Spring - Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society

Celebrate our heritage with the
2013 Centennial Family Awards
At our 2013 Annual Meeting we will celebrate two
Centennial Families who have lived in the community for
over 100 years and share the history of Everett School.
Families honored this year include the Cascarano family,
nominated by Carrie Spezzano, and the Lanners-Rose
family, nominated by Madeline G. Mobile. Please join
us on Sunday, May 5th at 3:00 p.m. at Everett School to
celebrate these families and Everett School. This event is
free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
2013 Centennial
Family Awards
History of Everett School/
Annual Meeting
Sunday, May 5th
3:00 pm
Everett School
Free and Open to the Public
The Cascarano family immigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1890s. Antonio
and Celeste Cascarano and their nine children arrived in Lake Forest in 1910. Antonio
worked as a gardener on the J. Ogden Armour estate. His family quickly became a fixture
in Lake Forest, with his children and grandchildren making their marks in the community
through crafts and professions of all kinds: landscape design, upholstery, produce
delivery, the railroad, and Christmas trees, to name just a few.
The families of both Joseph Lanners and Irene Rose had already lived in town for more
than thirty years when they married in 1931. Both families were very active in the
community—Joseph Lanners and his sister-in-law Madeline Rose organized and directed
the Lake Forest Day Children’s Parade from 1931 until 1983 – over fifty years. Joseph
also founded the first Boy Scout Troop at the School of St. Mary in 1930.
In addition to fascinating anecdotes about these Centennial Families, at the Annual
Meeting, you’ll also learn more about the history of our host Everett School. Everett,
which will mark its 100th anniversary next year, began as a small, two-room schoolhouse
in 1914, back when Everett was its own community separate from Lake Forest. This
old brick schoolhouse was transformed into a fire station in the 1950s, when the current
school building was constructed.
Anthony Cascarano with
his mother Flora in front
of the vegetable gardens
at Walden
Joseph and Irene Lanners
leaving on their
honeymoon in 1931
May 2013 a Volume Twenty-nine a Number One
Spotlight on Volunteers
Our 2013 spring intern, Briana Buckingham, has
been a delightful addition to our organization. Bri
is a junior at Lake Forest College where she is
majoring in Communications with a minor in AfricanAmerican Studies. Bri has assisted in numerous
communications projects, including the promotion
of our spring programs, marketing for The Mystery
of the Gardener’s Daughter and development of our
mock 1916 newspaper. She has also worked with Lisa
Frey, the Director of Development, on member benefit
activities. Bri is looking forward to putting the skills she
developed during her internship to work as she enters the
professional world.
I have received so many compliments
about our spring and summer line-up
for programs. To advertise these, we
developed a mock 1916 newspaper
that was distributed to every household
in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, and to
our non-local members. The response
has been fantastic to both our events and
newspaper as shown by the tremendous
number of new members. Lisa Frey, Laurie Stein and I
welcome our new members to the Historical Society family
and look forward to getting to know you better. Please contact
me if you would like additional copies of the newsletter. It
can also be downloaded from our website.
Welcome Juliet to the Staff
We welcome Juliet Stein-Davies
to the curatorial staff. Juliet will be
working through July coordinating the
collections inventory—researching and
updating catalog records, identifying
items for conservation and scanning
the photograph collection. A lifelong
resident of the community, Juliet has a degree from
Barat College and has experience working in both school
and public libraries.
I would like to give special thanks to Tom Gleason of Crab
Tree Farm and Chef John des Rosiers for donating their
expertise and exquisite spaces for the spring tour. Not only is
Crab Tree Farm one of a kind, but the addition of the period
lunch that Chef des Rosiers is developing (based on the
farm’s historic cookbooks) makes this an even more unique
experience.
Our Crab Tree Farm program sold out quickly with a first
notice to members. If you have not renewed your membership,
I hope you will do so today. Your support will ensure that we
can continue to bring you fun and interesting programs about
the community.
