Editor's note: This contains most of the text of the member's
newsletter, without the formatting and graphics.
Member's Newsletter -- December 2003
HISTORIC MILLBURN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC.
38757 N. U.S. Highway 45
Millburn of Old Mill Creek, IL 60046
December 2003 Newsletter
Annual Holiday Tea
December 28th
4–6 p.m. at the Bertholds’
Millburn Manor
19020 Grass Lake Road, Millburn
All H.M.C.A. members are invited to gather
together for some holiday cheer. Dorothy and
Wolf Berthold have graciously invited the
members of the historical society to their
home to celebrate the holidays on Sunday,
December 28th from 4-6 p.m. Please bring an
appetizer or a treat to share.
In Remembrance
Since our acknowledgments in the last
newsletter, we sadly learned of the loss of
member Viola Bullock. We mourn her
passing. Please keep us informed if you have
any news for us to share with the
membership.
Millburn Cemetery Fence Restoration
The H.M.C.A. and the Cemetery Committee
of the Village of Old Mill Creek are working
together to raise funds for the restoration of
the Millburn Cemetery Fence. So far, the fence
sections along Millburn Road have been
temporarily secured and the main gate has
been restored. Thanks to a few generous
donations, we now have the funds needed to
restore the gates that say Millburn Cemetery.
Work will resume in the spring. We hope to
raise additional funds to restore the remaining
gates and to restore the entire fence. If you
would like to donate to this worthy cause,
please make your check payable to the
H.M.C.A. and include a note informing us
that your donation is for the restoration of the
fence.
Annual Meeting of the
Millburn Cemetery Board
The date of annual meeting of the Millburn
Cemetery Board has not yet been determined.
It will be held sometime during the month of
January. For further information, contact
Millburn Cemetery Board President Gary
Doolittle at 847-395-3828. We hope you will
attend the meeting.
Antique Appraisal Night
Our antique Appraisal Night was a
tremendous success. Our heartfelt
appreciation goes to our appraisers, Karen
Rabe, Chris Coy and Tom Krupp, who so
graciously donated their time and talent. We
had a great turnout and raised $740.
Historic District Plaque Program
New black and gold bronze plaques are being
ordered for both the locally designated
historic homes in Millburn as well as the
homes that comprise the Millburn Historic
District, which is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The H.M.C.A.
Board has approved the purchase of the
plaques and will seek donations to offset the
cost. We hope to present the plaques to these
homeowners at our annual meeting in April.
More information will follow.
Historic District Signs
The Historic Preservation Commission for the
Village of Old Mill Creek purchased four new
green and white signs, which have been
installed at the entrances of the Millburn
Historic District on U.S. Highway 45 (north
and south), Millburn Road and Grass Lake
Road. We owe Wolf Berthold our sincere
thanks for all he did to get the signs
approved, ordered and installed. We also
thank Ray Boller and Ray Magray for their
assistance with the installation!
What’s New in Millburn?
If you haven’t driven through Millburn
recently, you should! In addition to the
welcomed restoration of a few of the historic
buildings, new businesses have opened as
well. We hope you will “Meander Through
Millburn” when you get a chance!
Millburn Pumpkin Fest
The 1st Annual Millburn Pumpkin Fest in
October was enjoyed by many, young and old
alike. It was fun to see so much community
spirit! Thank you to Bob Reding and the
countless other volunteers who worked so
hard to make Pumpkin Fest such a success.
We eagerly anticipate the 2nd Annual
Millburn Pumpkin Fest next fall!
History Online
Don’t forget to check out our fantastic web
site, which is brimming with local history,
photographs, and genealogical information:
http://www.hmca-il.org
We sincerely appreciate the numerous hours
our webmaster has spent and continues to
spend developing and maintaining this
wonderful resource! Thank you! It is
amazing to note how easily and quickly we are
able to communicate with others and access
information today. Read the article below!
