Stars and Stripes National Museum and Library

In November 1861, Union soldiers of the 11th, 18th, and 29th Illinois regiments camped in Bloomfield, took over the town’s print shop, and printed the first edition of Stars and Stripes, the newspaper still published for the U.S. military. This museum tells the paper’s story and the story of the armed forces it has served, and it displays an original 1861 issue, one of only three known. Listed hours are Monday and Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; call ahead in the off-season.