World War I: State Council of Defense

During the summer of 1918, the State Council of Defense of Illinois organized local committees to collect “World War”-related documents in order to preserve the historical record of the epochal event.  Each local committee was urged to collect materials from local veterans and the community.  Thirty counties in Illinois officially collected materials. 

The collection includes pamphlets, books, journal, articles, cartoons, field notes, and other materials that were donated to the State Council of Defense of Illinois and sometime afterward housed with the McLean County Historical Society (now the Museum of History).