A rapidly growing city built of wood. A summer-long heat wave. An exhausted and misdirected team of firefighters. Racial, social, and economic tensions bubbling just below the surface. All Chicago needed was a spark.

Our newest exhibition City on Fire: Chicago 1871 opens on October 8, 2021. Designed for families, we invite you to learn, explore, and discover the impact the Great Chicago Fire had on the city and the people who lived here.