Echoes of Elgin: Timeless Tales from the Elgin History Museum

Thousands of students have attended Abbott Middle School on the west side.  As Abbott nears its end, let's talk about its beginning.  School is in session; tune in to this echo from October 18, 1982.

Elgin was once the home of a renowned manufacturer of decorative make-up compacts. Learn more about Elgin American in this echo from April 24, 2005.

Allan Pinkerton, of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, has several local ties.  This echo from April 25, 1999 will give you the facts, and some of the mysteries.

The Lords Park Zoo has delighted visitors since 1895. Learn more about it's history in this echo from October 22, 1995.

The David C. Cook Publishing Company had a significant impact on Elgin.  An echo from May 28, 2000 tells the postal side of the story.

The Laura Davidson Sears Academy of Fine Arts, commonly known as the Sears Gallery, once housed an impressive art collection.  Hear its history in this echo from October 29, 1995.

What do you think?  Was Trout Park named for a person or a fish?  Find out the answer, along with some colorful history of the park, in this echo from November 30, 1982.

Time for a report on Mays Gone By with Mike Alft; an echo from May 5, 1991.

Remember our earlier episode on the collapsing Chicago Street bridge? This echo from April 21, 1991 gives more detail on the 1881 flood that was to blame for one of those collapses.  

Handkerchiefs only 1 cent! Would you like them fluff dried or returned damp?  Elgin Steam Laundry has you covered in this echo from May 25, 1997.

In response to his petition for divorce, Mrs. Wells of Chicago had her husband John Henry Wells declared insane and committed to the Illinois Northern Insane Asylum in Elgin.  The story does not end there. This echo from April 19, 2008 tells the tale.

More than just the name of a watch model, "Lady Elgin" has two other meanings among fans of Elgin lore. Tune into this echo from July 7, 1996 to find out those meanings.

This echo from May 27, 2002 recounts an event during the Civil War, proving that human kindness can exist, even in times of conflict.

Perhaps you know that the 19th Amendment gave women (most women, and often only in a legal sense) the right to vote in 1920. But did you know that over 100 Elgin women first voted in April of 1899? Or that Elgin women once got tired of waiting for bureaucracy to fix a problem and did it themselves, aided by wheelbarrows, horse-driven wagons and numerous loads of gravel?  This echo from November 28, 1999 tells the tale.

Almost 26 years have passed since E.C. "Mike" Alft first told this story on October 24, 1999.  That is still less time than it took for Elgin to move from concept to concrete on the IL Rte 20 bypass. 

If you invested in the Preston Reduction Company of Elgin in 1888, chances are you are still waiting for your dividend check. Investor, beware; reminds this echo from December 8, 1985.

This echo from May 8, 1983 tells the tale of Frank Brown, grave robber.

Pearl Harbor, the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the Battle of Leyte...these are key points in the history of U.S. involvement in WWII. Elginites made the ultimate sacrifice in assuring a "Victory at Sea".  Local Historian E.C. "Mike" Alft honors some of these sailors, by name, in this echo from May 24, 1998.

That one time a house fell off a barge and into the Fox River. An echo from August 16, 1982.