Mount Prospect Historical Society

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Breaking News

Mount Prospect Historical Society Housewalk features Driving Tour of Neighborhoods South and East of Mt. Prospect Golf Course

508 S Hi-Lusi Ave

Tickets go on sale November 1 for the Mount Prospect Historical Society’s 38th annual Holiday Housewalk which will highlight homes south and east of the Mt. Prospect Golf Course.  The walk will be held from 3:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4.

The interiors of five private homes, built since 1946, will be featured on the tour this year.

The homes which will have their interiors featured this year are: 508 S. Hi-Lusi, owned by Bradley and Deborah Moncton; 714 S. See-Gwun Ave., owned by Dan and Mandy Soderstrom; 508 W. Sunset Road, owned by John and Martha Nowak; 506 W. Sunset Road, owned by Joey and Katie Mack; and 802 S. Hi-Lusi, owned by Barbara Laz.

714 S See-Gwun Ave

All of the homes will be exciting to tour in their own ways, whether because of the lovely decorating, unique touches or renovation work that has been done, according to JP Karlov, Housewalk co-chairperson.

The tour will begin at the Mt. Prospect Golf Course clubhouse where last-minute tickets will be sold, refreshments will be offered, restrooms will be available, and watercolors of the featured houses will be displayed.  Museum store items and tickets for a raffle will also be sold there. The “will call” table for tour tickets ordered online will also be located at the clubhouse.

508 W Sunset Rd

As usual, this tour will be accented by beautifully lit luminaria.  Parking will be available along neighborhood streets and in the golf course parking lot.

Commentary in the homes will be provided by volunteers from local organizations, businesses, schools and the community.  Homeowners will provide the decorations. 

Non-refundable tickets will be sold for $30 each through 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the Mount Prospect Village Hall, 50 S. Emerson St.; River Trails’ Weiss Center, 1500 E. Euclid Ave.; the Central Community Center, 1000 W. Central Rd.; Millie’s Hallmark, 1024 S. Elmhurst Rd.; and the Dietrich Friedrichs House museum, 101 S. Maple St.

506 W Sunset Rd

Tickets are also available at www.mtphist.org.  Those tickets can be picked up at a “will call” desk located at the golf course clubhouse during the walk.

Last-minute decision-makers may also purchase tickets on the day of the walk, beginning at 3 p.m. at the golf course, but the cost will be $35 per person at that time.

“The Housewalk is the Society’s largest fund-raiser of the year,” Karlov explained.  “Its proceeds support the many educational endeavors of the Society and help to pay for upkeep on our museum.  We urge the public to support our effort to preserve local history through enjoying the Housewalk and our other activities throughout the year.”

802 S Hi-Lusi Ave

This year’s Walk is sponsored by Hearth & Home, Busse Automotive, Novak and Parker appliances, realtors Vince Dante and Debbie Geavaras, the Mt. Prospect Park District and Mrs. P & Me.

Railroad Ties: Groundbreaking Three-Community Project Celebrates Our Nation’s 250th Anniversary

Emily Dattilo, Director, Mount Prospect Historical Society

Local history and railroad buffs will revel in a new program that will be presented this fall in honor of the Semiquincentennial.
Professionals from the Des Plaines History Center, the Mount Prospect Historical Society and the Arlington Heights Historical Museum have been collaborating since March to write the story of the development of the three communities, along the train tracks which unite them. The fruits of their research have been assembled into an interesting and informative video program which will debut in each community this November.


“The idea for this project began, appropriately, while on the train,” recalled Emily Dattilo, Director of the Mount Prospect Historical Society. “Jean Murphy, Historical Society President, and I were chatting about how much the train had influenced the development of not just Mount Prospect, but each town along the line. We soon realized that this conversation had the potential to grow into something much more!”

Stephanie Lee, Curator, Arlington Heights Historical Musem


A few months later, Dattilo reached out to the neighboring museum professionals with the idea for a video project which would unite the communities, and at the introductory meeting, the “chemistry” was immediate and the enthusiasm for the subject, universal.


“Working at a small local history museum is often a solitary endeavor,” commented Stephanie Lee, Curator at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum. “I was immediately intrigued by the possibility of working more closely with my colleagues in Mount Prospect and Des Plaines and showing the public the deep roots that bind our communities together.”


“To explore the history of the railroad in this region is impossible from the lens of only one town,” Olivia Cimino, Curator at the Des Plaines History Center, states. “I was delighted by the invitation to collaborate with our neighboring communities.”


The resulting video, “Railroad Ties,” is being produced by MPTV, the government access channel for the Village of Mount Prospect, and it will debut at the Mount Prospect Public Library, 10 S. Emerson St., at 7 p.m. on November 9. The Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood St., will present it at 7 p.m., on November 12 and the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, 110 W. Fremont St., will give an afternoon presentation at 2 p.m. on November 14.

Olivia Cimino, Curator, Des Plaines History Center

All three presentations will feature a representative from each organization giving commentary and answering questions. After that, the video will be available for presentations at local club meetings, on YouTube and will occasionally run on local access television.


The story told in the video begins in the early 1850s with the original charter of the railroad and runs through the present day. Many long-lost businesses and attractions are discussed and pictured, and local movers and shakers who envisioned and built the three communities are introduced.


“It is a program unlike any we have seen in a suburban area and we are extremely proud to have produced it at this auspicious time in our nation’s history,” said Jean Murphy, president of the Mount Prospect Historical Society.


Reserve your seat at each presentation through the Mount Prospect Public Library, the Des Plaines Public Library or the Arlington Heights Historical Museum.

Native Americans in Illinois Program Scheduled for June 11

As part of celebrations marking the nation’s Semiquincentennial, the Mount Prospect Public Library and the Mount Prospect Historical Society will jointly welcome Gerald Savage, an elder of the Ho-Chunk Nation, to the Library’s meeting room at 10 S. Emerson St. at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 11.

Savage will present his program, “A Brief Reintroduction of Native Americans into Illinois,” exploring Ho-Chunk history, traditions, and contemporary Native experiences in Illinois. The presentation will address the Ho-Chunk Nation’s forced relocation from Illinois, treaties, residential schools, the Native American Religious Freedom Act, and the lasting impact of these events on Native communities. Savage will also discuss tribal customs, traditional regalia, and the history of Ho-Chunk settlements in Illinois, including his family’s relocation to the Starved Rock area.

An Illinois Humanities Road Scholar and Professor Emeritus at Illinois State University, Savage is a Bear Clan Chief whose traditional Ho-Chunk name is Ho-Chunk Ska Ga (White Winnebago). He learned about Ho-Chunk culture and traditions from his grandparents, Chief Walks with the Wind (Sam Sine) and Stands on a Cloud (Ruth Sine), whose teachings inspired his commitment to educating others about Native history and culture in Illinois.

This program is generously sponsored by Van Driel’s Medical Specialties, 720 E. Northwest Highway, Mount Prospect.