Looks like I jumped the gun a bit on noting that the CBOT/CME were ditching history, at least in the visitors gallery, as during a trading lull today I was looking around on the internet and noticed that the library at the University of Illinois at Chicago is starting a four year project to archive the history of the exchanges. Here is the job posting for the Project Archivist from last year to get a better idea of what it all entails.
There is also a number of CBOT records which are part of the Richard J. Daley Special Collections of the UIC library which I hope to take a look at when I have more time in town.
Another great resource that I'm also looking forward to viewing once my schedule opens is the documents that are housed at the Chicago History Museum. In the museum itself there is a small display on the Chicago exchanges but I'm hoping that the research center has a lot of hidden gems.
My only concern with the UIC project is if the history will be reported accurately and in an unbiased way because the CME Group is very image conscious and I've seen instances along w/hearing stories I won't repeat of how the exchanges have shaped the presentation of history to show them in a positive light while neglecting to tell the entire story. The aim of this website is to present things "as is" and in an unbiased manner.