5th Annual

Cairo Magnolia Celebration

It’s been a special year for America as we have been commemorating our nation’s 250th birthday. For our organization, we are also privileged to mark five years of helping protect, promote, and preserve the historical resources of Cairo.

What better way to keep the celebration going through Labor Day Weekend than to focus on the common heritage and historic roots we all share in our beloved hometown?

We invite you to be our guests on Saturday, September 5 from noon to 2:30 as we gather to remember and honor Historical Cairo at an informational refreshment reception held inside the 1883 A.B. Safford Memorial Library. The TCHPP board as well as other stakeholders will be giving updates on the current historical preservation progress happening in our city.

Along with the public library, the 1872 Cairo Custom House Museum will also be featured — the very places that store our community’s collective heart, memories, and priceless memorabilia. In addition, the beautiful Magnolia Manor Museum will be open for viewing (time TBA) and self-tours of Cairo’s other historic Places of Interest can be located with this online map.

Our event will conclude with an optional car-caravan tour of TCHPP’s most recent preservation collaboration, the new Cairo African American Heritage Trail. The CAAHT (and web-based Oral History Project) launched December 2025 in partnership with the Illinois Innovation Network, the University of Illinois - Urbana, and Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.

While this is a free event, opportunity will be given to make a tax-deductible donation to support Historical Cairo, which includes our four main project buildings: the library, Custom House, Magnolia Manor, and the Ward Chapel AME Church.

Pre-registration at this link is requested(even up to the day of ) so that we can adequately prepare for our special gathering.

Whether you are local, returning to Cairo for a family or class reunion, or visiting to attend the annual Smooth Jazz Festival sponsored by the Harold S. Jones Fine Arts Center on Sunday, we invite you to take some time to celebrate and remember our shared historical heritage by attending the Cairo Magnolia Celebration!

DATE: Saturday, September 5

TIME: Noon to 2:30 pm

LOCATION: Cairo Public Library

1609 Washington Avenue, Cairo, IL

COST: No charge, but donations to TCHPP, Inc. will be gratefully accepted.

PLEASE PRE-REGISTER FOR THE EVENT AT THIS LINK