THE ILES FILES THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ELIJAH ILES HOUSE FOUNDATION SPRING 2006 MUSEUM OF SPRINGFIELD HISTORY OPENS AT ILES HOUSE On the evening of June 1, the Elijah Iles House Foundation opened its Museum of Springfield History with its first exhibit Time To Remember. In recognition of Ann and Farrell Gay s commitment to the restoration of the Iles House and their dream of a Springfield history museum, the museum room in the lower level of the Iles House has been named in their honor. The evening was hosted by Farrell and Ann, and it is fitting that the first exhibit is Farrell s magnificent collection of wrist watches and memorabilia from the Illinois Watch Co., once Springfield's largest employer. The wrist watches and memorabilia are beautifully displayed and a joy to view. The exhibit tells the important story of the Illinois Watch Co. and its remarkable presence on Springfield s north side. Farrell welcomed guests with brief remarks about his collection and his dream for a Springfield History Museum being fulfilled. Farrell and Ann Gay on the evening of the grand opening of Farrell s exhibit Time to Remember. The background wall displays Illinois Watch Factory advertising memorabilia. Several attendees brought their own Illinois watches and remembered family members who had worked at the factory. Florence Matheny s watch was made by her grandmother who worked on the Illinois Watch Co. production line. This summer, Farrell intends to invite relatives of those who worked at the factory to a special day of remembrance. Farrell hopes that those who come will share their own stories. Congratulations to Farrell and Ann and those professionals who assisted in preparing this premier exhibit. Exhibit Design: Ed Russo and Corrine Frisch of Sangamon Researchers. Photography: Dr. Wesley Betsill. Exhibit furnishings: Damon Dennis and Brandon Hedges of Illinois Builders. Time To Remember as well as the Barringer Exhibit in the upper historic house will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 to 4. To arrange a special time for group visits call: (217) 492-5929. Terry Schad, Mayor Karen Hasara, and Lynn and Joe Gibbs Ed Russo and Corrine Frisch, exhibit designers Linda Garvert and Nicky Stratton
Page 2 The Iles Files Spring 2006 I T WAS A GRAND EVENING L OT S OF HAPPY FACES Carol and David Stephens Ann and Cullom Davis Babs and Robert Dickerman Jim and Judy Antonacci, Micki and Tom Faller Three compare their Illinois Watches. Elijah and Yvonne Singley Sue and Ed Mahoney Mary Jo Potter, Sandy Anderson and Ann Hart Judy and Don Buckley
Page 3 The Iles Files Spring 2006 PREPARING FOR THE OPENING Ann Gay, Corrine Frisch, Damon Dennis and Ed Russo begin moving in the displays. May 24, 2006. Farrell Gay preparing watches for his Time To Remember exhibit. May 31, 2006. Farrell Gay and Fredric J. Friedberg, author of The Illinois Watch: The Life and Times of a Great American Watch Company. Fred and his wife, Joy, traveled from California to be present at the grand opening. Timothy J. Townsend, Lincoln Home historian, and his wife Diane, viewing the Illinois wrist watches with Fredric J. Friedberg in the Springfield History Museum. June 3, 2006. In the weeks preceding the grand opening, Tom Bundy, the Foundation s restoration contractor, and his crew did a magnificent job of transforming the exterior appearance of the Iles House by installing a fence. These pictures show the progress of the fence construction.
The Iles Files Spring 2006 Page 4 A NEW MUSEUM FOR SPRINGFIELD Larry Stephens has captured in words the excitement and appreciation generated by Farrell Gay s premier exhibit, Time To Remember. With Larry s kind permission, we print those words as they appeared on his blog ( http:// newspringfield.blogspot.com/) the evening after Ann and Farrell Gay s June 1 opening reception at the Iles House. Thursday, June 1, 2006 I just now this very moment returned home from the christening of the premier exhibit of The Farrell & Ann Gay Museum of Springfield History, Time to Remember, in the basement of The Elijah Iles House. Time To Remember features the wristwatches and other memorabilia of the Illinois Watch Company from Mr. Gay s collection. It was the christening of a museum in a city that seems to be becoming a museum capitol. (I wonder how Springfield s museum floor area per capita compares to Chicago or New York or Paris?) This latest of Springfield s many museums is the first ever dedicated to the history of Springfield herself. It is a rich history indeed. A facet of that history is the Illinois Watch Company which set the standard for timepieces during the late 19th Century and early 20th. Mr. Gay s collection of fine Illinois watches sets a high bar for future exhibits in this new museum named for him and his wife. He gave a touching speech at what must have been for him a peak moment in his life. Mr. Gay mentioned that it was his less collectible material, the company letters, letters of employees to other employees, the photos and especially the faces in the photos that he found so fascinating. The exhibit is about so much more than watches. The Illinois Watch Company was a model employer in the industrial era. As one of the displays relates, a former employee remarked that the watch factory was the ideal place of employment because you couldn't manufacture precision instruments in a grimy, unlit place. The factory featured its own observatory so the company could measure the accuracy of its watches with its own data. Besides watches, the exhibit features the original factory signage that stood above its front entrance for decades, great block letters spelling out Illinois Watch Co in a beautiful font. For museum aficionados, the presentation of the exhibit is first class. The curators of the exhibit are Ed Russo and Corrine Frisch. Although there is limited floor area in the museum, the space is open and nicely lit. The new, finely crafted wooden display cases almost overwhelm their contents, but make the most elegant presentation imaginable. At every side is found some array of treasures to behold or some smartly-printed text or photo. The place was filled with people this evening and yet it was surprisingly easy to navigate. Three cheers to the Gays and their wonderful gift of a museum to our town! Larry Stevens
