UPDATE: Museum offers chance to learn area history
MCHENRY COUNTY — Just a short drive from Huntley, one may learn about the past in several exhibits at the McHenry County Historical Society (MCHS) Museum in Union.
Visitors may be interested to view a Woly Mammoth tooth, a switchboard for a telephone company, baseball teams in McHenry County or maybe how residents handled the Great Depression. Information on all of those items and more can be found at the museum. It is located at 6422 Main St., Union. The MCHS Museum hosted a Saturday morning Hot Chocolate and History Day event Jan. 25.
“We are thrilled with the success of the Hot Chocolate and History event, but, the real measure of success is the impact it had on our community,” MCHS Executive Director Jolie Diepenhorst said. “We met many community members who had never visited the museum before and we were able to make valuable connections and receive great feedback.”
The MCHS Museum recently expanded its hours to include regular hours in the winter. The museum is open from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place with the Marengo-Union Chamber of Commerce, at 11 a.m. Feb. 8.
“Our goal is to let people know we are open with regular hours, and that MCHS is a valuable resource for history and information about McHenry County,” Diepenhorst said.
Diepenhorst said the museum regularly schedules tours for school groups. This Saturday event featured a scavenger hunt and activities for youth.
Diepenhorst, who started in her role in October, pointed out several interesting exhibits. One is a “bullet” boat, which traveled 130 MPH and was made by Switzer Inc.
One can also view an early 20th Century farm equipment such as a thrasher. At first it was a manually, then horse-drawn farm implement to separate wheat, peas, soybeans and seed crops from the chaff and straw.
“I’ve seen a few – they were usually pulled with four to six horses,” visitor Mel Moehling of Woodstock said.
Moehling said he and his wife Cheri visit the MCHS Museum a few times. One of his past times is making barn quilts.
“I’ve lived here 50 years and didn’t know the area had so much history,” volunteer George Kolak of Cary, who gave tours Saturday, said.
The MCHS is governed by a board of directors from throughout the county. Lonni Oldham of Huntley and Grafton Township is the current vice president of the board. Bob Frenz of Crystal Lake and Algonquin Township is its president.
“Since 1963, the museum has been dedicated to promoting historic preservation and providing educational opportunities for the community,” according to the MCHS Museum web site.
The county’s contributions of various veterans from the Civil War to World War II can be researched. Photos include the welcome home for veterans held in Woodstock in 1919 after World War I.
Industry information includes everything from pickle factory, ice harvesting at Crystal Lake, to Oliver Typewriters made in Woodstock to a Woodstock pharmacy, one of the town’s first businesses.
For sports enthusiasts, one can learn about baseball player Carl Lundgren. He was a Marengo resident who graduated high school there, then went on to pitch for the Chicago Cubs. He was in a 1903 baseball game between Marengo and the Cubs, the first year of that name for the Chicago professional team. He was on the squad in the great 1906-08 legendary run of three World Series appearances, winning in 1907 and 1908. Lundgren played college ball at the University of Illinois, where he later worked as coach and athletic director. George Moraity is another professional player who participated in early 1900s games her before a career with the Yankees and Tigers.
The baseball information on display includes a catcher’s mitt and a baseball bat for youth. One can learn Marengo had three amateur teams and played baseball games where a church’s athletic field is located. Several businesses also had their own teams as well as bands.
One can learn of a local woman’s involvement in the woman’s suffrage movement. Elizabeth Shurtloff of Marengo worked with area proponents to help convince Congress to vote for the 19th amendment in 1920.
At another exhibit, the topic is how electricity came to the rural county areas during the 1930s.
“The county was slow to get electricity in the 1930s because people were hesitant to spend money,” museum docent Marilyn Cuevas said. “They did not waste anything – they made quilts out of flour sacks.”
Future programs
Gloria Van Hof and Pam Althoff will present “The Underground Railroad in McHenry County” at 11 a.m. on Feb. 25, at the McHenry County Historical Society Museum, 6422 Main Street, Union. For more information on programs, call the Society, 815-923-1259, ext. 101.
The museum’s admission fee is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students.
This story has been updated from its original publication on MHN (and provide the date it was originally posted).
