‘In the Middle' exhibit about 1940s childhood opens at Illinois State Museum-Lockport

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois State Museum is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition at its Lockport gallery. "In the Middle: Growing Up in the Middle of America, in the Middle Class, in the Middle of the 20th-century" explores what it was like to grow up during World War II through the experience of Sybil Stern Mervis, who was born in Bloomington in 1935.

When Mervis was a child, she planted a victory garden with her father. She got her milk from the milkman. She worried about scary polio outbreaks in the summer. She listened to radio programs for fun. These were common activities in the 1940s but may be hard to imagine for children growing up today.

"Things have changed so much between childhood in the 1940s and childhood today," said Illinois State Museum curator of history Erika Holst. "We're excited to show people what life was like when their grandparents were kids, and we're grateful to Sybil Stern Mervis for sharing her memories to make this exhibit happen."

Visitors to the exhibition will learn what everyday life was like for children in 1940s, including school days, summertime fun, chores, and the types of electronic entertainment were available - no screens. They also will learn how children of the 1940s contributed to the homefront efforts to win World War II by planting victory gardens, participating in scrap drives, living with rationing and buying war bonds.

Several interactive elements will help visitors experience common aspects of 1940s life, including playing music on a phonograph, making calls on a candlestick phone, sending telegrams and listening to radio programs.

Mervis is a nonagenarian who enjoys gardening, writing and helping others. The inspiration for "In the Middle" came from a book by the same name that she wrote about her joyful childhood in an effort to describe simpler times, and a quieter and less complicated life in a small midwestern town in Illinois.

"I am pleased to show today's children how life could be simpler and still lots of fun," Mervis said.

"In the Middle" is on display at the Illinois State Museum's Lockport Gallery through the summer of 2026. The Lockport Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

Support for "In the Middle" is generously provided by the Mervis Family Foundation, the Illinois State Museum Society and the City of Lockport.

About the Illinois State Museum

Established in 1877, the Illinois State Museum is a dynamic institution that inspires the exploration of Illinois' past and present to inform and enrich everyday life and promote stewardship of cultural and natural resources. Headquartered in Springfield with branch facilities in Lewistown and Lockport, ISM is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and a proud member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.