AVAILABLE TOURS
The Lemont Area Historical Society offers a number of planned tours. In addition, we are happy to provide group tours. Click on the links below for more information about the available tours.Museum Tour of the Buildings and Exhibiting Areas
Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Lemont Walking Tour of the Heritage Quarries and the I&M Canal Group tours can also be scheduled outside of regular museum hours. Tour Fees and Request Form Phone the museum at 630-257-2972 to ask for information on group tours. TEACHER ASSISTANCE Museum staff will work with teachers to provide information to supplement specific curriculum needs. AGE GROUPS Tour guides are trained to give tours to all age groups (minimum age is 2nd grade). COMPANION TOURS The Museum Tour can be combined with the Downtown Walking Tour. |
MEET OUR GUIDES
Paul Pfiefer
Paul comes from a military family that moved around a lot, and he has family all over the country. His formative years were spent in a small town in east central Illinois. He met his wife while they were both studying at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). She grew up in Lemont. Her family moved here when she was young, and she attended kindergarten through high school here in Lemont. After college she wanted to stay close to family, so they established their careers in the Chicagoland area. After their son was born, they decided to make Lemont their home. Paul has always had an interest in history, and Lemont has an extremely interesting history. He also enjoys talking with folks that have been in this town for generations as well as others who, like Paul, are relatively new to Lemont. It is a treat to have so many of the original buildings still up and functioning alongside some of the families that built them or ran businesses in them for years. Paul was invited to volunteer as a tour guide for the LAHS a couple of years ago. He really enjoys learning about and sharing the history of this wonderful town. |
Gail August
Gail August moved to Lemont in 1972 and became involved with the Historical Society in the late 1980’s. Over the years she has been a board member and officer of the society. In the late 1990’s, she helped the society develop the museum tour and the downtown Lemont walking tour and became the Group Tour Coordinator. Gail helped with the research and layout of the Historic Churches of Lemont Tour that premiered in 2007 and the Quarry and Illinois and Michigan Canal walking tour that premiered in 2010. She enjoys learning about the history of small towns and is proud of Lemont’s history and it’s part in the growth of Illinois and the nation. Gail thinks it is important for young people and residents to learn the history of their town and is glad to share her knowledge with others, including visitors who wish to learn about Lemont’s past. |
Susan Donahue
Susan is a lifelong resident of Lemont tracing her family history back to circa 1860. Her great grandfather served in the Civil War registering in Lemont Township. She has worked as Museum Coordinator, staff, bookkeeper, and tour guide for over 10 years, as well as volunteering for many committees and events for both the LAHS and the community of Lemont. She enjoys sharing local history and anecdotes with visitors and learning about the people she meets. She loves writing and she's Irish! |
Doris Peterman
Doris is a retired nurse who enjoys volunteering with the historical society and likes to walk. She walks nearly every day and is able to lead the longer quarry trail walk all around the quarries in Lemont. She also volunteers for her church and recently returned from a trip to Kenya where they did a lot of needed health care and vaccinations. You can see more about her on her Facebook page. She is active in the Red Hats group of Lemont, which is mostly retired nurses. |