5Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Grayslake Heritage Center Historic and Museum
Grayslake, Illinois
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Grayslake.
1905 to 2006Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
303,104Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Grayslake, Illinois.
Get to know Grayslake, Illinois in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Grayslake Heritage Center Historic and Museum's digital archive. Its five titles include material from 1905 to 2006.
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Selected titles
A selection from Grayslake Heritage Center Historic and Museum: “Lotus News” and “The Lake County Record”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.
Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse five titles and 303,104 digitized pages, with material from 1905 to 2006. A partnership between Grayslake Heritage Center Historic and Museum and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A family story or a question about a familiar place can lead somewhere unexpected. Browse the titles below and see which detail draws you in.
Lotus News
24 pages from 1935 to 1936
North Chicago Tribune
40 pages from 1933 to 1936
The Grayslake Times
302,960 pages from 1905 to 2006
The Lake County Record
8 pages in 1942
The Lakehurst News
72 pages in 1973
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About the Museum
About The Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum
The Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum is a state-of-the-art history museum dedicated to collecting and sharing the history of the greater Grayslake area. Located at 164 Hawley Street in the heart of downtown Grayslake, Illinois, the museum features multiple exhibition galleries, a community room, archives, and collections storage. It also incorporates the original Village Hall, a former one-room schoolhouse moved to the site and expanded in 1895. The museum operates as a partnership between the Village of Grayslake and the Grayslake Historical Society.
Partner Story
Exhibitions
- Embracing Change: The Growth of Grayslake – This permanent exhibition provides a detailed look at how the community has grown and changed over time through rare images and artifacts, stunning graphics, and innovative interactives. It has received Superior Achievement Awards from the Illinois State Historical Society and the Illinois Association of Museums, as well as an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History.
- Postmarked: Grayslake, 60030 – Opened in February 2024, this exhibit explores past and present stories related to Grayslake's postal history, including tales of a postmistress accused of opening mail and a matchmaking organization with unexpected consequences. The exhibit runs through October 2024.
- Biking Through the Years: Cycling in Grayslake – Closing on June 15, 2024, this exhibit is full of artifacts from the Grayslake Historical Society and community members, exploring the history of cycling both on a national and local scale.
These exhibitions serve as a portal to the community's past, capturing the people, places, and events that have shaped Grayslake's history. The collection offers a snapshot of time, preserving cultural assets and providing practical online access to local primary source documents.
About the Museum
About The Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum
Located at 164 Hawley Street in Grayslake, Illinois, the Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum is dedicated to serving the informational and educational needs of the community. The museum provides a welcoming space for reading, research, and community events, reflecting its commitment to greater access to historical content. Through partnerships and outreach, the museum continues to engage the community in preserving and discovering local history.
Institution History
The History Of The Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum
Opened on August 15, 2010, the Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum represents years of planning and cooperation between the Village of Grayslake and the Grayslake Historical Society. The facility includes 11,000 square feet housing multiple galleries, archives, a community room, dedicated classroom space, a museum store, and collections storage. A 3,000 square foot annex, north of the main facility, houses additional artifacts. The museum is handicapped accessible, with parking available on the north and east sides of the building, and additional spaces on nearby Whitney Street.
About the Community
About Grayslake, Illinois
Grayslake, located in Lake County, Illinois, is a village rich in history and cultural heritage. Incorporated in 1895, Grayslake has evolved from a small rural community to a vibrant suburb within the Chicago metropolitan area. The village is known for its historic downtown, community events, and commitment to preserving its unique identity through institutions like the Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum.
Local History
Did You Know?
The Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum's permanent exhibition, "Embracing Change: The Growth of Grayslake," has garnered significant recognition at the state and national levels. The exhibition received Superior Achievement Awards from the Illinois State Historical Society and the Illinois Association of Museums, as well as an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. These awards are given to organizations that embody the highest professional standards and serve as models to the museum community.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Compare accounts as you trace a story
Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Grayslake. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Grayslake Heritage Center Historic and Museum to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Use a report's date to look for earlier or later coverage where those issues are available. Compare what each account says and what it leaves out, treating a related mention as a lead rather than a complete history.
Compare each newspaper account with a nearby dated issue where available, noting what changes or stays consistent. Keep alternate versions and unresolved details visible rather than blending distinct sources into one story. Use those differences to frame a next question, not to settle the account before the sources support it.
Keep source details beside each quotation or observation. If accounts differ, preserve both references and note what remains unresolved. Let the evidence, rather than a smooth retelling, show where the sources agree and where the story is still open.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Grayslake Heritage Center Historic and Museum, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
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Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
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March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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