Glencoe Historical Society
at the
Eklund History Center & Garden

Fall 2004 Newsletter

When Spam Meant Meat and Swing Was For Dance

Eklund Center Opens ‘40s Exhibit

Kitchen of the 40s

The 40s: A Time of Transition is the new exhibit now on view at the Eklund Center historical museum. At the gala opening evening September 17, 2004 viewers had a wonderful time remembering the era that marked the transition from rural to urban America, from historical to “modern” times. On display, from the Glencoe Historical Society’s collection, are two “rooms:” a kitchen with aluminum cookware and a Fiestaware table setting (at right), and a traditional living room with Dad’s overstuffed chair next to the family’s “new” console radio/record player that played both 78-inch and the new 33-inch records.

While many of the visitors didn’t remember the ‘40s firsthand, most had heard about ‘40s living, from Victory Gardens, to home canning. The World War II Homefront is illustrated with ration cards, newspapers and scrap collection instructions.

Curators of the exhibit are Janice Gemp and Alice Glicksberg, the women who curated successful past exhibits:

• Crowning Glory (hats),
• Sports of All Sorts (photos and equipment), and
• 60 Years of Girl Scouting in Glencoe.

These two research the collection to find the items for an exhibit, lay the items out and add the requisite signage. We are thrilled that they continue to work on creating new and exciting exhibits. ⇑

Annual Dinner Nov. 8th

Mark the Calendar

The Glencoe Historical Society’s annual dinner is scheduled for November 8 at 7 p.m. at the North Shore United Methodist Church.

Members and new friends alike are invited to join us for a reminder of the 1940s, with a ‘nostalgia’ menu of recipes from that era, plus a program featuring Memories of Glencoe’s Veterans of World War II.

As usual, we are looking forward to a fun evening, catching up with friends and neighbors, as well as the usual reports on highlights and achievements of our past year.

Tickets are $60 per person. Call the Eklund Center, 847.835.0040 and leave your name, or call Barbara Javore, 847.835.8050, to reserve a place. If you can’t join us, perhaps you’d like to send a contribution anyway to: Historical Society, 377 Park Ave., Glencoe, IL 60022 ⇑

Donations to Garden Renovation Project

We are deeply grateful to the many people who have donated to support of efforts to restore Eklund Garden. The progress of the renovation is explained below. We acknowledge donors who have made contributions since our last newsletter, with donations made March 1, 2004 through September 30, 2004:

Donations of $2000 and above

Dr. Herbert Hazelkorn, Mrs. H. Earl Hoover, North Shore Community Bank and Trust, and Robert and Vivian Zahniser

Donations of $1000 to $1999

Marcy L. Beck, Diane and Andy Berk, and Nicole Williams

Donations of $500 to $999

Anne S. Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Lee M. Mitchell, and Paula and Howard D. Trienens

Donations to $500 (An asterisk (‘*’) indicates donors of $100 or more)

*Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Adelson, Richard Bair, Baker Construction Group, Steve and Lynn Barron, Fred and Sharon Benjamin, Charles and Cynthia Billington, Ted and Sonia Bloch, *Robert S. and Susan H. Boone, Gloria Boyell, *Rick, Andee and Hillary Brown, Mary Bucaro, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Chudacoff, Catherine Ciolek, *Citizens to Preserve Glencoe, Meredith B. Clement, *Mrs. James Cole, *Mr. and Mrs. John Colman, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Deimel, Bill and Ann Dodds, Dr. and Mrs. Larry Domont, *Mrs. Angela D’Astici Dusa, Theodore and Elizabeth Eckert, Susan and Scott Feldman, *Bev and Wade Fetzer, *Alice Glicksberg, *Catherine Cooper and Marshall Greenwald, William P. Hall, Daniel Hamburger, *Mr. and Mrs. Murray Harwich, *Gaye Hill, *Janet and Richard Horwood, *Frank Hubachek, Jr., *Wesley and Kristen Jasinski, *Eileen Kaplan, Michael and Sally Kelly, Bunny and George Kennedy, Mr. and Mrs. Steven Kennett, Ms. Patricia A. Koo, *Mr. and Mrs. James Koval, Mr. and Mrs. Alan Kovitz, *Eva and Arnold Levy, Dr. and Mrs. Howard L. Lieberman, The Mandel Family, Emanuel Margoliash, The Mathes Family, *Dr. and Mrs. David McCandless, Mr. and Mrs. Jack B. May, *Chris and Sara Pfaff, Lois W. Pierce, Mr. and Mrs. Donald A. Potter, Harriet and Joey Resnick, Howard and Judy Roin, Maurice Rosenfield, Mrs. Donald Roth, *Alan G. Rottman, Dr. Laurence Rubenstein, Irmgard Ruegsegger, *Carolyn and Dr. David Saidel, Pearl Sakol, *Diane and Bud Schwarzbach, Madeline Schwechter, *Fred and Nancy Schweiger, Ida N. Sondheimer, Suzanne Stein, *Marilyn K. Straus, Ingeborg F. Tiger, *Catherine Wang, Margot Weinberg, Mr. Ira Weinstein, Wendy Beaver and Dan Winter, *Michael and Leslie Wolf, and Lynne Wolfberg
Anonymous (2) ⇑

