The Rotary Club of Evanston continues to meet weekly online, due to the COVID-19 crisis. Visitors are welcome to join us on Thursdays at noon Central Time as we conduct club business and hear from a weekly speaker. You can participate in our meeting by computer or phone.

 

Please contact ZoomForRotaryHomeClub@gmail.com for login information.

 

When we are able, we will return to a bi-weekly in-person meeting.  

Grace Lehner, Director of Archives and Administration at the Evanston History Center, was our special guest via Zoom on June 11.  Grace shared a wealth of information about the Evanston History Center, with some highlights. The Center (originally the Evanston Historical Society) was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in the Charles G. Dawes House, 225 Greenwood Street, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. As a 501c3 organization, it does not receive funding from the city. Residents often visit the Evanston History Center to research homes and buildings, since records of all permits and other documents have been preserved since the 1890s. There are many categories of historic documents preserved by the History Center. The Sanborn maps are of particular interest for those researching the City of Evanston. The Center also received a grant to digitize content from the 1990s to the 2000s, converting VHS and other content to more stable media forms. Frank Foster, who was for many years a member of the club, was a major benefactor of the Center, and its reading room is named in his honor. It is worth a visit to the Center to learn about the past -- and for those who are creating history in Evanston today, consider bringing content to be preserved there! Many programs, events and lectures are offered throughout the year at the Center. For the latest updates, visit www.evanstonhistorycenter.org.