www.lockportpark.org/gladys_museum.php

Open Monday thru Friday, 9-11; Tuesday & Wednesday, 1-4 

Free admission and parking

This beautifully restored Old Congregational Church is the oldest surviving building of its type in Illinois. The building was constructed in 1840 of native limestone on land donated by the Illinois & Michigan Canal Commissioners for the purpose of creating a place to worship. In 1955, the Lockport Youth Center, Inc., donated the property to the Lockport Township Park District who began restoration efforts on the building. Many of the building's original features have been returned to their former glory, including hand-hewn beams, wainscoating, the floor in the meeting room, and some of the original glass windows and furnishings. A new museum was added to the second level of the building that contains historical photographs and memorabilia of Dellwood Park and the I&M Canal. The meeting room of the Old Congregational Church is available to rent for groups up to fifty people.

www.willcountyhistory.org

Open Tuesday thru Sunday, 12-4, mid-February thru mid-November

$3/adult; $2/senior (60+), student or military; $1/child (6-17)   

Incorporated in 1964, the Will County Historical Society exists to connect people and organizations to the county's rich history. The Society's museum is housed in the original headquarters of the I&M Canal. Built in 1837, the structure played a central role in the design, financing, and construction of the canal and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Changing exhibits highlight the history of Will County and the I&M Canal. The Society's extensive archival collection includes significant county and canal-related records available for research. Nearby is the newly created Lincoln Landing park, a canal access point originally designated as the Public Landing by the Canal Commissioners when platting the town of Lockport in 1836. The Lincoln Landing features a unique sculpture of Abraham Lincoln while interpreting the history of the canal, its impact on Lockport, and Lincoln's connection to both.

www.museum.state.il.us/ismsites/lockport

Open Sunday 12-5, Monday thru Friday, 9-5, closed state holidays 

Free admission and parking

Explore the artistic wealth of the state at the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery. This site, accredited by the American Association of Museums, features changing exhibitions of art created by past and present Illinois artists and artisans. Located on the first floor of the historic Norton Building, a massive limestone structure built around 1850 as a grain-processing center on the I&M Canal, the museum offers visitors - both children and adults - opportunities to discover and reflect in spacious, light-filled galleries that unite the past and present. Group tours and specially planned events provide added dimension to the rotating display of paintings, drawings, sculpture, works on paper, and textiles, as well as decorative an ethnographic objects.

www.gaylordbuilding.org

Open Tuesday thru Saturday, 11-5, Sunday, 12-5

Free admission and parking

The Gaylord Building played a vital role in one of the great enterprises of the 19th century: the I&M Canal. A landmark since 1838, its many tenants and uses exemplify the canal's commercial success as the key to mastery of the American mid-continent. This handsome limestone warehouse originally stored canal construction materials and later housed a variety of commercial ventures. Today it serves as a national example of adaptive re-use and is a gateway to the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. In the exhibition galleries, visitors will discover the unique heritage of the site and the corridor. They can also take time to dine in the building's renowned Public Landing Restaurant. The Gaylord Building is a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.