Welcome New Members
Ms. Elisa Allan
Mrs. Anna Lee Bayly
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Behrens
Ms. Monica Burmeister
Mr. and Mrs. James Cascarano
Mr. and Mrs. Terry Czerwinski
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Everett
Mrs. Esther Fetherolf
Ms. Ann Flood
Mr. and Mrs. Justin Foley
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Forness
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Gannon
Mr. Geoffrey Georgas
Ms. Shawn Gore
Mr. Charles Hansen
Mrs. Winifred Hayes
Mr. and Mrs. Courtney Hays
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Hazlett
Ms. Sandra Herrick
Mrs. Judy Inglese
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Jacobson
Ms. Kathy Kalstrup
Ms. Kay Kearney
Mr. Paul Klug and Mr. Craig Bergmann
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kolar
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Kruse
Ms. Mary Lane
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Lange
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lanigan
Mr. and Mrs. Donald K. Lavanway
Mr. Justin Lee and Ms. Jessica MacDonald
Mr. Robert J. Marshall
Mr. Laurence McCotter
Ms. Diana Miller
Mr. and Mrs. German Moreno
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Pawlick
Ms. Ellory Peck
Ms. Tellet Perveen
Ms. Lois Polakoff
Ms. Kathryn Quinn, AIA
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Mr. and Mrs. David Radcliffe
Ms. Grace Ragsdale
Mr. Patrick Requa
Ms. Mary Ann Richie
Ms. Stephena Romanoff
Ms. Katherine M. Saville
Mrs. Teresita Shah
Mr. and Mrs. David Sharpe
Mr. Oscar Soergel
Mr. Armiger H. Sommers
Mr. Charles Starcevich
Ms. Catherine Sugino
Mr. Donald Swanton
Ms. Elizabeth Teich
Ms. Alice Tell
Mr. and Mrs. Dominic Turchi
Mr. and Mrs. William Vance
Mr. and Mrs. James Williams
Mark Your Calendar - Summer Tours
JUNE
Tour of Ragdale
Thursday, June 27th at 10:00 am
Cost: $8 per person,
advance reservations required
Ragdale was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw as a summer home for his
family and there, each member could explore their artistic talents: Shaw as an
architect, his mother as a painter, his wife Frances as a poet and playwright, and his
daughter Sylvia as a sculptor. In 1976, Howard Van Doren Shaw’s granddaughter,
Alice Judson Hayes, created the Ragdale Foundation and turned the home and
farm into an artist’s retreat where artists can go to create their beautiful, creative,
and brilliant masterpieces. The property has recently undergone an extensive
renovation. The tour will also include the gardens of Ragdale. Space is limited
and reservations are required.
Bike Tour of the Lasker Estate
Sunday June 30th at 2:00 pm
Cost: $5 per person,
advance reservations required
The expansive 480-acre estate of Albert Lasker, the father
of modern advertising, was built in the late 1920s. It was the
quintessential country estate with a manor house designed by
architect David Adler, grand gardens, and gentleman farm. The estate was even
more exceptional because of its own 18 hole golf course, considered among the
toughest in the country. Thirteen of the original buildings, including the manor
house, still exist and have been turned into unique homes. The bike tour covers
the history of the estate and will last about 90 minutes. Space is limited and
reservations are required. More information will be sent upon registration.
JULY
ENCORE SHOWING OF THE OPEN
STEEL HIGHWAY
Lecture by Norman Carlson
Wednesday, July 31st at 1:30 pm
Lake Forest Place
Reservations requested
North Shore Historian Norman Carlson will present an encore showing of
his lecture “The Open Steel Highway” previously presented at the Historical
Society. The free lecture will be held at Lake Forest Place. For reservations and
additional directions, please contact the Historical Society at 847-234-5253 or
[email protected].
Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society
Board of Directors 2012-2013
President: Robert D. Douglass, AIA
Vice President: David R. Henkel
Treasurer: Leslie T. Chapman
Secretary: David Sweet
Immediate Past President: Kate Wolf
Lori G. Baker
Robert N. Banks
Jane Brenton-Knauer
Julie Carter
Mike Conklin
Carl DiTomasso
Kathryn P. Govas
N. Maxwell Gregory
Margie Juedes
David M. Lutrey
Jack Meierhoff
Arthur H. Miller
Nancy Novit
John Ormsby
Jean Royster
Bob Shaw
Lynn Taylor
Mark Westcott
Kay Weston
Susan Wright
Executive Director: Janice C. Hack
Curator: Laurie E. Stein
Director of Development: Lisa M. Frey
Sunday Manager: Jillian Chapman
august
Just Added! Bike Tour of the North Shore Interurban
Saturday, August 3rd at 9:00 am
Cost: $5 per person, advance reservations required
Encore lecture on Wednesday, July 31st
Today’s bike paths through Lake Forest and Lake Bluff were once the tracks of
the North Shore Interurban electric railway. The Historical Society bike tour will
explain the history of the North Shore and point out hidden remnants along the
way. Train service along the original route from Waukegan to Highland Park,
later known as the Shore Line Route, began in 1898. The Skokie Valley Route,
along the present day Route 41, began in 1926. Unfortunately, both of these
routes were abandoned by 1963. The bike tour will begin at the Lake Forest-Lake
Bluff Historical Society with a brief introduction by North Shore Historian Mr.
Norman Carlson.
For tickets and reservations for all of the Historical Society programs,
please call 847-234-5253 or visit www.lflbhistory.org.
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Lake Forest High School Freshman William Morris spent a day at the
Historical Society in April as part of the high school’s “Open Door”
career exploration program. He is shown here with Executive Director
Janice Hack researching materials for a future program on the Onwentsia
Hunt. Thank you William!
