Established: 1898Business Type: Non-profitKnown For: Collecting, preserving and sharing Evanston history to educate, inspire and enrich the people of Evanston.
Concerned that much of Evanston’s early history was at risk of being lost with the death of the earliest settlers, a group of 7 residents founded the Evanston History Center (formerly the Evanston Historical Society) in 1898.
In 1942, Charles Gates and Caro Dawes arranged for Northwestern University to hold their house in trust for the Evanston History Center. Evanston History Center moved into the Dawes House in 1960 after Charles and Caro Dawes had both died.
In 1976 the Charles Gates Dawes House was named a National Historic Landmark.
Today, the Center’s mission is to collect, preserve and share Evanston history to educate, inspire and enrich the people of Evanston.
