The Edgar Lee Masters Memorial Home and Museum Presents:
The Back Porch Chautauqua
In its nearly 200-year history, Petersburg, Illinois has brushed shoulders with some of America’s greatest personalities. Abraham Lincoln surveyed the town between 1835-1836, before moving to Springfield in 1837. At the turn of the 20th century, the town was the winter home to touring circus troops, who practiced their craft in the off seasons to the joy of locals. Buried on its outskirts are Ann Rutledge (Lincoln’s love while residing in New Salem), B.F. Stephenson, founder of the Grand Army of the Republic, and Edgar Lee Masters, major 20th-century poet, who described Petersburg as his “heart’s home.”
Perhaps, most unique, was the Old Salem Chautauqua, which every year brought nationally and internationally renowned scientists, preachers, musicians, artists, historians, poets, statesmen and politicians to Petersburg. As local historian Raymond Montgomery details in A Chautauqua to Remember: The Story of Old Salem, thousands of Midwesterners flocked to Petersburg between 1898 and 1915 in the spirit of education, entertainment, and fellowship.
It is in that same spirit that the Edgar Lee Masters Memorial Museum and Home is hosting its first annual Masters’ Back Porch Chautauqua series to be held on the 3rd Sunday of each month from May through September of 2024. The series will be held from 2-4 p.m. at 1st & 3rd Boutique and Wine Bar** located on the square at 105 S 7th St. Petersburg, IL.
Each month, the series will host an expert to discuss topics of local interest in literature, art, and history. A different local artist, writer, or musician will be featured each month as well for the general entertainment of the audience.
Please Note: all of the Masters on the Back Porch Chautauqua performances will take place on the 2nd floor of 1st & 3rd Boutique and Wine Bar, which does not have an elevator.
Visit the Events Calendar for details on the upcoming presentations.