ARTHUR, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Amish Heritage Center is getting ready for an expansion.

The center — located east of Arthur and west of Arcola, just off the I-57 exit — announced the groundbreaking of a new 10,000-square-foot Visitor and Museum Center. Construction is planned for April 2025.

“This Visitor Center will be more than a museum — it will be a living classroom rooted in the soil of Amish tradition,” said Executive Director David King. “Through hands-on agricultural education and immersive cultural programming, we’re inviting every visitor, from schoolchildren to scholars, to walk away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the values, resilience, and legacy of the Amish people in Illinois. This is history you can feel — and a future we’re building together.”

The new facility will include rotating exhibits, hands-on learning and a space for community gathering. Other new features include:

• A film exhibit about the Amish way of life
• A genealogy research center
• A gift shop with Amish goods

The center is also developing curriculum for school field trips and speaker series — all meant to celebrate Amish culture.

The project will cost around $3 million, and fundraising efforts will continue into 2025.

“This is a project for the entire community — one that reaches across generations and beyond county and state lines,” King said. “It will preserve the legacy of a people whose quiet strength, craftsmanship, and deep-rooted values continue to shape our region. The story of the Amish in Illinois is not just worth telling — it’s essential that we tell it, and tell it well.”

For updates about the center, or to learn more about how you can contribute, click here.