Back to Primary Sources by State
The extensive collections at the Library of Congress contain historic artifacts and cultural materials from across the U.S. The list below is just a sample of the many Illinois resources available for free on the Library's Web site.
Teachers can find even more primary sources, along with the tools to help use them in the classroom, at www.loc.gov/teachers. They can also search the Library's American Memory or Prints and Photographs collections.
Primary Sources
Click the thumbnail for the original item, the caption for information on the item, or download a PDF or MP3.

Bird's eye view of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893
View PDF (960 KB)

Bird's eye view of the city of Champaign, Champaign County, Illinois 1869
View PDF (968 KB)
Oberne Hosick and Co. hard-water soap. Chicago, Ill.
View PDF (215 KB)
The great conflagration of Chicago! October 8th and 9th, 1871.
View PDF (216 KB)
A. R. Parsons' appeal to the people of America
View PDF (2.11 MB)
Illinois - The anarchist-labor troubles in Chicago, 1866
View PDF (1.28 MB)
Cavalcade of the American negro The story of the Negro's progress during 75 years...
View PDF (141 KB)
Wreck on I.C.R.R., near Farmer City, Ill., Oct. 6, '09
View PDF (805 KB)

Isaac Yost of Company C, 118th Regiment Illinois Infantry...
View PDF (272 KB)
Illinois Polka
View PDF (2.19 MB)
