Our election committee met today to certify the votes, and the Historical Society is excited to announce that LINCOLN will serve as our official Dog Mayor! Congratulations to the new mayor and his family. We are looking forward to having some further fun with this in the year ahead.

 

 

We are also pleased to announce our Honorary Dog Mayor Cabinet Positions:

Deputy Dog Mayor:  Holly

Minister of Covered Bridge Defense:  Yogi

No Local Tax Commissioner:  Oliver

Party Animal Control Officer (PACO):  Bella

Bureau Chief of Squirrel Affairs:  Nala

Czar of Open Spaces:  Tucker

Roadkill Superintendent:  Lucky

Guardian of Historical Preservation:  Charlee

Secretary of Border Control:  Yani

Director of Canine Intelligence Agency (CIA):  Costanza

Congratulations to everyone!! Deputy Dog Mayor Holly will assume the role of Dog Mayor if we have an unexpected vacancy. All other cabinet positions are honorary, bragging-rights only for the next year.

We hope to see all of our candidates at the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow, even those without titles. There will be winning prizes awarded and dog treats for all. If you can join us, please be at the main stage in front of the covered bridge by 3:15. The “indoguration” will start at 3:30 and should only take 20 minutes. We would love to thank you all in person for your generous participation in our first-time fundraiser. Because of you, your adorable dogs, and your enthusiasm, and the hundreds of people that voted, the Historical Society was able to raise $7,412.00 for our community. We are all winners here!!

For full results and some background on the 2021 Long Grove Dog Mayor election, see this page.

Tony’s legacy lives large in Long Grove. Born in 1918 in Des Moines, Iowa and weighing in at a whopping 13 pounds, Tony would eventually reach an adult height of 6 feet 5 inches. He was the first employee of the Village of Long Grove, and togther with his wife Gwen, seemingly took on leadership roles in most every civic and community group in the Village (Church, School, Historical Society, Fire Department, Library, etc.). He recently passed away at age 102, and kindly left part of his estate to the Long Grove Historical Society.   In 1994, he penned an autobiography – here are a few stories of his life, paraphrased from that work…

 

“Dutch” – I had trouble with Algebra in the ninth grade, and eventually worked with a tutor, a Mrs. Stevens, who lived on Bell Avenue, a block from the school. The man who lived across the street from Mrs. Stevens was a radio announcer who broadcast the Cubs games by teletype. Sometimes I would see him working in his yard and would occasionally say hello to him. His name was “Dutch” Reagan and would eventually go into national politics.

“Depression Impact” – After completing the first semester of my senior year in January of 1936, the school board announced that because of the depression, extreme cold, and lack of funds to buy coal, the school would be closed for six weeks. To help pass the time, I worked for my father’s construction business. After experiencing the difference of work life vs. school life, I decided not to return to school.

“Tug of War” – I volunteered to serve in World War II in April of 1941, when a good friend was drafted, as we thought we’d serve together. On the second or third day of processing, I was separated from the group and assigned KP duty for a couple of days. Turns out there were some upcoming athletic games vs. the navy, and my assignment delayed so I could be in the tug of war (at 6’5″, no doubt Tony kinda stood out). So much for staying together with my friend. On my first day of KP, the mess sergeant pointed to me and said “Open up some of these windows. It’s too damn hot in here.” It was a new mess hall and the windows were painted shut. In banging on them trying to loosen them up I broke a window. With a great deal of apprehension I went in to the kitchen and told the sergeant I had broken a window. His response was “When I tell you to open the damn window I don’t care how you open it just get the damn thing open” and walked off.

“Patton” – One day while we were in Trabia, we were informed General Patton was going to inspect us. He gave a rousing speech, gave out a few medals and then inspected the ranks. He stopped in front of me, looked me up and down, asked my name, how tall I was, and my home town, then moved on. His parting words to the battalion were “just keep on killing those sons-of-bitches”.

