Glencoe Historical Society
at the
Eklund History Center & Garden

Winter 2008 Newsletter

A Message from the President

As the new president of the Glencoe Historical Society, I am very excited to be involved in this growing organization. This has been a very busy time for the Society. We have completed our very successful Garden Renovation Campaign and are now in the process of improving our museum collection and research space. Meanwhile, our dedicated board continues to expand and develop new exhibits and events for all our community members to enjoy.

We are committed to preserving and sharing the history of our village for ourselves, our children, and their children—to make the past part of the future. Even new members to our Glencoe community will enjoy learning about Glencoe’s heritage while participating in our community programs and, in the process, help create a new chapter in the village’s rich history.

We hope you will be able to participate in some of our family programs such as the Bike Hike and Cemetery Walk and the Glencoe Scavenger Hunt; or maybe you would prefer some of our adult oriented programs. Either way, I look forward to seeing you at future events.⇑

Upcoming Events

Scavenger Hunt in Downtown glencoe
April 27, 2 p.m.

Join us as we traverse downtown Glencoe to find architectural symbols, historic places that you may have missed and odd places you’ve never seen. Start and end at the Eklund History Center and tour the newly renovated building. Prizes and refreshments will be served. Fun for the whole family. Free admission.

Family Bike Hike and Cemetery Walk
May 18, 1 p.m.

Start at the Eklund Center and bike your way to the Daggitt Cemetery located on Lake Cook Road. Enjoy a guided tour through the cemetery and learn why it is located there, who is buried there and a bit of German, a language on many of the headstones. If you don’t want to bike, parking is available at the Braeside Metra Station. Refreshments will follow the tour. Suitable for children. Free admission.

Glencoe School’s Second Grade Tour
May

The second graders visit local homes to learn about architecture, Glencoe’s downtown to learn about the concepts of “Then and Now” and get a hands-on experience at the Eklund Center’s exhibits. Volunteers are always welcome.

Strawberry Sociable
June 8, 2 p.m.

Celebrate the arrival of summer! Join us in the Eklund Garden for strawberries and cream and the dedication of additions to our Commemorative Pathway. Free annual event.

Golfing with Wooden Sticks
June (TBA)

Join us for an old-fashioned tournament with wooden-shaft golf clubs at the Glencoe Golf Club. More details to follow. Golfers at any level are invited to participate.

The Third Annual Garden Party
July 12

The first year it was dress to attend a Garden Party; last year it was a faux beach party. This year? It’s the Prom! Watch your mail for an invitation. This fund-raiser is always one of the best attended events with music, gourmet food and lots of fun.

Ghosts of the Garden
October 31 (Halloween), 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Return with us to the “haunted” Eklund Garden in our second annual event for children of all ages. Hauntings, happenings and candy. What more would anyone want? Free event.

Adult History Book Club
September, October, November

Dates haven’t been set yet, but join your friends to talk about some of the newest fiction about our area. Sign up now by calling 847.835.0040 to show your interest and we will set specific dates once a month to meet the schedules of those involved.

For more information on upcoming events, please leave a message for the Glencoe Historical Society at 847.835.0040 and someone will return your call. ⇑

Eklund History Center Renovation

The collection was stored in the closed museum during the renovation.

It will finally be done by April, but it will certainly be worth the wait. The second floor of the Eklund History Center, the historical society’s museum and research center, has been completely overhauled, allowing us to store our archives and artifacts in a better, climate controlled environment.

Since last September, the museum materials have been boxed up and stored on the first floor while work was being done. A structural engineering study was completed to insure that the second floor was adequate to hold the weight of the collection. New shelving will be erected to better place our boxes of archives, artifacts and textiles. New wallboard will line the walls, a new air conditioning system will hum to better control the temperature on the second floor, and new lights will all have been installed by the April opening. The wood floors will be sanded and stained and the rooms should not only look better but be more easily acessible to those doing research and those storing our collection.

