Exhibit Updates From the History Center

Our staff and volunteers here at the History Center have been working hard on an upcoming exhibit (hence the absence of recent blog posts) and we'd like to update you on our exhibit space transformation with some photos below.  If you have questions or comments regarding the exhibit which, by the way, is entitled "Deco in Des Plaines: An International Style in Everyday Life," feel free to let us know in the comments section at the end of the post.

Now, the photos below don't give away much, but, of course, we don't want to give away too much about the exhibit.  Why?  Because we want at least some sense of surprise when the exhibit opening occurs.  Also, don't forget to check our website for more current information regarding "Deco in Des Plaines" and for news about a finite date of the exhibit opening. 

Painted display pedestals that will eventually house Art Deco related artifacts from the 1920's and 1930's

More painted display pedestals

Ladders and such in the exhibit space

The main exhibit space with Art Deco-inspired black and white paneling

If you haven’t already, please consider donating to the DPHC and becoming a member, or asking about volunteer opportunities.  Your donations and memberships help the DPHC to properly preserve and display Des Plaines' historic artifacts and documents.  Visit our website at www.desplaineshistory.org for more information.      

Artifact of the Month: A Letter from P.O.W Hans Reinhold

This month’s featured artifact is actually a document from the DPHC archives.  If you have not visited Des Plaines Memory -- an online collaboration between the Des Plaines Public Library and the Des Plaines History Center -- then you should, and then you should read these two featured letters.  You are forewarned; I, an adult man of 28, was choked up while reading these letters.  They are intimate, touching, and they tell a fascinating story of a long distance friendship.

The background story is this: Hans Reinhold, a P.O.W at Des Plaines’ Camp Pine during World War II worked for Arthur G. Schroeder on Schroeder’s farm (museum goers are constantly surprised when we tell them that there was indeed a WWII P.O.W camp in Des Plaines).  The letters featured in today’s post were written to Schroeder after Reinhold returned to Germany in 1947.  Interestingly enough, these letters were simply found in the DPHC’s archives many years ago.  So, therefore, we are not entirely certain who had donated them, but signs point to the documents being donated by Schroeder himself.      

 

For an historian of America’s involvement in World War II, finding these letters would certainly be exciting.  Although only two pages long, they give us a first-hand account of P.O.W camps in the United States and England, and the letters show us what German citizens endured in the wake of the War.  But enough about what we think -- what are your thoughts after reading the correspondence?  

Camp Pine P.O.W.s at Green Valley Farms, 1945

P.O.W.s working with Mt. Prospect farmer, Eugene Carl. c.1945

Remember, if you’d like to check out the letters for yourself then stop on by the History Center as they will be on display for the rest of this month.

If you haven’t already, please consider donating to the DPHC and becoming a member, or asking about volunteer opportunities.  Your donations and memberships help the DPHC to properly preserve Des Plaines' historic artifacts and documents.  Visit our website at www.desplaineshistory.org for more information.      

Artifact of the Month: A Founder’s Desk

We are excited to introduce a new monthly blog feature called “Artifact of the Month,” in which our staff will choose an interesting object from our collection and make you aware of that object via this blog.  Furthermore, although not including the first artifact due to its size, the object mentioned in these posts will be on display at the History Center during the month it is recognized.  Enjoy!

 

 

For the first “Artifact of the Month” post, we thought we’d introduce you to an old desk.  An old desk you ask?  Yes, a desk, but not any desk.  This desk belonged to Socrates Rand (1804-1891), an original pioneer of Des Plaines, settling in the area back in 1835.  In fact, Rand was so integral to early Des Plaines that from 1857 to 1869 the area we currently know as Des Plaines was actually called the Town of Rand.  And, of course, Rand Road, Rand Park, etc. were named after Socrates too.  

The desk pictured above was Rand’s personal desk, and is currently located in the Des Plaines History Center’s Kinder House Museum.  The circa 1860 kneehole desk is made from cherry wood, and has a leather writing surface.  Originally, and now unfortunately lost, the desk included a walnut bookcase that sat on top.  The desk was used in the office of Rand’s grist mill in Des Plaines, and is the only personal artifact of Rand that we have in the DPHC collection.

 

Socrates Rand

To learn more about Socrates Rand and the founding of Des Plaines, stop by the History Center any time Tuesday-Friday from 10:00am-4:00pm.

 

Also, if you haven’t already, please consider donating to the DPHC and becoming a member, or asking about volunteer opportunities.  Your donations and memberships help the DPHC to properly preserve Des Plaines' historic artifacts and documents.  Visit our website at www.desplaineshistory.org for more information.

A Plea for Help: Can you Crack the Conant Code?

If you have visited the DPHC website then you may have noticed the “Conant Tweets” section at the bottom of the homepage. Each day we tweet a diary entry from an 1836 daybook written by Des Plaines pioneer, Augustus Conant. These tweets serve to give the reader a basic understanding of what everyday life was like in Des Plaines over 175 years ago.

