Each week in Suburban Stadiums, Morton Grove Patch will feature a different local athletic facility, from fitness centers to neighborhood parks. We’ll dive into its history, list what programs it has to offer and provide a calendar of major events hosted at the space.
MORTON GROVE HISTORICAL MUSEUM
Facility and History: The Haupt-Yehl house was built in 1888 – seven years before the Village of Morton Grove was incorporated on December 24, 1895 -- by Nicholas Haupt as a home for his wife and eight children on Lincoln Avenue. After Haupt and his wife, Magdalena, died, the Haupt children remained in the house. One of the daughters, Elizabeth, married Mathias Yehl in 1901 and raised their six children in the house.
The house remained in the family until the property was sold in 1984. The Historical Society and saved the house from demolition and moved it to its present site in . Now, the Haupt-Yehl House is co-operated by the Morton Grove Historical Society and the Park District.
Earlier:
The Museum Education Center opened in 2008 and matches the architecture of the 1888 farmhouse. This center has classroom space for a school and community programs and also serves as a research facility for local history.
Programs and Exhibits: The Historical Museum’s mission has been to preserve Morton Grove’s local history and present it to the community by offering lectures, programs and tours of the museum.
For the last two years, the main museum exhibit was Main Street Morton Grove, a representation of life in Morton Grove dating back 100 years.
“We had some wonderful mock shops that you would’ve seen on Lincoln Avenue,” said Mary Busch, curator for the Historical Museum. “It was really fun for the school kids to come for field trips and they could do scavenger hunts throughout the Main Street Morton grove exhibit looking for artifacts.”
Now the Museum is working on a new exhibit called “Women in History” that will open in late September. They’re in the process of putting it together and are accepting donations and loans of photographs and artifacts connected to Morton Grove women’s history.
Their other current project revolves around the history of Morton Grove veterans. Working with Morton Grove TV, the Historical Museum is collecting oral histories from veterans in the area.
“We’re really looking to get the stories of World War II veterans at this point,” Busch said. “We hope to have another short-term exhibit in our education center around the Veteran’s Day parade.”
The Museum holds a number of annual events, including the Old Village Bus Tour, which takes visitors all over Morton Grove and points out fun and historical facts about the town.
Donations: The Historical Museum is largely dependent on community organizations and residents to donate and loan artifacts that pertain to Morton Grove's history.
For more information on how to donate to the Morton Grove Historical Museum, call (847) 965-0203.