The building committee of the board has worked long and hard on this project and we owe them a great vote of thanks. Researchers should find it easier to locate documents and photos, our Research Center personnel will find it easier to help them and the artifacts and archives themselves will be better protected by the dint of the new temperature control.

It has been a long time in coming, but visit us to see that it has been well worth the wait. ⇑

What’s New in Our Collection?

Each year we thank those who have donated items—what we called artifacts or archives—to us. They help grow the collection and fulfill our mission, which is to protect and conserve items that help us understand the past of Glencoe and its residents.

This year we were extremely pleased to receive two major artifact collections—the Bea and Barney Berlin Postcard Collection and a collection of Laura Ashley clothing from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Two postcards from the collection.

The first collection was donated by Bea and Barney Berlin. Barney is a faithful worker in the Research Center on Wednesdays and he brings a great deal of information about Glencoe and postcards, an avocation of his. His donation of over 45 postcards doubled what the society already had. Nothing is as much fun as going through the collection to see what Glencoe looked like from the 1890s forward. But most often these cards offer help for researchers seeking out names of stores, photos of houses or other visual facts. The Berlin Postcard Collection is available for viewing in the Research Center.

The second collection is that of seventeen dresses, most of them by designer Laura Ashley. While none of the dresses were owned by Glencoe residents, the society’s policy of collecting says that if we know that Glencoe residents might/could have/would have owned an item, we accession the item (take it in, give it a number and preserve it in archival storage) until such time as we find a similar item that was owned by a Glencoe resident. At that point, we de-accession the first and replace it with the second. This collection came from the Winnetka Historical Society. That group owns a textile collection of more than 5,000 items and is currently sifting out those that they cannot identify as being owned by Winnetka residents. Glencoe’s textile collection is nowhere near that size, but we are working on increasing the quantity and diversity of our collection and so we greatly accepted the donation.

This gift also illustrates how our North Shore historical societies share information—through the North Shore History Consortium—and aid one another by swapping items, sharing information and meeting quarterly to share ideas about how best to run our museums.

Other items donated in 2007

• A loose-leaf book “Stanton Schuman in Memoriam,” presented to the society by Stan’s granddaughter, Sarah Dietzel of Highland Park. The original book had been compiled for Stan’s 90th birthday and it was on display at his funeral. After the society requested a copy, the family was kind enough not only to give us one but also have it updated with comments from those attending the funeral.
• Laminated Photos by R. L. Foot of the North Shore United Methodist Church, Misner Auditorium, Trinity Lutheran Church, Train Station and Memorial Day. While there are no specific dates on them, they appear to have been taken in the 1930s. Donor: John Houde, Village of Glencoe.
• A booklet titled “Samuel Marx: Furniture and Decoration, (An exhibition) Nov. 7, 1996-Dec. 12, 1996.” This was a show curated by Liz O’Brien, who is the author of an upcoming book on Samuel Marx. The New Yorker paid a visit to the historical society to search for photos of Glencoe interiors for her newest book and gave us a copy of the older one.
• “A Penny Whistle: Together with the Babette Ballads,” by Bert Leston Taylor. Taylor, or BLT as he was known to his readers in the Chicago Tribune, lived in Glencoe in the 1920s. The donor was Anthony Taylor Dunn, a descendant of BLT’s who lives in Machiasport, ME. Anthony contacted the Research Center for information about his relative. “Penny Whistle” joins a series of BLT-authored books that the society has in its collection.
• For the beach exhibit that was shown in July and August 2007, a man’s turn-of-the-century brown wool bathing suit with beige and green stripes was donated by Board Member Sara Weaver. What fun to see how uncomfortable people were before the invention of elastic, spandex and other materials.
• Donor Vera Corso, a former Glencoe resident, presented the society with the North Shore Methodist Church’s “A Cook Book 1927-1928” that includes recipes from Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Mrs. Herbert Hoover, and Mrs. Illinois Gov.-elect Emerson (anyone know who he was?).
• A Fire Aid Kit from the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois dating from the 1940s, including the long-unused iodine, and a camera and case from the 1920s were donated by Marilyn Strauss, a member of the Glencoe Kirschner Family, who now lives in Highland Park.
• Roz Schulman donated a made-in-Hong Kong beaded woman’s sleeveless sweater top, likely from the 1970s.
• In addition to a postcard of the early 1900s, Kathy Conway donated a Postcard View Book from the 1933 World’s Fair, Century of Progress.
• Two W.W. I posters “Hello! This is Liberty Speaking,” Lady Liberty with a phone in her ear, and “Beat Back the Huns with Liberty Loans” were donated by Polly Birdsall, a former Glencoe resident. They join the extensive collection of World War I posters the society already owns.
• Another gift from the Winnetka Historical Society, a book titled “T. Turnbull’s Travels from the U.S. across the Plains to California,” published in 1913. T. Turnbull was the brother of William Turnbull for whom Turnbull Woods at the north end of town is named. The information about the book came from grand-nephew Alan Turnbull, who lived in Glencoe.
• “Discover Glencoe” and “Loch Leven and Glencoe: A Short History of the Glencoe MacDonald’s and the Glencoe Massacre,” are trip reminders from Jossy and Kenneth Nebenzal who thought of home while on their vacation in Glencoe, Scotland. ⇑

