Les Amis du Fort de Chartres
Friends of Fort de Chartres
Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, or “Friends of Fort de Chartres,” is a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers striving to preserve, protect, and interpret the physical, structural and cultural heritage of Fort de Chartres in the 1700s.
In 2018, we were honored to be an officially endorsed partner of the Illinois Bicentennial. Les Amis du Fort de Chartres was awarded this title and “Illinois Proud” as we celebrated our events and projects in the Illinois Bicentennial year.
Over the years Les Amis has contributed or sponsored many projects supporting the Fort and its cultural heritage. Recently, Les Amis created a new monthly series of period demonstrations titled Art de vivre (Art of life), celebrating the everyday arts of the eighteenth century. All events can be found on Les Amis’ Facebook page.
In the last decade, Les Amis helped repair the site’s bread oven, maintained the John Guilfoil Memorial Library at Fort de Chartres through the work of a Les Amis member Kathy Janik, supported the Fort de Chartres Heritage Jardin Potager Project, and of major importance, successfully sponsored the 2016-2023 Fort de Chartres Special Events.
In 2020-2021, Les Amis led a major fundraising effort with Fort de Chartres Capital Project Campaigns to repair The Fort Chapel and the Fort de Chartres State Historic Site Land Gate.
Sponsored Projects and Events
Les Amis not only sponsors the Fort’s special events, listed below are some of the Fort de Chartres projects sponsored and funded by Les Amis du Fort de Chartres from 2016-2024 and made possible by our supportive sponsors and amazing volunteers, we can’t thank you enough!
- Fort de Chartres State Historic Site Sign
- Metal Flagpole (in Visitor Parking)
- Ghosting Removal
- Replaced Cannon Carriage
- Printed the Fort’s self-guided tour maps
- Printed and distributed Fort de Chartres rack cards
- Site Bake Oven Repairs
- Support for the Fort de Chartres Heritage Garden Project
Money was raised through the Les Amis specific project donation and special events, rummage sales, t-shirt sales, and other fundraising efforts.
- Items donated and funded for site everyday function and maintenance
- Numerous volunteer work weekends for site upkeep
- Developed our privately funded website
- Supported the Fort library and a Les Amis volunteer organized and digitized the titles of the Library’s book catalog
- A Fort grounds grass restoration project
- A volunteer secured and temporarily repaired the Fort’s site cedar embankment
- Volunteer interpretation of Fort site for school tours
- Paid for site and event ads, tourism rack cards, and Fort site guides
- Volunteers staffed numerous area wide information booths promoting the Fort
- Volunteers helped organize and participated in a two-state French Colonial Garden Tour
- Volunteers welcome site visitors and helps to promote Fort de Chartres to the general public and schools
- Printing and distribution of schedule of events
- Collaboration work to support and promote the Fort with KCT, Randolph and Monroe County Tourism, and PDR Chamber of Commerce
- Support the French Heritage Society’s French Heritage Corridor
- Art de Vivre (French Colonial Art of 18th century life) demonstration series
- Created and currently publish a quarterly newsletter to unify and combine Fort related information
- Presented an annual Education Day to local schools
- Provided assistance to the volunteer Fort de Chartres Heritage Garden Project
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