Local History Collection of Artifacts

Thermometer – Dated 1946. A gift given to a customer of John Debus’ Hardware Store. (In upper right-hand corner, the phone number is listed as “Franklin Park 172.”)

Photograph of Charles Martens’ signature

This is the first scale used in the first Franklin Park Post Office, owned by the first Franklin Park Postmaster (John J. Martins, Feb. 27, 1891 – Apr. 5, 1893). At that time, it was required that the Postmaster purchase necessary equipment such as scales, lobby lock boxes and canceling stamps. Donated to the library by Tom Balk.

This commemorative plate shows the First Methodist Church (corner of Calwagner and Gage Streets) from 1913-1954. A succession of meeting places have housed the congregation, beginning in a hall over a hardware store on Franklin Ave. When the building was destroyed by fire in 1895, within a week the congregation moved into the old school house (where Hester Junior High stands today). Then the church moved on to a larger hall near Franklin and Calwagner. In 1897, the first original church building was erected. In 1913, the cornerstone of a larger building was laid just west of that church. April 1954 saw the groundbreaking of the current building, followed by the consecration of the sanctuary in 1963.

“A Dictionary of the English Language” by Noah Webster. Published by G. & C. Merriam, State Street, revised edition of 1847. This dictionary was owned by Charles Martens, Franklin Park’s first Village President. See photograph of Charles Martens’ signature from inside flap of book. (Originally, River Park was the area of Franklin Park close to what is now River Grove.)

This cloth was created by women of the Deutsche Evangelische St. Paul’s Gemeinde von Mannheim (St. Paul’s German Evangelical Church of Mannheim). Property for a church building was donated by Henry Kirchhoff, and, by October 1903, a frame construction was standing a the corner of Franklin Ave. and Mannheim Rd. in Franklin Park. You’ll notice the names of women of the church embroidered on the cloth. There is also a panel with the year 1900 on it. (We assume this is the year the cloth was assembled.) Given to the library by Jean Dawson. This cloth includes squares sewn by Ada Dodge(the wife of Franklin Park’s first doctor), Emma Tiedmann, Mrs. G. Boesenberg (also see a picture of the Boesenberg Store), and Libbie Kirchhoff.

These two items were found in the basement of the building at 9712 Franklin Ave. They were from an early Post Office in Franklin Park. Both of these along with the Postal Window were donated to the library by Dan Pritchett (owner of the building they were found in).

Local History Collection of Artifacts

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