The Glencoe Historical Society at 70!

Ellen Shubart (left) and Alice Glicksberg at the 2007 Strawberry Sociable with the 70th Anniversary cake.

Throughout 2007 the Glencoe Historical Society has celebrated its 70th anniversay. This summer at our annual Strawberry Sociable we celebrated with a birthday cake. At our Annual Meeting we celebrated with the theme of Food Throughout the Decades. John Carothers, our vice president, created a pictoral time line of events, products, food, famous (and infamous) people from the 1930s, when the Society was created, until present day. We are hoping to preserve this wonderful time line and display it in the museum in the near future.⇑

What are these symbols?

These are drawings of some of the carpentry tools that were used by the Eklund family to make furniture and you will see them throughout the newsletter. Sally Eklund generously donated the family land and buildings to the Glencoe Historical society. The building that was once the furniture workshop is now the museum and research center for the Society. There is an exhibit in the museum where the original tools, workbench and other items from the business are on permanent display.⇑

Glencoe Historical Society Board

Directors

Evey Schweig, President; John Carothers, Vice President; Susan Borre, Secretary; Dan GoodwinTreasurer; Gerald Angst; Lun Ye Barefield; Susie Bisgeier; Florence Boone; Jay Edelston; Carl Eklund; Lois Eklund; Rustan Eklund; Caroline Erbmann; Karen Ettelson; Bill Fritz; Eddis Goodale; Kathy Janega; Barbara Javore; Scott Javore; Thomas Marks; Ellen Shubart; Dan Stucka; Sara Weaver; Vivian Zahniser; Robert Zahniser.

Directors Emeritus

Marianne Crosby; Sarah O’Kelley ⇑

Call For Prom Dresses

We are looking for vintage eveningwear (to loan or donate) for our next special exhibit. So pull out that old prom or evening dress, or men’s formalwear from the back of your closet and give us a call at 847.835.0040⇑

Celebrating Black History in Glencoe

Lun Ye “Lonnie” Barefield (left) and Barbara Jarrow enjoy the Black History Month exhibit. Panels on Glencoe History created by Dino Robinson for the Glencoe Historical Society.

In conjunction with Black History Month this February, the Society presented an exhihit at the Glencoe Public Library celebrating African-American history in Glencoe. Almost from its beginning, Glencoe differed from some of its neighbors in its willingness to include different groups of people within its boundaries. Because of this, Glencoe’s early African-American population was almost unique to the North Shore. This exhibit details how Glencoe’s black community developed since the late 1880s, beginning with the inception of St. Paul’s AME Church in 1869. It tells of the first African-Americans in the schools and public office, and the story of Glencoe’s beaches.

