Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, noon to 5 PM; Saturday by appointment

About

The Carbondale Historical Society was established in October 1974, in response to a recommendation by Dr. Paul Gillette that local history be preserved. Accordingly, six Carbondale school teachers (Joseph Pascoe, Marie Hornbeck, Gloria Wilson, Martin Roe, Ann Russo, and Paul Kaczmarcik) took it upon themselves to start the organization. The first public meeting was held in January 1975, with monthly meetings thereafter. On November 6, 1982, the Historical Society and the Committee to Restore Carbondale City Hall merged to form the Carbondale Historical Society and Museum, Inc., an organized and permanent institution that was incorporated on March 15, 1983, and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as exempt from Federal income tax on July 2, 1984.

Mission

The Carbondale Historical Society and Museum is an educational and historical membership organization whose mission is to record, gather, and preserve the history of the city of Carbondale and the surrounding area. Through its genealogical and local history research center and exhibition galleries on the third floor of Carbondale City hall (listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 6, 1983, through the efforts of the Society) and through an annual series of public lectures, programs, exhibitions, and commemorative ceremonies, in the community and in the public schools, the Society, at the same time, interprets and makes accessible to the public the City's rich, diverse, and unique history and heritage. The Carbondale Historical Society and Museum is committed to the central values of (1) maintaining the highest possible standards in all its endeavors, (2) providing excellent service to the public at all times, and (3) demonstrating leadership and innovation in the field of local history.