Images of Glencoe is an interactive photo array where each picture hanging on the wall is also shown and can be opened through a computer screen. The selected picture will appear on the screen together with a description of the photo and its significance to Glencoe. Some of the favorite photos among the 51 displayed, are the Glencoe Theater (which many find fascinating since they were unaware that Glencoe even had a theater), the digging (by hand) of the Skokie Lagoons in 1933 and the pre-1900 photo of the total school enrollment in the Glencoe School.

Other photos that tell the tale of Glencoe history include the 1980 portrait of the first woman village president, Florence Boone; Archibald MacLeish, the United State Librarian of Congress and poet who grew up in Glencoe; and a picnic of Glencoe’s African-American residents along Vernon Ave.

Another favorite is the 1920s photo of the slide at the beach, with children on the pier, and the steps and sliding board into what we today might think was unsafe, shallow water. It is a far cry from today’s safe trellis and pier at the Glencoe Beach.

Play Ball!, the society’s exhibit about baseball—From Glencoe Dreams to the Major Leagues—was on view at the museum from April through September and featured Glencoe’s youth baseball, including the appearance of Glencoe’s hometown team in the Cooperstown Little League Hall of Fame games, and the role of the Cubs and White Sox in the region.

A special section was the portion of the exhibition featuring Ross Baumgarten, the only Glencoe resident who played in the major leagues (initially for the White Sox). Mr. Baumgarten also appeared in a special appearance at the museum for July’s Annual Gala. His shirt and glove and pictures from his career were in the section and he spoke at the gala of his short but exciting career.

The Cubs and their new owners, the Ricketts family, also contributed to the exhibit, loaning long-removed seats from Wrigley Field, and uniforms, balls and bats from various eras. Todd Ricketts opened the exhibit with a talk and autographs for the crowd.

The society was honored for the content, design and arrangement of the two exhibits together with the use of volunteers to create each one. Of particular notice was the rearrangement of the museum for Play Ball! opening up additional area useable for exhibitions at the museum.

The new feature shows Baumgarten’s most valuable player award—from 1967 when he played for a Glencoe Park District team—as well his baseball cards from rookie year, when he first played for the White Sox, onward to his last posting with the Pittsburg Pirates. Baumgarten’s short but successful career ended when he hurt his arm and couldn’t pitch any longer. The current Glencoe resident has three children, none of whom followed him into baseball he reports, somewhat ruefully.

Baumgarten’s career mirrors the theme of the entire exhibit, Glencoe Dreams to Major Leagues. The exhibit covers the era of baseball from Abner Doubleday to today, decade by decade and shows the baseball events and teams from Glencoe as well as around the nation.

The museum is open Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays 1-4 p.m. Return visitors can also enjoy the Elkland Garden, now in full bloom. The museum is located in the back of the garden at 377 Park Ave. Call 847.835.0040 with any questions. Admission is free and peanuts are available for those who come out for the “ball game” exhibit.

Baumgarten reminisced with the more than 125 people who gather at the Glencoe Historical Society on July 24 for the group’s fifth annual garden gala fund-raiser. Themed around baseball this year, to work with the exhibit Glencoe Dreams to the Major Leagues, which is on view until Sept. 1, Baumgarten was the featured guest as he is the only Glencoe resident to have made his dream come true with a turn in the Major Leagues.

A genial raconteur, Baumgarten remembered thinking at first that not being drafted by the Cubs was a downer but finding that being drafted instead by the Sox was an excellent opportunity. Because the Sox had a less-than-developed farm system, Baumgarten was able to move quickly—faster, in fact, than anyone before him, through the system and land in the Major Leagues after a summer of bouncing around A, Double A and Triple A clubs. The towns in which these teams played were somewhat dismal, Baumgarten said, and he was delighted to return to Chicago.

Games came and went but Baumgarten was thrilled with the one-hitters he threw and dismayed after being knocked off the mound in the first inning. It was embarrassing to be in the clubhouse already showered before the beginning of the second inning.