Garden Progress Due to Contributions of So Many

Phase I Completed

By Vivian Zahniser, Garden Chairman

It is so exciting that Phase I of the Eklund Garden Renovation Project Plan has been completed! You may remember that the Garden Renovation Design created by Landscape Architect John Mariani was unveiled last November at the annual dinner. At that time, financial support was requested “to create a ‘Turn-of-the Century Garden’ to benefit all Glencoe residents.”

To date, the Garden has had all its trees trimmed and diseased or invasive species removed. A path consisting of four layers of compacted limestone and gravel was installed, and it is now possible to safely access the middle section of the Garden. Conduits cross under the path so that lighting may be added at a later time. Three majestic Norway spruce were installed at the west side of the property, and they are flanked by new burning bushes, transplanted hosta, ferns, and peonies.

The donor circle was surrounded with 22 azaleas and mature yews mark the four corners. Mechanicals were masked with new shrubs, and a multi-stem American redbud was sited at the juncture of the Eklund Building and the Garden Wall. A transplanted arbor vitae adorns the corner of the patio, and numerous hydrangeas and other plants were transplanted to more desirable property locations.

Most importantly, truck loads of new soil and many cubic yards of leaf mold were added to the entire property so that all plant materials will thrive.

Importantly, the existing irrigation system was salvaged and made more effective. Mariani Landscape is responsible for the Garden improvements and the firm’s significant generosity combined with donations from supporters of the Garden Renovation Project enabled the Historical Society to commence construction in August. Phase I is a dramatic improvement to the property, and the society is exceedingly grateful to all who have contributed to this effort.

It is hoped that our friends will continue to support the continuing Gardening Renovation and will encourage others to visit and lend their financial support for this lovely garden in downtown Glencoe.

Phase II is planned for the front of the property, which includes a bank of 13 arbor vitae, a large grouping of sea foam roses, an all season garden and shrubs to surround the bench.

Named “Garden Opportunities” are now available.

Come see the plan! Individual tours/information available: Contact Vivian Zahniser at 847.835.4163.

One last piece of news, “The Village Gardeners” have offered to assist the Society in caring for the Garden. These devoted, master gardeners bring enthusiasm and welcome skills to the maintenance program for which we are most grateful! ⇑

Wow! Look at Us!

Capital Improvements, Hard Work Bring New Walls, Painting, Reorganization

A generous donation from the Village of Glencoe was seed money for much work done in the museum over the summer. The Village donated $10,000 for capital improvements and we used the funds for needed wall board in the east third of the building.

When we created the Museum, we added a new bathroom and closet, but ran out of funding before we could finish the walls. Following the professionals who rewired lights and added some in the attic, put up walls, closed off a storage closet on the main floor and installed a railing for walking up the steep stairs to the second floor, Board Members (and their spouses) pitched in for the next stages: painting, moving furniture and putting together shelving for the second floor.

Janice Gemp, Nello Lucchesi, Bob Zahniser, John Schweig and Richard Shubart worked on the painting, which included the ceiling and walls in the hallway, kitchen and the closet. Barbara and Scott Javore, Janice, John, Richard and Alice Glicksberg moved furniture— and moved furniture and moved more furniture—until we got the new configuration of the museum complete. All that time, Ed Goodale was putting together new shelving in the storage space in the attic.

