HONORING LOCAL HISTORY

The St. Charles History Museum has installed a rotating exhibit at the St. Charles Area Chamber of Commerce office

By Patti MacMillan | Photos by Drew Pertl and provided by St. Charles History Museum

Photo by Drew Pertl

Caroline Howard

The notion of communing with the dead has long been a source of fascination. The St. Charles History Museum is shining light on this mystical practice with its new exhibit, “Radical Souls: The 19th Century Spiritualists of St. Charles,” which opened Oct. 1. Visitors to the exhibit will find information and artifacts relating to local spiritualists — both men and women who claimed an ability to speak with the deceased and who sought to comfort those suffering loss from the Civil War. “It’s a bit of a spooky topic and there was some really intelligent conversation around it,” says Lindsay Judd, executive director of the museum.

Among those featured are Steven S. Jones, a Kane County lawyer and judge who is known for giving St. Charles its name, as well as hotel proprietor and self-professed medium Caroline Howard. Also highlighted is Jones’ son-in-law, John Curtis Bundy. “They truly believed in spiritualism, but there were others out there who were con artists and took advantage of grieving families,” says Judd of the figures, all of whom lived in the mid-1800s. “One thing these people did was call out those who exploited others.” Evidence also exists that the area where Baker Park now stands once played host to outdoor conventions where spiritualists gathered to discuss shared beliefs and matters within their community. Of the items on display, Judd is particularly excited to showcase two authentic Civil War-era dresses complete with the big bell skirts that were the fashion of the day. More of the city’s storied past can be found in the St. Charles Area Chamber of Commerce office, where museum staff have installed a rotating exhibit. Displays have featured a retrospective of St. Charles businesses for the Chamber’s 100th year as well as a look at local dairies such as Anderson (now Colonial), Riverview and Madsen.

Other important elements of St. Charles history as well as timehonored seasonal celebrations, such as Scarecrow Weekend, will be the focus of future exhibits.

To learn more, visit www. stcmuseum.org.