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Naperville
Thursday, October 10, 2024

The Curious Curator – Coming Home

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Some of our readers are familiar with Naperville teacher, librarian, artist and historian Hannah Ditzler Alspaugh.

Hannah lived in Naperville from her birth in 1848 to her death in 1938. At age 15 she began a life-long passion for preservation. Using old ledgers and government report books, Hannah carefully recorded the events and happenings in the world around her. News of family, friends, her community, church, politics, the arts and theatre were glued, sewn, tucked and pressed into books organized into various themes and eras.

Around 1920, Hannah began to re-read and sort stacks of newspapers. She clipped columns related to various topics and organized them in re-purposed books. Eighteen of these diaries and journals were donated to the museum by one of Hannah’s family members after her death in 1938. On July 28, 1938, some of the journals and clippings were given to the Naperville Clarion newspaper (1869 – 1975) which “will publish excerpts from this collection.”

Nearly 77 years to the day, one of those scrapbooks given to the Clarion has returned to Naperville and is now in the Archives at Naper Settlement! Volume One of an eight volume set of newspaper scrapbooks contains material from 1855 – 1871. Long columns of stories are surrounded by smaller clips of marriages, deaths, town gossip, and news pieced together like a puzzle. The pages are carefully dated and annotated with names and notes. Since so many of Naperville’s newspapers were non-existent when the Nichols Library began microfilming, this scrapbook is invaluable toward piecing together our history.

Hannah’s legacy of preserving and presenting Naperville history continues to surprise and inspire. Last month, the Naperville Heritage Society purchased the scrapbook from a book dealer who purchased the book at an estate sale in 2002.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the museum’s Curatorial Restricted Funds for Collections, it will ensure future acquisitions like this one bring the community’s history back home to Naperville. For more information on how you can help, please contact Christine Jepsen at jepsenc@naperville.il.us.

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Bryan Ogg
Bryan Ogg
Bryan Ogg is a local historian and curator of local legend, stories and lore.
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