Local History & House Research

Interested in learning more about the history of the Elgin area? Gail Borden Public Library collects a wide variety of local information including school yearbooks, city directories, and maps. Visit the Information Desk at the Main Library to learn more.

Digital Archives

A small portion of Gail Borden Public Library's historical archives have been made available online. Elgin Area Memories showcases Elgin history through photographs, books, newspapers and audio/visual recordings. These materials are also part of the Illinois Digital Archives, which contains information from throughout the state of Illinois. If you are looking for more information on a particular subject, visit the Information Desk at the Main Library to speak with a Librarian.

For more Chicago area history, visit Explore Chicago Collections.

Resources at Gail Borden's Main Library

Additional Online Resources

Local Newspapers Online

The Gail Borden Public Library is working on digitizing our community's historic Newspapers.  You can now view the online archive, which will be updated with content as we continue this project. To see the full set of digitized newspapers you need to be in the library connected to our wifi.

Newspaper Index

The Elgin Newspaper and Vital Record’s Index is a searchable database of articles from the Courier News and Daily Herald for articles concerning Elgin. Try a keyword search for a name, place, or subject.

 

Back to the main research page

 

Click to view and print this short guide to finding more about your home's history.

Preserve Your Home

Historic Preservation on
the City of Elgin’s Website

Building Plaque Program
from the City of Elgin