Travel Exhibit to Open at the Des Plaines History Center

Come explore the power and attraction of travel at a reception for a new exhibit Thursday, August 7, from 5-7 p.m. (presentation at 6 p.m.) at the Des Plaines History Center, 781 Pearson Street. The display, “Greetings from Des Plaines,” features various aspects of travel to and from Des Plaines as the town developed during the 19th and 20th centuries.

History Center Curator Philip Mohr will lead viewers through a three-part show, one of which involves an interactive component. “The exhibit covers migration to the Chicago area, the attraction of traveling to Des Plaines, and correspondence of people who traveled from Des Plaines,” said Mohr. “Young people are invited to come and pack their own immigrant trunk for their trip to settle on a farm here in Maine Township.”

Residents are welcome to send the History Center postcards as they travel this summer. The new postcards will be on display with postcards and letters sent from Des Plaines in the early 1900s. The exhibit also includes a large wooden trunk that accompanied a couple in the 1870s or 1880s as they left Germany and made a home in this area.

Please join the History Center at the reception or stop in to enjoy the travel show at a later date. The display will remain active through December. Come in any Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or Sunday from 1-4 p.m. For information or to register, call the History Center at 847-391-5399 or check the website at desplaineshistory.org.

The History Center gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Des Plaines, the Des Plaines Park District, its members, and other contributors.