DeKalb County History Center breaks ground on expansion

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County History Center recently broke ground on an expansion planned as part of the center’s mission to preserve and promote DeKalb County’s agricultural heritage.

The center’s “Rooted in History, Cultivating the Future” $1.8 million expansion project will be located on the former Engh Farm property. The history center is accepting naming opportunities and donation inquiries.

“This project is about more than buildings, it is about deepening our connection to the land, to our community, and to our shared history,” DeKalb County History Center executive director Michelle Donahoe said in a news release.

The center’s expansion proposal received statewide recognition and a $500,000 matching grant from the state of Illinois. The expansion also will be supported by the DeKalb County Community Foundation’s Community Needs grant program.

The expansion includes transforming a corn crib into an amphitheater space. The project also will create interpretive panels, community programming, and educational partnerships. The initiatives goal is to establish the campus as a venue honoring DeKalb County’s agricultural innovation legacy.

For information, email michelle@dekalbcountyhistory.org.