'His & Herstory' photo exhibit gives perspective on love and war
"His & Herstory: A Historical Photographic Exhibit" will present stories of two types of unions from the perspective of Libertyville local history.
Compiling a wealth of vintage photographs and descriptive captions, "His & Herstory" tells Libertyville stories of the Civil War, the building of businesses, the development of a community and the formation of families.
Photographs and information uniting the stories of love and war will be on display in the narthex of St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, 125 W. Church St., Libertyville, at select times this summer: 6-9 p.m. during Car Fun on 21 (Wednesdays); 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the farmers market (Thursdays); and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during Out to Lunch (Fridays) June 24-26, July 15-17 and Aug. 19-21.
The "his" portion of the exhibit introduces Lt. Frederick Grabbe, a member of the 51st Regiment Illinois Volunteers in the Civil War. Enlisting at age 19, Grabbe served for four years, even after being wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga.
After fighting for the Union, Grabbe settled in Libertyville and pursued an entrepreneurial path that included the development of a beehive barge that floated down the Mississippi and the founding of the Abana Spring mineral water company.
The "her" side of the exhibit features a different sort of union: matrimony.
Wedding dresses are the starting points for stories about a woman who snagged a confirmed bachelor, a wedding that brought together one of the town's banking families and a prominent merchant family, and more. The wider history of the community spins out from family stories represented by the wedding dresses.
The exhibit has been curated by Jenny Barry, newly elected president of the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society. Expanding on a presentation to the Lake County History Symposium on Lt. Grabbe, Barry added the wedding dresses element to bring attention to the often unheralded heroes of history.
"Much of what we know about the development of Libertyville focuses on the men who lived here," Barry noted. "The wedding dresses in the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society collection are a tangible reminder that Libertyville women played their parts as well."
"His & Herstory" is the third annual Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society photographic exhibit, sponsored by St. Lawrence Church. Founded in 1955, the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society exists to "discover, study, discuss, collect, and preserve information and materials relative to the history of the community."
For details, contact Jenny Barry at (847) 362-2330 or info@lmhistory.org.