The office—desk, copier, filing cabinet—has been moved into a portion of the kitchen, where the kitchen appliances—stove and refrigerator—have been moved about, too.

Vivian Zahniser cleaned the museum as it had not been cleaned since its opening—washing floors, scraping windows and polishing furniture. What a job she did!

The results are many:

• A brighter-looking area with a new room that will open with a textile display by the first of the year (2005),
• Our new display case that was partially donated from the Highland Park Historical Society, and
• Re-arrangement of the permanent exhibits in the West room on the main floor.

We now have four exhibits in that West room:

• Eklund Workshop,
• Old Glencoe (early pioneers),
• Glencoe’s early downtown (1880s-1920s), and
• What’s in a Name, a look at the relationship between Glencoe, Illinois and Glencoe, Scotland.

A temporary exhibit of political buttons is also on display at the foot of the stairs. It will be up until after the November election.

The main room features our rotating exhibit, this year The 40’s: Years of Transition. The textile display will round out a full-fledged assortment of exhibits on a variety of Glencoe-related topics.

Our Research Center, too benefited from the new construction. With the new railing, it is now easier for people seeking information to access the Center upstairs. The new shelving means that more boxes of information and artifacts are available and within reach—not lost in piles. The upstairs West room has been rearranged to make it easier for reseachers to use the materials available.

Research Center staffers—Ellen Paseltiner, Barb Olinger, Dan Goodwin, and Beth Berry—are entering the collection catalogue into a specialized museum specific computer program, itself a new acquisition this year. And, the Society’s collection of photographs has been organized into easy-to-use binders catalogued by topic. All this work is making it easier to find information or just to enjoy reminiscing about Glencoe’s past. ⇑

Donations to the General Fund

We deeply appreciate the contributions of all the many donors who generously support our efforts. Here we gratefully acknowledge donors who have made contributions since our last newsletter, donations made March 1, 2004 through September 30, 2004. An asterisk (‘*’) indicates donors of $100 or more.

Organizations

Village of Glencoe andRotary Club of Glencoe.

Corporate Matching Grants

Household International, SBC Telecommunications, Inc., and W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Sustaining Members ($500 and above)

Anne S. Martin

Family and Individual Members

*Marianne Crosby, Steve Emery, *Laural and Rick Gordon, Dr. and Mrs. Jack Graller, Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Howland, Nello and Ann Lucchesi, *Jocelyn and Kenneth Nebenzahl, Dr. Laurence Rubenstein, James and Kay Russell, and Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Swett

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Glencoe History on the Web

The Glencoe Historical Society’s Web site, www.GlencoeHistoricalSociety.org, is filled with information— ranging from news about our present and past exhibits to hours when the Eklund Center is open to how our garden grows and how you can join the Society and/or donate your time or funding.

Webmaster, and board member, Nello Lucchesi, has done a masterful job in adding information to the site on a regular basis. The site now includes information about all our current exhibits—many with accompanying pictures—an on-going journal about the progress of the Garden by our indefatigable correspondent, Garden Chairman, Vivian Zahniser. Even our newsletters—including past issues—are online.

Since it has been online, the Web site has produced a series of requests for research help that the Research Center staff, under Ellen Paseltiner’s guidance, has answered. Questions commonly deal with house histories, but they also have been about photographs and railroad stations. If you have a questions, the Web site is interactive and you can file it there.

Please sign up online to receive announcements by email. ⇑

Artifact Donations Increase Interest, Value of Permanent Collection

Visitors to the Eklund Center view with pleasure the exhibits we have on display on the first floor. But a great deal of what makes the museum what it is can be found on the second floor—from the picture binders to the file folders filled with information. On the shelves and in the boxes, we store costumes and hats from the 1870s through the 1980s. On the research shelves we house books about Glencoe, by Glencoe authors, and about the artifacts we own.

