A bit of Elgin's history comes to life in new exhibit
Submitted by Elgin Area Historical Society
The Elgin Area Historical Society will open a new exhibit, “Elgin 20th Century City 1910-1970,” from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 18, at the Elgin History Museum, 360 Park St., Elgin. Leslie Goddard will portray Frances Willard, the famed temperance and women's rights activist, at 1 p.m.
One of the most famous Americans in the 1880s and 1890s, Frances Willard of Evanston rose to worldwide prominence in her tireless work to end the sale and consumption of alcohol. She was president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union from 1879 to 1898. Willard emerges as far more than just a crusader against alcohol, but as a reformer for a wide range of other causes — including votes for women, dress reform, the end of prostitution and rape, and even sports for women. Meet the woman whose humor, savvy and intelligence made her “the best loved woman in America.”
Starting at 12:30 p.m., pianist David Nelson will be playing music from the temperance period, about 1890 until the end of prohibition in 1933. He will be playing on a new Roland electronic piano. After Goddard's performance, the audience will be led in a temperance singalong.
Admission is free. For details, call (847) 742-4248 or email elginhistory@foxvalley.net. Visit elginhistory.org.