All is quiet on a blustery weekday afternoon at Elmhurst’s Glos Mansion historical museum. A library-like hush pervades the 1892 house-except in the front parlor, where a videotape on Burma Shave signs plays.
Elsewhere in the museum, staff work quietly on upcoming exhibits and projects, while curator Brian Bergheger pops into the hallway to greet a newly arrived visitor.
“The number of visitors varies tremendously here,” Bergheger explains. “Some days we get 15 to 20, other days we get two or three.” (The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday.)
Suddenly the silence shatters under pounding feet and laughter of excited children. Assistant director Nancy Wilson comes forward to meet Brownie Troop 601 of Visitation Catholic School in Elmhurst, which has come for a tour of the museum.
Wilson and four troop leaders herd the 25 3rd graders upstairs to show them the museum’s permanent exhibit of Elmhurst artifacts. Grouped by decade and by category, the display provokes an endless stream of questions from Wilson’s eager audience.
After the tour, the girls clamor to share their impressions of the museum.
“I liked it because it’s really interesting,” says Kelly Pacauhy.
“I learned that the people who lived here before had to go through a lot more than us,” adds Nicole Ippolito.
Emily Long says she enjoyed seeing old photos of Visitation Church, while Katie Whaley preferred the photos of 1930s Girl Scouts.
Everyone, though, agrees with Idorenyin Udoisa when she exclaims over the elegant white lace dance dress from the 1910s.
“This is such a beautiful dress,” she says. “I wish I had one just like it.”
