Appeared in the Spring/Summer 2023 Gazette by Nan Greenough Starting in 1915 – two years after Illinois passed women’s voting, but five years before the 19th Amendment – each Winnetka Village Council included at least one woman trustee. In 1980 Gwen Trindl broke the glass ceiling to become the first woman Village President. Gwen was […]
Appeared in the Spring/Summer 2023 Gazette by Holly Marihugh Dr. Alice Barlow Brown opened her door to host the first meeting of the Winnetka Woman’s Club on January 23, 1908, and only nine other women were present at the brand spanking new club. Dr. Barlow Brown went on to rescue and treat civilians in war-torn […]
Appeared in the Spring/Summer 2023 Gazette by Meagan McChesney, WHS curator After the Great Chicago Fire destroyed much of Chicago in 1871, thousands of urbanites flocked to the North Shore looking for a fresh start. While many saw this population boom as an opportunity to expand Winnetka’s tight-knit community, others sought ways to take advantage […]
Appeared in the Spring Summer 2023 Gazette by Joan Evanich It is hard to believe that the Schmidt-Burnham Log House moved to Crow Island Park 20 years ago this May. Surprisingly, it was not the first time the almost 200-year-old house was moved! The hand-hewn house originally was located at the current site of the […]
Originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2022 Gazette by Meagan McChesney, PhD – WHS Curator While conducting research for the latest Explore Winnetka Stories feature on Winnetka’s earliest businesses, I happened upon a c. 1885 business card for Winnetka-based “Homoeopathist and Surgeon,” G. H. Morrison, M. D. Intrigued, I ran a search of Morrison’s name and […]
Originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2022 Gazette by Duff Peterson To see a gallery of photos related to this article, click HERE. On March 15, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced a plan for the federal government to hire unemployed young men to do conservation work on the nation’s public lands. Known as the Civilian […]
Originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2022 Gazette by Helen Weaver “What is the matter with Winnetka?” a young girl asked in an 1894 letter to the North Shore News. “Why cannot Winnetka girls and boys have a place where they may satisfy their desire for skating?” Winnetka may not have had a rink in 1894 […]
Originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2022 Gazette by Karen Vorwald As I see kids at Starbucks, Hometown and Fizz & Pop, I remember growing up in Winnetka and hanging out “uptown” with my friends for snacks or shopping. At the corner of Chestnut and Elm, Valentina is in a building with a long retail history […]
By Meagan McChesney, WHS Curator This summer, the Winnetka Historical Society’s (WHS) annual gala will be held at 5 Indian Hill Road, a historic property that turns 100 this year. Fittingly, the gala will celebrate the 1920s, the decade in which noted architect Reginald D. Johnson designed the house for Thomas H. McInnerney. The house […]
by Mary Trieschmann, WHS Executive Director The Winnetka Historical Society (WHS) turns 90 this year and what a journey it has had! In 1932, a small group of Winnetkans interested in preserving history decided to organize WHS. In its first year, founding member Frank Windes described the organization’s general mission: “Let us find out all […]
