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DLD M HI WRY BRIDGE Children living in the 1800's wore button shoes like the f ' y >'•&»< I VG# f*%- S"V W-i %#»*» If *>«' ** i« fcw* i, J* PAGE 8 • PLA1NDEALER - TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 25, 1M0 Treasures Of A shadowy reminder of the customs and mores of a time long past is the black mourning dress that adorns this mannequin in the Historical society museum. The dress was symbol of a woman on the first part of a three-year mourning period for her deceased spouse. Lavender and grey dresses were worn during the second and third years of the mourn. Some of the early models of the "Oliver" typewriters are shown at right. These typewriters were developed by a priest in the 19th Cen­ tury and were later produced by a British company. McHenry's Past. . . at McHenry County Historical Society (Continued from page 1) not originate in the county, did not mean it was not part of the county's history. "A lot of people have an idea that for something to be in the Historical society, it has to be at least 100-years- old," she explained The criteria of the Historical society is that "if you can't buy it, we'll accept it." One of the items that stands out in the main hall of the Historical society is a portion of the interior of the West McHenry post office. A local Boy Scout troop helped in the restoration of the wooden structure, Mrs. McEachren recalled. Buggy making - an art of times past - was more difficult without the aid of a special set of wrenches. One such set, numbering 33 wrenches in ail, is on display at the Historical society. The oldest artifact among the 15,000 cataloged items is a platter that was brought to this country by an im­ migrant traveling on the Mayflower in the 17th century. The platter, Mrs. McEachren said, was used at the first Thanksgiving meal. Throughout the Historical society building are clothes which range from the somewhat drab uniforms of Civil War and World War I soldiers to the more ornate dresses and clothing of late 19th and early 20th century women. Once popular overcoats of buffalo hide are available for public in­ spection. In a smaller room of the building, there are three mourning dresses reminders of a time when a woman would be "out of circulation" for three years after the death of her mate, Mrs. McEachren said. Colored to reflect the depth of mourning, black was worn the first year, lavender the second and grey the third. A variety of shoes are on display, some from a time when there were no right or left shoes. Mrs. McEachren noted that every article and ar­ tifact in the Historical society museum was donated. "We don't buy anything," she said. A Marengo family donated a family bible, written in the original Dutch and dating from 1688. Standing atop a table in a small room of the Historical society museum is a crucifix that survived the Chicago Fire of 1871. The crucifix belonged to the grandmother of Mrs. James Schmit, of Lily Lake. Mrs. McEachren said. The medical profession is represented in the Historical society displays. A wooden case containing 15 trays with 50 slides of the only known blood diseases of a meedical era past is on display at the museum. Bringing back memories, also on display at the Historical society, is the dentist's chair and tools of the trade that belonged to Dr. J.P. Frey, of McHenry. A table in the main hall of the museum holds a number of different models of the first typewriters made. The Oliver typewriter was developed by a priest who wanted to see what was typed as he wrote. A com­ pany started producing the machines and was later bought out by a British firm. According to Mrs. McEachren, the Historical society was founded in November of 1963 and oc­ cupied a single room in the Woodstock Opera house. Later, the society would move to a room in a shoe store in Woodstock, but lasted for only one week due to flood conditions in the building. Subsequently, the society moved to the First National bank building. A vacated school building was available in Union, and after the building was reconditioned to meet fire safety laws, the Historical society and mifteum opened at its present location July 4, 1976. Story by Anthony Oliver Staff Photos by Joel Utekitsch