CILF, Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation

05/08/2026

01/21/2026

Our meeting yesterday was held at the Creve Club (in the old River Station) along the Illinois River in downtown Peoria! Lots of history inside!

01/20/2026

We had a fantastic CILF Board meeting today at another historic building in downtown Peoria!
We are planning some wonderful things/events!

Can you test your local history knowledge on where we had our meeting today? Comment below!

01/13/2026

We had a wonderful CILF Events meeting today hosted at the "Gambill Castle" hosted by Blair Gambill and our new CILF supporter Zeus!

We are working on some special events for later this year that will celebrate Peoria Historic Heritage as 2026 is the 50th Anniversary of the CILF Markers Program!

09/22/2025

Did you know that CILF has over 150 plus entities celebrating their home or building with our CILF marker or interpretive signage?

We had some special guests today- thank you Blair Gambill and his lovely wife Molly Gambill for coming to check out what Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation is all about!

Their gorgeous and historic home should be joining our CILF family soon! Located in the Knolls and built in 1926, their home is a perfect part of our historic heritage architecture here in Central Illinois!

09/22/2025

It's take Chuck to work day at our monthly CILF meeting 😂 No, seriously we are thankful to CILF Board Member Chuck Gabbert for hosting our September meeting at his awesome building down on Adams!

Thanks again Chuck❤️

09/17/2025

Happy Wednesday from CILF! What exactly is CILF? Great question! We are a local nonprofit called Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation that helps preserve, protect, and educate about our local historic heritage buildings, homes, and sites.

We have a lengthy 50 plus year history here in the Peoria community and we would love to tell you more! But a little at a time!

Have you ever been on a stroll on Historic High Street, Moss Avenue, downtown Peoria, or the Glen Oak historic districts? Well, not limited to these places we have several systems in place to help people celebrate our treasures!

We have over 158 entities here in Central Illinois that have a blue oval with our CILF initials inside marking a structure of some type of historical significance!! Please help us get the word out and give our page a like and a share and believe me, we have many wonderful plans for things to come to help our Peoria area community.

Begin by clicking on the link below and inviting friends to our page.

https://www.facebook.com/CILFPeoria?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Stay tuned for more information to come...........

08/25/2025

City of Peoria to Open Historic 1897 Time Capsule
Event will be held on November 2; public invited to attend

August 25, 2025 (PEORIA, IL) – The City of Peoria is excited to announce the upcoming opening of a time capsule that dates back to the construction of the building. The capsule was placed in the cornerstone on the northwest side of the building on November 2, 1897, and is believed to contain a variety of items from the community. It was recently removed while the façade of the building was being repaired with stone masons from Otto Baum Company, Inc.

According to a Peoria Herald article from 1897, the capsule may include a city directory, a copy of the city code, local newspapers, business cards, photographs, speeches from former mayors, and even a buckeye, among other historical treasures.

“Time capsules are more than just containers of artifacts—they are messages from the past, created by the people who lived here more than a century ago,” said Mayor Rita Ali. “Because this capsule belongs to the people of Peoria, it is only fitting that our community comes together to witness its opening and reflect on how far we’ve come.”

The public is invited to witness the opening of the time capsule on Sunday, November 2, at 2 p.m. at the Gateway Building, 200 NE Water Street. The event will mark the 128th anniversary of its placement. A short program will precede the unveiling, featuring representatives from the Peoria Historical Society, Peoria Public Library - Local History Collection, Bradley Special Collections, and the Peoria Riverfront Museum. The capsule will be displayed on the first floor of Peoria City Hall, 419 Fulton Street, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., until the November 2 opening.

Time capsules hold a special place in preserving local history, offering future generations an authentic snapshot of community life, culture, and values from the past. They connect people across time, inspiring reflection on what has endured and what has changed.

The public is also encouraged to participate in the 2026 Time Capsule Project by visiting Peoria City Hall to fill out a card sharing what they love about Peoria. These cards will be placed in a new time capsule to be sealed in City Hall in 2026.

08/18/2025

08/17/2025

07/15/2025

We had a productive monthly meeting for our CILF Board of Directors today at the downtown branch of the Peoria Public Library today!

We were given some cool brochures on a West Bluff Historic Tour from 2011.

Can you take a guess on where this house is located in one of Peoria's oldest neighborhoods? This particular gem appears much differently now!

I will give you a clue- it was owned by one of the wealthiest Whiskey Barons from Peoria's past!