COLLECTIONS
CORNER
Historical Society Partners with
Crab Tree Farm and Inovasi for
Spring Tour
The Historical Society is delighted to host the exhibit
“Herbarium Abstractions” put together by Lake Forest
College student Victoria Jones from the Elizabeth Teter
Lunn herbarium collection of the college.
The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society is pleased to
offer, once again, a tour of Crab Tree Farm this May—but
with a unique twist. As part of this year’s program, Chef
John des Rosiers of Inovasi is creating a luncheon menu
inspired by Crab Tree Farm’s own period cookbooks.
Members received first notice of the tour and it quickly sold
out.
In 1893, John Merle Coulter, a world-renowned botanist
and president of Lake Forest College instituted the
college’s herbarium along with Mogens Christian
Jensen. Thirty years later, the collection was added to
by Dr. Elizabeth Teter Lunn, a leading woman Biologist
and later chair of the biology department. She oversaw
an index to the collection which has grown to 5,000
pressed and dried plant specimens. The collection is
an invaluable resource to study the historical flora of
the region and has been employed by Lake Forest Open
Lands in their work to determine native and introduced
plants on lands under the organization’s care.
We are grateful for our partnership with Crab Tree Farm
and Inovasi to present this one-of-a-kind experience.
Designed by architect Solon Beman as a model dairy farm,
Crab Tree Farm now houses a collection of Arts and Crafts
furniture and decorative arts. Inovasi, which emphasizes
sustainability in its menu, has been called a “forward
looking restaurant” with a “little bit of culinary magic
taking place” by food critic Phil Vettel of the Chicago
Tribune.
An exhibition of specimens from Lake Forest College’s
Elizabeth Teter Lunn Herbarium, entitled “Herbarium
Abstractions,” will be on display at the Historical
Society now through the beginning of May. Exhibition
curator Victoria Jones will be available on Sundays at
2 p.m. to give tours of the exhibit.
Special Exhibit of
Crab Tree Farm Images
The Historical Society is hosting an exhibit of paintings of
Crab Tree by three local artists. The oil on canvas paintings
created by Mr. Bart Woloson are based on photographs
taken during the Historical Society’s October 2012 tour
of Crab Tree Farm. Mr. Woloson is an active member of
the Plein Air Artists of Western Michigan. Former Board
Member Katie Hale has been painting watercolor scenes
of Crab Tree Farm for a couple of years. The work of Jill
Pilarski will also be on display.
The exhibit opens May 9th and will be up through the
summer.
Oil on Canvas
Painting by
Bart Woloson
Lake Forest College Senior Victoria Jones hangs a
specimen for the herbarium exhibit.
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Mystery of the Gardener’s Daughter
WALDEN SPONSORS
Mystery of the Gardener’s Daughter
KUPPENHEIMER SPONSORS
• Griffith, Grant, and Lackie Realtors
• James Anderson Company
• Lake Effects Holdings, LLC
Thanks to our Supporters
Curatorial Donation
In connection with our lecture on the North Shore Interurban,
the following individuals made a contribution to preserve the
Historical Society’s collection of glass plate negatives of
North Shore images. Thank you for your donation.
The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society is
grateful to Mrs. Carolyn Wells Koss for her generous
gift that enables the Historical Society to purchase a
transcription machine that will allow us to transcribe
oral histories for permanent placement in the archives.
Her gift will also fund an internship this summer that
will allow us to bring someone on board to work with
the oral histories.
Francis Beidler III
David Cain
Norman Carlson
David Mattoon
Carol Stroh
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Non-Profit Organization
U. S. Postage
PAI D
Permit No. 160
Lake Forest, IL
Just Added:
North Shore Interurban Bike Tour
361 East Westminster
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045
Phone: (847)234-5253
Fax: (847)234-5236
www.lflbhistory.org
Museum Hours
Tuesday–Wednesday–Thursday–Sunday
1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Walking Tour of Elawa Farm
Saturday June 15, 2013 at 10:00 am
Join Arthur Miller for a walking tour of Elawa Farm, 900 North Waukegan Road, on Saturday, June 15th at 10:00 am.
The tour is free but reservations are requested. Guests should meet at the main barn.
Elawa Farm was built in 1917 for the A. Watson Armour
family. The farm complex was designed by New York
architect Alfred Hopkins, a leading expert on estate farms.
The name of the farm, ELAWA, was a composite of ELsa
and A. Watson and was the family’s weekend home. In
addition to the farm, the tour will include the gatehouses to
the estate which were converted to a home by A. Watson
Armour and now house the offices of Craig Bergmann
Landscape Design and Paul Klug Interior Design.
Wallace and Lelia Holden Carroll purchased the house and
farm from the Armours in 1954 and renamed it LeWa Farm
(a composite of LElia and WAllace.) The Carrolls’ original
purchase of 125 acres was expanded to include 600 acres of
land. The property operated as a gentleman farm until 1990
when it was acquired by the City of Lake Forest.