Asked who was the most difficult hitter he faced, Baumgarten named Paul Mollitor, of the Milwaukee Braves. He also recalled facing ace hitter Rod Carew and having the first pitch called a ball by the umpire when it most certainly was a strike. Carew was not a hitter to whom pitchers wanted to pitch to more than once but Baumgarten threw a second time and Carew fouled it off. The third time, which pitchers certainly never wanted to have to do, was hit straight up the middle for a base hit. That hurt.

Baugarten, in response to questions, said that Rollie Hemond, with the White Sox at the time, was his mentor and his friend. A securities analyst now, Baumgarten found that his sons didn’t follow in their fathers’ footsteps; they preferred basketball and hockey. And only his daughter was a lefty like he was.

The gala, held in the historical society’s Eklund Garden, raised funds for new exhibits and collection conservation. The annual event is a cocktail hour followed by dinner, this year featuring a course from every city where there is a Major League park, from Cubs Chicago hot dogs to brats from Milwuakee.

This year’s gala was the most successful of the past five years, each year having a different theme, with a larger crowd, more excitement over the silent auction—and a completed event with no need for rain checks despite the threatening skies.

A Field of Dreams is rising in the Eklund Garden in preparation for the Glencoe Historical Society’s annual gala celebration, this year to be held the evening of Saturday, July 24. Tickets for the event are now on sale.

Special guest for the event and in celebration of the Glencoe Dreams to the Major Leagues baseball exhibit now on view will be Ross Baumgarten, Glencoe’s baseball dream-come-true who played for the Glencoe Park District teams as a youngster and moved up as an adult to pitch for the Chicago White Sox. He and his family still live in the village.

The evening begins with cocktails at 6:30 p.m, followed by a dinner buffet, a silent auction, dancing and fun all evenning. Smart casual or festive sports attire with $75 per person, with all proceeds benefitting the Glencoe Historical Society. Activities will be held in the beautiful Eklund Garden, 377 Park Ave.

Reservations can be made either by emailing or calling 847.835.0040 and leave a message.

Questions? Call 847.835.0040.

The most recent “mystery solved” was the Case of John S. Meck and the Research Center staff used the abilities of Web-expert vice-president Karen Ettelson as well as long-distance help from a former Glencoe resident Cathy Masamitsu, a TV reporter and producer who is now living on the West Coast but keeps in touch with Research Director Ellen Paseltiner.

Cathy peruses eBay often and alerts Ellen about items for sale that pertain to Glencoe, most frequently postcards that have been offered for auction. In mid-May, however, she sent something none of the researchers were familiar with: A wanted poster with a $200 reward for one John Meck, a Northwestern University student, listed as missing and formerly living in Glencoe. The questions were myriad: Is this a Glencoe resident whom we can account for? Why was he missing? What is his story?

The first decision was to purchase the poster. While most of the artifacts in the historical society’s archives have been donated, a purchase price of only $12.50 and a curiosity about Meck and his life story combined to push for a buy. Then the searching began.

That the Mecks lived at 810 Vernon Ave. was confirmed by our telephone book collection. No other materials appeared in the archives. But Karen Ettelson’s intrepid Web searching came up with the rest of the story fairly easily and that was confirmed with information from a Plymouth, Ind. Chamber of Commerce 1999 newsletter.

John Meck and his parents lived in Glencoe. Meck’s father, Prof. S. R. Meck, was principal of the Jonathan Burr school (No city is given but there is a Burr school in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago.) John disappeared sometime after Dec. 1, 1925. His parents reported his disappearance to Evanston police and University authorities. But his parents declined to comment publicly about the issue. According to the Chicago Tribune on Dec. 9, “Students said Meck had spoken of leaving college and seeking work.” Presumably, the wanted poster was printed up at this time.

