Historians throughout the State may be interested in learning that the Des Plaines Historical Society recently published a postcard book which takes a nostalgic look at the community from the turn of the century through the 1950s. Authored by the Historical Society's Special Projects Coordinator Angela "Angie" Whitmal, Greetings From Des Plaines is the first book to be published by the Des Plaines Historical Society.

(Pictured above left to right) Des Plaines Historical Society Special Project Coordinator Angie Whitmal (left) and Museum Director Joy Matthiessen display Greetings From Des Plaines. a post card book which takes a nostalgic look at the community through historic pictures. The book is the first of its kind to be published by the Des Plaines Historical Society.

The Historical Society book is the result of countless hours of research, writing, editing and compiling postcards, cutlines and community information. "It was an ongoing project for 18 months and was truly a team effort," said Special Projects Coordinator Angie Whitmal. Museum personnel credit the Illinois Heritage Association for the inspiration to develop the book. In 1993, the Association published a postcard book on the history of the Champaign/Urbana area. The Des Plaines Historical Society was considering topics for a publishing project when this unique idea caught their eye. Museum staff hired Patricia Miller, of the Association, as a consultant for a day, to learn about how the Association approached the project. That insight helped Des Plaines Historical Society staff set a production schedule, and off they went. Over 90 postcards (many of which are in color) from the Historical Society's collection were selected for the publication, a monumental task in itself as there are over 350 cards in the collection! Many of the cards were identified by the donors, but the captions needed to be written.

Postcard cutlines were based on extensive research. Information for each cutline had to be verified to assure that it was accurate. "We learned a great deal from this project," said Whitmal. "One of the first lessons involved the amount of work required to research each card. We exposed a few longstanding myths and began questioning our sources in new ways. For example, for many years one photograph had been identified as a windmill built by early settlers in the 1840s. The photograph may have been of a mill on the same property, however, research has proven it unlikely to be of the original mill. While oral history interviews are excel-

The above photograph is one of 90 pictures featured in the Greetings From Des Plaines book. It shows Ellinwood St., one of the City's main downtown streets, in 1923.

June 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 9

The above picture, featured in Greetings From Des Plaines. depicts the Suburban A.C. Football Team. "Beginning in 1906, the Suburban Athletic Club organized a league of football, basketball and baseball teams. In 1915 the football team boasted that no team had been able to score against it for two complete seasons. In addition to sports, club members also planned social events and attended bi-weekly meetings. A circa 1915 article about the group of fifteen young men stated that they hoped to grow in order to, 'Give Des Plaines what it really needs ... a live young spirit and element to help advertise a growing City'." (from Greetings From Des Plaines).

lent sources of information, the memory can be faulty. We try to find a second source of information as double verification," she said. Funding for the book was derived from sponsors in the following categories: Platinum, $2500+; Gold, $1000-$2400; Silver, $500-$999; Bronze, $250-$499; and Friends (under $250). The museum director, treasurer, and several board members were primarily responsible for the fundraising aspect of the project. Thanks to their efforts the book has paid for itself and has raised additional money for the Society. "The Des Plaines Historical Society was extremely pleased with the publication of the postcard book," according to Museum Director Joy Matthiessen. "It is an excellent means of visually depicting the community's history. While it did require a great deal of time and effort, it was worth the work," she said. For details regarding purchases or for additional information on the project, call the Des Plaines Historical Museum at 847-391-5399. •

Page 10 / Illinois Municipal Review / June 1996