The Collinsville Historical Association
Incorporated in June 2003, the Collinsville Historical Association, Inc. ("CHA"), is a non-profit organization aimed at increasing and disseminating historical knowledge of the Town of Collinsville ("the Town"), preserving the Town's rich cultural heritage, and cooperating with local government to promote historic preservation. The CHA includes a diverse membership committed to the preservation of a most valuable resource - our heritage!
CHA proudly endorses the designation of historic districts in the downtown and South Valley Avenue areas. We have worked closely with the town of Collinsville to see the restoration of the "Town Clock" which has, for many, long been a symbol of Collinsville. Thanks to those combined efforts, the fate of the Seth Thomas clock, which once perched atop the Cricket Theatre, is no longer in jeopardy. With the cooperation of the Town, CHA was instrumental in finding help in the form of a qualified restorer of classic time pieces. The clock has undergone a complete restoration and is currently on display in its restored condition at the Collinsville Town Hall, but will soon be on display at the Collinsville Museum of History.
Despite its relatively small membership and extremely limited funding, since its inception, the CHA has also undertaken, at its own expense, the collection of locally-significant memorabilia and historical records in order to assure their long-term preservation. In keeping with that goal, in 2006, the CHA established the Museum of Collinsville History ("the Museum"), which, until recently, consisted of two rooms in the Town's "Community Center," in which the CHA attempted to organize and display the collection of local artifacts donated by approximately 125 individual donors and including locally-relevant items such as personal papers; prints and photographs; newspapers; military and post-office memorabilia; school, business, church, cemetery, and household records; recorded interviews; decorative and fine art objects; textiles; furniture; a printing press; and even a theatre marquee. As of June 1, 2015, the CHA, through an extreme act of generosity by the Board of Directors of Liberty Bank, became the proud owner of the building formerly housing a branch of Liberty Bank in the Town's historic downtown. The CHA promptly relocated the Museum to this new location, which approximately tripled the square footage available for preservation and display. Be sure to come check out our new digs!
In 2010, the CHA purchased the Cricket Theatre ("the Cricket"), which it now owns debt-free. Since its purchase, the CHA has, by means of exhaustive fundraising efforts and generous donations, renovated the "Cricket Café" building attached to the theatre (now "The Booth" consignment shop), replaced the Cricket's badly-damaged roof and worked to salvage and restore the historic interior to its former glory, and restored and reinstalled the neon marquee. All of those efforts are aimed at seeing this historic treasure once again become a hub for the creative and performing arts (especially once we raise the $75,000 necessary to install a new heating/ventilation/air-conditioning unit)!
CHA proudly endorses the designation of historic districts in the downtown and South Valley Avenue areas. We have worked closely with the town of Collinsville to see the restoration of the "Town Clock" which has, for many, long been a symbol of Collinsville. Thanks to those combined efforts, the fate of the Seth Thomas clock, which once perched atop the Cricket Theatre, is no longer in jeopardy. With the cooperation of the Town, CHA was instrumental in finding help in the form of a qualified restorer of classic time pieces. The clock has undergone a complete restoration and is currently on display in its restored condition at the Collinsville Town Hall, but will soon be on display at the Collinsville Museum of History.
Despite its relatively small membership and extremely limited funding, since its inception, the CHA has also undertaken, at its own expense, the collection of locally-significant memorabilia and historical records in order to assure their long-term preservation. In keeping with that goal, in 2006, the CHA established the Museum of Collinsville History ("the Museum"), which, until recently, consisted of two rooms in the Town's "Community Center," in which the CHA attempted to organize and display the collection of local artifacts donated by approximately 125 individual donors and including locally-relevant items such as personal papers; prints and photographs; newspapers; military and post-office memorabilia; school, business, church, cemetery, and household records; recorded interviews; decorative and fine art objects; textiles; furniture; a printing press; and even a theatre marquee. As of June 1, 2015, the CHA, through an extreme act of generosity by the Board of Directors of Liberty Bank, became the proud owner of the building formerly housing a branch of Liberty Bank in the Town's historic downtown. The CHA promptly relocated the Museum to this new location, which approximately tripled the square footage available for preservation and display. Be sure to come check out our new digs!
In 2010, the CHA purchased the Cricket Theatre ("the Cricket"), which it now owns debt-free. Since its purchase, the CHA has, by means of exhaustive fundraising efforts and generous donations, renovated the "Cricket Café" building attached to the theatre (now "The Booth" consignment shop), replaced the Cricket's badly-damaged roof and worked to salvage and restore the historic interior to its former glory, and restored and reinstalled the neon marquee. All of those efforts are aimed at seeing this historic treasure once again become a hub for the creative and performing arts (especially once we raise the $75,000 necessary to install a new heating/ventilation/air-conditioning unit)!
