‘HERstory’ crawl showcases important women in Palatine history

Sue Gould’s great-grandmother, Alma Arps, died about 11 years before Sue was born.

But Gould was able to “meet” Arps Sunday at one of the stops along the Palatine Historical Society’s Downtown Palatine HERstory Crawl.

The crawl featured stops at six downtown locations, where participants interacted with volunteer historical reenactors portraying women who helped shape the community.

Gould had fun introducing herself to Kelly McNerney, who took on the role of Arps, the first woman to vote in Palatine.

“I’m honored that she is being honored,” Gould said. “It’s really nice.”

Margaret McMahon, who played author Belle C. Greene, highlighted rare editions of Greene’s works, including “Adventures of an Old Maid.”

Lisa Hoppe portrayed Alice Zinn at a stop across the street from American Legion Post 690. As treasurer of the legion’s auxiliary, Zinn played a key role in buying the land where the post hall was built.

Other women honored included Geraldine Cosby, who in 1955 became the first woman elected to the village council; Harriet Nichols, Cook County’s first forest preserve warden; and Emeline Kuebler Godknecht, the first chief financial secretary of Palatine Rebekah Lodge 116.

Marlee Buenrrostro, first vice president of the historical society, said the goal was to highlight the importance of such women as Arps, who fought for women’s right to vote.

Among the crawlers was Kelly Carney, a teacher at Willow Bend Elementary School in Rolling Meadows.

“I have always been interested in Palatine’s history,” she said.