In 1932, Frank Windes, along with Carrie Burr Prouty, Max Meyer, Donald Morrison, and Bernice Van der Vries, organized the Winnetka Historical Society (WHS). The village had changed drastically since the earliest settlers arrived and the founding members recognized that if the stories and artifacts of the past weren’t preserved, they would be lost to future generations.

Windes was the longtime custodian of WHS’s collection. He made it his mission to add to it as much as he could by conducting interviews and gathering written reminiscences of life in the village, as well as collecting artifacts related to Winnetka’s people, places, and events.

Windes also created a number of intricate models of early Winnetka structures that had been demolished over time. Many he remembered himself; others, he researched extensively to make them as historically accurate as possible. In several cases, Windes’ models are the only depictions we have of significant early settler structures.