We deeply appreciate the contributions made by so many donors. This acknowledges donors who have made contributions from March 1, 2004 through September 30, 2004:

• Police Director, Trustee stars: Arthur Pantle ; Donation from Bob Morris, former Village Manager of items from Pantle, former Village Police Chief
• Assorted Boy Scout uniforms, plaques: Alice Glicksberg
• 3 1960s woman’s pill box hats: Alice (Mrs. Herbert) Gross
• Assorted Glencoe Memos, Glencoe New excerpts, books: Bob Morris, includes “Your Church, 75th Anniversary Glencoe Union Church 1872-1947”
• Writer’s Theater Opening Night at Glencoe Women’s Library Club tickets: Ellen Paseltiner
• History of the Beinlich, Stipe, Koller Family by David Winter, donor
• 11 golf shirts, tee-shirts, tank tops for staff at Glencoe Park District at Glencoe Beach: Seth Footlik, current Glencoe Public Safety Officer, former Glencoe Beach Staffer
• 1 pint Hohfelder Dairy, Glencoe milk bottle: Kathleen Van Deusen (found when workmen were doing work on the Van Deusen house)
• Associated ladies hats: Betsy Johnston
• Straw hat: Cate Rohrs
• Assorted photos from the history of the Kurschner family, Glencoe residents from 1880s-1950s: Marilyn Kurschner Strauss
• Assorted family photos from Schweiger Restaurant, 367 Park Ave., 1891-1921: Fred Schweiger
• Assorted Glencoe Village memorabilia, political buttons, flats with photo history of Glencoe train depot restoration, enlarged photos, : John Houde
• Assorted memorabilia including wooden skis, sled; Boy Scout belt, sash, voting records from Precinct 48 in 1952-54 elections: Lynn Shuster
• Coke bottle, lock, wrench, trowel: Bob Zahniser (dug up on garden restoration)
• Photos 127 Greenwood, Glencoe: Susie Schreiber
• Assorted Glencoe pictures, including Paepcke residents; assorted playbills from Glencoe community drama, minstrel shows, 1908-1913, 1960 Welcome to Glencoe book :Bob Morris

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Sara C. “Sally” Eklund

Benefactor to the Glencoe Historical Society

The following obituary ran in the October 14 issue of the Glencoe News reporting the death of our dear friend and benefactor, Sara C. “Sally” Eklund.

Sally Eklund, front, at one of her last visits to the garden that bears her name, with members of the Glencoe Historical Society Board.

Sara C. (Sally) Eklund, 97, a long time resident of Glencoe, passed away as she lived with courage, dignity, and grace on October 6, 2004 at the Brandel Care Center in Northbrook after a short illness. She was born on Chicago’s South Side and moved with her family to Glencoe in 1917. Her father, Carl Eklund, and her mother, Esther, who came from Sweden, together with Sara and her brother, Carl Hilding Eklund, operated a cabinet making and interior design business in Glencoe until 1975.

Sara graduated from Northwestern University in 1929 and traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. She lived in the family residence at 375 Park Avenue for nearly 80 years. The buildings on the property were constructed in the late 1800’s and are among the oldest buildings in downtown Glencoe. She donated her property to the Glencoe Historical Society and it is now the site of the Eklund History Center and Garden.

The Eklund family was very proud of its Swedish heritage and lived their life in Glencoe in much the same way as they did in Sweden. For example, afternoon tea served under an old apple tree in the garden was a family ritual. Sara often said that her family “brought a little bit of Sweden to Glencoe”. The 375 Park Avenue building has been designated a Glencoe Historic Landmark.

Sara is fondly remembered by her nephew, Carl William Eklund, of St. Louis; his wife, Lois; grandniece, Siri; grandnephew, Rustan; and cousins, Jean Cavrell of New York City and Laverne Smelker of Beaumont, Texas.

A memorial service will be held at the Eklund History Center and Garden at a future date. Memorials may be sent to the Glencoe Historical Society, Eklund Garden Fund, 377 Park Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022.

The Glencoe Historical Society remembers Sally not only for the official donation of her property but for her laugh, her stalwart resolution of character, her love of chocolate, and her remarkable memory about growing up in Glencoe, expressed in her essay in Glencoe, Queen of Suburbs: History and Memoirs.

We will all miss her, but remember her gratefully and with fondness and affection. Her legacy— and that of her family—will live on in the Eklund Center, both in name and as the location where her father’s workbench remains. ⇑