The Kankakee County Historical Society, founded in 1906, is one of the oldest historical societies in Illinois. It was formed by a coalition of local groups as varied as the Nature Club and the Spanish War Veterans.

Over the decades, the former Historical and Arts Building has been expanded to more than four times its original size, and has become the Kankakee County Museum. The portion of Small Memorial Park that forms the museum campus also has grown with the addition of the Taylor One-Room Schoolhouse, the Column Garden, and the Let Freedom Ring Garden.