Five months later, in April 1926, Mrs. Meck found her son in a radio shop at 8 S. Dearborn St. She reportedly “remembered” that he had been dissatisfied as a student and “asserted that he wanted to learn the radio business.” She had circulated flyers among the radio stores and factories in Chicago. John’s employers told her that he worked in their laboratory.

John had been living in a south side rooming house. But the Tribune reported he went back home to Glencoe when he got “permission to get his education where he wants it.”

Where John got his education is not known but he certainly made a name for himself. According to the Plymouth, Ind.Chamber of Commerce, Meck Industries was founded prior to World War II. The company, located in the town that is 23 miles from South Bend, originally manufactured phonographs and public address systems. During the war, quartz crystals for radio equipment and various other electric devices were manufactured as well. After World War II the company converted to manufacturing radios and in June 1949 turned out its first commercial TV receiving sets and both 7- and 10-inch table models. The plant closed in 1956.

The mystery is not completely solved, of course. Did John Meck perhaps go to Notre Dame, which is why his company is located in Indiana? Did the reward poster help at all? We don’t know the answers. But the new accession to our archive, the wanted poster, and the information found out afterward gives us a good look at a Glencoe resident whom prior to this we may never have known about.

One of the newer items donated to the Glencoe Historical Society’s collection is a bank from the Glencoe National Bank, Harris’ predecessor. Bob Kottler, a former Glencoe resident and frequent visitor to the Eklund History Center donated a small, 2-3/4-inch high, 1-3/4-inch radius “oil” barrel in shiny steel that functions as a piggy bank.

On either end of the bank are small red plaques. One side reads: Glencoe National Bank, Glencoe, Ill.—Deposits insured to $10,000. The other reads: Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, has a slit to deposit coins and adds “IT PAYS TO SAVE EVERYDAY” in larger type, all capitals. Under the slogan is a place for a key, evidently to open the bank once it is filled although no key came with the donation. We assume that the key opened the slot and you could shake out the coins. Finally, under the keyhole is “U.S.Pat No1458146 Chicago Thrift Co.”

Obviously, the Glencoe National Bank purchased the give-away from the Thrift Company, which manufactured the banks for around the city, the region or the country.

The Glencoe National Bank, 333 Park Ave., went out of business in 1985-1986 and its location was purchased by the Harris Bank. The new bank was named Harris Bank – Glencoe and later was consolidated with the Northbrook branch of the Harris into Harris Bank – Glencoe, Northbrook.

A simple piggy bank opens the door to many investigations for anyone who is interested in commercial history and the commercial history in Glencoe:

• How often did banks have such give-aways? What were the results, i.e. how many people came in with filled banks to make deposits?
• How many piggy banks did the Glencoe National Bank give out to its patrons? What percentage of that group deposited funds?
• More broadly, what does the bank tell us about local banking, i.e. before the State of Illinois allowed branch banking, banking by one institute at more than one location?

It is such donations that help us fill in the story of the Village of Glencoe.

If you have such items sitting in your attic or in a collection, the Research Center would be delighted to take the donation. Just drop it off in person at 377 or 375 Park Ave. But we’d be even more pleased if you can do what Bob Kottler did: Bring your items into the museum during open hours so we can take the whole story of its ownership and use.

The museum is open Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays, 1-4 p.m.

A new donation, from the Village of Glencoe, is a Housing Survey from the year 1942, Appendix IV, Area F-G-H. The complete survey would be even better, but this is a valuable addition to our collection, a treasure-trove of information about those who lived in the so-called “presidents streets,” Adams Ave., Glencoe Road (the old Green Bay Road), Jefferson, Randolph and Madison streets.

Each entry of about 8 to 10 pages gives us information about who lived in what houses and fills in details much as today’s U.S. Census does.

For example, for the first entry “Report on Property at 378 Adams, Lot 5, Block 4 in Harwell’s Addition,” the owner of Record is Carrie P. Turner, of Evanston, and the occupant is James Lamkin.

