Fall 2003–Winter 2004 Newsletter
‘Crowning Glory’ Opens New Exhibit Season
Fall opens with hats, ‘head-turning’ styles
Bartholomew Cubbins, he of Dr. Seuss’ famous 5,000 hats, has nothing on curators Janice Gemp and Alice Glicksberg. The two have mounted an exhibit of, well maybe not 5,000, but numerous hats from the collection of the Historical Society for “Crowning Glory,” an exhibit about a century of hat style that opens to the public Sunday, Sept. 14, 2–4 p.m. A special membership opening is set for Friday, Sept. 12 at 7: 30 p.m.
It wasn’t so long ago that both women and men weren’t considered dressed if they didn’t have a hat on their head, when baseball caps were worn only for games and women prided themselves on hats that matched their coats, purses and gloves.
Join us for some nostaligia to those eras and to view hats from the 19th and 20th centuries, ranging from bonnets to cloches, “whimsies” to pillboxes. Also on display are gloves and shoes of similar eras and explanations about hat styles and types.
The exhibit will be on display from September through January at the Historical Society’s Eklund History Center the second Sundays of the months, from 2–4 p.m.
Member’s Opening, Sept. 12
A special opening of Crowing Glory for Historical Society members will be held at the Eklund History Center, 377 Park Avenue, on Friday evening Sept. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. Join us for a free evening of conversation with the curators, viewing and, of course, refreshments. ⇑
How Does Our Garden Grow?
With Irises, Lillies And Lots Of Rejuvenation!
The Eklund Garden has been the focus of attention since last spring, under the capable leadership team of Garden Committee Co-chairmen Betsy Warren and Vivian Zahniser, with tons of help from Vivian’s husband Bob.
Since “Sally” Eklund donated the garden to the Historical Society in 2000, we have installed an irrigation system and removed some invasive species, but generally just maintained it until we could give it our attention—and find funding for substantial renovation. This spring and summer the board inaugurated a two-pronged program, one outside in the garden and a second to address the finances.
Vivian and Bob organized a “clean up” day with local Boy Scouts (did you see their picture in the Glencoe News?). Vivian contacted John Mariani of Mariani Landscaping, who graciously agreed to donate his services in creating a new garden plan. Prior to beginning anew, however, invasive buckthorn and diseased trees needed to be removed. Working with Village Arborist John Houde, the Park District’s Rick Bold as well as Mariani, a plan for tree removal was executed in August.
Six trees were removed for disease or death, including the major elm in the middle of the garden. While the garden looks a bit bare, it is now ready for new plantings next year. The second part of the program is fund-raising. A village-wide appeal will be going out this fall seeking restricted funding for the garden’s rejuvenation.
The Park District Board of Commissioners has already generously donated $1,000 to the Garden Fund. While it will be a long-term effort, and an expensive one at that, we are committed to keeping the garden oasis in Glencoe’s downtown.
We are hoping to raise $150,000 for the Eklund Garden. We hope you’ll join us in making our Garden grow. The form for contributing is elsewhere in the newsletter. ⇑
Glencoe Writers Series
Glencoe has a rich history of writers who either grew up here, lived here for a portion of their lives or still live here. From Archibald MacLeish on, Glencoe has been the rich soil from which many authors have grown.
The Historical Society has always had a special shelf for its “Glencoe Authors” collection, one which continues to grow. This year, Historical Society Board Member John Carothers will be organizing a series of evenings for Glencoe authors—ranging from a romance novelist to a cookbook gourmet, a crime novelist to a biographer. Watch for postcard notifications regarding the individual evenings with Glencoe Authors and join for us an unusual literary evening. ⇑
Garden Pathway Dedicated
More Visit With Tuesday Teas
Welcome to the “Best Kept Secret in Glencoe.” That’s how Garden Co-chairman Vivian Zahniser describes the Eklund Garden and History Center.
In June, the Historical Society dedicated the brick path leading from Park Avenue to the back patio. Despite some early showers, many of those who had bought a brick for the path came for the dedication—and stayed for what will become an annual event, the Strawberry Sociable. By the time everyone had enjoyed strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, the sun was out and interested families and friends looked for their names in the circle of engraved bricks mid-way along the path.
