About
Relocated in Morton Grove’s historic Harrer Park, the Haupt-Yehl House is furnished to represent the early years of the century when our village was still young. Our Museum is typical of a farmhouse of the German families that settled here in the mid-1800s, containing many of the household items that would be present in this time period.
The Haupt-Yehl House
The Morton Grove Historical Museum was built in 1888 by Nicholas Haupt as a home for his wife and eight children. His wife, Magdalena, died before the house was complete, leaving behind her husband and eight children. After Nicholas also died two years later, the Haupt children remained together in the house until the youngest was of age. Third daughter Elizabeth married Mathias Yehl in 1901 and they raised their six children in the home. Yehl daughter Dorothy remained in the house until the property was sold in 1984. The Morton Grove Historical Society, in cooperation with the Morton Grove Park District, saved the house from demolition and moved the house from its original location on Lincoln Avenue to its present site in Harrer Park. Currently, the Historical Society and Park District cooperate in maintaining and operating the Museum and Education Center. The museum collects and displays artifacts of significance to Morton Grove, including those of the original founders and of more recent settlers to the community, all who continue to enhance the vitality of Morton Grove.
Historical Museum
& Education Center
6148-6240 W. Dempster, Harrer Park
(not the mailing address)
Phone: 847-965-0203
Museum Hours
Tuesday-Thursday: 10:00 am-1:00 pm
Sunday: 2:00-4:00 pm (mid-February through mid-December)
Admission to the Museum is free. Donations are appreciated.
School and Community groups are invited to call the Museum and arrange a group tour available by appointment.
Serving a Culturally Diverse Community | A Cooperative Effort of the Morton Grove Historical Society and the Morton Grove Park District.
Museum Education Center
The John & Mary Helen Slater Education Center is designed to match the architecture of our 1888 farmhouse, opened in 2008.This addition is equipped to meet the growing needs of our technologically-advanced community. The landscaping demonstrates the conservation of natural resources with native Illinois plants and a rain garden. This center has provided us with classroom space for a wide variety of school and community programs sponsored by the Morton Grove Park District and the Morton Grove Historical Society. Equipped with a state-of-the-art archival storage system, the Museum Education Center also serves as a research facility for our local history.
The Museum Education Center is available to rent for meetings! Please call the museum at 847-965-0203 to discuss details.
The Doughboy Monument
Morton Grove’s iconic Doughboy statue by Hugh A. Price was dedicated on 
July 31, 1921, by the Women’s War Working Circle on a park they purchased through the profits from the first Morton Grove Days Carnival. The park later became the home of the Morton Grove Public Library in 1952 and the Morton Grove Historical Society later became stewards of the monument to preserve it for future generations.
The Potawatomi Tribe Eagle Dancer
This statue was created from a rescued portion of Morton Grove’s Indian Marker Tree by the Morton Grove Historical Society and sculpted by artist Eric Widitz. It was dedicated on November 3, 2013.This statue can be seen behind the Haupt-Yehl House Museum and is lit for evening viewing.
Exhibits and Programs
The Museum Education Center provides exhibit space additional to the basement exhibit space in the Haupt-Yehl House and allows for a more frequent rotation of our exhibits. These exhibits highlight particular moments or themes in Morton Grove’s vast history through displays of photographs and artifacts from our collections. Many of the Museum’s volunteers and visitors are longtime residents of Morton Grove and they provide interesting commentary for visitors.
 In addition, the Museum features a number of special programs throughout the year. See the Museum page in the Park District activity guide for current programs and events.
Educational Traveling History Trunks
School and community groups are invited to request Traveling History Trunks, available through our Museum and Education Center. Each trunk focuses on a different historical theme and is available throughout the calendar year. These trunks contain genuine artifacts, exhibit materials, and activities that can be used to supplement the history learned in traditional textbooks and classroom activities. The Morton Grove Historical Museum curator will bring the trunk to your location or schedule a program at the Museum Education Center, explore its contents with the participants, and guide the group in prearranged activities. Currently, the Museum has program boxes available focusing on the following themes (though a trunk can be tailored to meet your specific thematic needs):
- Â Our Local Native American Past, Our Local Pioneer Past
- The Civil War, World War I, and World War II
- Natural History of Morton Grove (includes a selection of themes on local plants and animals, geology, archaeology and more)
- Power House- Sustainable Living in the 21st Century
- Enviroscapes Wetlands and Watersheds
- Toys in History
- The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
Call the Museum at 847-965-0203 for more information on this service, offered at no cost to local schools and community groups. Museum staff will work with educators to meet specific curriculum goals and scout groups to meet badge requirements.
