Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum set to open Saturday

CARTHAGE, Ill. — Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum, 306 Walnut, will open for the season on Saturday, April 1. The free museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon-4 p.m. and on Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The museum is closed on Monday and on major holidays. Special group or class tours can be arranged at other times.

The museum was created around the large natural history collection from Dr. Alice Kibbe, a former biology professor of Carthage College. It has expanded to include home, farm, businesses, fashions and military items from Hancock County’s past, as well as relics from Carthage College, Native Americans and fossils and rocks of the area.

Special exhibits focus on the origins of Memorial Hospital and healthcare in Hancock County, Abraham Lincoln’s life and death, his era and connections to Hancock County, funeral customs and military service.

Sherry Harris and Don Gee will share weekly duties as host at the museum along with volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering as a museum host can call the museum during open hours at 217-357-9552.