“Bombed” – A few days after coming ashore during D-Day, we stopped in a wooded area and had just finished digging foxholes when three ME-109’s strafed us. I didn’t make it to my foxhole so lay as flat as possible. I turned my head enough to see them coming right over me at tree top level, their twenty millimeter guns hitting about every twenty feet and exploding. The last one dropped what I thought was a five hundred pound bomb and it was going to land awfully close. I put my face in the dirt and my arms along side of my head and there was a kind of “bong” noise. I looked over that way and there lay an auxiliary gas tank. It had bounced on top of two of my buddies who, luckily, only sustained cuts and bruises. They were the only casualties and later both were given Purple Hearts. I’m sure they were the only soldiers in World War II who were hit bya falling gas tank.

“Black Leather” – South of Munster, Germany, I saw many dead SS troops, dressed in black leather lying in a field. In a small town, the infantry went house to house checking the occupants. Suddenly sniper fire from one house erupted and two infantry men were hit. They stormed the house and came out with two Germans in civilian clothes. They made them take off their shirts. Sure enough, both had SS tattoo serial numbers. They were lined up and shot.

“Road Kill” – As we rolled through the small towns only very young and very old people were visible. The first thing we would do in a town was have the civilians bring their guns, cameras, and binoculars outside. The soldiers picked what they wanted. The rest was dumped in the streets and run over with tanks. One old man came to me one day carrying a shotgun wrapped in newspaper. It was absolutely gorgeous, a beautiful stock with ducks and pheasants carved on it. The barrel was etched with scrollwork. He did not want it destroyed. He would give it to me. I told him to take it home and hide it.

“Long Gove” – In the mid-1950’s Gwen and I decided to seek our fortunes elsewhere and I started working construction in Arlington Heights, Illinois. It was a subdivision called Windsor Heights where Kimball Hill was building a house. Kimball Hill’s masonry superintendent was an elderly little Irishman named Denny Walsh. He spoke extremely fast and with his Irish brogue was difficult to understand. They worked differently than what I was accustomed to and union rules were strictly obeyed.  Houses cost twice as much in Chicago compared to Des Moines, so we decided to rent. I saw an ad for a one bedroom summer cottage on a twenty acre estate in Long Grove with tennis court and swimming pool privileges, owned by Leslie and Katharine Schauffler. It was a beautiful country setting but nothing fancy. After some discussion, Mrs. Schauffler said she had only one more question – what was my opinion on the Army-McCarthy Hearings then heavily the topic on radio and television. I told her I was very much opposed to the tactics of Senator McCarthy. She told me that was the answer she hoped I would give. I was then told a nephew of Aldai Stevenson was also interested in renting the cottage and they would make a decision and call me the next evening. Lo and behold they called and said we could move in June 1.

“Church and School” – In September after our move, our son Steve started first grade at Kildeer Countryside School. His teacher was Mrs. Gosswiller. We soon discovered that Long Grove centered around the school and the church, so on Sunday we got all dressed up and went to church. We were greeted very warmly and afterward Hal and Rosie Wilder invited us to their home for coffee. We attended church regularly and quickly made many friends.

“Making the List” – One day I was asked to contact Mr. Frank Ferry, a member of our church. I went to his home on Oakwood Road. He informed me that he had been given some land on Route 83 as a wedding present, and he had subdivided it into four lots. He had made up a list of four families he would like to see live permanently in Long Grove and Gwen and I were on the list. We bought a three acre lot from him. The other families who were on the list were Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hurley, Mr. and Mrs. Robert McNitt, and Mr. and Mrs. David McCartney.

 

Annual Meeting and Report
May 19, 2021

This past year has been historic not only for Long Grove, but across the globe as the world has adjusted and endured throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Our Historical Society has persevered, holding meetings and events outdoors during the summer months. Virtual Zoom meetings were held over the winter months as virus cases spiked. Today, we are grateful to be once again meeting face to face as most of our board members have now been vaccinated. Despite the challenges, we have enjoyed a successful, if somewhat unusual and more low-key year.

