Adopt an Artifact! is a unique program offered by the St. Charles History Museum that allows people to “adopt” various artifacts from the Museum’s Collection. Artifacts may be adopted for up to a year and can be renewed.
Join Us for Spring Break - History Happens Here!
Who: Children ages 6-12
What: Watch a Junior Historians video about a history topic in St. Charles and make a take-home craft that goes along with the theme.
Where: St. Charles History Museum, 215 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Cost: $5 suggested donation
Craft Schedule:
Tuesday, March 29th: History of St. Charles Dams & Water Power and make your own set of gears!
Wednesday, March 30th: History of Hotel Baker and make your own washcloth animal!
Thursday, March 31st: History of Pottawatomie Park and go on a scavenger hunt with your family!
Friday, April 1st: History of postcards and learn to make your own berry ink!
Saturday, April 2nd: History of farm life and learn to make your own butter!
Note: This program is NOT a camp. The program will last 1-1.5 hours.
The Story of St Charles, Illinois - Pride of the Fox
St. Charles History Museum to Unveil New Exhibit in February: Show & Tell
The St. Charles History Museum will unveil its new temporary exhibit in February, titled Show and Tell. The exhibit will offer an inside look at the story of the collection and cataloging artifacts.
Part of the exhibit will include interpretive signage explaining the collection processes .
If you are a St. Charles educator and would like to have a group visit to the exhibit, please contact the St. Charles History Museum by email us at info@stcmuseum.org or phone at (630) 584-6967.
St. Charles History Museum to Unveil New Exhibit in August Exploring History of Schools, Educators
The St. Charles History Museum has unveiled its new temporary exhibit in August, titled A Spirit of Excellence: The Story of Education in St. Charles. The exhibit will offer an inside look at the story of the schools, educators, and students of St. Charles over the years.
“2020 was a challenging year for everyone, but especially for teachers, students and administrators,” said Lindsay Judd, St. Charles History Museum Executive Director. “We want to honor their hard work and perseverance by opening a temporary exhibit that highlights the history of our school district and all the incredible people who supported it throughout the years.”
Part of the exhibit will include a segment highlighting everything St. Charles classrooms have done to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, including items such as journal entries, stories, poems, and photos.
Amanda Wojcik, 4th grader teacher at Corron Elementary School has launched such a project with her classroom. Each student gets to decide how they would like to present their pandemic experiences, and the Museum will display student submissions. The Museum welcomes submissions from educators and students who would like to be featured in the exhibit. If you are a St. Charles educator and would like to contribute to the exhibit, please contact the St. Charles History Museum by email us at info@stcmuseum.org or phone at (630) 584-6967.
St. Charles History Museum to Unveil New Exhibit in August Exploring History of Schools, Educators
The St. Charles History Museum will unveil its new temporary exhibit in August, titled A Spirit of Excellence: The Story of Education in St. Charles. The exhibit will offer an inside look at the story of the schools, educators, and students of St. Charles over the years.
“2020 was a challenging year for everyone, but especially for teachers, students and administrators,” said Lindsay Judd, St. Charles History Museum Executive Director. “We want to honor their hard work and perseverance by opening a temporary exhibit that highlights the history of our school district and all the incredible people who supported it throughout the years.”
Part of the exhibit will include a segment highlighting everything St. Charles classrooms have done to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, including items such as journal entries, stories, poems, and photos.
Amanda Wojcik, 4th grader teacher at Corron Elementary School has launched such a project with her classroom. Each student gets to decide how they would like to present their pandemic experiences, and the Museum will display student submissions. The Museum welcomes submissions from educators and students who would like to be featured in the exhibit. If you are a St. Charles educator and would like to contribute to the exhibit, please contact the St. Charles History Museum by email us at info@stcmuseum.org or phone at (630) 584-6967.
Captain Rufus M. Hooker of the 8th Illinois and Connection to Robert E. Lee
The story of Rufus M. Hooker, who mustered into the 8th Illinois Cavalry on September 1st, 1861 as a Captain in St. Charles, IL. Through new research, it has been discovered that Hooker was subsequently the first blood drawn by Confederate General Robert E. Lee when he was killed at the Battle of Mechanicsville on June 26th, 1862.
