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News and Events
The Man Who Knew Lincoln
A large crowd was on hand Tuesday night, April 14, for the third of four Sampler Series programs at the McHenry County Historical Society Museum. With the help of the McHenry County Civil War Roundtable the Society marked the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's assassination.
Horace White, reporter and former editor of the Chicago Tribune and New York Evening Post, wrote this introduction in February 1892 for William Herndon’s book, “Herndon’s Lincoln:”
50th anniversary of 1965 Crystal Lake tornado
APRIL 2015 Palm Sunday in 1965 looked like a keeper. Fifty years ago, people woke April 11 to clear skies and unseasonably mild temperatures. Children thought about going out and flying kites against the backdrop of pretty, puffy white clouds. Others went for walks or bike rides.
Members Night 2015
Dave Harms (above) talks about his radio collection with Arlen Bird; (below) Doug Crane mans the wine table; Barb and Mike Bigalke talk about what kind of Marengo memorabilia appeal to them; and Diane Urban underscores the old adage: Good beer shared here!
About 85 members attended the free Friday night premiere of the new Members' Only Exhibit.
Sampler Lecture Series: Domestic Servants
Speaker Erika Hoist, collections curator for the 1833 Edwards Place historical home in Springfield, talked on March 30th, 2015 about the trials and tribulations of live-in domestic servants in the 19th century and their role in the 1800s when “hired girls” were common in middle-class households across Illinois.
Bob Frenz writes for the Country School Journal
The Country School Journal, sponsored by the Country School Association of America (CSAA), is a peer-reviewed, online, annual publication that includes interdisciplinary, open-access articles, curriculum, reviews, and icons. Its audience consists of people who wish to preserve country schools, disseminate scholarship about these schools, create and/or maintain the schools as museums, promote living history programs, and enable people of all ages to explore country schooling as practiced in the past and present.
Heritage Fair Car Show
A 1946 Chevy pickup belonging to John Archacki of Harmony captured Best of Show honors at the third annual Heritage Fair Car Show July 12 in Union. Archacki said he has owned the two-toned pickup eight years. He came across it in the Genoa-Kingston area of DeKalb County.
Bill Seemann of Union also was singled out for his Buick coupe, which sold for $800 back in 1932. Bill bought it from a Gillett, Wis. museum. He repaired the seized motor but has not changed anything else. No wonder the car won top "survivor" honors from among a handful of strong contenders.
Sampler Lecture Series: We Sang, We Danced
A Musical History of McHenry County." presented by Speaker Mary Ellen Heelan, of Cary.
Mary Ellen recounted the fascinating, often mysterious, history of local dance halls and the musicians who performed in them: Louis Cernocki welcomed the gangsters to his Crystal Ballroom in Fox River Grove and in the ’30s several “wise guys” kidnapped a security guard at the Fox Pavilion in McHenry and drove him to Chicago. In the meantime, their cohorts burned the place down. It did reopen later.
Antique Appraisal Day
Tom Dougherty (above), co-owner of Studio 2015 in Woodstock, gives an appraisal while volunteer (background) Janet Hayes looks on. Visitors swarmed into the museum Feb. 28 for the third annual Antique Appraisal Day. They brought jewelry, art, glassware and number of one-of-a-kind pieces.
Appraiser Dave Krieg (above) and assistant Molly Walsh view some toy figures.
C&NW Storage Site
Members of the McHenry County Historical Society visited one of four archival storage sites maintained by the Chicago & North Western Historical Society. Linen maps are rolled and stored by district.
A linen map of the Kenosha & Rockford Railroad line through Alden.
Map drawers containing turn of the century maps for the Chicago & North Western Railroad and lines it acquired.
Quilt Cutting 2015
Heritage Quilters president Jan Knight gives directions on how to assemble the 2016 raffle quilt benefiting the McHenry County Historical Society.
Below, veteran quilter Sue Stanek helps out Eileen Lane during the Jan. 14 annual Quilt Cutting Day at the museum.
Lessons from the past
McHenry County was WWII home of German POWs, Japanese-Americans
JANUARY 2015-At a time when some in this country feel a sense of antipathy toward Arab-Americans living among us, it is worth remembering that during World War II a number of Japanese-Americans – as well as German prisoners of war – were working and living in McHenry County.
Christmas at the museum
About 70 people listened to Rankin/Bass Productions historian and archivist Rick Goldschmidt talk about the creation of Rudolph and other "stop-motion" puppets Dec. 17 at the museum. Many attendees also brought food donations for the local food pantry. Merry Christmas to all! Guests viewed the collection of Rudolph memorabilia assembled on the stage with a mixture of nostalgia and childlike wonder. The display will remain up through Jan. 9.
Planned Giving: IRAs
Estate Planning can benefit future generations, leave a lasting legacy.
UPDATE: IRA Rollover Credit Back ... Temporarily
Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
The Huntley High School Treble Choir entertained an estimated 80 attendees Dec. 10 at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch - after everyone had an opportunity to revel in the ambiance of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer display.
Pictured (below) are event organizers and "Party Girls" (from left) Mary Jane Schuring, Marcia Lockwood, Diane Urban and Coral Scranton. Marcia Lockwood was named the 2014 Volunteer of the Year.
Run, Run Rudolph
For a donation to the Historical Society, take a photograph of you and/or yours standing next to or sitting on this historic ride!
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