Every great city has a keeper of its stories. Around here, that’s the Peoria Historical Society (PHS). Since 1934, they’ve bottled time and collected echoes — turning Peoria’s past into a story you can still hear today. Not just through artifacts but through immersive house museums and educational programs that bring our history to life.
The PHS exists to preserve, share and celebrate the stories of Peoria — and they like to explain how they do it with a three-legged stool analogy. Each leg represents a different way they bring history to life — and together, they support something powerful: a clear picture of who we are, where we’ve been and why it matters today.
Ready to go back in time? Scroll down to immerse yourself in Peoria’s past.
Leg 1: The House Museums
Step inside either of PHS’s two historic house museums and it doesn’t feel like a tour — it feels like time paused politely so you could walk through.
The John C. Flanagan House, built in 1837, is the oldest standing home in Peoria. Perched on the East Bluff with sweeping views of the river valley, it’s filled with period furniture, antique toys, delicate china and stories etched into every frame. Fun fact: the front of the house used to be the back — and vice versa. When it was first built, the home originally faced the river, which was the primary way people and goods traveled. Today’s “front door” once opened onto the backyard.
*The Flanagan House can also be rented — very reasonably — for special events, making it one of the most unique venues in the city.
The Pettengill-Morron House, built in 1868, is a grand Victorian beauty on Moss Avenue with a Second Empire silhouette and a soul full of family heirlooms. Every corner tells a story, from the original furnishings to the books and artwork donated by generations of the Morron family.
These homes carry the weight of time, felt in the stillness that settles in every room.
Floorboards creak like they’re remembering footsteps. Fireplaces sit like they’re waiting for someone to return. You don’t just see the past, you step into it.
Leg 2: The Collection
Behind every artifact in the PHS collection is a moment someone thought was worth saving. Over 65,000 items live under the Historical Society’s care. Not locked away in some forgotten vault but cared for like old friends.
The collection is a treasure trove of yesteryear. A top hat worn by one of Peoria’s earliest settlers. A Civil War drum, gifted to a riverboat captain by a grateful soldier. A Tiffany lamp that still catches the light just right. A campaign banner from Lincoln’s 1860 run for president. A bourbon barrel head stamped as Hiram Walker’s 3,999,999th fill. These aren’t just objects — they’re proof that history happened here.
Taken together, it’s more than a collection. It’s Peoria’s scrapbook, stitched together in glass cases and archival folders, offering anyone who visits a chance to say, “I didn’t know that… but now I’ll never forget it.”
Leg 3: The Programs & Events
PHS isn’t only about preserving the past. It’s about sharing it — in ways that invite you in, make you laugh, send a chill down your spine and leave you amazed that so much happened right here.
They’ve got bus tours with names as colorful as their content:
- The Holiday Home Tour invites guests to step inside beautifully decorated historic homes during the festive season.
- Naughty to Nice dives into Prohibition-era Peoria with tales of gangsters, gambling and the underground city that once thrived.
- Haunted Peoria shares ghost stories and eerie encounters from beyond the grave.
- Roll Out the Barrel celebrates the days when Peoria was the Whiskey Capital of the World.
There are lectures in hidden gardens, exhibits in unexpected places and partnerships that place Peoria’s artifacts throughout the city — from the Creve Coeur Club to the Riverfront Museum and beyond. They even hold events in private homes rarely opened to the public.
And yes, there’s trivia night because even history buffs like a good pizza-fueled showdown.
Why It All Matters
Peoria’s history isn’t just something that happened. It’s something that continues to happen — in every building we restore, every artifact we protect, every story we choose to pass along. Because at the end of the day, history isn’t about dates and timelines. It’s about people; the ones who walked these streets before us and the ones walking them now. And thanks to the Peoria Historical Society, we get to know them both.
So come visit. Take a tour. Ask questions. Touch the past (when you’re allowed to). Peoria’s story is still unfolding — and it’s better when we write it together.