The DeKalb County Community Foundation is happy to announce the Kirkland Historical Society Fund. The purpose of this Agency Fund is to create mechanisms for accepting donations to the Kirkland Historical Society. Donations support their mission to stimulate interest in the Kirkland area history through education, research, collection, and preservation.

“When visitors come in asking about a family or building, we want them to be pleased with the information available,” said Peggy Stuntz, Kirkland Historical Society Curator. “We have a large and growing collection of Kirkland’s history. To us, this place is a gold mine, and we want to serve the community with it.”

The Kirkland Historical Society is an outgrowth of “Kirkland: Then and Now,” a historical play performed in 2007 commemorating the village’s 125th birthday. The historical performance consisted of 14 scenes starting with Kirkland’s beginnings and continuing to the present. The success of the play led to the organization of the Kirkland Historical Society.

An interested group met at the village hall in October 2007 to launch the Kirkland Historical Society. The Kirkland Public Library provided space in the old bank vault to hold and display donated historical items and artifacts. They quickly outgrew this space and, in 2009, moved to the Olson’s Quiram-Kirkland Chapel, a space provided by Scott Olson. The collection continued to grow over the next 12 years, expanding into the many rooms within the Chapel. The Kirkland Historical Society purchased the building in 2021. The building continues to serve multiple purposes as a historical center, a funeral home, and as a space for community meetings and special events.

The new Fund at the Community Foundation creates a way for the Historical Society to raise ongoing support to fulfill its mission. These donated dollars provide continuing maintenance, support, and service to the community and create future growth with expansion opportunities.

 “Our Board and staff love that our mission extends throughout DeKalb County.  Partnering with the Kirkland Historical Society in this way allow us to support their mission and grows our capacity to be an even more relevant part of the Kirkland community,” said Community Foundation Executive Director Dan Templin.

To support this Agency Fund, please make your donation directly to the Kirkland Historical Society and note that it is for this Fund.

For questions or to get started creating your charitable Fund, please contact Dan Templin at 815-748-5383 or dan@dekalbccf.org.