Installation of new officers was held virtually on May 1, 2020 over Zoom. Later in June the Book Discussion group met in person, socially distanced, at a local park. Under the direction of Tina Mall, they selected the titles to be read for the coming year. The group continued to meet outside at Heron Creek Forest Preserve until winter set in and Zoom gatherings took over. The pandemic has had little effect on our intrepid book enthusiasts!

Spring and summer once again saw maintenance work on the herb garden near Village Hall, and to our flower beds at our Farmhouse property. Many thanks go to Tina and Diane Trickey for keeping these areas tidy and pleasant. Maintenance director Chris Campbell spent the early summer doing some “spruce-up” work at Archer School and Ruth Barn. Boards and latches were replaced on the barn, and the front of the schoolhouse was scraped and painted. Chris bought a replacement wooden door, which he primed and painted in addition to the trim. Later in the summer, the sump pump was replaced at the schoolhouse.  A big thank you goes to Chris and all that he does to keep our buildings repaired and looking good.

Our farmhouse outdoor patio was used in both June and July for outdoor board meetings in the fresh air. Several committees also met on the patio as well this year. It gave us a chance to really enjoy and admire Tina & Diane’s flowers! Under the direction of Jane Primack, we held our annual Penny Carnival on August 2^nd. Everyone wore masks, hand sanitizer was available at each station, games were spread out and distanced on the lawn, in keeping with the rules for Covid-19 safety. We had a smaller crowd than usual but those who attended were grateful that we were doing this for the kids, as they had so little organized activities this summer. The Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association  also appreciated our efforts supporting the Vintage Days weekend.

On July 15^th, our Historical Society presented a check to Village President Bill Jacob from the Covered Bridge Fund, in the amount of $53,496.98. Many members of our Society gathered in a tent behind Buffalo Creek Brewery for the check presentation, and we received some great publicity in the local media. This was the culmination of three years of fundraising and was a true community effort. We gathered again on August 14^th for a champagne toast as the fully renovated and restored covered bridge was opened once again to fanfare. Unfortunately, the very next day the bridge was hit by an oversized school bus and has sustained 13 hits since then. The bridge was rebuilt with steel reinforcements under the wooden covering, so it is withstanding all the abuse from the idiot drivers. Aaron and Angie Underwood organized a group of concerned citizens, merchants, and neighbors dubbed the “Bridge Protection League.” The group brainstormed a series of possible solutions that were given to the Long Grove Village Board, in hopes that implementing some of the ideas would help lessen the bridge strikes. Several changes have been put into place, with the greatest chance of success being those that cause the GPS navigation systems to stop routing vehicles over the bridge if not local traffic.

In September and October, a committee of Tina, Jane and Angie met weekly at the farmhouse to lend a hand to curator Meghan Potempa (who was otherwise occupied with newborn Ozzie and big sister Olive!) Several boxes of photos and other documents had been recently donated by local families and needed to be organized and sorted. Additionally, Angie and Jane met several times to identify revisions to the By-Laws, which were voted on and accepted in November.

October was the kick-off of our 2020-2021 Membership drive headed up by Membership director Pam Brown. With assistance from committee members Diane, Marie Roth and Aaron, our board raised nearly $8,000. in membership donations this year. We feel this was a particular success considering all the challenges the pandemic has brought to not only our organization but to our community members as well.

Due to the circumstances and health guidelines, it was not possible to hold our annual Ghost Walk event this year. Instead, we teamed up with the HDLGBA organization and crafted several “scary scenes” that we manned in costume during the Trick-or-Treat hours. Doug Primack put his electrical skills to ghastly-good use making coffins open and corpses come alive. Amy Gayton organized the creepy crew consisting of: Moanna Mower, John Kopecky, Jane, Marie, Angie & Aaron, and even the Ghost of Cuba Road, who made an appearance. Or should I say “apparition?”

The winter months of 2021 were quiet for our Society as we all stayed indoors during the second wave of the pandemic. Zoom meetings were held in November, January and March, to keep the momentum going. New officers were elected and new ideas were hatched, such as our upcoming Dog Mayor fundraiser, which is already in the works with a committee headed up by Diane. Chris has been busy getting the farmhouse ready for a recent fire inspection, and Aaron has been keeping up authoring his series of history articles for Long Grove Living.