To further the awareness of the Garden, Vivian held Tuesday teas—twice a day with iced tea—for visitors to the garden throughout July. The purpose was many-fold:
- Introduce the garden to those who may have walked by but didn’t know what was there;
- Introduce the Historical Society to those who weren’t aware it was located there;
- Stimulate interest in the garden, seeking volunteers who would help out with gardening or funding for the new plan (see above).
The Historical Society will continue to sell bricks for the pathway—we will lay them when we have a large enough group to engage the bricklayer. Bricks orders are being taken at the Society. Just come in and fill out a form. ⇑
Historical Society Enters The Technologial Age
As hard as it is to believe, the Glencoe Historical Society has been operating for the past 25 years in much the same way it did the previous 43—by hand!
It’s not that we didn’t want to be in the technological age, it’s just that we didn’t have the equipment. As of September, however, the Society will enter the computer era, with a donated computer and new museum software. Using software specifically designed for museums, we will be able to inventory our entire collection and make sure we know each item’s provenance—its orgins and story. Having everything in an electronic database will allow us to link artifacts—either by creating a list of all the items one person donated, or all the items used in a kitchen or all the items related to one family or…you get the idea.
Research Center director Ellen Kettler Paseltiner and her staff will be working with Board Member Nello Lucchesi, whose vocation is the computer technology field and avocation is history. It will take a while to get everything entered, but we’re delighted to begin. This goes a long way toward making the Eklund History Center a top-notch local history museum and accessible to anyone interested in any aspect of Glencoe’s history. ⇑
“And you’ll Find that You’re in the Rotogravure…”
For the young among us, the Rotogravure is not something you remember. In days gone by, however, newspapers put their photos separately into a pictorial section printed by a process using photogravure cylinders on a rotary press—a lot of technical stuff to say they printed their pictures separately in a magazine. Irvin Berlin, in his song, Easter Parade, referred to a 5th Avenue New York Easter, telling his lady friend, “you’ll find that you’re in the Rotogravure” because she was so beautiful. So are our members, who last spring attended a number of events at the Historical Society’s Eklund Center. Here they are, in our Rotogravure.
Benefactor Sally Eklund, who visited us in May, posing in the garden.
Vivian Zahniser, Garden co-chairman, on the day of the Garden Pathway dedication.
Scott Paseltiner and son Adam at the “Mapping Glencoe’s History” exhibit than ran from January through June.
Board members Betsy Warren and Barbara Javore, left, greet the second graders who visited the Historical Society in May. ⇑
Artifacts of All Sorts Grow Our Collection
When Marianne Crosby brought in her “oldest” toaster from a collection, those around were fascinated—it had only one slot for toast but two levers. Why? It could toast only one slice of bread at a time but needed both a “down” and a timer bottom.
Collecting artifacts is an ongoing process at the Historical Society’s Eklund History Center. This year we have had a record-breaking number of artifacts donated—upwards of 65 items or what is called “ephemera,” paper items. Accessioning them—giving them an inventory number and filing them in a place where they can be found again for research or to be placed in an exhibit—is the job of the museum’s Research Center Staff, Board Secretary Ellen Kettler Paseltiner and her volunteer staff including Dan Goodwin and Andrea Olinger. They, like those who see the items in the New Accessions bookcase on the main floor, find these items of interest for what they tell us about how people in Glencoe lived in the past years.
We accept donations of items used by Glencoe residents now or in the past, such as Marianne’s toaster, and items that are old and could have been used by Glencoe residents, such as a man’s bowler hat (now on exhibit in our Crowning Glory exhibit).
