northwest territory historic center

The top-quality exhibits tell the story of Northwest Illinois. There are many items related to Ronald Reagan's life in Dixon. Interactive exhibits of times past make a visit fun and educational.

Many people travelling to Dixon go there for the Reagan home and sights but forget that there is this gem of a museum not far from it. It is actually located inside the old Dixon High School Building built in the early 1900s with a wide variety of exhibits ranging from an art gallery to one on President Reagan and one on the Blackhawk War. There is also one on farming in the area. The one on the Blackhawk War is especially well done since much is not known about this conflict between the Americans and Native Americans. The gymnasium on the third floor is restored as well as a classroom the Reagan himself was taught in. You are greeted by friendly staff and a portrait of the former president made of Jellybellys. Everything is beautifully restored inside a perfect spot for a museum. Affiliated with the Smithsonian!!

As a grade school child we had band practice in South Central School which is now the Northwest Territory Historic Center. It is a grand old building. Most of these old schools have been demolished because of the high cost to maintain or update. It is fortunate that Dixon had someone (Norman Wymbs)willing & able to finance the conversion of this building into a museum. I enjoy visiting local museums & this one is outstanding for a town of this size. The exhibits are high quality. Hearing why & how the Wymbs family carried out this transformation is enlightening. Some of the exhibits are The Sauk Indians & the Blackhawk War, the development of the priarie by the settlers, the Rock River Assembly/ Chautauqua History Room, interviews of WWII vets, & a Walgreen Room(Charles Walgreen was boy in Dixon & later built a home in the area). One can spend a couple hours or a day depending on how thorough one wants to be. Admission is free. Donations accepted.

My husband and I were traveling there to meet his Aunt and cousins. The layout of the Center was wonderful. We were able to walk thru slowly and share stories of the past. The combination of local history and the Reagan years was very nice. Thank you for keeping it up!

The history, dioramas, models and murals were great! If you have any questions talk to Jim - he's a wealth of knowledge. Got to see President Reagan's classroom, the Black hawk War and Dixon Veteran displays. Very cool!

What a great way to spend a few hours learning about the history of northern Illinois! It is apparent that the folks that worked on Disney's team worked on this as well. Incredibly life-like mannequins in beautiful settings make it interesting for the whole family. Lots of neat "tricks" to fool the eye, like the small mine shaft that truly makes it feel as if you're at the bottom looking up and seeing the sky above or the "cabin" that is actually only half the size it appears to be! I can't say enough about this beautifully restored, and handicap accessible building and what it contains....and all for the cost of a donation. I can't wait to go back, to see more, as I only had an hour there my first visit.

A fabulous museum. I venture to say no other museum on a town of less than 15,000 on Illinois compares to this. Filed with interactive real-life exhibits, a lot if fantastic art . Reagan's actual high school classroom. Stunning miniature models. And a bonus to this museum is that it's near the Reagan Home, the church Reagan attended, and the Rock River he loved. Also, close to the John Deere Museum, a wonderful downtown art gallery, and another historic museum. Wonderful day trip from Chicago.

Seems like every community has a "museum" or historic center. Most would be better left...closed. This center is good...very good. Even though it is located in a former school that Ronald Reagan attended, the building is completely handicap accessible. Millions were spent converting the building from an old school into an interesting history museum. There are rooms dedicated to the various people having ties to the Dixon area including the Walgreen (Drug) Family, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan (among others). I won't bother outlining everything they have, their website can do a better job than I: http://northwestterritoryhistoriccenter.org/Like any museum worth its salt, it has a good size gift shop. Bottom line, this is not your usual small town museum. Being literally within walking distance from Ronald Reagan's home, it is worth a visit. There is no set admission, donations are accepted in a drop box near the front door. Staff was friendly and helpful. I enjoyed it.