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Welcome to the Illinois State Museum System

The Illinois State Museum System includes the headquarters museum and ISM-Research & Collections Center both in Springfield with branch sites ISM-Dickson Mounds in Lewistown, ISM-Lockport Gallery in Lockport. 

The Illinois State Museum System inspires exploration of Illinois' past and present to inform and enrich everyday life and to promote stewardship of cultural and natural resources for the future. The Museum's extensive collections and research activities provide the foundation for exhibitions and public programs that tell the story of the land, life, people, and art of Illinois.

What's New . . . 

Opening March 1st for Women's History Month at the Governor's Mansion, Commanding Presence:  100 Years of Women Artists, highlights significant women artists from the collections of the Illinois State Museum. 

Our museum shop offers a range of items that allow visitors to shop with purpose!

Kevin Veara: Exult

Springfield artist Kevin Veara paints eye-popping scenes of birds among imagined and mutant landscapes. His paintings celebrate the vibrant, extraordinary beauty of the birds he observes along the Sangamon River. 

Wildlife Around Us | ISM-Springfield

People have changed our landscapes and our wildlife neighbors are affected. This exhibit explores these relationships and how we might better co-exist.

The Growing Up X exhibition explores the toys, technologies and cultural touchstones surrounding Gen Xers in their childhood. 

Check out the new Presidential Illinois exhibit!

This exhibit celebrates all things “kidz” from the collection of the Illinois State Museum.  Visitors will see children’s clothing, toys, and objects from the 1840s-1990s, as well as artwork featuring children.

Help us preserve and share the Story of Illinois! Donate Today!

Rights and Rivers: Illinois Riverbend to Memphis, April 1-4, 2024