Silent movies at historic 1896 one-room schoolhouse

When was the last time you attended a silent movie? Yes, a movie with no sound!

Join the Mount Prospect Historical Society at the museum campus, 101-103 S. Maple St., Wednesday, Aug. 10 (rain date Aug. 11) and enjoy old-fashioned silent movies. The museum grounds open at 7:30 p.m. and the movies start at 8 p.m.

Silent film had no spoken dialogue. Actors used muted gestures and emphasized their body language and facial expressions so the audience could understand the feeling the actor was portraying on the screen. It was common for a pianist to play background music.

Bring your chair or blanket and sit beneath the summer night skies as the Mount Prospect Historical Society takes you back to the early days of cinema. The Historical Society will be showing films featuring Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

Movie goers will have an opportunity to purchase refreshments and ice cream, and you may even get the opportunity to take a peek inside the 1896 Central Schoolhouse to see how far restoration has come.

All proceeds support the many educational projects of the society and help to pay for upkeep on the more than 100-year-old museum and 1896 one-room Central Schoolhouse.

For more information about contributing to the Central School project, call (847) 392-9006 or visit www.yourcentralschool.org.

The Mount Prospect Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is committed to preserving the history of Mount Prospect, Illinois, through artifacts, photographs and both oral and written memories of current and former residents and businesspeople.

On its campus, the society maintains the 1906 Dietrich Friedrichs house museum and carriage house and an ADA-accessible education center. The society is also in the midst of an adaptive restoration of the 1896 one-room Central School, which was moved to the museum campus in 2008.