The Morton Grove Park District is located 10 miles
northwest of Chicago and 20 minutes from O’Hare airport. The
district was founded in 1951 and serves a community of 23,000. The
organization is lead by five (5) elected park commissioners, 24
full time staff and over 200 seasonal and part time employees. The
district owns and maintains ten facilities including two outdoor
pools, a museum, four field houses, a 50,000 sf state of the art
community center and 13 parks totaling 67 acres.The Morton Grove
Park District is an independent taxing authority from the Village
of Morton Grove allowing us to levy our own taxes to provide services
to our residents. The district is a member of the Illinois Park
and Recreation Association (IPRA) and the Illinois Association of
Park Districts (IAPD). These organizations combined makeup the professional
membership of nearly 5000 members.
The Morton Grove Historical Museum / The Haupt-Yehl House
Where the twentieth century lives on into the new millennium
The Morton Grove Historical Museum was built in 1888 by Nicholas
Haupt as a home for his wife and eight children. His wife, Magdalena,
died before the house was complete, leaving behind her husband and
eight children. After Nicholas also died two years later, the Haupt
children remained together in the house until the youngest was of
age. Third daughter Elizabeth married Mathias Yehl in 1901 and they
raised their six children in the home. Yehl daughter Dorothy remained
in the house until the property was sold in 1984. The Morton Grove
Historical Society, in cooperation with the Morton Grove Park District,
saved the house from demolition and moved the house from its original
location on Lincoln Avenue it to its present site in Harrer Park.
Currently, the Historical Society and Park District cooperate in
maintaining and operating the Museum. The museum collects and displays
artifacts of significance to Morton Grove, including those of the
original founders and those of more recent settlers to the community
— all who continue to enhance the vitality of Morton Grove.
Morton Grove: From Baby Boomers to the New Millennium
Tour the decades through photos, artifacts and fashions by visiting
the Morton Grove Historical Museum's annual exhibit. The current
exhibit features Morton Grove during the later half of the 20th
century and provides a peek at the evolving fashions, technology
and entertainment of these five decades. Remember white gloves
and pill box hats? Remember Odyssey, one of the first video games
from the 70s? Remember 5-1/4 floppy disks? Remember mini-skirts
and "45s"?
While touring the exhibit, test your cultural I.Q. How much do
you know / remember about the 50s? 60s? 70s? 80? 90s? Are you "TOTALLY
WITH IT", "IN THE GROOVE" or "OUT IN THE OZONE"?
The exhibit includes a hands-on section featuring reproductions
of familiar toys, which were transported to space in 1985 on the
Space Shuttle Discovery, and other familiar toys carried on board
the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1993. Astronauts on these two missions
conducted a number of experiments with these toys to discover the
physics principles behind their operations in a weightless environment.
Can you conjecture about how these toys would behave in space and
compare that to how they react on earth? Are you "SPACE SAVVY" or "SPACED
OUT"?
Admission to the Museum and exhibit is free. Arrangements for
a tour can be made for almost any day of the week by calling 847-965-0203.
Or, visit during our "Open to the Public" hours, Wednesday,
1 - 3pm; Sunday, 2 - 4. Bring your children to learn more about
these decades that seem so familiar to some of us but like a different
world to almost half of us.
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Traveling History Trunks
School and Community groups are invited to request one of the Traveling
History Trunks now available through the Museum. Each trunk focuses
on a different historical theme and is available throughout the
calendar year. These trunks contain genuine artifacts, exhibit materials
and activities that can be used to supplement the history learned
in traditional textbook and classroom activities. The Morton Grove
Historical Museum Curator will bring the trunk to your location,
explore its contents with the participants, and guide the group
in prearranged activities. Currently, we have trunks available focusing
on the following themes: Civil War, World War II and Native American
Past. Call the Museum for more information on this service that
is offered at no cost to local schools and community groups.
Join the Morton Grove Historical Society
When you join the Historical Society, you become a part of the
effort to preserve Morton Grove’s Heritage. Their goals include:
- Operating the Morton Grove Historical Museum (Haupt-Yehl House)
in cooperation with the Morton Grove Park District.
- Placing brass plaques at significant historical sites throughout
the Village.
- Collecting and preserving items related to the history of Morton
Grove and its people.
- Presenting the past through museum exhibits, displays, and educational
programming.
As a member, you will receive the Historical Society’s newsletter
and can attend meetings that offer free lectures on local history
or historical topics. We hope you consider joining our Society.
Annual Membership |
|
| Student (18 and under) |
$1.00 |
Individual |
$7.50 |
| Family (one address) |
$15.00 |
Senior Citizen (60 and over) |
$5.00 |
Sponsor - any individual, organization,
or corporation donating at least |
$25.00 |
Life Membership |
|
| Individual |
$50.00 |
Family (one address) |
$100.00 |
Please make check payable to the Morton Grove Historical Society
and mail, along with your name address and phone number, to:
Morton Grove Historical Society Membership
P.O. Box 542
Morton Grove, IL 60053
Your membership card will be sent to you by return mail. Annual
membership dues run from April 1 through March 31. All dues and
contributions are tax deductible. For more information, please call
the Museum at 965-0203.
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Museum Location and Hours
Museum hours
Sundays, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Wednesdays, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Or by appointment.
School and Community groups are invited to call the Museum and
arrange a group tour available by appointment Monday through Saturday,
9:00 – 6:00pm. Admission to the Museum is free. Donations
are appreciated.
Location (not the mailing address):
6240 W. Dempster
Harrer Park
Morton Grove, Illinois
Mailing Address:
Morton Grove Historical Museum
6834 W. Dempster
Morton Grove, Illinois 60053
Phone: 847-965-0203
Morton Grove Prairie Nature Preserve
On September 7, 1975 the Bicentennial Commission of Morton Grove
dedicated the Morton Grove Park District Prairie. A piece of true
wilderness, the site is 1.6 acres in size. It alone retains a primeval
and prehistoric character, as it is perhaps the only virgin land
in Niles Township. This tiny parcel of land is the historic heirloom
of the community.
In order to maintain this land, the Morton Grove Park District
has a cooperative agreement with the Nature Conservancy Illinois
Field Office and the Volunteers from the North Branch Prairie
Project. These organizations render services such as ecological
management, brush and weed control, trash control, monitoring
and public education. The site receives individual attention on
a regular basis from its steward, Kent Fuller.
Veterans' Memorial
Located at the southwest corner of Prairie View Park is a special
grove of twenty (20) trees on and about a knoll. This living memorial
stands in honor of the twenty Morton Grove men who gave of their
lives serving in the U.S. Military. A wall set into the knoll makes
a sheltered site for reading a plaque that records the names of
the remembered men and the wars they fought.
The memorial area is a cooperative project between the Park District,
American Legion Post #134, Vietnam Veterans of America #311 and
citizens of the community.
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