Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center Home of the museum complex, Mennonite archives, and historical and genealogical research library of the Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society on Route 116 midway between Germantown Hills and Metamora, Illinois.
The earliest Mennonite settlers to Illinois descended from families scattered through central Europe. Most had some Swiss ancestry, but, in the fallout of the Reformation in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries, their Anabaptist forebears were exiled or fled to the Palatinate, Alsace Lorraine, Hessian states, Bavaria, and Austria. Others joined the Anabaptists (rebaptizers). The name comes from Menno Simons, a former priest in Holland whose writings helped to define their beliefs. The first permanent Mennonite settlement in America, known as Germantown, near Philadelphia, began in 1693.
Beginning in the 1830s Mennonites and Amish Mennonites from eastern states, and directly from central Europe were among the pioneers looking for a homeland in Illinois. They first settled in timbers in central and northern Illinois, then were among the first to the prairies. For over a century their rural congregations retained a strong work ethic and faith community apart from the world and public life.
Here they began congregational ministries, missions, health care facilities, schools, childrenÂ’s homes, nursing homes, publications, service and relief organizations, and mutual aid. Today one hundred sixteen Mennonite congregations and Amish districts in Illinois include long-established rural congregations and new urban congregations. They are as diverse as Latino, African-American, and Ethiopian groups and the horse-and-buggy Old Order Amish of Moultrie and Douglas counties.
They continue to embrace believerÂ’s baptism, Christ-centered discipleship, nonresistant love, and a community of faith.
Open April through October, 10 AM to 4 PM Friday and Saturday
1:30 to 4:30 PM Sundays except Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the Sundays before Memorial Day and Labor Day. Groups are welcome by appointment
The museum is a brick building with collections of items used in households, schools, and congregations. Toys, distinctive clothing, medical equipment are also on display.
In July 1989, IMHGS members and friends gathered on the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center grounds to raise a barn. As its framework rose into the sunny afternoon sky a memorable spirit of community and cooperation prevailed.
During its first life span of 111 years on the Delavan Prairie in Tazewell County, the barn of Christian Sutter housed countless heads of livestock, hosted a national Amish Mennonite Diener Versammlungen (ministers’ conference), and numerous Amish Mennonite worship services.
During its second incarnation, the barn has hosted a national Amish Mennonite historical conference, a dedicatory worship service, and countless agricultural artifacts to be preserved, pondered, and appreciated.
Now the re-erected Christian Sutter barn continues its vigil on the prairie as a symbol of the community and faith of Mennonites and Amish Mennonites in Illinois.
The Farm Museum is a modern farm building built in 1997 to protect our growing agricultural collection. Nearly all Mennonite pioneers were farmers. Farm families continued to predominate in most prairie congregations through the mid-twentieth century. Here you may see tools from D. A. KauffmanÂ’s woodworking shop in Congerville, farm machinery for horsepower or manpower, farmer-made implements, a Camp corn elevator from a Woodford County factory, and a horse-drawn carriage.
The Grandfather House, either attached or next to the family home, was a common answer to housing and health needs in extended families and remains prevalent in today’s Old Order Amish communities.
The Schertz Grandfather House is restored and maintained by descendants of Christian and Magdalena Schertz.
The prairie arboretum is a gift of descendants of Amish Mennonite preacher and pioneer farmer Christian Reeser (1819-1923). Planting of grasses, flowers and trees native to Illinois was begun in 1992.
IMHGS Library
The library collection includes over 5000 items relating to Anabaptist beginnings, various branches of Mennonites, and historical and genealogical sources for research. Included are encyclopedias and historical works, periodicals, family and county histories; indexes to ship passenger lists, census and marriage records on microfilm and microfiche, and other records on disk and CD ROMs.
Our obituary index card file contains over 72,600 cards of names and vital statistics from the obituary columns in five Mennonite periodicals, with coverage from 1864 through 1997. Clippings, correspondence, fliers, pamphlets, and unpublished notes are found in vertical files.
Guided tours of the Heritage Center, with its museums, native plantings, and extensive library holdings in genealogy and Anabaptist history take approximately one hour.
Location: 675 State Route 116, Metamora, IL