It has been a year like no other, and one that I will never forget. Thank you for the pleasure and honor of serving as your President these last four years. All of our Historical Society accomplishments have truly been a team effort, and I know we can look forward to many more in the coming year with our new President Jane Primack at the helm.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Angie Underwood
Long Grove Historical Society President
2017 through 2021

 

I have been involved with efforts to restore the covered bridge for over 9 years now, and it’s been an unbelievable journey with many highs and lows. To finally see the bridge restored and reopened today brings pride and joy for me and for everyone in the Historical Society. In addition to the covered bridge’s historical significance, it has great charm and sentimental value for our Long Grove community and those the world over who have expressed their love for our efforts to see the bridge restored. Preserving a piece of history is never easy, but everyone who signed a petition, made a financial donation, advocated at a village board meeting, or otherwise cared about the bridge should be elated!

– Angie Underwood, President, Long Grove Historical Society

As Long Grove’s Historic Bridge nears completion, we presented the Village with a large check capping our “Save the Bridge” fundraising efforts. Please find below, our press release and the articles that appeared in the Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune:

 

 

LGHS PRESS RELEASE
July 13, 2020
Community Raises $53,496.98 to Help Restore Long Grove Covered Bridge

LONG GROVE – July 13, 2020 – With restoration of Long Grove’s Iconic Covered Bridge nearing
completion, the Long Grove Historical Society will present a check to the Village of Long Grove on
Wednesday, July 15th. The check represents the proceeds of efforts by Long Grove area residents and
businesses to see the National Historic Register Bridge restored. The Historical Society
established the Covered Bridge Fund with a gift of $1000 in March of 2017, as a response to
community desires to advocate for restoration.

The Historical Society, together with the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association, had
advocated for preserving the 1906 structure and was successful in getting it listed on the National
Register of Historic Places in June 2018. While restoration discussions were underway, only days
after being placed on the National Register, the bridge was severely damaged by a large truck.
Concerned with losing something so integral to the town’s historic charm, local residents rallied
to raise awareness and money. Grass roots efforts from local businesses and individual residents
included cash contributions, lemonade stands, art and craft sales, donation jars, and online
donation drives. A Long Grove artist donated an original water color of the bridge for a raffle.
Downtown merchants donated proceeds from one of their festivals towards the effort. A local trust
donated a portion of their annual endowment to the fund.

Long Grove Historical Society President Angie Underwood observed, “This donation is an example of
the good we can accomplish when we all work together. The Historical Society provided the spark,
but it took many caring individuals and groups to collaborate to raise these funds. The community
support behind our newly restored covered bridge represents the best kind of small town passion.’’
Society President Underwood will present the check for $53,496.98 to Long Grove Village President,
Bill Jacob, at the Long Grove Historical Society Farmhouse at 5:30pm on July 15. The Farmhouse is
located on Historical Lane in the Stempel Parking Lot.

The Long Grove Historical Society is a 501C3 charitable organization dedicated to the preservation
and dissemination of Long Grove area history.

###

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20200716/campaign-brings-in-nearly-53500-for-long-grove-bridge-renovation

Campaign brings in nearly $53,500 for Long Grove bridge renovation (by Bob Susnjara)

Private fundraising through lemonade stands, donation jars, large contributions and other means resulted in a hefty check for Long Grove to help pay for restoration of a 114-year-old bridge that’s on the National Register of Historic Places.

Long Grove Historical Society President Angie Underwood presented Village President Bill Jacob with a check for $53,496.98 at a gathering under a tent Wednesday adjacent to Buffalo Creek Brewing. The nonprofit historical society started a covered bridge fundraising campaign with a $1,000 donation in March 2017,

“Our downtown looks fantastic and I can’t wait for that bridge to open up,” Jacob said in thanking the historical society for the donation.

