Welcome to the Village of Bartlett Museums; the Bartlett History Museum and the Bartlett Depot Museum. Both museums are operated and funded by the Village of Bartlett, Illinois and are committed to the exhibition and education of our community's rich history. We invite you to visit our museums and participate in the many events each offers. Please click on the links to learn more about each.

Picture of the Week

A solar year is six hours longer than 365 days. To compensate for this time variance, an extra day, February 29, is added to the calendar every four years. This year, 2012, is a leap year. This month the museum will be highlighting Bartlett excerpts from local newspapers published on February 29.

The February 29, 1924 edition of the Cook County Herald included an advertisement for IRB Electric Stores. The ad featured electrical engineers and contractors along with electric light and power equipment for farm, domestic and industrial customers. Contact telephone numbers were printed, including Bartlett 16-M for Bartlett resident Earl O'Brien. Note how simple telephone numbers were back then. Also, the Village still had switchboard operators at this time to connect your calls!

Earl O'Brien was a lifelong Bartlett resident. He was born November 18, 1893. The O'Brien family resided on Railroad Avenue, today the site of the Ameritech building. The phone number listed in the newspaper ad matches the number of the family home found in telephone directories of the era. Was a store being operated out of the O'Brien home? The museum tends not to think so. There is no other evidence. Rather it is believed that Earl served as a representative for the company, perhaps serving as a liaison for the work that needed to be done and those that did it. The ad only ran from 1923 to 1924.

Earl was a musician by trade, at one time playing the violin with the Chicago Sympathy Orchestra. He listed his occupation on the 1920 census as music instructor. Earl passed away on October 30, 1959. In his will, he left money and railroad stock to the Village of Bartlett. According to his niece, Earl wanted the money to be used toward a park. As a child, Earl suffered infantile paralysis and was unable to run and play like other children, and he wanted to give back to those who could.

Earl was one of the early automobile owners in Bartlett. He is pictured here in his Reo the Fifth.

 

Artifact of the Month, February 2012 -- Wright's at Bartlett 1948 Calendar

A solar year is six hours longer than 365 days. To compensate for this time variance, an extra day, February 29, is added to the calendar every four years. This year, 2012, is a leap year. The 1948 Wright's at Bartlett calendar also reflects a leap year.

Wright's, which began its operation in 1928, was once located at the eastern end of Bartlett Avenue. In addition to selling lumber and feed, Wright's also sold fuel. The business distributed this calendar for its patrons' use. This calendar served as an advertisement for the establishment, which was "A dependable place to trade," and for Milwaukee Solvay, a company that manufactured coke, a product that is used as a substitute for coal in domestic heating.

The calendar picture is of Yosemite and is flanked by drawings of a home and farm. Day of the month illustrations throughout February highlight other occasions celebrated during this month in 1948, such as Ground Hog Day, Wm. H. Harrison's birthday, Ash Wednesday, A. Lincoln's birthday, St. Valentine's Day, and G. Washington's birthday.

This unused calendar, in excellent condition, is from the estate of Bartlett residents Harvey and Elvina Brandt.

 

 

Museum Donations

Ever wonder how the Bartlett History Museum acquires all of the artifacts, images, textiles and more for its collection? These items come from past and present residents, family descendants, and generous individuals who donate them. The Museum is always seeking objects and photos that capture a moment in Bartlett's rich past. The archives contains hundreds of items, ranging in size from a button off the first Bartlett Girl Scout uniform to a six-foot nail bin from the old Schultz Hardware. Do you have Bartlett items you would like to donate to the Museum's archives? Please contact Pam Rohleder, Director, at 630-837-0800.

 

The museums are members of the American Association of Museums, Association of State and Local History, Illinois Association of Museums, and the Kane-DuPage Regional Museum Association.