Growing Up In Mount Prospect

Happy 4th of July!! Enjoy a few photos from past parades, likely around 1980.

1. Members of the Medinah Shriners Police Unit zoom around near Evan's Restaurant (now Emerson's Ale House) as they make their way down Emerson Street.
2. The colorful Busse Flowers float, featuring little ones dressed up as flowers.
3. The Prospect Marching Knights march down Emerson Street past Mount Prospect State Bank.

Make every day a Throwback Thursday by wearing a commemorative t-shirt for these beloved local businesses of Mount Prospect past! We are restocking our Hotter Than Mother's Music and Sammy Skobel t-shirts.

Get your shirt at www.mtphist.org/shop. Please note, orders will take a few weeks to arrive. If you need a size not listed, please email us at [email protected] by Monday, May 27.

Proceeds from each purchase go towards covering various museum expenses, from restocking archival materials and program supplies to funding repairs on our historic buildings. Your purchase also supports the creation of new product designs. Thank you for your support!

Thank you, teachers, for all you do! We hope you enjoy Teacher Appreciation Week!

There are have been (and still are!) so many dedicated, talented teachers throughout Mount Prospect's history who have made a difference in the lives of local students. Who were your favorite teachers growing up?

Photos:
1. Gladys Ackley reads to Kindergartners at Lincoln School, which is the present-day Lincoln Middle School. Gladys was very active in District 57, which included serving as principal of Lincoln and Sunset Park Schools.

2. Robert Ferguson poses for a photo behind the equipment in his science lab in Central School. He taught 7th and 8th grade science at Central School, and later became principal at Central School, Lions Park School, Busse School, and Westbrook School.

3. Rev. J.E.A. Mueller and the students of St. Paul Lutheran School took this class photo around 1915. Rev. Mueller served as both pastor and sole school teacher when he arrived at the new congregation in 1913. Classes met in a small building on Main Street, formally the first home of the Meyn family.

Do you remember attending the Lions Club 4th of July Festival?

This annual festival has been held at Melas Park since the 1980s, but before that all of the carnival rides and games were set up in Lions Memorial Park. These photos were taken at the 1978 carnival.

For almost 50 years this building on Northwest Highway near Central Road was home to Jake's Pizza. This postcard shows a painting of Jake's shortly after it opened in the mid-1960s.

But Jake's was only one of many restaurants located here! Myrt and Bill Hampe constructed the building in 1950 as a permanent site for their popular seasonal lunch wagon. Later restaurants included Mell and Paul's, Golden Isle, and today's Trezero's Kitchen + Tap.

Do you remember eating at Jake's? Or one of the other restaurants in this building? Share your memories in the comments!

Learn more about local history hidden in plain sight in "Mount Prospect Historic Sites." Pre-order your autographed copy at https://www.mtphist.org/product/images-of-america-mount-prospect-historic-sites/

There's a new book coming to the Mount Prospect Historical Society museum store this summer!

"Mount Prospect Historic Sites," written by Historical Society Director Emily Dattilo, highlights the history that can still be found all over Mount Prospect. Mount Prospect has changed dramatically since its incorporation in 1917, sometimes making local historic sites difficult to locate. The history, however, has not disappeared entirely. It remains in the landscape, in the bits and pieces left behind, and in the collective memories of its residents.

You can pre-order an autographed copy in the museum store: https://www.mtphist.org/product/images-of-america-mount-prospect-historic-sites/. Copies will ready to ship or for local pick up after the publication date on June 26th.