The first of eight concerts at the beautiful Ellwood House Mansion, 509 North First Street in DeKalb, IL, will take place Wednesday, June 12. This will be the “Pops at the Mansion-Entertainment with the Stars” show featuring the Mary J Harris Band. Mary J Harris is a professional singer and entertainer from the Rockford area. She and the band will be making …
Mark your calendar for the first-ever Museum Day in DeKalb County. On Saturday, museums and historical societies throughout DeKalb County will partner to be open on the same day. People will have the opportunity to see some local treasures in the north, central and south parts of DeKalb County. Museum Day is being held in conjunction with the DeKalb County …
A special recognition and tip of the cap to local resident, Michael ‘Tree Man’ Kirk for his tireless advocacy behind the preservation of DeKalb’s “legacy” trees, in particular his efforts to preserve a centuries-old burr oak tree on the east bank of the Kishwaukee River, just south of the Lincoln Highway bridge. Kirk has been cataloguing DeKalb trees for over …
Longtime DeKalb resident Steve Bigolin likes to say that his life is all about local history, and he loves to share his knowledge about DeKalb County’s past with others. Bigolin, who has given countless tours of the area since the mid-1970s, presented a free architectural walking tour of Lincoln Highway to a small group Saturday afternoon. The cloudy skies and …
The DeKalb County Community Foundation requested this re-naming as a way to honor a significant gift to the DeKalb County Community Foundation, and therefore to DeKalb County, made by Mrs. Dorothy Thiele Wright in 1995. Her trust, at the time of her death in 1995, had the following description of the gift of land: “The Trustee shall distribute the following …
By mid-November of each year, the Ellwood mansion is decked for the holidays. Tour guides lead visitors room-by-room and deliver the history of the home while guests delight in the gilt and stenciled ceilings, rich woodwork, and elegant holiday decorations. Then, during the first weekend of December, things become even more festive as the mansion comes alive with twinkling lights, …
Born: July 31, 1854, De Kalb, Illinois. Married: Laura Alice Cheney, October 8, 1879, De Kalb, Illinois. Died: February 17, 1915, Knoxville, Tennessee. George Barber was born July 31, 1854, to Lyman and Cornelia Barrett Barber in DeKalb, Illinois. After the early and unexpected death of his father, his mother moved the family to Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1860. Barber …
Blacksmiths worked by hand with red-hot steel to create graceful pieces of beauty and elegance at the Glidden Homestead. The Blacksmith Club at the Glidden Homestead and Historical Center hosted a Hammer-In on September 13, 2015. The Blacksmith Club worked on six forges around the site and demonstrated the trade, techniques, materials, and finished pieces. The twenty minute lessons and …
One of the benefits of working in a university town is access. Lectures, workshops, museum openings, concerts, and culture can be found most days of the year. It’s enriching just to be around all of the activity. However, one of the greatest rewards is working with the students, both on campus and off. Over the past three years, museum staff …
Published: Sunday, June 28, 2015 Daily Chronicle By LINDSEY CLARK DeKALB – Guests of the Glidden Homestead and Historical Center got the chance to revisit a significant time in DeKalb’s history on Sunday morning. Sarah Glidden DeMink, a great-niece of Joseph Glidden and a homestead board member, hosted a brunch with biscuits and homemade jam from Peg’s Picks in honor of …