Among the donations accepted thus far in 2003, and the donor:
- Glencoe Men’s Club Constitution, By-laws, Membership List, 1912-1913: Barbara Melcher
- Women’s Library Club items: Book mark, information on Glen Cote Thrift Shop, 4 pp. book with membership application and “Cook’s Tour of Glencoe II”: Ellen Shubart
- Central School Student Handbook, 1983-1984: Katie Glicksberg
- Wienecke’s 60th Anniversary (1962) Calendars (2): Bob Morris
- I (Heart) Glencoe, My Community,” Program and summary of Second Grade Program, May 28, 2003: The teachers, children, parents who attended the program at the Glencoe Historical Society
- Framed 1991 drawing of Glencoe Train Station by Roger Hosbein: Peggy Bourke
- Winnetka Fortnightly presentations: “This Old House, Spring 1989”; “This Old House, Part II,” 1993 and “This Old Garage,” March 1996 (Stories of the home at 684 Greenleaf): Faith Watts
- Glencoe School Board of Education Curriculum Outline, 1903: Roland Calhoun
- Glencoe, Kenilworth, Wilmette, Winnetka Telephone Book, Illinois Bell Telephone Co., June 1956: Richard Shubart
- Trophies from Glencoe Park District Events, Kite Fly 1975; Spring Softball 6th-8th Grade, 1983; Kit Fly 1978: Rebecca Shubart
- Yellow straw hat with yellow ribbon and flower; jaguar fur hat: Janice Gemp
- WagnerWear magnalite roaster and cover: Bobbi and Herbert Hazelkorn
- 2002 Glencoe Beach Adult Season Pass, #4046—anonymous
- Five copies of playbill/handouts of “Minstrels! … Grand Performance at the Glencoe Beach, Nov. 10,’94 (presumed to be 1894): Winnetka Historical Society
We also accept items that help us display or store our collections. Among the 2003 donations:
- Wood Display table with Glass Top: John Houde
- Wooden hall tree, Vivian and Bob Zahniser
- Six 2-drawer filing cabinets, two bookcases and one architectural drawing table: Scott Javore
- To help us research life and times for exhibits, we have added the following books to our collection:
- “A Century of Shoes: Icons of Style in the 20th Century,” Pattison and Cawthorne
- “North Shore: America’s Fastest Interurban,” William D. Middleton
- “North Shore/South Shore,” Russ Porter
- “The Native Tribes of North America: An Illustrated Encyclopedia,” Michael Johnson
- Mangles, Mops and Feather Brushes,” reprint of 1983 edition
- “The Native Americas: An Illustrated History,” David Thomas, Jay Miller, Richard White ⇑
Donations
The Glencoe Historical Society gratefully acknowledges our donors from September 1, 2002 through August 21, 2003. An asterisk (‘*’) indicates donors of $100 or more.
- Donation to the Capital Fund:
- *Henry Pope Foundation
- Donations to the General Fund:
- Jay and Karen Abrams, *Sonja Anderson, Ralph Beebe, Marilyn Black, Rick and Andrea Brown, Jean Cooke Cavrell, Harriet W. Cook, Clark and Peggy Dean, Angela D’Astici Dusa, *Janice Gemp, Girl Scouts Illinois Crossroads Council, Addce Gddcksberg, Wilddam and Joyce Gordon, Jack and Lois Graller, Peggy Hamil, Ellen D. Hohlfelder, Neil and Judith Holleb, *F. B. Hubachek, Jr., Jackson Software, Inc, *Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Jarrow, Mr. Myles A. Jarrow, Betsy Johnston, Charles J. Kurland, *Alfred R. Lipton and Kathleen Roseborough, Mr. and Mrs. John Madden, *Anne S. Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Jack B May, *Dr. and Mrs. David McCandless, Jerry Meinhardt, The Art Store Gallery, Robert and Louise Morris, *Jocelyn and Kenneth Nebenzahl, Mr. and Mrs. Neil Pagano, The Parker Family, The Bucaro-Peloquin Family, Maxine R. Philpsborn, Bing and Don Reid, *SBC Foundation Matching Grant, Mitch and Jill Schoenfeld, John and Evey Schweig, *Fred and Nancy Schweiger, Alan and Margaret Silberman, Bob and Lesley Strauss, Swett Family Foundation, Helen Turley, *Elizabeth C. Warren, *Susan West, John C. Wilddams, *The Woman’s Library Club, *Robert and Vivian Zahniser, Betty Zehr, in memory of Mary Fake
- Donations to Garden Fund:
- *Glencoe Park District, *Mrs. Herbert Gross, *Elizabeth C. Warren, *Robert and Vivian Zahniser
- Donations to the Garden Fund in memory of Caroline Hartmann:
- Melissa Smyth Beacom, Allan and Barbara Cohen, Harry and Ludmilla Coven, Janet Evans, Mrs. Leonard Fenninger, *The Glencoe Garden Club, Julia R. Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Smith, Grace K. Stearns. ⇑
The Historical Society Hits The Internet
www.GlencoeHistoricalSociety.org
Board Member Nello Lucchesi has made it possible for the Historical Society to not only enter the technology age with computers, but also to get us where everyone can find us, on the World Wide Web. We now have a Web site with the domain name of www.glencoehistoricalsociety.org. We’ll keep you up-to-date on events, openings and exhibitions with notice on the site. Look for it to be up by the end of September. And, thanks to Nello. ⇑
1840s Percussion Kentucky Rifle donated
Robert Williams holding donated rifle
On August 28, Robert Williams III of Prescott, Arizona, visited the Historical Society to donate one of his father’s collection of guns, an 1840s percussion Kentucky rifle.
