Elizabeth History Museum

Partner Address: 

110 E. Myrtle St.

City, State, Zip: 

Elizabeth, Il 61028

Partner Phone: 

(815) 591-3895

Partner Contact: 

Martha Purchis

Partner Email: 

elizabethhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

Senate Desk of John C. McKenzie

Image of original Illinois State Senate desk used by Jonh C. McKenzie.

original desk from the floor of the Illinois State Senate
This desk was from the original furniture purchased and used in the current Senate Chamber of the State Capitol Building in Springfield.
circa 1888 - 1900

John C. McKenzie (1860-1941) began his career as a lawyer in the small village of Elizabeth in northwestern Illinois. He served in the Illinois House from 1892 to 1896 and in the Illinois Senate from 1900 until 1911.  He used this desk until the State ordered new ones for both chambers.

Cradle Reaper

Image of cradle Reaper used on the Glenn Droegmiller family farm, near Elizabeth, Illinois.

Cradle Reaper used on the Glenn Droegmiller family farm.
used on their Snipe Hollow farm near Elizabeth in NW IL
late 1800s

A cradle reaper was used to cut crops such as wheat, oats, and hay and then rake the cut crop into a single row. Pitchforks would then be used to throw the harvested crop into a wagon to be hauled to the farmer's barn for storage. This particular cradle reaper was used on the Snipe Hollow Farm near Elizabeth, Illinois, sometime in the late 1800s. 

National Cash Register

Image of brass National Cash Register used in "Bishop's Busy Big Store", Elizabeth, Illinois.
From its opening in 1905, O.M. Bishop called his store "The Busy Big Store," advertising five departments (clothing, shoes, groceries, variety, and dishes) under one roof. On the second floor, the biggest theater in the county at its opening, the Lyric Theater, showed movies from 1916-1931. This space also served as a community meeting house where dances, suppers, vaudeville shows, graduations, and even roller skating took place.
Subscribe to RSS - Elizabeth History Museum