Naperville Heritage Society celebrates 50th anniversary

In honor of the Naperville Heritage Society's 50th anniversary, Naper Settlement on Sunday celebrated 158 couples who were married over the years in Century Memorial Chapel.

The celebration commemorated the building that started it all. In 1969, a group of volunteers banded together to rescue a local gem, St. John's Episcopal Church, from demolition. Through grass-roots fundraising, the group, now known as the Naperville Heritage Society, saved and relocated the building to the grounds at 523 S. Webster St.

More buildings followed suit, creating the Naper Settlement museum.

The church became Century Memorial Chapel, and thousands of couples have been wed there in the past 50 years.

The couples, joined by their families, participated in a group vow renewal. The ceremony was led by longtime museum partner Rent-A-Rev Jim Rehnberg, who originally married many of the couples in attendance. Their love stories and wedding photos will become permanent artifacts in the museum's more than 80,000-piece collection.

The longest married couple attending the festivities, Peter and Nancy Yonker - married in 1972 - are the son and daughter-in-law of Peg Yonker, a founding member of the Naperville Heritage Society.