The Mercer County Historical Society will sponsor their annual Fifth Grade Tours of the Essley-Noble Museum & Mercer County to Fifth Grade Students of Mercer County, IL. This is a four day event. These tours took place on May 5th - Westmer School District #203
May 8th & 9th - Matherville /Sherrard School District #200
May 10th - Aledo School District #201

Hands-On activities such as quilt making; blanket tying; weaving; corn grinding; wood chopping; wood sawing; rope making; doing laundry the old fashion way with wash tubs & a ringer and many activities take place at the museum. Student have an opportunity to tour the Machine Shed which houses many antiques and vintage farm machinery from the county. Students will tours inside the Essley-Noble museum. This tour is divided into the North Section and South Section.

Students attend class in a one-room school at the Essley-Noble Memorial Complex. A number of Mercer county retired teachers volunteer to teach the classes. The Fifth graders from Sherrard and Westmer school districts spent a half day touring historical places of interest in Mercer County. Narrators accompany the students on the bus tours. Westmer Students only , submitted scrapbooks about the county for judging. Awards will be presented to the winners. Shirley Ball, Alyce Robinson and Harriett Reynolds are Co-Chairpersons of this project. Thank you to all the volunteers to help because we couldn't host it without their help.

{photos taken by TIMES RECORDS}