The Williams family lived in Glencoe at 841 Grove Street, in the 1960s. Bobby, as he is known, moved to Arizona when his father was reassigned by employer Northern Trust Bank. Mr. Williams senior was sent to Phoenix to open the Northern Trust’s outpost there. Bobby has wonderful memories of Glencoe, including showing off his father’s Civil War and other gun collection that was mounted above the mantel at his house. Since his father is deceased, the collection has been dismantled and Bobby felt Glencoe would be a good repository for one selection.
Rifle stock detail
The 1840s rifle has a long, rifled bore and a stock that is embellished with curly scroll in metal. The scroll goes up along the stock, where there is a rod held on the underside. On one side of the stock, a silver circle and star appear.
The gun is traditionally associated with hunters and pioneers such as Davey Crockett. It is likely that Glencoe’s earliest settlers, such as Anson Taylor, would have had a similar gun for hunting game.
The rifle will be on display at the Eklund History Center. ⇑
Visitors Welcomed At Eklund History Center
NEIL Sets Quarterly Meeting on Sept. 12 in Glencoe
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the membership of the Northeastern Illinois Historical Council will meet in Glencoe. NEIL, as the group is known, is composed of historical societies, house museums and cultural societies—in short, those who run historical societies and museums in the region. They meet quarterly to discuss issues of management, maintenance and other issues of museum administration. Glencoe’s Historical Society was involved with the formation of NEIL—they visited us in our Watts Center museum days—but in recent years we had not continued our involvement. Now that the Eklund Center is open and filled with exhibits, we have reconnected with NEIL and expect to participate regularly. NEIL holds quarterly meetings and during the summer runs a program for children called Passport, which presents prizes to those who visit a requisite number of museums over the summer.
We are delighted to have NEIL visit us. Society Treasurer Alice Glicksberg and Janice Gemp attended the last NEIL meeting and will be on hand to welcome the group to Glencoe.
If you are interested in attending—and perhaps helping with the refreshments—give us a call at 847.835.0040. ⇑
Rotary to hold monthly luncheon at Eklund Center
The Glencoe Rotary will hold its September luncheon meeting at the Eklund Center on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
The Rotary Club, a generous donor to the Historical Society, will visit the museum and learn about the Research Center and operations. A program on Glencoe Past and Present will be presented by Rotary member and Historical Society vice president Scott Javore and Historical Society secretary Ellen Kettler Paseltiner.
The Historical Society welcomes groups that are interested in learning about the Eklund Center and Garden. ⇑
Garden Club to tour Eklund Garden in October
The Glencoe Garden Club will visit the Eklund Garden in October, with Garden Co-chairmen Vivian Zahniser and Betsy Warren as tour guides. Garden Club members are interested in hearing about plans for the garden and what work has been taking place in the garden. They’ll also want to hear about plans for new plantings and a new design for the garden that we will implement beginning next spring. ⇑
Celebrate Hat Exhibit By Taking Home A Hat
In honor of “Crowning Glory,” the newest exhibit at the Eklund Center, the Historical Society is offering the opportunity to take home a hat—a beautiful large, black paper with yellow flowers, paper mache picture hat that will look lovely as a centerpiece in a bedroom, boudoire or sitting room. For only $5 you have the chance to win this lovely art piece; three chances for $10. Fill in the form and send it along. Better yet, bring it to the historical where the lovely hat is on display. ⇑