Curator's Corner: The Art & Alchemy of Curating

Let's Hit the Open Road! It’s the final month to view our featured exhibit, “60 Years, 60 Objects: Stories from McHenry County.” Last year, the McHenry County Historical Society & Museum celebrated 60 years of collecting, preserving, and sharing its county's history with the public. This exhibit highlights sixty objects from the historical society’s collection. Object 52 is a 1915 contract between the Harley-Davidson Motor Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the three Bottlemy brothers of Alden, Illinois.   This contract is for the purchase of eight 1915 motorcycles from the company. The contract describes the Bottlemy brothers’ territory as the two northern tiers of townships in McHenry County, Illinois, and Sharon and Walworth Townships in Walworth County, Wisconsin.    Clarence (1881-1962), Ervin (1890-1981), and Glenn Bottlemy (1896-1981) were sons of Charles (1862 – 1934) and Elizabeth Schnacker (1869 – 1925) Bottlemy. All three brothers were born in Al...

Last year, the McHenry County Historical Society & Museum celebrated 60 years of collecting, preserving, and sharing its county's history with the public. To commemorate this anniversary, our featured exhibit, "60 Years, 60 Objects: Stories from McHenry County," remains on display through October 2024. This exhibit highlights sixty objects from the historical society's collection. Object 60 is a Grecian-style decorative cast-iron urn manufactured by Collins & Burgie Stove Company in Marengo circa 1900. The company is said to have made numerous attempts to produce these urns, without total success, because the bases cracked.    The Collins and Burgie Stove Works of Chicago was established in 1857 by James L. Collins and Henry C. Burgie. In 1891, the company considered expansion, but wanted to relocate outside of Chicago. The company purchased 7 acres of land in Marengo to build the stove factory. The factory was built on East Street across from the Marengo Ci...