Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society announces 2018 Summer Exhibit and Open House Season
The Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society invites the public to discover the history of Libertyville through the 1889 Union Church Signature Quilt.
The society's fifth annual summer photographic exhibit, "Stitches in Time," explores the signatures embroidered on a quilt made nearly 130 years ago for the Union Church through historic images of 19th century Libertyville. The quilt represents a window to the past, with each square a pane providing a story of a Libertyville family, business or event.
"The exhibit is the culmination of months of volunteer work," historical society President Jenny Barry said. "Starting last fall, every square of the quilt was photographed, deciphered and recorded. The names were all reviewed and several were selected for more research. The exhibit features just a portion of the Libertyville residents represented on the quilt and their contributions to the growth and development of Libertyville in the late 1800s."
Highlights of the exhibit include the quilt's link to the coming of the railroad to Libertyville in 1880, the Fire of 1895, early Libertyville families such as the Butlers, and business leaders such as Parkhurst & Dymond.
This year's summer exhibit will start at the David Adler Music and Arts Center. An opening reception with light refreshments and wine will launch the exhibit from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, June 3, at 1700 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Libertyville. Following the opening, exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. June 4-7 and 4-8:30 p.m. June 11-14.
The exhibit will reopen in the narthex of St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, 125 W. Church St., at select times during MainStreet Libertyville events this summer: June 20-22, July 18-20, and Aug. 15-17. Of those dates, it will be open from 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays to correspond with Car Fun on 21; from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays to correspond with the farmers market; and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays to correspond with Out to Lunch.
The original 1889 quilt is on display at the Ansel B. Cook Home, which kicks off the summer open house season on June 3. The 1878 home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is open from 2-4 p.m. Sundays starting in June. For other open house dates, see the Historical Society's website, at www.lmhistory.org.
Venues and resources were provided by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society's community partners, the David Adler Music & Arts Center, St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, MainStreet Libertyville and Dan Timm of Baird & Warner.
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."