Sangamon Experience Launches Rural Initiative

The Sangamon Experience at the University of Illinois Springfield has announced a new rural initiative aimed at preserving and sharing the history of central Illinois communities through partnerships with local organizations and educators.

The program, titled “Beyond City Limits,” is a summer initiative designed to bring together historical societies and K-12 teachers in a collaborative, place-based project that connects community history with classroom learning.

Running from May through August, the initiative will focus on one central Illinois county, selected from a region that includes Sangamon and several surrounding counties. The project will center on documenting and digitizing historical materials while also developing curriculum resources for students, with the goal of highlighting a different community each year through collected local stories.

The effort is supported by a donation from the Land of Lincoln Community Foundation, which is helping fund the initiative’s work.

Organizers are seeking participation from historical societies and local history organizations interested in sharing artifacts, photographs and stories that reflect their communities. Selected partners will work with project staff to identify materials for digitization and public presentation. Participating organizations may have up to 20 items from their collections preserved digitally, while also gaining visibility through an online exhibit and expanded access for educators, students and researchers.

The initiative also includes opportunities for teachers, with two paid summer positions available for educators in participating counties. Selected teachers will develop standards-aligned lesson plans using local historical materials, create adaptable units for different grade levels and collaborate with historians, graduate students and community partners. Applicants are expected to have at least two years of teaching experience and an interest in incorporating local or rural history into their classrooms.

At its core, the program is intended to connect the work of historical organizations with the needs of modern classrooms by transforming local artifacts into teaching tools that reflect students’ own communities.

“This initiative is about elevating the voices and histories of rural Illinois,” said Anne Moseley. “By partnering with local historical societies and educators, we are creating resources that not only preserve the past but also inspire the next generation to engage with it.”

Historical societies and educators interested in participating are encouraged to apply, with counties selected based on organizational interest, teacher participation and location within the program’s service region. Applications are due May 15, 2026, and are available through the Sangamon Experience’s website.