The Tinley Park Historical Society maintains a museum of local history located in the oldest public buildiing in Tinley Park, the "Old Zion Landmark" and adjacent one room schoolhouse.
The Tinley Park Historical Society was founded in 1974 as part of the community's Bicentennial celebrations. Since 1976, the Society has been headquartered at the “Old Zion Landmark,” where it maintains a museum of local history and a local research library.
The Prairie Gothic style “Old Zion Landmark” church was built in 1884 for the local Zion Lutheran congregation. This site is listed in two statewide surveys of historic structures conducted through the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency; the 1972 Illinois Historic Structures Survey and the 1975 Illinois Historic Landmarks Survey. Also in 1975, the site was recognized as Tinley Park's first historical landmark.
The Historical Society's museum complex also includes a reproduction of the Village’s second schoolhouse. The original one room schoolhouse had been built in 1880 very near to the current location to replace a smaller schoolhouse and from 1892 to 1954 the original building also served as the community’s Village Hall.
The “Landmark Chapel” and the “New Saenger Hall” meeting room are available for weddings and other meetings and special events.
The museum hours are Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm; and the first Sunday of each month from 1pm to 3pm. The Society's volunteers try to accommodate other requests and needs and other hours can be scheduled by appointment.
The Tinley Park Historical Society was established to preserve the history of Tinley Park and the surrounding areas that have influenced its growth and development. This includes areas in Bremen, Orland, and Rich Townships in Cook County, and Frankfort Township in Will County. The Society also collects information and artifacts from neighboring communities where a local historical society does not exist.
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