Celebrating Batavia's 175th anniversary

John F. Kennedy, then a senator from Massachusetts, made an unscheduled stop in Batavia on Oct. 25, 1960 while campaigning in Kane County for the presidency.

At the time, Ruth Johnsen, now an 84-year-old resident of Batavia for more than 50 years, was a young mother who heard him speak.

"I was surprised that his hair was so red," Johnsen recalled. "We didn't have color photos in those days. And I was surprised at his eastern accent."

Johnsen was visiting "A Peek into the Past Exhibition" Saturday at the Batavia government center, 100 N. Island Ave. Two photos of Kennedy, one with the steeple of the United Methodist Church clearly visible, prompted her to recall Kennedy's historic stop, and Batavia's history in general.

"The whole town was excited to see Kennedy," she said. "And isn't this a wonderful exhibit? This town has tremendous respect for its history."

The exhibit is part of Batavia's 175th anniversary celebration. In addition to historical photos and information on other memorable visitors such as Mark Twain, Capt. Dwight Eisenhower and Charles Lindbergh, the exhibit includes displays on the history of the police and fire departments, the Batavia schools, library, garden clubs, civic organizations and manufacturing.

There are products from C.W. Shumway Foundry, which operated in Batavia from 1872 until 2002, and milk bottles and advertising signs from Dari Maid Batavia Dairy Company.

Jeffery Schiele, who has been mayor of Batavia for 28 years, pointed out a photo taken in 1915 of the eighth-grade class of Central School.

"Marion Moon was in the class and so was Beth Cigrand," Schielke said. "Moon became the mother of astronaut Edwin Aldrin, who landed on the moon. And Cigrand was the daughter of Bernard Cigrand who was the father of flag day. "

Schielke says the story of the connection between the two young girls will be commemorated in a permanent display for the lobby of the government center.

Also part of the exhibition is an outdoor display of about 30 hit and miss engines made by windmill companies that were in business in Batavia. The engines powered farm machinery.

Much of the exposition was brought together by Bob Popek, who recently retired from the city of Batavia after a 48-year career that included stints on the police and fire department and in city administration. He brought many artifacts from his personal collection.

"Remembrance is the word," he said. "For many people, it brings back their childhood. For young people, this is where they can see a lot of Batavia's history."

The exhibit is open from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday.