Lincoln Mythbusters

Happy birthday, Mr. Lincoln! On this day in 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family settled in Illinois in 1830, and the next year, Lincoln struck out on his own.

Lake Countians long for connections to the great orator and 16th President of the United States, as evidenced by multiple local legends.

Lincoln's only documented visit to Lake County occurred in April 1860. While in Chicago, Lincoln took the train to Waukegan to give a speech and to visit his attorney friends, Elisha Ferry and Henry Blodgett. He had dinner at the Ferry home on Julian Street, followed by a speech at Dickinson Hall. A fire broke out at a nearby warehouse, ending the speech, and Lincoln is reported to have given a hand in putting out the blaze. Afterward, Lincoln returned to the Ferry home and spent the night, giving the home the legitimate claim of “Lincoln slept here.” The bed in which he slept is displayed at the Waukegan Historical Society.

Though this was Lincoln's only visit to the county, that hasn't stopped folks from finding other connections real or imagined.

Lincoln as photographed by Alexander Hesler, June 1860. (above) On Lincoln's visit to Waukegan in April, he reportedly got a shave at Philip Brand's barber shop. Though Brand could well have given Lincoln a shave, the photo above, taken two months later, easily discounts Brand's other assertion of being "the last man to shave Lincoln."

The earliest supposed connection between Lincoln and Lake County takes us back to the Black Hawk War of 1832. Local legend states that during the war, Captain Lincoln and the troops serving with him, marched to the York House Inn on Greenbay Road in Waukegan Township. However, the legend fails to mention that Lake County was not yet settled, and the York House Inn was built in 1836—four years after the war ended.

Additionally, troop movements archived in the State of Illinois' Archives, reveal that the closest Lincoln's company came to Lake County was Janesville, Wisconsin.

A second legend claims that Lincoln had a law office in Half Day. As exciting as this might be, there is no historical documentation to substantiate this claim and it simply doesn't add up. An enterprising young attorney would have certainly touted the fact that he had not one, but two offices, but Lincoln never mentions Half Day in his papers, letters or autobiographies.

Lincoln's family home and law practice were in Springfield, 200 hundred miles away. He rode the circuit on horseback six months out of the year for the Eighth Judicial Circuit in central Illinois, again hundreds of miles away.

He did have reason to come to northern Illinois; after the federal court relocated from Springfield to Chicago in 1855, Lincoln occasionally traveled to Chicago for court purposes. However, an occasional court appearance in the City would not make it feasible to hang his shingle in Half Day where he would have to rent or buy a building and duplicate his law library. Travel was slow and wearisome and a “commute” from Half Day would not be practical for timely attendance at federal court. Circa 1920 postcard of the Half Day Inn.

To entertain this notion further, we would have to wonder at Lincoln's common sense. For such an industrious man, why would he choose the tiny farm community of Half Day over bustling Libertyville or Waukegan—with its courthouse—to establish a second office?

The third legend is the most promising. It claims that Lincoln spent the night in Hainesville while visiting his friend Elijah Haines. There is no primary source documentation that this visit occurred, but locals have passed it down through generations. Oral history is sometimes the only clue to past events, and there is often truth in it, though sometimes just a grain. In this case, I believe that grain to be the fact that Haines and Lincoln were friends, and that locals were eager to promote it.

The men first met in Chicago during the Great River and Harbor Convention of July, 1847 as delegates from their regions. This convention was in response to President Polk vetoing funding for river and harbor improvements in the Great Lakes.

Haines went on to serve in the State Legislature, and had occasion to meet Lincoln in Springfield where Lincoln lived and worked. As mentioned above, Lincoln’s position as a trial and appellate attorney kept him occupied in central Illinois with occasional trips to Chicago. Taking a 49-mile detour from Chicago to visit a friend in Hainesville wasn’t impossible, but unnecessary since the men could see each other in Springfield.

A key factor in determining the credibility of Lincoln lore is the amount of documentation. Lincoln is one of the most documented people in American history. People went to great lengths to record his life, including Lincoln, who wrote three autobiographies.

If you've heard other Lake County Lincoln legends, please let me know. I'd enjoy hearing them and adding them to the list.

Dressing for Winter

The Norwegians say, "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing."

With six weeks of winter left (thanks Mr. Groundhog!), I thought it'd be fun to share photos of how folks dressed in winter's past. Some more fashionably than others.

This photo of Bess Bower Dunn was taken in Waukegan about 1899. Bess is dressed in active wear that's actually a bit suffragette for the day—a cozy, and mis-buttoned cardigan sweater, bloomers, boots and hat. Women who did not wear skirts were considered highly suspicious and often criticized.

"Bloomers" were named for Amelia J. Bloomer, a prominent 19th century, women's rights advocate, who wore them.

Here's a photo of an unidentified woman, who may be Bess Dunn's mother, wearing a long skirt, heavy coat, fur stole and hat. The fur is most likely mink. (Dunn Museum, Bess Dunn Collection)








Diamond Lake School boys out for a day in the snow, near today's Countryside Lake, 1908.

(Dunn Museum 91.17.5)

More winter sports fun this time with members of the Women's Army Corps, Ann Bertsos and Polly Wassen of Company A. The WACS are skating on the ice rink at the east end of the Parade Grounds at Fort Sheridan, circa 1944. (Dunn Museum 92.24.571)

Of course, the reality of winter is that someone's got to clear the snow! The Fort Sheridan snow removal crew is pictured here on February 8, 1967.

Standing on machine: Private Thomas Brinker, Corporal Larry Treplow, Private Wayne Wright, Frank Beglanda, John Sumiset, W.L. Jackson, and Dan Clements. Front row from left: Road and Ground Supervisor Joe Kanke,Bill Rose, R.C. Williams, Randy Pracht, Anthony G. Quin Jr., Bennie W. Zoss, Gene Swisher, Rosevelt Thomas, Mario Caraffi, Milton Harrison, Abraham Gonalez, and Bob Broveak.

Zion Dome Update

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the dome from the Zion Hotel (built in 1902) that was saved by local citizens in 1979 when the rest of the building was demolished.

Since my post, a Save the Dome Committee has been organized to fundraise money for the much needed repairs to the historic structure. The Committee was formed by Zion Commissioner Shantal Taylor and other concerned citizens.

Anyone interested in this preservation effort can attend the committee's next meeting on February 9th at 4 p.m. at Ariel Fitness and Nutrition, 2719 Elisha Avenue, Zion.

Looking south on Sheridan Road at the Zion Hotel, circa 1910. Dunn Museum. 

The dome is located at Sheridan Road and 26th Street, on the original site of the Zion Hotel. 

Update! On April 22, 2011, it was reported in the News-Sun that Zion Solutions has donated $40,000 to the city of Zion to restore the dome.

Artist Reima V. Ratti (1914 - 1945)

In 2004, a collection of work by Waukegan-born artist, Reima "Ray" Ratti (1914-1945) was donated to the Bess Bower Dunn Museum from the estate of his fiancee, Mary Sadler. It is the largest known publicly-held collection of Reima V. Ratti's work.

During his short life, Ratti produced an impressive amount of sketches, drawings and paintings influenced by the vibrant and diverse community he lived in and the challenges of life in the Great Depression. 

Waukegan Township High School portrait of Reima Ratti, circa 1934.
Bess Bower Dunn Museum 2004.19.129

The son of Finnish immigrants, Victor Ratti (1886-1933) and Hilja Touminen Ratti (1889-1962), Reima's passion for art developed and matured through Waukegan Township High School's robust art program and dedicated teachers.

In the midst of the Great Depression, Ratti was able to take advantage of a New Deal program to gain full-time work. In 1935, Ratti was accepted as a laborer in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) with Company 1699 at Camp Estabrook near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

While working as a rock-crusher, Ratti continued to sketch and paint, finding inspiration in the back-breaking work.

At Camp Estabrook, Ratti painted the quintessential CCC laborer in this work titled, "Driller." Utilizing dynamite, drills and man-power, the CCC workers removed a nearly one-mile rock ledge as part of a flood control project along the Milwaukee River. "Driller" oil on canvas, 1935. 

Bess Bower Dunn Museum 2004.19.7

In September 1936, Ratti requested to be accepted as a CCC artist, sending a letter and his sketchbook to the head of the Treasury Department Section of Painting and Sculpture in Washington, D.C.: “I have heard much about CCC artists and the fine work they have done. I would very much like to be a CCC Artist myself.” His request was accepted and his status changed from "enrollee" to "official CCC artist." 

While Ratti became an artist with the Civilian Conservation Corps, most artists employed by the U.S. Government's New Deal programs worked through the Federal Arts Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

In July 1937, Ratti returned home to Waukegan to work full-time as a night shift baker for the Co-Operative Bakery. Since he worked as a baker in the early morning hours before dawn, he was able to paint during the day when natural light was best.

Reima Ratti sketching in the back alley of the Co-Operative Bakery in Waukegan where he worked from 1937 to 1943.

Waukegan Post, May 3, 1940.

Ratti worked in oils, graphite, ink, pastel, and gouache. He often painted friends and family, and some landscapes as well. The oil portraits were done in the cottage studio he built at the back of the lot of his family's Waukegan home. 

"Landscape" by Reima Ratti, oil on canvas, 1944. This painting was done while on a trip to Wyoming  to see relatives. 

Bess Bower Dunn Museum 2004.19.9.b

"Young Man Carrying Pail" by Reima Ratti, pastel, circa 1940. One of Ratti's many drawings done at the Finnish baths in Waukegan. 

Bess Bower Dunn Museum 2004.19.2

"Portrait with Puffed Sleeves." Oil on canvas. Circa 1943.

Bess Bower Dunn Museum 2004.19.30

During his lifetime, Ratti's work was recognized locally and regionally. His art was exhibited at the Milwaukee Public Museum and Art Institute of Chicago. 

Uncited Waukegan newsapaper article about Ratti's death, November 15, 1945. 

After his untimely death at the age of 31, his fiancee, Mary Sadler (1916-2003), and friend and art pupil Carl Austen (1917-1999) memorialized and promoted his work with local exhibitions. For many years, Sadler continued to search in local resale shops for Ratti's work. 

~ ~ ~ 

In 2018, a biography of Reima V. Ratti's life, art and work in the CCC was published by Kathleen Duxbury. CCC ART Artists of the Civilian Conservation Corps: Reima Victor Ratti. 

The Zion Hotel Dome

 John Alexander Dowie, official portrait, 1903. Dunn Museum. 

The founding of the City of Zion is a remarkable tale of one man's will. The charismatic preacher and faith healer, John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) founded the Christian Catholic Church and the city of his dreams, Zion.

Born in Scotland, Dowie came to Illinois in 1893 when he preached outside the gates of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. By 1899, his followers numbered in the thousands and had a Temple in Chicago.

It was Dowie's ambitious plan to create a theocracy—a city of God. He worked with a land agent to anonymously buy 6,000 acres in Benton Township, Lake County. Dowie was savvy enough to realize there might be opposition to his church claiming so much land. The local newspapers were quick to speculate on the flurry of purchases, possibly for a railroad or the Armour Meat Packing Company.

In July 1901, lots in several of Dowie's newly platted subdivisions were made available for lease, and the boom was on. The caveat, you had to be a member of Dowie's church. Families set up tents to live in while they built their homes.

Sheridan Road looking north from approximately 26th Street, circa 1905. Dunn Museum. (Location updated 4/5/19).

 

Early in 1902, Dowie had the Elijah Hospice "hotel" constructed to accommodate workers who would build the new city. The Hospice was located on Sheridan Road and 26th Street. 

The bus's sign denotes "Kenosha." Circa 1930. Dunn Museum.

It took 500 workers two months to complete the three-story building, which at the time was the largest wooden structure in Illinois. Painted white, the Hospice seemed to be the very icon of Dowie's message of "clean and faithful living." 

Rare photo of Zion Hotel interior taken in 1939 at the annual dinner of the Booker T. Washington Progressive Club. Dunn Museum 94.26.1. 

Zion Hotel, circa 1965. Dunn Museum 97.5.1.

In the 1950s, the building became a residence for senior citizens and was known as the Zion Hotel.

Advertisement for boarding at the Zion Hotel. Chicago Tribune, September 16, 1962. Newspapers.com

By the 1970s, the building needed repair, so it had to be condemned. In 1979, it was razed, but Zion's citizens donated $20,000 to save the dome as a reminder of the city's extraordinary past. 

Since 1980, the dome has been maintained through private and public funds on the same property where the hotel once stood.

Zion Hotel Dome, 2003. 

Credit: John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), 

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

 
The dome is one of the city's oldest landmarks and sits prominently along Sheridan Road, where it is seen by thousands of people each day. This is the only surviving remnant of Zion's early wooden structures, which were all destroyed by fire or bulldozer.

Two other significant Dowie-era buildings are also preserved in Zion—Dowie's former residence, Shiloh House, and Shiloh Cottage, both brick Victorians. The Shiloh House is home to the Zion Historical Society.

Postcard view of Dowie's residence, circa 1907. Dunn Museum 96.6.4

In recent months, the dome's deteriorating condition has again caused concerns. There is renewed debate about who should pay for its maintenance.

- Diana Dretske, Curator ddretske@LCFPD.org

Andrew Carnegie and His Library Legacy

Before towns had public libraries they often had “reading rooms.” Waukegan had maintained one through its library association beginning in 1845, but the dream was always to have a true library for its citizens. If not for a generous donation from Andrew Carnegie in 1903, that dream may have taken many more years to be realized.

Andrew Carnegie visiting Waukegan, circa 1903. LCDM Collection.

Carnegie (1835-1919) was one of America’s most successful businessmen. He immigrated to the United States from Scotland with his family in 1848, and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

Carnegie worked at a cotton mill, Western Union and the Pennsylvania Railroad before beginning his own business in 1865—the Carnegie Steel Company.

Through his shrewd and often criticized business practices, Carnegie became the world’s wealthiest man.

He was convinced that education was life’s key and that people should have access to information for self-education. In this regard, he established the first Carnegie Library in his hometown in Scotland in 1881.

The first Carnegie Library in the United States was built in Braddock, Pennsylvania in 1889. Curt Teich postcard A23659 (1911).

The amount of money that Carnegie gave each town was based on U.S. Census figures, and averaged about $2 per person. Nearly all Carnegie libraries were built according to "The Carnegie Formula," which required matching contributions from the town that received the donation. Generally, this meant the people had to be willing to raise taxes to support the library. He also required that the town provide the building site, and free service to all.


The Carnegie Library in Waukegan, with its unusual semicircular shape and Ionian Greek style architecture stands at the corner of Washington Street and Sheridan Road. It served as the community’s library from 1903-1965.

Jack Benny worked as a pit musician at the Barrison Theater (on left in postcard above) until 1911, when he left Waukegan to perform in a vaudeville act with Barrison pianist Cora Salisbury. Postcard, circa 1907 (LCDM 61.8.101).

Carnegie's donations coincided with a time of expansion for many towns, and when states were seeing the need to establish public libraries. Waukegan Public Library, circa 1910 (LCDM 61.8.121).

Another view of the library, showing the unusual construction on the bluff at Sheridan Road, circa 1945 (LCDM 2006.17.2).

In all, Carnegie provided the funds to build approximately 1,900 public libraries in the United States and over 2,800 worldwide. It cost him over $41 million to build the U.S. libraries, and in his lifetime he gave away $350 million. After his death, the Carnegie Corporation of New York continued his tradition of philanthropy.

Waukegan's "new" public library is located on County Street, near the county courthouse. The Carnegie Library still stands on Sheridan Road, and there is much debate over what function the building can serve.

One of America’s greatest living writers, and Waukegan native, Ray Bradbury (1920- ), discovered books and a love of reading at Waukegan's Carnegie Library, benefiting from Andrew Carnegie's belief that “the man who dies rich, dies disgraced.”

Christmas Dinner

Holiday dinners are special for the traditional food and decorations, and for families and friends gathering to celebrate.

I searched the collection for images of holiday meals, and the ones that stood out featured soldiers and sailors. In these images, enlisted men are celebrating Christmas far from home.

This postcard from 1917 taken at the U.S. Naval Station Great Lakes shows young sailors having their Christmas dinner. I find this image particularly sweet as they smile for the camera, making the best of being away from home. Even though the table is crowded with so many seated for dinner, it also appears festive with white china and greenery for centerpieces.

This is the back of the Christmas Dinner postcard. Oddly, it is postmarked June 17, 1918. Maybe it was the only postcard available or it evoked the "Great life up here" that he writes about in the message.

This Christmas dinner was held at Fort Sheridan, circa 1930. At each place setting, the coffee cup is turned upside down and an apple is set on top. There are also gift items on each plate, including a pack of cigarettes and a cigar. The meal consists of pies, roasted meat, mashed potatoes and butter.

This photo was taken in the Officers Club at Fort Sheridan, December 6, 1967. The room is decorated for the Officers Wives Club Christmas tea. A white aluminum Christmas tree with tinsel is prominently displayed at the center of the tables. Look closely you may be able to see that the platters of hors d'oeuvres include some in the shape of snowmen.

Happy holidays!