Mount Prospect Historical Society

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Historical Society Collaborates on Veteran’s Project

The Mount Prospect Historical Society is collaborating with American Legion Post 525 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1337, as well as the Mount Prospect Public Library and the Mt. Prospect Park District, on a project to establish a memorial for Mount Prospect residents who were killed while in service to their country.

The project will involve identifying service members and then finding obituaries and other biographical information. Leading the project for the American Legion/VFW is Loren Helwink, a Mount Prospect resident.

To kick off the project, the Mt. Prospect Parks Foundation has donated $3,000 to the memorial. Once the material has been gathered, an appropriate memorial will be chosen and unveiled on Memorial Day. The memorial is adjacent to the Veterans Memorial Band Shell in Lions Memorial Park. It has been designed as a tranquil, contemplative setting featuring a fountain and columns for engraved bricks.  A limited number of bricks are also available for purchase. To purchase a brick through the Mt. Prospect Park District, visit www.mppd.org.

Please contact the Mount Prospect Historical Society via info@mtphist.org if you have information about a Mount Prospect service member who was killed in action.

The VFW Post 1337 is reserved for veterans who have received a campaign medal for overseas service; have served 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days in Korea; or have ever received hostile fire or imminent danger pay. They meet monthly at Arlington Legion Post 208, 121 N. Douglas, Arlington Heights.

American Legion Post 525, founded in 1930 by 16 World War I veterans, provides service to veterans, the community and nation. It is open to any former service member whether they experienced hostile fire or not. Meetings are held monthly at Arlington Legion Post 208 in Arlington Heights.

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Sarah Plain and Tall Book Discussion

Come join us for our second annual children’s book discussion in Mt. Prospect’s newly restored original one-room schoolhouse on Saturday, February 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Children in grades 3-5 will discuss the Newberry Medal awarded Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan while snacking on a prairie lunch (provided).

“We are excited to continue our children’s book discussion series in the Central School,” says Deborah Rittle, local teacher and member of the Society’s Living History program.  The one room school is located on the grounds of the Mount Prospect Historical Society. (103 S. Maple)  “Sarah is the embodiment of the pioneer spirit that made communities like ours thrive.”

Participants will read the book beforehand and come ready to chat a little about the story.  (The book has a Lexile level of 660L.) 

For more information or to register, please contact the Mount Prospect Historical Society at 847-392-9006.

Fee Information: $15.00 Includes prairie lunch. Deadline to register is January 31, 2018.

You can register with PayPal below.


Participant(s) Name:
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Mount Prospect Historical Society Launches Unique Living History Experience

Schoolmarm Julie Vowinkel goes over the school rules.

Students from area schools are now able to experience a school day straight out of the past.

Thanks to the restoration of the Village’s original one-room 1896 schoolhouse, Central School, the Mount Prospect Historical Society is pleased to announce a new phase in its programming.

Attentive students in one-room schoolhouse.

“After months of planning, we are thrilled to be launching this program,” said Deb Rittle, Schoolhouse Project Coordinator. “We envision this program helping future generations to learn and cherish the history of our community. Not many original one-room schoolhouses still exist in our state, or even in our country for that matter, so Central School will offer a valuable and unique educational experience for students and teachers in our community and beyond.”

Under the direction of a Schoolmarm or Schoolmaster, students will experience what learning was like in a one-room multi-age classroom straight out of the past. The experience includes reading, writing and arithmetic lessons, as they were taught to school-aged children of the past in Mount Prospect. A recess break during which students play back-to-basics games of a by-gone era is even included.

Schoolmaster Dave Gudjonis recites from McGuffey’s First Eclectic Readers.

Set in 1896, the two-hour experience is aligned with Common Core State Standards and is rich in local history. During this interactive field-trip, modern students take on the roles of students from Mount Prospect’s past as they recite the ABCs of Central School, read from McGuffey’s First Eclectic Readers, practice their handwriting on slates and participate in a spelling bee.

The experience is offered as both a morning and an afternoon session Tuesday through Thursday. Teachers or home school coordinators may make reservations for the experience through the Society’s web-site at www.mtphist.org/centralschool or by calling the Society at 847/392-9006.

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Celebrating Laura Ingalls Birthday at Central Schoolhouse

Book review with Mrs. Runde

A group of Mount Prospect children recently gathered on a Saturday to celebrate author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 150th birthday in the newly-restored 1896 Central School. The 4th graders had a book discussion about Wilder’s book, “These Happy Golden Years,” which focuses on her teaching experiences in a one-room schoolhouse.

Writing exercise
Mrs. Rittle

“The modern-day students wondered what it was like having all the grades together in one room with only one teacher,” said Deborah Rittle, program coordinator. She is a teacher at St. Paul Lutheran School in Mount Prospect.
Tin pails were packed with a simple lunch — an apple, sandwich, corn muffin and an old-fashioned candy stick — like Laura might have carried to her prairie school. Students churned their own butter for lunch by passing a jar of cream around and shaking it very well while discussing the story.
“We were delighted to have the book talk so well-attended, “said Michele Runde, a member of the museum’s living history committee. “It was a fabulous start to the fun and educational programs we plan to offer in Mount Prospect’s own historic one-room schoolhouse.”