Galena's Living History Alliance

23 hours ago

We are so incredibly grateful to Ted and Robyn for jumping in and joining the cast of our Galena Living History Walk this October. ❤️
It means so much to us when people who already share such a love for Galena, its stories, and its history are willing to step up and help bring this event to life. We are very lucky to have them!
And if you’ve never been on one of The Haunted Galena Tour Company's tours, here’s our suggestion: make a whole weekend of it!
Ghost Tour on Friday night…
Galena Living History Walk on Saturday.
Thank you, Ted and Robyn. We’re so grateful to have you with us! … See MoreSee Less

Galena's Living History Alliance

1 week ago

Six and a half hours in.. and to quote Freddy Flintstone… "Quittin' time!".
…. until tomorrow! … See MoreSee Less

Galena's Living History Alliance

1 week ago

Well… We are at it again! 😂
A huge thank you, once again to the entire crew at Nohr Castings for the exemplary work they do on our plaques! We have 18 going right now. Cleaning is done and we have just begun the rust proofing. … See MoreSee Less

Galena's Living History Alliance

2 weeks ago

Every once in a while, one of our research binders takes on a life of its own.

And the binder for the Arthur Glessner House at 708 Park Avenue is certainly one of them.

When our Vice President and binder researcher, Eva Ott-Kromphardt, began researching the Glessner family, we knew there would be a story to tell. We did not quite anticipate more than 175 pages of it.

The house was built in 1884 for Arthur and his mother, Mary Glessner, a widow who had come to America from Cornwall, England, as a nine-year-old girl and had once taught school in the Elizabeth area. After her husband's death, her son Arthur purchased two lots along what was then Second Street in Galena and he hired Harry Telford to build what the newspaper described as a very attractive Queen Anne cottage.

And attractive it was! When finished, the house had a deep red roof, a light olive-green body and bronze-green trim, with a beautiful view across the city. Just two years later, Mary added a wing and had the house repainted.

But that is only the beginning.

Mary lived here for many years with her daughter Maggie, while Arthur's remarkable life carried him between Galena and Chicago. Arthur founded the Excelsior Steel Furnace Company and became an important figure in the steel and heating industry. He was also an inventor. One of his inventions became the subject of a patent dispute in which it was eventually determined that Arthur had actually conceived, built and tested the device before a competing company. He also received a patent for a machine used to manufacture nested stove pipe.

Then there was the Galena Gazette.

After the death of his father-in-law, James B. Brown, Arthur took over as editor of the Gazette, beginning an association with Galena's newspaper that would span many years. Even after moving his family permanently to Chicago, Galena remained very much a part of his life.

And when you read through Eva's research, it is the little stories that really bring this family to life.

There were birthday parties and teas at the house. Mary attended the World's Fair in Chicago. Maggie worked at the Galena post office. The family traveled throughout the United States and Europe. There were summers away, winters in Florida, trips by boat and train, and endless visits back and forth between Chicago and Galena.

There was also plenty of excitement at 708 Park Avenue.

In 1889, two women walking home from church realized that a strange man was following them near Grant Park. Terrified, they ran up the steps of the Glessner home and threw themselves against the door for safety. The newspaper later reported the incident under the memorable title, “Jack the Grabber.”

In 1898, Mary returned from shopping to discover that the house had been burglarized. Maggie's gold watch and jewelry were gone.

And the Glessner story stretched well into the next generation. During World War I, Arthur and Abbie had two sons serving their country at the same time. Herbert was stationed in France, while Arthur Brown Glessner was sent all the way to Siberia.

There were successes and celebrations in these pages, but also losses. Arthur and Abbie's daughter Margaret died in 1918, only eight months after giving birth to her daughter Elizabeth. As grandparents sometimes do, Arthur and Abbie then helped raise Elizabeth and her sister Peggy.

It is impossible to squeeze more than 175 pages of a family's life into one Facebook post, and that may be the best part of these binders. The plaque gives us a name and a date. The research gives us the people.

When Mike and Milly Jones recently delivered this enormous binder to the Machalas, they joked that there would be a quiz after they finished reading it.

Considering the size of this one, we may need to give them a little extra study time.

Our heartfelt thanks to the Machalas for being such wonderful stewards of this beautiful 1884 home and for the love and care they continue to give it. Homes like this survive because, generation after generation, someone decides they are worth caring for.

And an especially heartfelt thank you to our Eva. More than 175 pages of research represents countless hours and months, spent following names, dates, newspaper articles, census records, photographs and family connections. Her work has preserved far more than the history of a house. It has preserved the story of the people who once called it home.

That is exactly why we do what we do. … See MoreSee Less