What do The Who and Mary Todd Lincoln have in common?
How about a little mystery with your history?
"You can learn about the school, the teacher in charge of it and the grave robbing incident that closed it," Natalie Gacek said with a chuckle as the St. Charles Heritage Center educator pitched what promises to be an intriguing walk down the city's history-lined downtown streets.
Grave robbing in St. Charles? A city which boasts plenty of history was not only home to the first medical college in the state but, apparently, also the location of at least one body snatching.
Join the St. Charles History Crawl between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday and you can get the scoop on that mysterious event and other historic nuggets. (Did you know the city has hosted the likes of Mary Todd Lincoln and The Who?) The self-paced tours begin at the Heritage Center (which houses the St. Charles History Museum) at 215 E. Main St.
From there you can follow any order you choose, with plenty of spots to eat or shop along the way. Heritage Center guides will be at various locations around town to tell you the story of St. Charles and its well-known residents, famous visitors and quirks.
"Start at the history museum where you will get tickets, a map of the route and brief overview," Gacek said. "Then go from spot to spot at your own pace. Each stop will have its own guide to give a history of the building and the people."
You can see where Mary Todd Lincoln stayed and where The Who played. Former Mayor Fred Norris is expected to host the fun at the municipal center - former site of that infamous medical school - despite just having a pacemaker installed.
"That's not stopping him," Gacek said of a man known for his love and knowledge of the city. "I'm sure he'll throw in some of his remembrances."
Tickets are $10 for Heritage Center members, $15 per nonmember. There is no charge for children accompanied by an adult. For more info, go to stcmuseum.org or call (630) 584-6967. The History Crawl will take between one and two hours to do all the stops and you can do them in any order.
Besides a love for the quirky and historic, Gacek suggests a pair of good walking shoes.
After all, who knows whose footsteps you'll be following?