Much of the early collection of the Chicago Historical Society was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 , but like the city , the museum rose from the ashes . Among its many documents which were lost in the fire was Abraham Lincoln 's final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation . After the fire , the Society began collecting new materials , which were stored in a building owned by J. Young Scammon , a prominent lawyer and member of the society . However , the building and new collection were again destroyed by fire in 1874 . The Chicago Historical Society built a fireproof building on the site of its pre-1871 building at 632 North Dearborn Street . The replacement building opened in 1896 and housed the Society for thirty-six years . The building was later added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Chicago Historical Society Building
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Chicago History Museum