The exhibit included information from other towns along the North Shore, including Evanston, Wilmette and Lake Forest on loan from Dino Robinson, who also created two new panels for the exhibit. Robinson was also the moderator for the standing room only panel discussion held at the library on February 19. The panel consisted of long-time Glencoe residents Trisha Gregory, Leonard Thigpen and Lun Ye “Lonnie” Crim Barefield.

We thank the Glencoe Public Library for allowing us to use the Hammond Room through February for our “Celebrating Black History in Glencoe” exhibition. The exhibit will be on display at St. Paul A.M.E. Church, 336 Washington Avenue, Glencoe, after March 1.⇑

A Historical Haunting?

(left and above) Young visitors trick-or-treat at the garden. (below) Giant spiders and ghosts haunt the garden.

This past Halloween the Eklund Garden became a favorite place to trick-or- treat for kids of all ages. Almost overnight, the garden was transformed into a graveyard and crime scene complete with a casket and giant spiderweb with spiders to match.

In the morning, visitors were welcomed by a friendly costumed Glencoe Historical Society volunteers, while the evening brought spooky apparitions and sounds, much to the delight of the older crowd. This was the first Halloween spooking of the garden, but if you missed it, don’t worry. It was so popular, we’re making it an annual event. Come see if we can spook you and your family this next Halloween! ⇑

Thank You to Our Member Contributors

A big thank you to all of our generous donors. We appreciate your support for our programs and thanks to your help we will continue to grow and expand our offerings. We look forward to seeing everyone at our up-coming events throughout the year!

$500 and above

Gerald and Candace Angst, Theodore Eckert Foundation, The Handelsman Family Foundation, Henry Pope Foundation, Alan Gordon Rottman Family, Evey and John Schweig.

$250 to $499

Mark and Jean Burnstine, Caroline Erbmann, Barbara and Scott Javore, Nello and Ann Lucchesi, Anne S. Martin, Maxine R. Retsky, Ellen and Richard Shubart, Swett Family Foundation, Sue West.

$50 to $249

Ralph P. Beebe, Joan and Julian Berman, George and Martha Bermingham, Stephen and Susan Bisgeier , Sonia and Ted Bloch, Susan and Mark Blumenthal, John and Susan Borre, Stephen Bowen, Robyn and Adam Brass, Eleanor Coon Briggs, Katherine S. Broberg, Rick and Andee Brown, Ann and Richard Burnstine, Robert and Cheryl Byron, Daniel Cooney and, Debbie Behrman, Niall Cullinane, James DeWitt, Collette and Dennis Donoghue, Barry Duke, Angela D’Astici Dusa, Carla and Jay Edelston, Mr. and Mrs. Rustan Eklund, Mr. and Mr. Carl Eklund, Bev and Wade Fetzer, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Garoon, Louis and Barbara Goldman, Dr. and Mrs. Jack Graller, Jeff and Susan Gumbiner, William P. Hall, Louise S. Hart, Ann Hoenig, Peter and Lynn Holstein, Elizabeth and Walter Holt, Judith Israel-Rosen, Milton Jaffe, Susan and David Kalt, Harold and Ethel Mae Katz, Richard and Debora Kotz, Alice and Charles Kurland, Hilary and Gary Lee, James Looman and Donna Craven, Roseanne and John Madden, Fred and Joyce Marcus, Jerry Meinhardt, The Art Store and Gallery, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Richard Melcher, Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Mikolajczyk, Seymour Nordenberg, Evans and Helen Papageorge, Donald A. Potter, Gary and Catherine Westphal Raphael, John and Anne Reilly, Maxine Retsky, Thomas A. Roberts and Teresa Grosch, Jean and Randy Rosen, Onnie and Steven Scheyer, Mitch and Jill Schoenfeld, Diane and Bud Schwarzbach, Fred and Nancy Schweiger, Laura and Donald Shindler, Susan and Steve Sholl, Robert H. Sideman, Larry and Sheri Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Solomon, Dorie Sternberg, Norene and Daniel Stucka, David M. Suttle, Jr., Frank ten Brink and Jeannine Cleary, Paula and Howard Trienens, Helen Turley, Susan and Steve Varick, Marilyn and Ira Weinstein, Mr. and Mrs. Avers Wexler, Vivian and Robert Zahniser, Nancy L. Zuraw. ⇑

Just What Do We Do at the Museum?