Our Hallowed Grounds a Look at St. Charles Cemeteries
A History of North & Union Cemetery
Did you know that St. Charles has six cemeteries? In 1945, St. Charles Township formed a cemetery department to assume care and maintenance of North and South cemeteries, which were originally privately owned. Today, the Cemetery District encompasses six locations:
South Cemetery, c.1815.
North
South
Little Woods
Union
Prairie
Round Grove
All six cemeteries (approximately 45 acres) are carefully maintained, although South and Round Grove are no longer active interment locations. The Cemetery District operations are funded by a small tax levy on St Charles Township property.
North Cemetery Plat Map.
North Cemetery, aptly named for its location in relation to St. Charles, is the resting place for many of the community's early settlers. It was owned in the latter 1800s by William C. Irwin.
More popularly known as ''Uncle Bill", Irwin came to St. Charles in 1840 and permanently settled here in 1847 after a brief residency in Galena, IL.
Irwin was a cooper or barrel maker by trade. He was also the town funeral director for a number of years. He was probably best noted for developing Irwin's Block, a collection of commercial buildings, located on W. Main St. between 1st and 2nd Streets.
When he died in 1900 he was laid to rest in the cemetery he owned.
The cemetery remained in the possession of his estate for a number of years. Citizens concerned with its upkeep formed the Ladies' Cemetery Association. They collected dues from lot owners and hired to have the grass cut. But it was felt this effort was but a temporary solution to a long term problem. Each new burial meant one less contributor and one more lot in need of care.
In 1912, another group of concerned citizens, The Cemetery Union of St. Charles, formed and decided a new cemetery was in order. They took option on 12 acres directly across 5th Avenue from North Cemetery. They collected about $5000 to gain clear title of the property and deemed a percentage of proceeds from the sale of new lots would provide care and maintenance.
Still another group of concerned citizens in 1917, formed the North Cemetery Association and purchased North Cemetery from Irwin's heirs. They paid $1000 and collected another $1400 for care and maintenance.
Union Cemetery
By 1932, the Cemetery Union had paid almost all its start-up debts. It hoped someday the two cemeteries would be able to form a "union", hence the name Union Cemetery. This, they believed, would best provide a properly managed the resting places of the community's own.
For as many a St. Charles native rested beneath the manicure lawns of North and Union Cemeteries so too the product of a local company decorate those lawns.
St. Charles Memorial Works began in 1923. It was first located on the northeast corner ofN. 5th and E. State Avenues. It was owned and operated by Swanson Brothers. Algert Swanson was the business manager,. Edwin Swanson was the stonecutter. The business listed itself as maker of markers and mausoleums; later it listed itself as maker of granite and bronze makers. Today it lists itself as all of these at two locations; one in St. Charles, the other in Elgin, IL.
By 1937, Algert operated the business alone. He was later joined by his daughter, Carol. When Algert died in 1953, Carol continued the business a few years before her mother, Ruth, gave it to family member, Einar Bergsten, and employee, Ellis Carlson. Today Carol- now, Carol Glemza -works as an administrator at Baker Community Center.
Ellis Carlson was a stonecutter. Eventually his son, Terry, joined the business. By the 1980s Terry was the company's president, a position he still holds.
In 1972, St. Charles Memorial Works relocated to W. Main Street. Its original location was razed and the house that occupied the property was moved to Chestnut and Fourth Avenues when North 5th Avenue was widened and the new viaduct was built over the Chicago Great Western railroad tracks.
North Cemetery, Union Cemetery, and St. Charles Memorial Works are among St. Charles' own. They stand as testament and tribute to those who built St. Charles and now rest in its hallowed grounds.
Don’t forget to join us on October 6, from 11am-4pm as the St. Charles History Museum and the St. Charles Park District will host Grave Reminders , its Annual Cemetery Walk. The event is scheduled . at North Cemetery located on N 5°' Avenue (Route 25) in St. Charles.
Summer Fun: Miss Pikes Progressive Camp
With the summer season here, many parents have had to make the decision of what to do with their children. In the past, many parents looked to Miss Pike’s Progressive Camp in the Fox River Valley to keep their children active and entertained during the summer months.
