From the President
By: Betty Mayian
I’ve had so many things on my mind to tell you this month that I can’t remember all of them. What has been happening to my memory lately? Let’s hope that I touch on the most important things. The summer has brought us quite a few people bearing gifts to our museum. This is a joy to us. We get excited when we look at the items that have a history of Edgewater and its citizens. Some things have already been placed in our exhibit and window space. They include musical instruments, a silver teapot, an antique fire engine, artwork, precious photos, and diary memories from a former worker at Maybelline.
Last year we were able to acquire some large furniture pieces from a former Kenmore home by architect J. Lyman Silsbee before it was torn down. One piece was a large wooden buffet that was painted a bright blue. Board member Jim Pletz has been spending his precious summer stripping the wood and preparing this piece for its rebirth in our Museum. I can’t wait to see it. The companion pieces to this buffet were a set of bookcases that went with a fireplace mantle. I am happy to say that the have set has been bought by an Edgewater family and they are now happily planning to install them in their home.
I personally recommend our current exhibit “From Edgewater’s Attic.” It is quite a trip down memory lane, with personal items from a number of current and former residents of Edgewater. For the younger visitors, it is quite the feat to identify some of them.
Remember the Maybelline Company? Did you or someone you know work there? Do you have photos or stories about that Edgewater company? We need to keep alive the memory of the origin of that worldwide cosmetics firm. Share the stories here in our newsletter. Send us your recollections and photos. What were some of the other work places in Edgewater? When and where did people work in this mainly residential community?
We welcomed Wilbert Hasbrouck to our general meeting on July 31st and he brought his ideas and thoughts about the architectural preservation and restoration movement in Chicago. He gave us a chance to ask questions that involve one of the most important premises of our organization. What a good speaker. I would like to hear from you if you have some ideas for a guest speaker for next year’s calendar of programs.
On August 25th, you can tune your radio dials to station EHS, because the “Those Were the Days Radio Players - Chicago North” will be performing another hour of comedy from the Golden Age of radio. This is always a lot of fun. Please show up and have some cookies and coffee.
September will be a busy month with the annual Lakewood Balmoral yard sale on September 8th, beginning at 8 a.m. We could use some help so contact us at the museum or through the web site.
Our Annual Home Tour will re-visit the West Andersonville area on Sunday, September 16th, beginning at the EHS museum at noon. See the poster on the front page in this newsletter. If you have a home that you would like to have in a future home tour, please let Kathy Gemperle know. Call her at our museum and leave a message 773-506-4849.
On September 20th we plan to have Bill Rossberger to share his stories and slides about our lakeshore at 7 p.m. at the museum. Then in October we will host a special exhibition of photos from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition that were taken by William Henry Jackson and related memorabilia from the collection of Robert and Katie Remer. On October 20th at 10 a.m. We will show the documentary, Magic of the White City at this event. As always admission is free.
Just think, this is the Fifth Anniversary of the opening of the museum. It seems that 2002 was a long time ago!
Think about gift giving and check out our items for purchase. There should be something for everyone - the child, the film lover, the computer person and the reader. We have had a number of orders for our DVD documentary, “Edgewater Through the Eyes of Experience,” professionally produced by local filmmaker, Bob Solomon. See the ad in this issue of the newsletter. We mail out for an additional shipping and handling fee of $5. Come to the museum and pick up your copy; or see our mascot, the EHS Dalmatian stuffed puppy ($15 each or 2 for $25); or the mouse-pad with our museum picture on it ($10 or 3 for $25). All are perfect for gift giving. As long as I am mentioning our sales items, remember we always have back issues of the Scrapbook newsletter ($1 each), or Home Tour books ($3 per copy or $45 for a complete set).