Page 5 The Iles Files Spring 2006 C A P I T O L A R E A A S S O C I A T I O N OF REALTO R S C O N T R I B U T E S $10,000 FOR E L E VA T O R Capitol Area Association of Realtors was with us from the beginning and we appreciate their efforts to make Springfield s oldest House accessible to everyone. Dave Barringer, President, Elijah Iles House Foundation On April 17, over 130 people attended a dinner and fundraiser at the Inn at 825, sponsored by the Capitol Area Association of Realtors. The event launched a fund drive to pay for the installation of an elevator at the Iles House, making it accessible to handicapped visitors. Cheryl Dambacher, President of CARR, served as master of ceremonies for the festive event. She set a goal of raising $10,000 for the elevator project, which will cost an estimated $80,000. Dan Sale, Executive Director, recalled that in 1996 CARR contributed $14,000 for relocation of the Iles House. That early support was crucial, noted Dave Barringer, President of the Iles Foundation. They were with us from the beginning and we appreciate their efforts to make Springfield s oldest House accessible to everyone. Before dinner, a silent auction in- vited bids on over 50 items from local donors, such as a jeweled bracelet from Tobin Jewelers and a shirt from Joseph A. Banks. After dinner, a live auction proceeded on 25 donated items. Jeff Canterbury served as auctioneer, and with great humor he raised $3,500 in bids. We are grateful to Capitol Area Association of Realtors for their support. If you want to contribute to the funds necessary to install the elevator and make Springfield s oldest house accessible to everyone, please send your contributions to Iles House Foundation, P. O. Box 144, Springfield, Illinois 62705. On May 25, 2006, the first annual Iles School Alumni Gathering was held at the Elijah Iles House. Former Iles students and parents had a great time renewing old friendships and learning about the Elijah Iles House. Iles School and Iles House have a special bond in their common name and they hope to work together in the future. I L E S S C H O O L A L U M N I G A T H E R I N G
The Iles Files Spring 2006 Page 6 D ON S P R I N G E R S P E A K S A T I L E S H O U S E The Elijah Iles House Foundation and the Sangamon County Historical Society recently held a joint meeting to mark the 160th anniversary of the Donner and Reed party departure from the Public Square in Springfield for an ill-fated journey west. The anniversary speaker was Don Springer, a descendant of the Sangamon County Donner family. Don recently placed a Donner family heirloom, a flax spinning wheel, at the Iles House. Speaker Don Springer Being Introduced By Iles President David Barringer, April 18, 2006. Enduring great hardships, the Donner Party managed to reach the Sierra Nevada mountains and then became trapped in winter snows. Without adequate shelter or food, many in the party died and the survivors resorted to cannibalism. Some eventually hiked out and alerted rescuers, who managed to save only 46 of the original 87 emigrants. Approximately 80 people attended the event, held in the lower level Farrell and Ann Gay Museum of Springfield History. Thanks to Don for a great program and his sharing of the Donner Family spinning wheel. Also thanks to the Sangamon County Historical Society for their joint sponsorship of this event. Hopefully we can do more such joint ventures in the future. S M I T H S O N I A N T OUR V I S I T S I LES H O U S E On April 3, the Iles House greeted 32 members of a Smithsonian Lincoln Legacy Tour. The group began in Washington D.C. and traveled by bus to Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, spending two days in Springfield. The Iles House reception was hosted by the Abraham Lincoln Association. Their leader was Edward Bearss, distinguished Civil War historian and author of the 1969 master plan for the Lincoln Home National Park. In this picture, "Elijah Iles" welcomes Mr. Bearss (left) and Dick Hart (right), Iles House board member and president of the Abraham Lincoln Association. W A S H I N G T O N I L E S D E S C E N D A N T S D E S C E N D ON I L E S H O U S E On Saturday, May 13, the Iles House hosted a brunch for 50 descendants of Washington Iles, the brother of Elijah Iles. Family members, some from as far away as Texas and Connecticut, were in Springfield to observe the burial of Thelma Iles Teal at the Iles Family Plot in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The family presented to the Iles House a pistol and holster once used by Elijah Iles. Washington Iles was a resident of Springfield and the owner of several farms, one of them now the site of the University of Illinois at Springfield. We don't have the names of all these nice folks, but they are related by blood or marriage to Thelma Iles Teal, a charter member of the Elijah Iles House Foundation.
The Iles Files Spring 2006 Page 7 LAST CHANCE TO BUY BRICKS! D E A D L I N E F O R O R D E R S : J U LY 1 0, 2 0 0 6. D ON T D E L A Y. This is your last chance to purchase a Memorial Brick inscribed with your personal name. The bricks will be used to pave the patio on the east side of the Iles House. If you would like to order one or more bricks, please fill out the form below and return the form together with your check to the Elijah Iles House Foundation, P. O. Box 144, Springfield, Illinois 62705. Each brick is $100. Your check should be made payable to the Iles House Foundation. Order must be received by July 10, 2006. I would like to order Memorial Bricks to be inscribed as follows: My check for $ is enclosed. Date:, 2006 (Your Signature) Name: Street Address: Town: State: Zip Code: Telephone #: E*mail: I T S N OW O R N E V E R, H O N E Y! AT T R I B U T E D TO M E L I N D A I L E S, C I R C A 1 8 3 7
M U S E U M OF S P R I N G F I E L D H I S T O R Y G R A N D O P E N I N G C E R E M O N Y J U N E 1, 2 0 0 6 F A R R E L L G AY W E L C O M E S G U E S T S TO TI M E T O R E M E M B E R T HE I L L I N O I S W A T C H C O. E X H I B I T ELIJAH ILES HOUSE FOUNDATION P. O. Box 144 Springfield, Illinois 62705 NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Springfield, IL PERMIT #990