Columnists
The Curious Curator – Coming Home
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...
Columnists
The Curious Curator – Shall We Dance?
Have you ever heard of a “calico dance?” What is calico? And what is a “calico dance?”
Calico is a type of printed fabric, usually...
Columnists
The Curious Curator – Water Street, Waterville, Naperville: Oh My!
Several months ago I was told that an opera singer (name unknown) used to live on Water Street in a large Greek Revival-style home...
Culture /Arts
The Curious Curator – Why that Little House Matters
Teardown! Here is an example of a verb becoming a noun – a noun with negative connotations. The Oxford English Dictionary first recognized “teardown”...
Columnists
The Curious Curator – If these keys could talk!
Recently the Naperville Heritage Society was given a beautiful Art Deco styled spinet piano. Although not a self-playing piano, it had an electric cord...
Columnists
The Curious Curator – Naperville go brách!
Walking by the Print Shop at Naper Settlement last week I noticed a cardboard sign leaning in the window. The sign read, “Irish Need...
Columnists
The Curious Curator – Getting the Pole Story
Editor's Update, Aug. 28, 2015 / The recently installed Peace Pole in Veterans Park (303 E. Gartner Rd.) will be dedicated during a special...
Columnists
The Curious Curator – A Nursery Tale
Naperville’s proximity to Chicago and its geologically rich soils allowed several nurserymen and women to flourish. In the Northern Counties Gazetteer and Directory, 1855-56,...
Columnists
The Curious Curator – Paging Dr. Harmon
Last week I was researching Joseph Naper’s involvement in the Blackhawk War. A four-volume set of books published by the Illinois State Historical Library...
City News
The Curious Curator – Shall we vote?
As Election Day 2014 approached, I was asked “Who was the first woman voter in Naperville?” Last year was the 100th anniversary of Illinois...
