UIS History Department

12/17/2025

Still time to join our esteemed BA/MA alumnus Adam Krall at noon today!

On 12/17, Taste of ISM returns with a program by Adam Krall from State Historic Sites- we hope to see you at the Research and Collections Center for it!

11/14/2025

Nice work, Marcel!
(UIS Public History MA Alumnus Marcel, that is 😉)

Thanks to the generosity of Dana-Thomas House volunteer Allicent Smith (right) and her family, and the research of our staff team member Marcel Tworek (left), we have another piece of the house’s history to share with guests. Allicent’s family purchased the trunk pictured here from an auction of Susan Lawrence Dana’s belongings in 1943, and have now generously donated it to the historic site. Marcel documented the donation and the trunk’s story, his research identifying the trunk as being in the house ca. 1910 very close to the location where you see it in this photo. We look forward to showing you this amazing artifact on your next tour of the Dana-Thomas House!

Image: Marcel Tworek and Allicent Smith stand in the gallery of the Dana-Thomas House with the historic trunk Allicent and her family recently donated to the site.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources Illinois State Museum Dana-Thomas House Foundation The Old State Capitol Foundation Vachel Lindsay Association Visit Springfield Enjoy Illinois

10/29/2025

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10/16/2025

That's Public History MA alumnus Alex pictured, doing the work for the Illinois State Archives. 💫Great project!

10/09/2025

Join us for a talk with Francisco Javier Ramírez Treviño (UAM-A) on the challenges of transitional justice in Mexico. Over the past two decades, efforts such as the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the Guerrero Truth Commission, and the López Obrador government’s commission have sought to confron...

10/09/2025

Give a listen to our alumna Tori Kolanowski (BA '25) talking about some of the great work she's doing at the Jacksonville Area Museum as museum manager.

Jacksonville Area Museum keeps Jacksonville's rich history alive through upcoming expansion.

08/19/2025

The History Department is excited to serve as Dr. Mitchell's co-host, with the UIS Center for Lincoln Studies, for his role as Public Humanities Fellow. Welcome to campus!

We're excited to share that Dr. Brian Mitchell is joining the Center for Lincoln Studies this academic year as a Public Humanities Fellow with a joint appointment in the UIS History Department.

Brian is an award winning author and public historian who focuses on difficult histories. He joins the Center for Lincoln Studies to work on the "Legacy of Resilience: Black Springfield, 1900-1910" project that seeks to understand life in Springfield's Black community in the years leading up to and immediately following the 1908 race riot.

During the fall, Brian will co-teach a History Graduate Seminar on memory, human rights, and the memorialization of racial and state violence in the U.S. and Latin America. In the Spring, he will teach a course on African American History. His fall course is co-taught with Professor Francisco Ramírez Treviño of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco in Mexico City, who is visiting UIS as a COMEXUS Fulbright Fellow.

A warm welcome to Dr. Brian Mitchell!

04/29/2025

Congrats to our grad student Evie for being awarded the Illinois State Historical Society 2025 Russell Lewis Young Museum Professional Award! This makes it back-to-back for UIS History, with then-MA student McKenna Servis receiving the 2024 award. And, special thanks to the UIS History MA alumni who nominated both Evie and McKenna!

03/19/2025

Congrats to History alumna Katie Brethorst-Stockwell (BA '20, MA '22), named to the inaugural eighteen-member class of the UIS Promising Prairie Star Recognition Program!

This program, established by the Young Alumni Committee, honors outstanding graduates under the age of 40 or those who have graduated within the previous five years. The honorees are selected for their emerging and unique innovation, creativity, and success in their chosen career or life's work.

The University of Illinois Springfield has released the names of the inaugural class of the Promising Prairie Star Recognition Program. This program, established by the Young Alumni Committee, honors outstanding graduates under the age of 40 or those who have graduated within the previous five years...

02/23/2025

Wait, you didn't know about UIS History BA and MA alumnus Adam Krall's podcast "The Civil Weird?" Apologies accepted. No better time to start your binge than with the new episode "The Awesome Life and Strange Death of Leroy Key: The Andersonville Regulator Who Mounted Up":

This episode, we delve into the Civil Weird tale of QMSgt. Leroy L. Key. Born in Mississippi to a slave-owning family, he broke away before the war and settled in Illinois—a decision that would shape his future in surprising ways. During the Civil War, Key fought in two regiments, one infantry, an...

12/03/2024

On this Giving Tuesday, consider skipping your weekly splurge in favor of a gift of any size to your favorite History Department (sorry, no complimentary tote bags...yet)! https://www.uis.edu/scholarships-funds/uis-history-program