing on its shores in 1673, to illegal gambling and gang activity during Prohibition in the 1920s, to the first African-American naval officers being inducted at Great Lakes in 1944. Part of that history is preserved in the structures that house area museums, and make these sites even more fun to visit. The buildings range from historic houses to general stores, roadside inns, town halls, farm buildings, schoolhouses, and depots.

The oldest house in the county is preserved within the Deerfield Historical Society's historic village: the Casper Ott cabin built in 1837. Other unique museum sites include the Historic Society of the Fort Hill Country in Mundelein which is housed in a former Mundelein Soo Line depot. There is also an 1890 caboose on site.

The Warren Township Historical Society's museum in Gurnee is in the Mother Rudd Home, a stagecoach stop built in 1843. The building is noted as a hideaway or safe house for runaway slaves prior to the Civil War.

In Vernon Hills, the Cuneo Museum and Gardens, offers a rare glimpse into the estate of Samuel Insull, the founder of Commonwealth Edison. This luxurious pre-Depression era mansion was built in 1914, with grounds landscaped by Jens Jensen.

Many Lake County communities have museums open to the public, including: Antioch, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Grayslake, Great Lakes, Gurnee, Highland Park, Ingleside, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Millburn, Mundelein, Russell, Vernon Hills, Volo, Wadsworth, Wauconda, Waukegan and Zion.

The largest area museum is the Lake County Discovery Museum at Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda. The Museum is open every day and showcases Lake County and postcard history, as well as temporary exhibitions on pop culture and special events.

So this summer, when your budget won't allow for a trip to Mark Twain's home in Hartford, Conn., check out Samuel Insull's home or any number of local museums that play a pivotal role in the preservation of our heritage.

For a list of area museums, please contact the Lake County Discovery Museum at (847) 968-3381.