old postcards, diary pages, and passports
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Midwest

Time Machine

Travel to the past via first-hand accounts from letters, diaries, and rare books in the Newberry's collections

Witness the Chicago Fire, join the Lewis and Clark expedition, and marvel at the World's Fair through manuscripts transcribed by our online volunteers!

Choose your time traveler
Destination:
Holiday bonus!
Holiday Haul, Circa 19th Century

Holiday Haul, Circa 19th Century

Enjoy vicariously the unboxing of Christmas gifts past, including wristlets, match safes, and glove buttoners.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1924-1940
The Writer: Sherwood Anderson

The Writer: Sherwood Anderson

Declare strong feelings on holidays, romantic partners, and communism with a great American novelist.

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Destination:
1916-1922
The Vacation Photographer: Lenore Raster

The Vacation Photographer: Lenore Raster

Travel with a Chicago-based, German-American family to see the sights on their Mississippi River vacations.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1869-1871
The Heiress: Julia Newberry

The Heiress: Julia Newberry

Celebrate Chicago’s high society and witness the destruction of the Great Chicago Fire.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1804-1805
The Frontier Soldier: Joseph Whitehouse

The Frontier Soldier: Joseph Whitehouse

Dance with French ladies, hunt bears, and treaty with Indians as a soldier on the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1839-1864
The Reverend: J.H. Magee

The Reverend: J.H. Magee

Join in the struggle on a journey from son of a freed slave to prairie farmer to well-educated preacher.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
May-June, 1948
The Photojournalist: Esther Bubley

The Photojournalist: Esther Bubley

Ride the CB&Q Railroad around the Midwest to document everyday life along its route.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1893
The Fairgoer: Errett Graham

The Fairgoer: Errett Graham

Delight in the World’s Columbian Exposition’s novelties, including Ferris Wheels, electric lights, and Annie Oakley.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1905-1927
The Memoirist: Era Bell Thompson

The Memoirist: Era Bell Thompson

Explore issues of race and identity growing up in rural North Dakota plains and visiting Midwestern cities.

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Destination:
1839-1851
The Steamboat Captain: Christopher Gardner Pearce

The Steamboat Captain: Christopher Gardner Pearce

Defy death navigating the Mississippi, while transporting emigrants, livestock, and produce to enable Westward Expansion.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1767-1812
The War Chief: Black Hawk

The War Chief: Black Hawk

Battle alongside the Sauk leader as he defends his land from rival tribes and white settlers.

Begin Your Journey
Destination:
1898-1900
The Military Nurse: Amy Wingreen

The Military Nurse: Amy Wingreen

Brave scorpions, yellow fever and privations nursing wounded soldiers in the Spanish American War.

Begin Your Journey