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!”
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.
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.
