This collection brings together a wide range of materials related to local Des Plaines history. The bulk of these photographs, postcards, letters, and other items have been selected from the archives of the Des Plaines History Center. If you have any information about anything in the collection, feel free to leave your comments about particular items.
Welcome to Des Plaines Memory
Please explore our collections. You will find everything from pictures of old homes to street scenes in Des Plaines.
If you find something that you like, leave a comment or share it with the "Share" button above the item.
Des Plaines Memory is a collaboration between the Des Plaines Public Library and the Des Plaines History Center.
My Des Plaines Memory collects stories about Des Plaines' past from the people who experienced it. You will find photographs, postcards, and other materials that residents have collected and contributed.
This collection brings together issues of several local newspapers dating from 1939 to the present. The oldest newspapers were badly damaged by water and mold and are preserved here for historical research.
This collection can be used only at the Library and the History Center
This collection brings together telephone directories from Des Plaines and the surrounding communities. The directories are a great tool for doing genealogical and historical research.
This collection can be used only at the Library and the History Center.
This project was conceived during Project ILEAD U --- Illinois Libraries Explore, Apply and Discover: The 21st Century Technology Tools Institute, a continuing education initiative developed by the Illiois State Library.