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Peace Activist and Suffragette Lola Maverick Lloyd (1875-1944) wore this beaver fur hat, c. 1910.

Curator’s Corner

Originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2020 Gazette by Meagan McChesney, PhD This year’s successful Virtual Gala featured several of the unique hats housed in the Winnetka Historical Society’s offsite Costume Collection. While notable in their own right for their beautiful designs and detailing, collecting images of these hats led me to wonder about the people […]

A postcard depicting the elegant grounds of the North Shore Health Resort on Sheridan Road.

Curator’s Corner: The Early Days of the North Shore Health Resort (1900s-1930s)

Appeared in the Gazette, Spring/Summer 2020 by Rachel Ramirez “Come and Get Well,” calls a 1918 advertisement for the North Shore Health Resort from the Chicago Daily Tribune. The ad, under the “Health Resorts” section of the classifieds, lauds the facility’s “Scientific care combined with ideal surroundings,” “beautiful grounds,” and a “bathing beach.” Established in […]

Winnetka Fire Department Firemen and Truck, 1915

Fire Department Photo Gallery

Winnetka Fire Department patch and fire engine instruction booklet for a 1919 fire engine. This engine was purchased when George Houren became the first professional fire chief of Winnetka. The Hubbard Woods (Lakeside) fire department in 1900, situated at the Southwest corner of Green Bay Road (Linden) and Scott Ave. “Lakeside Hose Company” is written […]

1880s Handbill

1880s | No Malaria Here!

No Malaria Here! In 1889, realtor E. Percy Maynard proclaimed Winnetka “the finest suburb in Cook County” and offered lots for sale for as low as $150. For the first time, Winnetka became a suburb lauded for its beauty and accessibility. Maynard highlighted the newly forged Sheridan Road and improved railroad connections as commuter routes […]

Detail from a painting of the Lady Elgin disaster that shows a door floating in Lake Michigan

1860s | Shipwreck Hero

Shipwreck Hero In the wee morning hours of September 8, 1860, Jacob Conrad tied a rope around his waist and plunged from the shore bluff into Lake Michigan. His daring gesture saved as many as 28 people from the shipwrecked Lady Elgin. After the ship collided with the schooner Augusta and sank, more than 300 of the […]

Pen Register

1900s | Communication Contraption

Communication Contraption In the late 18th and early 195h centuries, fires were a menacing threat to all Winnetka. The Winnetka Fire Department could respond more quickly to local emergencies using a device like this one. The J.H. Bunnell & Co. pen register, much like a tickertape recorder, used telegraph signals to relay urgent messages in […]

Women's Suffrage Poster

1920s | Get out the Vote

Get out the Vote Descended from Samuel Maverick, the rancher who refused to brand his cattle, Lola Maverick Lloyd lived up to the Maverick name. Her ex-husband William Bross Lloyd was the son of muckraker Henry Demarest Lloyd, but she was a progressive in her own right. As an impassioned pacifist, Lola Maverick Lloyd helped […]

Victory Garden Poster

1940s | War Effort Victory Gardens

War Effort Victory Gardens While WWII raged overseas, Winnetkans on the Home Front went to work. Over 2,000 households registered Victory Gardens in 1943. Policeman Bethel “Tiny” Schultz of 796 Green Bay Road was a particularly patriotic gardener. He worked the night shift, so during the day he tended neighbors’ gardens and raised bees and […]

1960s poster

1960s | Speak Up and Speak Out

Speak Up and Speak Out This handmade poster announced a panel discussion for teens and adults held at the Winnetka Community House on May 22, 1969. This was one of several initiatives which addressed the youth rebellion in the 1960s. In those years, the counterculture movement was in full force. Winnetka was not immune to […]

Rummage Sale Sweater

1950s | Rummage, Rummage, Rummage

Rummage, Rummage, Rummage The Winnetka Rummage Sale, sponsored by The Congregational Church and held annually at the Community House, is a big deal–and always has been. Each year, thousands line up hours prior to opening to take advantage of bargains galore. This hand-knit sweater made from donated yarn was worn by Madolyn Fraser. As Chairman […]