DuPage Historical Museum exhibit tells story of Girl Scouts' first 100 years
When the curators at the DuPage County Historical Museum chose to present an exhibit on the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting, they had no idea what a terrific response it would receive.
“We've had over 250 girls come through already. Kindergartners, high school teens,” said Sara Buttita, museum educator. “We've had whole families — grandmas, moms and daughters all come together to visit the exhibit. It's been amazing to watch this story unfold.”
History is about storytelling and the Girl Scouts have a story to tell.
“Our museum being selected to host this exhibit is such a feather in our cap. The history of the Girl Scouts is really tied to our area,” Buttita said.
Juliette Gordon Lowe, founder of Girl Scouting, was part of the Kinzie family. The Chicago Kinzies were present at the Fort Dearborn massacre.
“Do you know the old statue in Chicago, the one that tells the story of the massacre with the woman and the crying baby? They are both Juliette's relatives,” she said.
Like any devoted historian, Buttita delights in these connections. But many of the Girl Scouting connections detailed by the exhibit are even closer to home.
For years, Cindy Bass was a local leader with two daughters in Girl Scouts — as well as four sisters, five nieces and a mother who participated over the years. (One of the sisters begins her email address with “Ibleedgreen.”) When the sister who lives out of state came for a visit, a stop at the DuPage County Historical Museum was a must.
Together with her sisters, nieces and daughters, Cindy Bass' family made a crowd of 11, ranging in age from almost 6 to more than 60.
“My sister only had two days with us, but we spent half a day at the museum going through the exhibit. And first of all, it made me feel old,” she laughed. “My girls kept coming up and asking, ‘What is that?'
“But it also made me remember. It was almost overwhelming, being there with my sisters and my nieces and my girls. It's the feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself. Seeing the exhibit made me realize how important Girl Scouting was to me and to my family,” she said.
Highlights of the exhibit include:
Ÿ Uniforms and badges dating back to the very beginning of the Girl Scouts;
Ÿ A charter for one of the first DuPage County Girl Scout troops signed by Juliette Lowe; and
Ÿ A 1919 black-and-white silent movie promoting the Girl Scouts.
One of the largest contributors to this exhibit came to the attention of the museum through another devoted Girl Scout, Carolyn Finzer. Finzer, a fourth-generation Naperville resident, led her daughters' troops and still works as a program facilitator. She often wears her long silver hair in two smooth braids.
“The Native Americans believe white hair marks a wisdom keeper, a memory holder. That's me,” she said.
It was Finzer who brought 92-year-old Mabel Hammersmith to the attention of the museum.
“Mabel was not a boastful woman,” Finzer said. “Even people who knew her didn't know all she'd done for Scouting. I became her voice.”
Buttita conducted an oral history with Hammersmith in preparation for the exhibit.
“She's from an old DuPage family and was involved in so many ways with the growth of Girl Scouts. She had a sense of adventure that lasted her whole life,” Buttita said.
One entire case of the exhibit is devoted to Hammersmith's accomplishments. She designed more than 100 badges, helped modernize programming, and taught classes at international Girl Scout camps in Switzerland and Mexico. Hammersmith died on Dec. 6, shortly after the exhibit opened.
“Mabel was a local link to our immediate past. Her stories are lessons to us all about fortitude and courage,” Buttita said.
Preserving Hammersmith's stories and all the stories on exhibit is critical to the museum's mission.
Cindy Bass agrees.
“The older I get, the more I realize, you have to know what came before. You look back and see how much courage it took to get where we are today. Maybe that's what gives us the courage to move forward,” she said.
The exhibit, “Girl Scouts Our Promise: Then, Now and Forever,” continues through April 30 at the museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton.
To learn more about the exhibit or arrange for a troop tour, visit dupagemuseum.com or (630) 510-4941.
If you go
What: “Girl Scouts Our Promise: Then, Now and Forever”
When: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, through April 30
Where: DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton
Cost: Suggested donation of $4 adults, $2 children and students
Info: (630) 510-4941 or <a href="http://www.dupagemuseum.org">dupagemuseum.org</a>