In this single first page, we have found a Glencoe resident, James Lamkin, via the fill-in-the-blanks on the mimeographed sheet and the handwritten answers provided by H.E. Perkins either with blue ink and/or copied via blue carbon paper on Dec. 4, 1941. Page 2 is blueprint paper with a red outline of the lot and white outline of the house placed on the lot, which is 50-ft. across facing Adams. Page 3 is still recording info on 378 Adams, this time with building permits, water tap info, assessed valuation for the year 1939 ($1231) and zoning statistics.

The next three pages are again blueprint paper showing the interior configuration of the two-flat building, followed by a photo, a dwelling description including framing, numbers of baths and toilets, flooring, siding materials and “miscellaneous,” that asks if there is a finished basement, finished attic, sky lights, fire place or garage and electric light, the latter the only “miscellaneous” 378 Adams had.

Finally, there is a listing of all the people who lived in the two-flat, ranging from Mr. Lamkin, 35 years old, a skilled worked, laborer; to Lucilla Lamkin, 30, most likely his wife but could be a sister as she is listed as a blood relation but there is no code for wife, and Burton, a 7-year old student at Central School. The other family, also on the first floor, are Margaret Sidney, 26, a housewife, Earl Sidney, 28, a laborer and Earl Jr., 1. All of the occupants are marked as being good physical condition. (If they were in poor condition, that would have to be explained.) Mr. Lamkin owned a 1938 Ford that was stored on the property—likely sitting outside since there is no garage, detached or attached, listed.

Living on the second floor were James, 35, and Lucy Hubbard, 36. Mr. Hubbard’s business address was listed as Winnetka; he, too, was a skilled worker/laborer. Austin Moore, 17, and Mary Moore, 13, both in high school lived with them—one of the parents children by a previous marriage? Donald Hubbard, 2, and Nancy Worneck, 7, were also listed, but Nancy, the form says, did not live at home. Mr. Hubbard owned a 1935 Plymouth also stored on the property.

In the first eight pages of the book, then, we have learned about three families (Lamkin, Sidney and Hubbard), none of whom we had information about before in our People files. We learned that a skilled worker could afford to own a car—two cars were owned by people in this building—and that it is likely a blended family lived in the neighborhood.

While chock-full of information, the book is only a beginning. It would be fascinating to further find out where Carrie Turner, the owner, lived in Evanston, how much real estate she owned altogether, how much of it was in Glencoe, and when she sold them. And, we should careful go through the entire book to find those whose names we do know so we can attach the information to their personal files.

The value of this survey cannot be overemphasized. It is a snapshot of those who lived in Glencoe in the late 1930s and early 1940s; the people who likely built many Glencoe homes in the period since many were skilled workers. And, it identifies those who were part of the warp and woof of the community in its stage before population exploded in the 1950s.

GHS Board member Sara Weaver was invaluable with this acquisition. She took the book home and scanned each page into a digital file. Now the material can be searched either by hand or via computer. We thank her immensely for her work.

The book is available for purview just for fun or if you are interested in an address in the area under investigation. The Research Center is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Baseball entrances boys and girls of all ages and the new exhibit follows Glencoe’s finest from their Glencoe Baseball Association playing to the Major Leagues. On display will be uniforms, balls, bats from Glencoe leagues and the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox—even seats from Wrigley Field.

Ricketts, whose family recently purchased the Cubs, will be on hand to talk to visitors about plans for the Cubs. Follow the changes in team uniforms through the years, many graciously on loan from the Cubs organization. Other items on display include photos of Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park through the ages as well as autographed bats, mitts and baseballs from both the White Sox and the Cubs.

The program will be run from 3–4 p.m. Admission is free. Members are invited to a pre-opening event at 1:30 p.m. with refreshments and more intimate conversation with Ricketts. Membership cost is $50 and new members can join on the day of the opening.

Play Ball will run at the Eklund Center from April 18 through August. Regular museum hours are Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays 1–4 p.m. Admission is free.