From the Archives
According to Vida Elizabeth Jamison White (in
1940), the Millburn Farmer’s Line was started by
her father, Dr. H. E. Jamison, about 1898. The
first line was built between their house and Will
White’s (the undertaker). She was told that Will
White built a line between his house and John
Cunningham's, but that was before her time. The
Jamisons had several switch boards. Vida tended
phone when she had to stand on the middle round
of the old stool to reach the top. In later years
the old stool was replaced to a blue metal one.
The telephone batteries were first run with
Salmoniac and later by Blue Vitrol. In later years
Fletcher Clark of Libertyville and other Bell
Telephone men wanted Dr. Jamison to change to
the Bell line, but he refused. Eventually, the old
switch board was considered a relic. The old
Farmer's Line was a life saver a good many times.
But as time went on, the world was bigger and it
has served its purpose.
Volunteers Needed!
We need volunteer shopkeepers for Martin’s
General Store Museum when it reopens in the
spring. The museum will be closed from
December 21 through mid-March. If
interested, call Dorothy Berthold at
847-265-1967.
Membership
We would like to recognize all of our members for
their continued support of the Historic Millburn
Community Association, Inc. Without their
support, we would be unable to continue our
mission to preserve, protect, and enhance the
Village of Millburn of Old Mill Creek, Illinois.
Please Note: This is our first attempt to compile a
complete membership list (separate from our even
more extensive mailing and membership list). We
sincerely apologize in advance if we have made
any errors or omissions. Please call Jennifer
Andrew at 847-356-0998 if you note any errors or
omissions. We will print a corrected list in our next
newsletter. Thank you for your understanding.
Life Members
Alice Anderson
Jennifer Andrew and Family
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf Berthold
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Boller
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Bonner
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brooks
Mr. and Mrs. John Chope
Olga Erlenborn
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Fettinger
Mildred Haisma
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Konefes
Mary Messick
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mudd
Shirley Murphy
State Representative JoAnn Osmund
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Paddock
Dawn Revenaugh
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Simpson
Tim Smith and Family
Mr. and Mrs. Glen Strang
Dr. and Mrs. Alan Thain
Norma Welch
Ruth White
Jean Wooley
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Young
Honorary Members
Milton Anderson
Dorothy Bradford
Senator Adeline J. Geo-Karis
Mary Lester
Mr. Douglas Stiles
Annual 2003 Members
Jayne Adams-Borsenberger
Emily J. Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Werner Baeckelandt
Alaynel L. Bartlett
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Berthold
Mrs. Roy Bonner
Dorothy Bradford
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bullock
Mr. and Mrs. R. DeMartin
Lois Doolittle
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Erlenborn
Sharee Fish
Mike Hanson
Arthur Hirth
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Holbach
Mr. and Mrs. Don Holem
Gary Hughes
Julie Jankowski
Pat J. Jenkins
Mr. and Mrs. Brandon Konsler
Mr. and Mrs. John Kozlik
Richard Lahey
Pat Lamb
Ron Lesjack
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Lubkeman
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Lyons
Ray Magray
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Martin
Scott Martin
Judge and Mrs. Ray McKoski
Rev. and Mrs. Paul Meltzer
Mr. and Mrs. Andre Michalik
Millburn Congregational United Church of Christ
Ed Morrison
Don Mueller
Mr. and Mrs. William Musak
Mr. and Mrs. Don Neville
Margot Patterson
Mr. and Mrs. William Paulsen
Caroline Polfliet
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Rabe
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Reding
Jim Robeers
Anita Schadeck
Hank Schintgen
Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Schlappi
Joan S. Schroeder
Mr. and Mrs. Don Shangraw
Lois Thain
Rhonda Voegeli-Innes
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Watkins
Happy Holidays!
We wish you and yours very happy and
healthy holidays! Look for our next newsletter
in early March 2004!
The Board of Selectmen:
Dorothy Berthold, Chairperson
Dorothy Fettinger, Vice Chairperson
Ruth White, Secretary
Wolf Berthold, Treasurer
Jennifer Andrew
Mildred Haisma
Linda Musak
Norma Welch
Inquiries:
Contact Dorothy Berthold at 847-265-1967