Miss Pike’s Progressive Camp began in the 1930s and was located at Pinelands on Route 25, north of where Little Woods School is today. The camp was directed by Dorcas and Stella Marie Pike, both graduates of the Pestalozzi-Froebel Teachers College on Chicago. Charles Pike, the brother of Docas and Stella also worked at the camp, serving as athletic supervisor for the boys’ sports and golf lessons. In addition, the camp had many counselors to offer guidance and give special attention to the needs of the campers.
Enrollment in Miss Pike’s Progressive Summer Camp typically lasted eight weeks and was available to boys and girls ages three to fifteen. The camp focused on developing the physical and social health of each individual child with activities such as horseback riding, tennis, golf, twice daily swimming lessons, hayrack parties, picnics, nature excursions, and after dinner movies. Private tutoring was also available to students for an additional charge. To ensure the healthy development of campers, the Pikes kept daily records of camper’s weight and hired a University of Chicago clinic specialist to supervise their diets.
The Pikes also worked to strike a balance between relaxation and outdoor actives within their camp. They placed all the campers on a regular sleeping schedule which included naps for the younger campers. Finally, the Pikes ensured that the children were surrounded with experienced councilors who provided supervision and friendship for the campers.
The regular summer season for Miss Pike’s Progressive Camp ran from June 20 to August 16 and cost $240 per camper, but a $40 discount was offered if a camper was registered by the first of May. However, when the summer camp ended in may many parents wished that their children could remain at Pinelands and continue their educations.
In 1932, aware of the demand Stella Pike and her husband bought a large house at the southeast corner of Main and Seventh Streets in St. Charles and opened the Miss Pikes’ Progressive School. The combined boarding and day school offered instruction for boys and girls in the elementary grades but soon began to offer high school level courses. Overall, the Pike’s strove to incorporate an academic curriculum with a hoke-like familiar atmosphere so children would become polite, well-rounded individuals.
Each year the school would open the second week of September and closed around the first of June. Tuition was approximately $950 and included everything but piano and voice lessons. As more students entered the school, the Pikes felt the need for more space and decide to build an addition to their house in the late 1940s. The school continued at this location up until the late 1960s when Stella and her husband retired. At the time of the closure, the school was nationally renowned and had housed children from across the country.
St. Charles Scoop: The Great Spider-Snake Fight
The Great Spider story began Aug. 21, 1932 when a St. Charles city employee was checking the pumphouse of Fourth Street and walked into a fascinating and awesome sight. A spider holding a snake captive in its web. For the next three weeks no legendary spider of snake ever enjoyed such a burst of notoriety as these two creatures in the St. Charles pumphouse.
Snake and Spider War, Photograph contributed by Mayor Langum. Sept. 1932
It was surmised that the snake, a seven inch garter, had made a pass at the spider and missed. The snake's had was annoyingly tangled in the web. When the snake tired, the spider, sensing weakness, began to relentlessly spin more web.
Besides being a closeup of a natural struggle for survival, which attracts human attention, this situation presented elements that aroused human emotions. Some people were shocked. Some felt the pity for the snake which was clearly losing the fight. Gambling instincts were provoked. The wire service spread the story and pictures of the epic battle throughout the nation.
Adding to the interest was the fact that the two creatures who normally are among the most repulsive to man, were not able to capture human interest and sympathy for their respective positions. People all over the country took sides. Some wanted the snake to win. Many thought the clever little spider deserved the victory. Phone calls and letters came to city hall from all of the U.S. and Mayor Langum found himself in the middle of a great controversy and refused to take sides.
Days passed into weeks and still, the struggle between the spider and the snake made the news. The spider by now had cunningly spun reinforcing threads in several directions and the snake couldn't battle to free itself. On September 14, about three weeks of international commotion, Mayor Langum decided he'd had enough.
He entered the pump house alone and cut down the snake. It was exhibited for a few days in a store window to prove that it was alive. A number of days later the same was released in an area of Pottawatomie Park where it was occasionally seen running away from ground spiders.
Click to read the full article, St. Charles Chronicle, September 11, 1932.
