Beatles Mini Museum
113 McCann St.
Benton, Illinois 62812
618/438-2328 |
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| Summery: Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast provides a nostalgic window with a view of 1963, when George Harrison spent a summer vacation with his sister, Louise Harrison, in Benton, Illinois. |
Frankfort Area Historical Museum
2000 E. St. Louis St.
West Frankfort
618/932-6159 |
Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wed and Thur. Open by appointment at other times. Groups of over 10 should call first. |
| Admission: No Charge |
| Summery: Shows early Franklin County history, including a mural which follows the area's history from 1802 to 1976. |
Museum Description: Located in 'old Frankfort', the museum is the renovated 3 story Logan School. The museum offers:
- A genealogy library
- A one-room school
- an arts and tea room
- replica of an early 1900s five-room home
- quilting room
- Auditorium (mural located here)
A gift shop is available to visitors, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. lunches are available in the tea room. |
Franklin County Garage 1910 Museum
211 N. Main St.
Benton, Illinois
618/438-2121 |
Hours: Mon - Fri: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Open on Sat from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. from May to October. |
| Admission: No Charge, donations accepted |
| Summery: The garage was built in 1910 as Franklin County's first Ford Dealership. The building, which contains about 90% of its original equipment, has been restored as an automobile showroom and machine shop of that era. Within walking distance of the Old Franklin County Jail. |
Museum Description: Exhibits currently include:
- 5 Ford Model T automobiles, including a car that belonged to Southern Illinois gangster Charlie Birger.
- Among other Birger memorabilia are the handcuffs Birger was wearing when he was hanged April 19, 1928 and a bullet-proof vest that Birger often wore.
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Mulkeytown Grade School
3120 Schoolhouse Rd.
Mulkeytown, IL
618/724-2445, 618/724-2913, or 618/724-4252 |
Hours: Tue - 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sat - 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Admission: None stated |
| Summery: Exhibits focused on individual communities and run by the West Franklin Historical District and Genealogical Society. |
| Museum Description: This museum is located in the former elementary school (currently under restoration). Exhibits available range coal to indian artifacts and include exhibits devoted to Franklin County communities. |
Old Chicago and Eastern Illinois Depot
102 W. Main St. (Illinois 149)
West Frankfort (next to the railroad tracks)
618/937-2205, 618/932-6159 |
Hours: 1 -4 p.m. Sun; tours by appointment. |
| Admission: No Charge |
| Summery: The old Chicago and Eastern Illinois Depot has been renovated and is sponsored by the Franklin Area Historical Society. Depot was built around the time when West Frankfort was founded in 1912 the railroad came through in 1895. |
| Museum Description: The museum has veterans' memorabilia from World Wars I and II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. There is also memorabilia from the Civil War and Spanish American War. There is a coal miner's memorial wall east of the museum, and a soldier's memorial in front of the depot. |
Old Franklin County Jail
209 W. Main St.
Benton, IL
800/661-9998 or 618/439-0608 |
Hours: Mon - Sat: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; closed Sunday |
| Admission: No Charge, donations accepted |
Exhibits: The mansion and adjoining jail have been restored to their original 1905 condition by the Society for the Historic Preservation of Franklin County. The exhibits include:
- Old radio equipment from station WFRX that was used when the Beatles' George Harrison visited the area in 1963 and the station played the first Beatle record in the U.S., "From Me to You."
- Memorabilia from Prohibition, gangs, and Charlie Birger in the 1920's.
- room dedicated to high school, college, and professional basketball standout Doug Collins, who spent his childhood in the area and lived in the mansion while his father was sheriff. His one-time bedroom has been converted into a room dedicated to his basketball career.
- Civil War Memorabilia and John A. Logan historical items, and local history items.
- 17-foot monument to Gen. Logan and the 209 Union Soldiers from Franklin County who died to preserve the nation.Home of the Franklin County Tourism Bureau
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| Special Mentions: The jail became a symbol for the gang era in Southern Illinois during Prohibition, and became the last stop for Charlie Birger, the last man publicly hanged in Illinois on April 19, 1928 for the 1926 murder of West City's mayor, Joe Adams. A new jail was built in 1991, and the old jail was placed on the register of Historic Places on Feb. 1, 1999. It is also the home of the Franklin Tourism Bureau. |
Silkwood Inn Museum
one-half mile north of Mulkeytown, IL
618/724-7270 |
Hours: Open July 4th, Labor Day and other times by appointment. |
| Admission: No Charge |
| Summery: This inn, built in 1827, has been restored and furnished by the Mulkeytown Area Historical Society. It is the only remaining structure along the old Shawneetown-Kaskaskia Trail that connected Southern Illinois communities in the early 1800's. Exhibits depict life in rural Southern Illinois in the late 1800s. |
Thompsonville Log Cabin
Next to the fire dept on S. Main St.
Thompsonville, IL
618/627-2815 or 627-2222 |
Hours: Tours by appointment |
| Admission: No Charge |
| Summery: Two story log cabin dates to 1825 when it was about three miles east of town and in 1970 is was moved and reconstructed in 1970. The cabin is undergoing renovation. |
