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The Evangelical Congregational Church of Highland Park marked its official founding on June 28, 1896, with the dedication of its newly erected church building, but the church’s origins date back further. The early church was comprised of German speaking pioneer settlers from Pennsylvania who had been members of the Evangelical Association found by Jacob Albright. In 1839, these settlers started a church in what is now North Northfield. Some of these church families relocated to Highland Park and formed a group that by 1873 was part of the Des Plains circuit. A church building was erected in 1883 on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Green Bay Road. In 1894, the Illinois Conference of the United Evangelical Church was organized following a division of the Evangelical Association. The First United Evangelical Church of Highland Park was organized under this conference and construction began on the permanent church building.

Upon the dedication of the church building in 1896 by Bishop Rudolph Dubs, H. H. Thoren became the first pastor. The church originally held its services in German until introducing an English service in 1898 and the earliest records of the church are written in German. In 1913 the church sent out its first missionary, Homer Dubs, to China and enlarged the basement of the building. The church decided to remain independent during the merger of the two national denominations, The United Evangelical Church and the Evangelical Association in 1922. The interior of the church was remodeled in 1935. During the 1950s the basement was enlarged again, and the steeple lowered due to deterioration of the wood. On June 24, 1962, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for a new Christian Education Building to provide more space. The completed building was dedicated on May 26, 1963, by Bishop H. H. Scanlin. The church became affiliated with the Evangelical Congregational Church headquartered in Myerstown, Pennsylvania, the successor to the United Evangelical Church. The last service at the Evangelical Congregational Church of Highland Park was held on December 28, 2010.

The collection is organized into eight series: Administrative Records; Organizations; Women’s Missionary Society and Sunday School; Special Days; Memorabilia; Photographs; Publications; and Miscellaneous. The records document the operations, activities, and members of the church as well as their relationship with regional and national church groups.

The bulk of this "Book of Memories" [scrapbook] consists of young and contemporary images of Club memories juxtaposed with brief hand-written or printed obituaries. Also found in this scrapbook are charter member lists and images, various rosters, event photographs, corres., and a few meeting records. Information on play "Tuning up for the wedding."

Highland Park has a diversity of churches and synagogues, representing multiple denominations. From the first, a Catholic Church a cabin of oak logs erected by early settlers in 1846 to the Christian Science Church built in 1904 (the building was sold to the City in 1984), this collection comprises documents, service programs, photographs, newspaper articles and other materials pertinent to the Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, and other Christian churches and materials pertinent to several Jewish synagogues serving the community.

Certificate of Discharge, Bureau of Pensions corres., Cushing Naval Veterans' Assoc., and marriage proposal to Mrs. Barton at "The Academy."

This collection documents early Highland Park and Elm Place School. It is a series of class photographs and teaching aids. The collection has been arranged into 5 series with a list of each item in that series. They are mostly black and white and a few have been damaged. They are all 4x5. These slides may have been taken chiefly by Jesse Lowe Smith. Brand Studio may also be responsible for some of the photography.

This is an artificial collection created by the Highland Park Historical Society. Much of the donor information for the collection is unknown. The contents of the collection includes abstracts and examinations of title and deeds of warranty and/ or mortgages relating to the Highland Park area. The dates of the materials span from circa 1839-1934.

This collection contains materials relating to the Symphony of Many Cultures program that took place in Highland Park, Ill. from September 1978 to March 1979. This multifaceted six month project was a result of collaboration between several different local cultural and ethnic organizations. The project included a street fair, a book review on FAITH AND FRATRICIDE, an ethnic heritage series,"What I Choose to Preserve" featuring a play entitled ROSA, "The Excitement of Latino Culture," "The Lives and Loves of Six Scribblers," "I'm a Book All By Myself" Oral History, "Dina Halpern- 100 Years of Yiddish Theatre," "I'm a Book All By Myself- Part II," "Teenage Language, Values and Culture," What is Good Society," "House of Worship Walk," "Film Festival" and a "Thanksgiving Community Service." The materials in this collection include newsclippings, documents, brochures, guides, and evaluations relating to this event.