The GLHA story

Galena’s Living History Alliance is a local non-profit organization focusing on the history of Galena and honoring it in several ways.

Although President Grant and other notable people from Galena’s rich past are well-known, there are so many other “everyday” Galenians who also had a significant role in shaping this amazing community. By sharing their stories, we hope to elevate those individuals and the homes and businesses they built.

GLHA was founded by a passionate group of Galena residents who wanted to provide an opportunity for homeowners to not only place a plaque in front of their homes, but also to learn more about the history of their properties. 

Our volunteer historians research the provenance of each of our member properties to find the date of construction and the first owner of the property. A plaque is then designed and forged in cast iron.

Then, we dig deeper into the historical records to learn more about the lives of those Galena pioneers. Upon request, we can put all of that information into a leather binder for the homeowners to keep.