The Robert Parker Coffin Road bridge in the village’s downtown was lowered back into place over Buffalo Creek after part of the renovations were completed last month. It awaits its signature wooden cover before making a full comeback — possibly by Aug. 14 — from damage caused by a truck crash two years ago.

Crews removed the historic bridge in March and placed it on a flatbed truck parked off Coffin Road to accommodate concrete abutment replacement and a painting of the span. A steel skeleton has been installed on the bridge and is supporting the start of the wooden cover

Two weeks after becoming a national landmark, the one-lane covered bridge was hit by a box truck on June 27, 2018. It was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic for more than two months as a result.

Long Grove officials were considering a bridge renovation well before the crash, but officials voiced financial concerns. That led to the historical society’s fundraising drive involving Long Grove-area businesses, residents and others who were passionate about saving the 114-year-old bridge.

Underwood, a former Long Grove village president, said the largest donation came from a former Barrington resident’s family foundation. Underwood said the woman, now living on the East Coast, donated to the bridge fund to honor many great childhood memories of visiting Long Grove with her grandmother.

“We had kids have lemonade stands,” she said. “We had merchants have lemonade stands. Merchants put ‘Pennies for the Bridge’ jars out at their stores. We had Scout troops make donations. Kids in middle school sold cookie dough to do a fundraiser for the bridge. We had an artist, Tony Stencel, paint an original watercolor of the bridge and we sold hundreds and hundreds of raffle tickets and that resulted in quite a bit of donations for us, too.”

Jacob said the village’s out-of-pocket cost should be $589,000 for the bridge work. However, a $250,000 state grant, about $195,000 from an insurance claim related to the crash and the roughly $53,500 historical society donation will be pooled to cover the rest of the tab.

Constructed in 1906 by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Co., the span is a rare surviving example of a pin-connected pony truss bridge built for an urban setting, according to documents submitted for the national landmark process.

The cover was added in 1972 to help preserve the bridge and limit traffic from trucks and other heavy vehicles.

###

 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/ct-lns-long-grove-bridge-donation-st-0715-20200715-mwf3rlni2nhdpatx2igvaf55k4-story.html

Reconstruction of Long Grove’s historic covered bridge, damaged by a truck in 2018, is almost complete
(By Emily K. Coleman)

Two years after a delivery truck severely damaged Long Grove’s iconic covered bridge, a steel-reinforced reconstruction is nearing completion.

The project, which carries a total price tag of about $1 million between engineering and the actual construction, is on track to be completely wrapped up by Aug. 14, Village President Bill Jacob said. Crews are installing the roof rafters this week.

The work is in the “homestretch,” Jacob said, adding that he will be excited to see the completed bridge along with all the other work that has been done in the village’s historic downtown.

The Long Grove Historical Society donated about $53,000 to the village Wednesday to help cover the restoration, said Angie Underwood, the historical society’s president. The money, donated by Long Grove-area residents and businesses, was collected starting in March 2017, an effort designed to show the community’s desire to see the bridge restored.

The fundraising drive included lemonade stands, art and craft sales, donation jars and online donation drives, along with a Long Grove artist providing an original water color of the bridge for a raffle, downtown merchants dedicating the proceeds from one of their festivals toward the effort and a local trust allocating a portion of its annual endowment, according to a news release.

“This donation is an example of the good we can accomplish when we all work together,” Underwood said. “The Historical Society provided the spark, but it took many caring individuals and groups to collaborate to raise these funds. The community support behind our newly restored covered bridge represents the best kind of small town passion.”

The village also received a $250,000 state grant to help cover the project’s cost, and about $190,000 in insurance reimbursement, Jacob said.

The cost to the village likely wouldn’t have been as high had the village pursued federal dollars and replaced it with a two-lane bridge, but that would have meant losing the iconic one-lane, covered bridge for which the village is known.

“It is our logo,” Jacob said. “It’s part of our town. The fact that we were able to save this is really good for the town, and the community and our future. It’s keeping the history of our downtown.”

