Rotarians were treated to a lunch and tour of the recently built DeKalb County History Center on the site of what was originally the Sycamore History Museum on November 6th. The Center represents a collaboration of more than 20 historical organizations in the county according to Executive Director Michelle Donahoe. While each organization continues to maintain its own physical site, the County Center is coordinating joint events, marketing, and special traveling exhibits. This included the Center’s inaugural exhibit this past summer from the Smithsonian Institute named “Crossroads – Change in Rural America.” A special feature of this exhibit was collecting taped interviews with local people about their rural experiences which have been added to a series of interviews maintained by the Smithsonian.
The History Center complex is now home to the Joiner History Room and space is being made available for the Sycamore Fire Preservation Company to house their restored fire truck on site. The Joiner History Room is the DeKalb County Archives. The historical materials date back to the hand-written minutes of the first session of the County Commissioners in 1837. The collection includes Civil War papers, newspaper files, old photographs and numerous boxes of manuscript materials for researchers. The Sycamore Fire Preservation Company was established in 2001 for the purpose of preserving the history of the Sycamore Fire Department. The Preservation Company is made up of active and retired Sycamore firefighters. The Preservation Company’s primary mission is preservation of a retired Sycamore Fire Department 1923 Stutz fire engine.