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Editor's note: This contains all the text of the member's newsletter, without the multi-column formatting.

Historic Millburn
Community Association, Inc.

Member Newsletter
May 18, 1998

Mark your calendar -- Annual Memorial Day services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, May 25th, in the park at the west end of Millburn Cemetery. Rev. Meltzer, Pastor of the Millburn Church, will be our speaker. Please join us for our walk through the cemetery.

Our new board -- During the March board meeting, the following officers were elected for a one year term: Dorothy Fettinger, President; Wolfgang Berthold, Vice President; Dawn Revenaugh, Treasurer; and Ruth White, Secretary. Congratulations to these hard workers who give their time for our cause.

Museum open -- Martin's Gen'L Store opened for business this season on March 13th. Store hours are Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 12:30 to 4:00. Volunteers are needed to become storekeepers. It is easy work and fun to talk with our visitors. Call a board member today.

Technology Fair -- On April 25th, our association hosted a booth at the Lake Villa School District 41 Technology Fair. We displayed the 1873 map, a number of old photos, and our property ownership drawing of Millburn. Those who stopped by our booth could see our internet website in operation. We handed out our website address to everyone who walked by. We're interested in taking our booth on the road. Let a board member know of other opportunities.

Student tours -- Over 350 Woodland School fifth graders have visited our museum during nine days in May. About 25 students at a time toured our exhibits while an equal size group was treated to Rev. Meltzer's "Father Dodge" presentation. Then these groups changed locations for the second performance. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped with this record number of student visitors. It was very difficult to stop traffic so that the students could cross the street.

Website award -- Our internet website has been awarded the "Illinois Genealogy Award of Excellence." This is quite an accomplishment, since our website was "in the running with the big guys in Illinois Genealogy." A special thanks to all of you who have allowed our webmaster to use your materials and photos. A very special thanks to our volunteer webmaster.

Millburn back on the world map -- We had 50,000 hits on our website during March and 60,000 hits during April. Internet browsers from all over the world have access to information about Millburn. During April, students at Millburn School accessed our website for information to include in seventh grade social studies and language arts themes.

Website easier to find online -- Search for Martin's Gen'L Store with search keyword "MILL45IL". Works with YAHOO and most other major internet search engines. Of course, you can also find us by using the whole URL (((link removed by webmaster on 10Jun2003))

Property records -- Our volunteers have been researching the properties in Millburn. Booklets for most of the houses in Millburn were on display at the annual meeting in February. These booklets list the owners, some facts about the owners, and contain the old photos we've been able to find. If you have not received a booklet for your "old home", then call 847-356-5744 and we'll send it on to you. All of the information is available in the files at the museum.

Museum collection grows -- We have increased our store inventory by about 170 items since January. Thanks to all of you who have donated items to the collections. Another big thanks to those of you who have consigned items for sale in the museum. Keep your eyes open for more. Think about our museum when you see someone disposing of old items. Too often, we hear about these treasures after they are already gone. The museum has some funds available to acquire items and can take others on consignment, retaining 25% of the sales price.

Traffic accident -- Our museum building was recently involved in a freak traffic accident when a motorist knocked over the traffic signal by our front porch. The porch and one of our outside signs sustained some very minor damage. Inside the museum, we had some exhibits thrown from the shelves. As the amount of traffic increases, we're afraid that too many motorists are beginning to think of Millburn only as "that traffic jam at rush hour."

New membership category -- We now have a "Life Time Member" status. A single Life Time membership is $100.00 and only $150.00 for a couple. All Life Time Members have their name added to a special plaque in the museum. Avoid those future membership dues payments by becoming a Life Time Member today.

Speaking of dues -- Are you paid up? Single membership is $10.00 per year or $20.00 per couple. Send your check, payable to Historic Millburn Community Association, Inc., to our Treasurer, Dawn Revenaugh, 38500 N. Hwy 45, Millburn of Old Mill Creek, IL 60083.

Even in 1859, Millburn was a special place and could really draw a crowd. Thain White, of Dayton, Montana, sent us an old newspaper that had the following article. It originally appeared in the Waukegan Gazette, on October 8, 1859, and was re-published in the Libertyville Independent on November 15, 1928, by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

FAIR AND STOCK SALE AT MILLBURN
The new era for Millburn, and of which we have so frequently spoken in our paper of late, came off as announced on Wednesday last, at Strang's Corners.
We did not get so early a start we intended, consequently did not arrive on the ground until about noon. Some distance from the lively scene on our way thither, could be observed the lively crowd, for it was a crowd of people bustling about and going to and fro, the younger portion of the male members trying the metal of their favorite Bays and Greys, and each striving apparently with the other as to who could contribute the most in making the first fair a lively and merry one. The sight in the distance was truly enlivening and invigorating, and we longed to be on the spot to take part in the exercises of the day and mingle with our solid friends of the Millburn neighborhood.... We were very soon on the ground, and were never more surprised than to the number of persons there were present to see the show, and the large quantity of stock and other articles to be seen. The area marked out for the exhibition was in the large field, bounded on the north by Mill creek road and on the west by the highway leading north through this thriving village, and nearly in front of Mr. George Strang's residence.
A track was staked off and a furrow plowed round so as to indicate distinctly its size, as well as to admonish those who had "blood to show off" that they must "keep within in the ring". Several acres just at the corner were taken up with the cattle and sheep stalls; the temporary building for the exhibition of fruits, vegetables, grains, fine arts, textile fabrics, embroidery and miscellaneous articles; the refreshment stand and the FIFTEEN HUNDRED PEOPLE who came to see the sights.... These fairs for the purpose of effecting sales of stock are quite a common thing in Great Britain ... That they can be conducted here as well . . . there is now no further doubt, and our friends at Millburn have the full credit of being the first in the West, so far as we know, of establishing public fairs for the sale of stock....
Among the prize winners appear these names: Peter Stewart, pres. of the society - Durham heifer and calf. Harvey S. Shepard - Suffolk pigs. Geo. A. Wright - Road team. John K. Pollock, Sec. of the society - Colt of Messenger breed. Daniel H. Harmon - Potatoes. George Purvis - Vegtables. William Buffam - Paintings and electrotype castings. Richard Pantall - Boots and shoes. Mrs. Joshua Wedge - Currant wine. G. M. Hastings - Herbs. Chas. Hastings - Broom corn and sorghum cane. Those entering the plowing match were James Thain, Ebenezer Stevens, George A. Wright and Henry Lewin.
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