Trove of Local History Ready for Annual Christmas Party

The stockings and garland were being hung with care in hopes that visitors would soon be there.

Displaying antique doll's clothes was the way to go they deemed, while hanging Christmas lights that gleamed.

Ornaments were placed near tomes filled with lore, while they eagerly waited to display La Grange's days of yore.

Throughout the month of November the volunteers at the La Grange Area Historical Society have eagerly decorated their headquarters—a nineteenth century museum-like home—for their Dec. 5 Christmas party. Christmas trees have been filled with handmade ornaments, garland has been strung over windows and down the curving stair banister and a display of handmade antique doll clothing has been erected.  

Mary Ann Sward, one of the historical society board members, said the historical society board members and volunteers are excited about the coming party, which will be used to show off what the society offers.

"It's a fun time and people will get to see what we have here," Sward said. "This house also looks beautiful when it's decorated for Christmas."

One of the Christmas artifacts highlighted in the exhibit is a handmade dollhouse from the 1920s. Society member Laura Tussing said the doll house is one of her favorite pieces. She said it was a Christmas present a La Grange man in the 1920s made for his two daughters.

Organized in 1972, the La Grange Historical Society's mission is to preserve the history of the village. And preserve history they do. But folks unfamiliar with what is inside the historical society house should not go in expecting something akin to a traditional museum. Rather, they should expect something closer to an archive. That's not to say there are no displays. On the contrary, the downstairs of the house is decorated to look like a home from various eras in history. Currently the dining room is set to look like a holiday party from the early 20th century.

There are other treasures in the home though—of immense historical and anthropological value. The home is a veritable vault of written records documenting La Grange history. Inside the Queen Anne style home at 444 S. LaGrange Road, the historical society keeps files on every address in the village. Some of the files are inches thick with photographs, clippings from newspapers or legal documents, while others may have only a scrap of information inside or even nothing at all. Sward said there is more documentation of prominent La Grange citizens.

"A lot of the wealthier folks were written up in society pages years ago. So we have those records. But not everyone was written about in the newspapers which can leave some holes," she said.

Society member Ed Thule has been scanning some of the documents so they will be available online. He said he's receiving positive feedback from people interested in their genealogy.

In addition to the address files, Sward said the society has every telephone book published in La Grange since 1895. She said several people have used the telephone books to trace ancestors who lived in the village. In addition to the telephone books, the historical society has old copies of yearbooks.

The historical society also keeps files on village organizations, clubs and churches.

In addition to the address file system, the society stocks period clothing donated by La Grange residents. The clothes are used for period displays in the downstairs showrooms. During the Christmas season some dressmaker dummies are clad in festive attire from several time periods.

The society is housed in a home built by Samuel Vial, a farmer who moved to La Grange in 1833. Vial farmed the land around where the house sits. He built his house in 1874. The historical society acquired the Vial house in 1984. Prior to the acquisition the historical society operated out of the basement of the Congregational Church.

The La Grange Historical Society is open Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon and the last Sunday of each month from 1-4 p.m.

The Christmas party will be held Dec. 5 from 1-4 p.m.