Hidden beneath these tweets, however, there lies a dilemma. In the original daybook, alongside many of his daily entries, Conant writes in mysterious shorthand. This shorthand, unfortunately, has not yet been deciphered by our history center. It may be gibberish; it may mean nothing. But what if it does, and what if it gives us further insight into the history of Des Plaines, or the history of American northwest settlement in general?

If anyone can help us decode this shorthand, a thousand “thank you’s” will be in order for the decipherer. If you would like to see the daybook in person and put the shorthand into context, then drop by the History Center and see if you can crack the Augustus Conant code yourself!

Here, to entice you, are some pictures of the puzzling shorthand:

The images shown below are from a typed transcript of the diary. Conant's original handwritten diary is in the collection of the Chicago History Museum.

 

A Great Stocking Stuffer from the History Center

Christmas is just one week away, and if you're anything like us you've got a thing or two (or three or four) remaining on your shopping list.

If anyone on your "Nice" list grew up in Des Plaines, is a current Des Plaines resident, or just has an interest in local history, the DPHC has a great stocking stuffer for you!

The recently published Images of America: Des Plaines chronicles the history of the town from its origins in the 1830s through today. The History Center teamed up with author David Whittingham and the Des Plaines Public Library to comb our archives and gather more than 200 photos to tell the history of the city.

"One of the reasons I'm really glad this book is coming out is Des Plaines' history has been such an important part of this community, but it's not something that is utilized as much as it could be," Whittingham said in a video on the library's YouTube channel. "And there's so much in the archives at the History Center, so there's an opportunity for education as well as entertainment and also a way of connecting with the roots that have been here all along."

The book has already proven to be a huge hit; we've had people coming in every day since it was published asking for a copy. But we've got plenty more on our shelves! Stop by and pick up what's sure to be a great present for a friend, loved one, or yourself!




For more information, call 847-391-5399, e-mail us at contact@desplaineshistory.org, or, better yet, stop by and say hi! We're located at 781 Pearson St., open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

A Walk Back in Time: The Kinder House

This past weekend dozens of eager walkers participated in the Holiday House Walk, which featured tours of six historic Des Plaines homes.  Most of the interested walkers started the tour off in the Des Plaines History Center’s Kinder House, and were greeted by docents who were willing to share fascinating stories relating to the Kinder family and early 19^th-century Des Plaines.  For those of you who were not able to make it to the House Walk—due, possibly, to inclement weather—we thought we’d let you inside the Kinder House for a photographic tour instead.  But before you jump down to the photos below, let us tell you more about the house in general:

The original location of the Kinder House was 777 Lee Street (now 789 Pearson Street).  Construction on the house was completed in 1907 for the family of local hardware store owner Benjamin F. Kinder.  The Kinder family occupied the house into the 1960s.  The house has been a local history museum since 1969 and is today a part of the Des Plaines History Center.  The structure was moved to its present location in 1978.  The term “Queen Anne” has been used in reference to many American homes of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries that feature similarities such as the asymmetrical facade, multiple gables, bay windows, and more.  The most distinctive features of the Kinder House are the wrap-around front porch and the round, three-story corner tower.  Except for the exterior porches, which were replaced in the years following the move of the house, most of the structural components including the brickwork, interior woodwork, windows, cabinetry, and floor plans remain as they were at the time of construction.  Restoration of the interior room décor was completed on the first floor in the early 2000s, based on research of historical interiors for the time when the house was built.  

Now enjoy the tour!

(Keep in mind that some of these photos were taken a few years ago and not all rooms pictured are accessible at the moment, nor are the furnishings exactly the same)

The Kinder House

Kinder House Floor Plan

The Hand-Crafted Foyer Staircase

Parlor Room

  Sitting Room

Dining Room

Adult Bedroom

Sewing Room/Upstairs Bedroom

Upstairs Bathroom

Kitchen

If you’re interested in learning more about the Kinder family, or if you would like to schedule a tour of the Kinder House, please stop by the History Center any time Tuesday-Friday from 10:00am-4:00pm or email us at contact@desplaineshistory.org.

Welcome to the Des Plaines History Center’s New Blog

The historic Kinder House in 1910, now part of the DPHC

 

Welcome to the DPHC Blog! We’ve created this site to not only keep you up-to-date on the latest happenings at the DPHC, but to shine a light on some of the fascinating objects, photographs, and documents within our archives. Through these holdings, we will share stories of Des Plaines’ history that will provide new context to how you view the city today. In addition, this blog will include profiles of DPHC staff, volunteers, and members who will share their Des Plaines stories and how they’re working to keep the city’s past alive as we move into the future.
 

But we hope that this blog serves as a two-way street … we want to hear and share your stories, see and share your pictures, answer your questions about the history of Des Plaines. In addition to commenting directly to blog posts you can contact DPHC staff at 847-391-5399 or contact@desplaineshistory.org. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.

And of course, all of this is possible thanks to your donations and memberships. If you haven’t already, please consider donating to the DPHC and becoming a member, or asking about volunteer opportunities.