The bridge, which dates back to 1906, had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 2018, just 16 days before a box truck plowed into it, severely damaging the structure.

The situation ended up working out, Jacob said. Repairs would have been necessary at some point — perhaps about 10 years down the road — but with the covering needing to be replaced anyways, the village made the decision to renovate the entire bridge.

“Everything aligned,” Jacob said. “A bad situation turned out to be a good situation.”

###

 

 

The Long Grove Historical Society held it’s annual meeting at Harbor Chase on May 1st, 2019. The annual report presented by President Angie Underwood follows:

It was a milestone year for the Long Grove Historical Society as our group saw a long term goal achieved—placement of the Covered Bridge on the National Register of Historic Places. Becoming the first property in our Village to receive this notable designation, it was a joyous high point amidst a year of success for our organization.

Installation of new officers was held at Enzo and Lucia’s on April 25, 2018. Our Covered Bridge Children’s Art Contest was well underway with entries from several area schools. Under the leadership of Diane Trickey, a group of Long Grove artists selected the winning drawings which were displayed at Covered Bridge Creamery in the month of May, and featured in Long Grove Living magazine. Candy prizes for the participants were generously donated by our downtown merchants.

Spring and summer saw several improvements to our Farmhouse property under the direction of Chris Campbell. A new security system was installed, and work was done to repair several windows with rotting wood trim. Repairs were made to the sump pump drain at Archer School, and later in the season tree removal and trimming was done at the farmhouse property. Many thanks to Angela Searcy and Jesse Visocnik for their donations towards getting the new security system installed at a lower cost to the society.

To celebrate the Illinois Bicentennial, a series of four musical programs was held on the Farmhouse Back Porch under the direction of Mike Dvorak. Held on the first Fridays of the month in June, July, August, and September, they featured guest performers doing “Spoon River Anthology” and “Songs of the Prairie State,” among others. John Kopecky was instrumental in organizing informal potluck gatherings on the lawn prior to the evening shows, for fun and fellowship within the community. Mike produced additional programs for Chocolate, Strawberry, and Apple Fests for the back porch stage, featuring local students acting and singing.

On June 15, the Historical Society was informed by the National Park Service that the covered bridge had been officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A press release was sent and the happy news was widely covered in papers locally and even nationally as it was picked up by the Associated Press. A community celebration for later in July was being planned. In late June, just two weeks after the National Register announcement, tragically the bridge was struck by an oversized truck and severely damaged. Shock, sadness and disbelief was felt not only in Long Grove, but from across the country. Our Historical Society received several emails from history buffs in places such as California and Pennsylvania, sharing in our sorrow. Angie and Aaron Underwood and Ryan Messner appeared on two separate television news features in the aftermath of the accident. Fortunately, the most historic parts of the bridge were not damaged in the accident, but the wooden cover had to be completely removed. The Long Grove Village Board is in the process of securing engineering specifications and restoration work bids, in the hopes that work can be completed in 2019 to fully restore the covered bridge. Our Covered Bridge Fund received several additional donations from individuals and one very large donation of $25,000 from a single donor this year, and we look forward to transferring these funds to the Village when the restoration work is finally approved and contracted.

In other sad news, two former officers and long time members of the Historical Society passed away this summer, Betty Coffin and Lee Bassett. Society members assisted with the memorial service held for Lee at Reed-Turner, and many members donated food items to be shared.

Vintage Days in August were a time for fun and frolic. Angie and Aaron assisted with historical narration on the tractor & hay wagon rides throughout the downtown. Our Penny Carnival was a rousing success entertaining loads of young kids and their families, with the help of an enthusiastic crew of teen volunteers. Many thanks go to Jane Primack and Marie Roth for heading up this activity. A highlight of the weekend was the performance of an original show written and produced by Mike Dvorak entitled “Good Times with the Gridleys.” Local students entertained us through drama and song with a synopsis of the history of Long Grove, told through the personas of the early pioneer citizens. This lively back porch performance was a hit!

