Established in 1902, the Boys School exists today as the Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles
The St. Charles History Museum’s new temporary exhibit, The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: The Boys School of St. Charles, explores the history of the local reformatory school and its impact on the boys who attended it.
In 1902, the Illinois State Home for Delinquent Boys (today existing as the Illinois Youth Center - St. Charles) was established by John “Bet-a-Million” Gates, Samuel Allenton, and Henry Weaver. The men believed that delinquent young men could be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society in a home-like setting that focused on schooling, hard work, and discipline.
While the school helped most boys find their way, others remained unchanged, choosing to continue a life of crime. One such example is the famous Midwest Gangster Lester Gillis, also known as “Baby Face Nelson”, who resided at the school during his teen years and went on to become Public Enemy No. 1 in October of 1934. The exhibit explores some of the most interesting stories from the school’s 100-plus years of history.
A record number of members, supporters, and employees of the Boys School both past and present joined us for the unveiling of the new exhibit.
We unveiled the new exhibit with a special opening reception on Friday, October 25. We set an all-time attendance record for an opening reception with over 65 members, supporters, and employees of the school both past and present joining us.
"We are so thankful for the amazing outpouring of support we received at the opening of this new exhibit," said Executive Director Alison Costanzo. "We were especially honored to have so many school and Youth Center employees to share in this celebration of their historic facility."
"We receive a lot of questions about the Boys School from our visitors here at the Museum, and this is a topic we've wanted to explore for quite some time," said Collections and Exhibitions Manager Amanda Helfers. "We are especially grateful for all of the assistance from employees of the facility we received in putting this exhibit together."
The exhibit will be on display through the end of the year. For more information, visit us at www.stcmuseum.org or call us at (630) 584-6967.
