Union County Museum, shop scheduled to reopen for season

The Union County Museum in Cobden is planning to reopen for the season on Saturday afternoon, March 3. 

The museum plans to feature an exhibit which celebrates Union County’s bicentennial, which is being commemorated in 2018. 

The county was officially created on Jan. 2, 1818, when Illinois was still a territory. Illinois became a state in 1818. 

Items which are scheduled to be part of the exhibit include:

Copies of the 1818 census of Union County. A plat map showing the location of those owning property in Union County and the City of Jonesboro in 1818.

An 1819 Jonesboro Township poll book. A list of the 1807 and 1813 squatters in Union County, and where they were living.

Maps showing the progression of the development of the State of Illinois. Other artifacts from the early 1800s.

The exhibit is scheduled to be on display through the end of April. 

The Union County Historical and Genealogy Society plans to present several events for bicentennials of the county and the state. 

A variety of exhibits are planned at the museum throughout the year. Several historical lectures also are being planned.

The shop next to the museum also is scheduled to reopen. 

The shop will feature a variety of newly stocked items for sale. The shop will have spring, garden and Easter items, artificial flowers, glassware and other collectibles.

Proceeds generated by sales at the shop help to support the operation of the museum, as well as historical society projects.

The museum is located on South Appleknocker in the downtown Cobden area. 

Regular hours are scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Friday afternoons by chance. The museum’s phone number is 893-2865