A Chautauqua is a free public event where storytellers, historians, and musicians perform first-person portrayals of famous historical figures. This free festival will take place in Bishop Hill IL at the gazebo in the town square on Saturday August 9th, 2025.
Brian “Fox” Ellis will perform as Benjamin Dann Walsh at 1 p.m. Walsh was the first State Entomologist of Illinois. He lived just outside the Bishop Hill Colony and will share an outsider’s view of the Colony. He was also an adamant abolitionist involved in the Free Kansas Movement.
At 2:00 p.m., Angie Snook, retired Geneseo Historical Museum Director, will portray Harriet Cone Miller, a member of one of the founding families of Geneseo. They created the town as a station on the Underground Railroad. Miller will let us in on the secret inner workings of the Underground Railroad in Henry County.
Next, at 3:00 p.m., Peoria singer-songwriter Barry Cloyd will reprise a crowd favorite, Illinois poet laureate and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg. Carl Sandburg’s sister Mary was a teacher at the Bishop Hill Colony School.
As the performances wind down, the audience is invited to join the Bishop Hill Heritage Association for Fika (free cookies, coffee and conversation). Discuss the programs with the performers at the park gazebo. The audience is invited to ask questions of the performer and share stories of their own.
All of the Chautauqua programs will be held at the gazebo in Bishop Hill’s town square, on the corners of Main Street and Bishop Hill Road, in Bishop Hill, IL. Folks are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and to bring a friend. This free public event is sponsored by the Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Community State Bank, Illinois Arts Council, Geneseo Foundation, Galesburg Community Foundation, and Fox Tales International. Regional Media is our major media sponsor. For more information, call 309-927-3899, visit www.bishophillheritage.org, or email bhha@mymctc.net .
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