In September we hosted a class of senior citizens from National Louis University for a tour of our barn and schoolhouse, and talk about our local history. Board members took a field trip to Gridley Cemetery on October 10th, for some light maintenance and so that many of our group could see it for the first time. This was followed by a surprise baby shower for our curator, Meghan Potempa. Plans for our annual Ghost Walk event had to be cancelled due to the construction and road closures in the downtown historical district. An alternate event, “A Spooky Night at the Farmhouse” was held on the back porch stage, featuring songs and scary stories. In December, Mike Dvorak held his final production of the year with a “Yuletide Sing” at the farmhouse.

A gathering in late fall was held at Buffalo Creek Brewery to say farewell to long time Historical Society members Georgia Cawley and Joe Barry who have moved to Hawaii. Volunteer labor was recruited at the event to stuff envelopes for a larger-than-usual outreach for our annual membership drive. Under the direction of Aaron Underwood, we were able to raise $10,000 in donations to the Society this year, a huge increase from recent years past. This is especially helpful as our major fundraiser, the Ghost Walk, had to be cancelled.

The winter months were slow for our Society as everyone either hibernated away from the severe weather and “Polar Vortex” or escaped to a warmer climate. However, one big and notable project was accomplished with the cleaning, purging, and organizing of our farmhouse basement and closets, thanks to the efficient efforts of Jane Primack and her crew of volunteers. Old appliances, chairs, and a rusted out hot water heater were removed and new storage space opened up so that our meeting room is now void of clutter. Thanks to all who helped with this needed spruce-up! Several members of the Society also assisted in organizing and helping with the Candidates Night in March, sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

It was a year for the history books, and one that I will never forget. This coming year will be one focused on working with the community to see the covered bridge repaired. We will all look forward to the upcoming celebration when the bridge is once again restored, maybe a year later than we had planned but perhaps all the more joyous for the wait.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Angie Underwood
Long Grove Historical Society President

Click here for information on how to make a donation and join our ranks.

Please consider a membership in the Long Grove Historical Society for the year 2019.As you have likely heard, the Historical Society, partnering with the State of Illinois and the downtown merchants, was successful in getting our covered bridge placed on the National Historic Register. Only a few days later, the Bridge Covering was badly damaged by a wayward truck. Efforts to rebuild the bridge will be ongoing into the next year. The Historical Society will continue our work of advocating for preservation of our historical icon.

Our volunteer organization also owns and maintains three properties as a reminder of our heritage: the 1850’s Farmhouse Museum, the historic one room Archer School, and the 1850’s restored Ruth Barn. We have an ongoing relationship with the community and the members of the Historic Downtown Business Association, and strive to provide educational opportunities through our activities and programs. New for this year was a remodeled patio at our Farmhouse which functioned as a stage for several family friendly programs over the summer.

While membership dues have always been a major part of our annual revenues, they’re especially critical this year. In addition to the time and effort that has gone into advocacy and fundraising to preserve the Covered Bridge, our buildings have also needed major repairs, such as new windows and a new security system. This coming year we will need to repaint. Due to the construction in the downtown this fall, our major annual fund raiser, the Ghost Walk, had to be cancelled. We continue to be dependent on the support of friends and neighbors such as yourself. The Long Grove Historical Society is a registered 501C3 charity and receives no public funding. We hope you’ll consider a membership for 2019 so that we may continue to provide this advocacy and these wonderful programs to the community. If you’re interested in volunteering, we can always use a hand. Contact Angie@LongGroveHistory.org, for more information.

Click here for information on how to make a donation and join our ranks.

The HISTORICAL BOOK CLUB, which typically meets at Long Grove’s Sunset Foods, 2nd floor conference room at noon, has picked several books to be discussed this year. Email Tina Mall or use our contact page if you would like to join the book club for their lively discussions.

June 25, 2018
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Gann

August 27, 2018
To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

October 22, 2018
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

January 7, 2019
News of the World by Paulette Jules

February 25, 2019
My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray

April 22nd, 2019
The Underground Railroad by Colton Whitehead