Dan Goodwin studies one of the many maps in the Glencoe Historical Society collection.

Many people wonder what goes on at 375 Park Avenue, the Eklund History Center. After all, they reason, they know full well what goes on at the Eklund Garden—planting, weeding, watering. But what happens at the museum? A great deal.

Museum volunteers work to further the museum’s mission of preserving and collecting Glencoe’s historical past and make it accessible for anyone interested in researching a specific topic or learning about their family’s history.

Our crack Research Center team, headed by Ellen Paseltiner, works every Wednesday at the museum. Their job is to identify, access and file each item, whether it be a whole collection of papers, called an archive, or a single item. Ellen’s group includes Barbara Olinger, who is in the processing of creating the ongoing searchable database listing each and every item. Dan Goodwin works on storing and preserving maps and answering search questions that come in by phone, mail or from our Web site. Barney Berlin has completed his first task of cataloguing and identifying postcards (age, publisher, manufacturer, type) and is next tackling sorting our information on transportation, particularly railroads. Ellen works hard to fill the files with identified items and also is formulating the layout of our new storage area.

Textile curators and exhibit creators Janice Gemp and Alice Glicksberg will also be working to rearrange the storage area, this time for textiles. In addition, they are planning the next exhibit for the museum, calling on their skills in putting together in three-dimensions the facts and pictures of the highlighted historical topic.

Board member Florence Boone has expressed interest in locating furniture done by Carl Eklund, one of the namesakes of the Eklund Center. She will be sorting through files left by Carl’s daughter Sara “Sally” Eklund to see if she can locate customers who might still have the furniture Carl worked on.

Nello Lucchesi is working to update our website, adding photo images. We think that will make the site more interesting to all. We have spent close to a year working on changing servers for the site and we once again thank the Glencoe Public Library for allowing us to use their services.

If you are interested in joining any of these groups, let us know. We’d be delighted to have you join us in what may be seen as work, but really is very rewarding volunteerism. Call 847.835.0040 and leave a message. ⇑

In Memory Of Wilson Rankin (1917-2008)

Emeritus Director Wilson Rankin.

Longtime Glencoe Historical Society board member emeritus Wilson Rankin died Jan. 25, 2008 after a long illness. Services were held Feb. 2 at St. Paul A.M.E.Church.

Glencoe and the Historical Society at once lost a friend, a hard worker and a man whose institutional memory will be sorely missed. Wilson attended Central and New Trier High Schools. As a young man he served in the Civilian Conservation Corp. (CCC) helping to build the Skokie Lagoons. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, 1943-46. Returning to Glencoe, he worked for Glencoe Public Works, Kenilworth and Glencoe Post Offices, MICA, Mack & Parker and Harrington Benefit Services. He served as a Glencoe volunteer fireman from 1960 to 1994.

Wilson was a member and commander of the Highland Park American Legion Post #145 and commander of the American Legion 10th (Illinois) District. He also served as president of the Glencoe Lions Club and was a board member of the Glencoe Historical Society for more than three decades. Among many accolades, Wilson received the Senior Citizen Community Service Award from the Sheriff’s Department of Cook County, having been nominated by the Village of Glencoe. For the Historical Society, he was fond of reminiscing about life from the 1930s onward—recalling his Boy Scout Troop, attending New Trier and his family events—and participated in our oral history project. Wilson will be missed for his down-to-earth advice, his recollections and, for the old-timers among us, a long-ago Christmas party where he mixed his favorite drink, rum bamboozle.

Wilson is survived by, among others, his wife Effie and his sister Sarah O’Kelley, another emeritus board member. ⇑

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