Town historian tells the story of Palatine

Marilyn Pedersen, a key member of the Palatine Historical Society for more than 40 years, says she isn't interesting enough to be written about.

But the more you talk to Pedersen and the more stories from Palatine's long history she tells - like of the 113 Palatine men who fought for the Union in the Civil War, or the fascinating life of George H. Clayson, the original owner of the home that houses the village museum, or about the scandalous double murder in the 1930s at what is now Lamplighters - the more wrong her claim becomes.

"She's a local treasure, that's the highest compliment I can give as far as what she has meant to Palatine," Mayor Jim Schwantz said. "There is always something going on about embracing and celebrating Palatine's history, and Marilyn is the epicenter of that. She's the guru we all go to for the history of Palatine."

"Marilyn is synonymous with the historical society," adds Joe Petykowski, the society's president. "She has had this reputation of being the person to go to for so long and people respect her opinion."

During her time with the historical society, Pedersen has played a key role in the restoration of The Clayson House, led countless history tours for area schoolchildren and helped hundreds of Palatine residents learn their family history.

This year she played an important part in Palatine's yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary.

While Pedersen, 80, tries to deflect some of the spotlight on to Petykowski, he says he might not have started with the society at all if it weren't for Pedersen.

Petykowski was 12 when he and his older brother were hanging around Community Park and saw Pedersen and other volunteers working on the Clayson House. When he and his brother went to get a closer look, Pedersen asked them to help out.

Not long after, while workers ripped out floorboards in the aging home, they came across old newspapers which Pedersen said were probably being used to level the floor.

"That right there got me hooked on history," Petykowski said. "I remember Marilyn telling us to be careful with the newspapers because they were going to put them in a book and preserve them."

"You never know the affect you will have on somebody," Pedersen said.

That Petykowski found Pedersen at the Clayson House is no surprise. She was among the most dedicated of the volunteers who restored the house from the time it was purchased by the Palatine Park District and Palatine Public Library District in 1976 until it opened up to the public on Oct. 7, 1979.

Looking around the ornate sitting room last week, Pedersen recalled the state it was in when she first encountered it. The house had been converted to apartments and was dilapidated throughout.

"Someone had turned on the water on the second floor and left so the wood was all warped," she said, gesturing to the now-restored wooden floors, paneling and furniture.

Pedersen moved from Chicago to Palatine with her husband and their six children in 1964. While they came to Palatine to get more space for a growing family, Pedersen says she's stayed the rest of her life because she fell in love with the village.

"It has a small-town feeling," Pedersen said. "Everybody knows everybody."

And perhaps know one knows more about it than Pedersen.