In conjunction with its Centennial Celebration, the Glencoe Public Library hosted a program by Michael Ebner, professor of history at Lake Forest College, who talked of the history of Glencoe, including the contributions by both Taylor and Gurnee among others.

A recording of the talk together with the photos presented, many from the Glencoe Historical Society, is now available online.

If you’d like to brush up on your Glencoe history or just see it for the first time, use the link and sit back and enjoy.

Join the Glencoe Historical Society for two free, Sunday-afternoon programs for the whole family in the Hammond Room at the Glencoe Public Library, 320 Park Ave., 2 p.m.:

• Jan. 31st: Indians of the North Shore presented by Lisa Cushing Davis, interim executive director of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, of Evanston.

  Before there was settlement, Potawatomi Indians hunted in the area we call Glencoe. The area was forested and dense. They left us with signs that they hunted in the area: Indian trail trees and arrowheads. This program about the Potawatomi Indians of the North Shore is family-oriented and children will enjoy exploring the artifacts from the museum touching tables.

• Feb. 28: Glencoe author Bob Sideman presents a program in honor of Black History Month featuring Famous Black Americans Whose History Touched Glencoe.

  Sideman, known by the authorship of his recent book on Glencoe’s African-American community, will speak on a new and different topic at this Sunday afternoon event: The History of Famous Black Americans, including poet Langston Hughes, advocates Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr., and politicians Oscar de Priest and Colin Powell, all of whose lives have touched the people and community of Glencoe.

Both programs begin at 2 p.m. at the Glencoe Public Library. Free admission. Refreshments will be served. No RSVP is necessary. If you have questions, call 847.835.0040.

The Glencoe Historical Society wishes everyone happy holidays and a happy and healthy New Year. Join us again on Jan. 3, 2010 to view the exhibit Saluting Glencoe Boys Scouts, honoring the 100th year of Boy Scouting in America and the formation of the new Troop 28. The Eklund History Center, 377 Park Ave., will be open from 1–4 p.m. The Research Center will reopen on Jan. 6, 2010.

Also join us at the Glencoe Public Library on Jan. 31, 1020 for a program on the Pottowatami Indians of the North Shore by the director of the Mitchell Museum of Indians, Evanston. It will be a family-oriented program including a touch-me table of artifacts for children to use. Admission is free. The program will be in the Hammond Room at the library, 320 Park Ave., 2 p.m.

Join the Glencoe Historical Society and the Glencoe Public Library Jan. 31, 2010 for a program on the Potawatomi Indians of the North Shore given by Lisa Cushing Davis, interim executive director of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Evanston.

The afternoon program is family-oriented and children will enjoy the artifacts from the museum touching tables for the children to explore to help understand the presented by Dr. Davis.

Admission is free. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments will be served. The program will be held in the Hammond Room at the library, 320 Park Ave., at 2 p.m. this program is another in the series celebrating the Centennial Anniversary of the Glencoe Public Library.

Thursday, December 3
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
at the Glencoe Holistic Healing Center
366 Park Avenue
2nd and 3rd floor
Glencoe, Il

RSVP 847.903.0793
$35 Charity Donation

This evening begins with special relaxation techniques by Master Neil. Live and Silent Auctions. Bring in your own “Historic Treasure” to auction off and we will conduct a Live Auction with 20% of the final sale donated to the GHS.

Food and Drinks generously donated by: Bertucci Steak and Seafood , Bluegrass, Bridie McKenna’s, Go Roma, Love Always Cafe, Marios Mondo Cafe, Mecafresh, Next Door, Va Pensero, Wildfire, Midwest Wineries, The famous Candy Martini by Hypnotiq

The Glencoe Historical Society wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

An evening featuring food, festivities with a silent auction, and the classic reading begins at 6:30 and goes to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3, in a featured new home in Glencoe. Along with the good food, unique Glencoe holiday gifts will be on sale.

Suggested donations of $35 per person will be collected at the door. All proceeds will benefit both the Historical Society and Writers’ Theater. Call 847-835-2772 for more information.