Mission & History

The Warren Township Historical Society was organized in 1975 to unite all people interested in the area history of Warren Township, Lake County, Illinois. Members strive to learn about the history of the area, collect artifacts pertaining to the past, and preserve those artifacts for the future. 

The building that houses the Warren Township Historical Society is the oldest structure in Warren Township, built in 1841 as an inn, and one of the oldest structures in Lake County.

The two-story frame house was built in 1844 as a stage coach stop and acted as the town hall of the area, serving as voting place, post office and dance hall. Rooms on display in the house include a 1930s kitchen and a 1900 bedroom. Displays in the interior of the Mother Rudd House include historic photographs of Gurnee.

Artifacts from the Gurnee and Warren area are displayed in two rooms of the house. The recently re-mortared barn foundation behind the house is believed to have been a station of the Underground Railroad. Through a donation by Sears, plaques within the barn foundation¹s garden tell the story of the underground railroad.