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Secretary of State’s digital archive adds thousands of historical photos

By Bruce Kropp Apr 17, 2022 | 8:45 AM

Thousands of historical photos have been added to the Illinois secretary of state’s digital archive.

The “Doc” Helm collection is now available online, featuring more than 21 thousand pictures taken by Helm when he worked as the state’s photographer for over five decades. Secretary of State spokesperson Henry Haupt says there are all sorts of gems in the collection.

Haupt says, “For example, there’s a photo of Governor Otto Kerner signing Civil Rights legislation. There’s a photo of Joe Biden, who was a US senator at the time, just elected two years prior. In 1974, he was at Springfield Capital Airport visiting with some fellow state senators.”

There are also many photos of the state fair and local parades around Illinois.  To check out these images and many more, visit the website: idaillinois.org.