Editor’s note: This is a new feature that will appear every Sunday in which we publish a historic photo from Naperville’s past that comes from the archives of Naper Settlement. It will be accompanied by a story written by Andrea Field, Naper Settlement’s curator of history, and Naperville Sun freelance reporter Steve Metsch.
When Naperville officials wanted to showcase various civic improvements and instill civic pride in the early years of the 20th century, they decided to hold what was dubbed a “Home Coming Celebration.”
Among the improvements they wanted to tout were the city’s brick-paved roads, as can be seen in this photograph, as well as its electric power plant, sewer lines and railroad station.
The decision to host the event was made at the Oct. 15, 1915, meeting of the Naperville Association of Commerce. Mayor F.A. Kendall headed the committee, which met at the YMCA building, and in 1916 it was decided the celebration would be held in the first week of June 1917.
(Initially planned for May, they bumped it up a week to ensure it didn’t conflict with commencement ceremony at North-Western College, now known as North Central College, and so they could include Memorial Day.)
The four-day event started bright and early with bells and whistles at 6 a.m. May 29 to ring in Old Citizens Day. Included was a reception at Nichols Library on Washington Street and band concerts at Central Park and Jefferson Avenue.
Patriotic Day was May 30, with a Memorial Day Parade hosted by the Grand Army of the Republic followed by military drills and concerts.
School and Church Day was May 31, with church services from 8 to 9 a.m. throughout the town followed by special programs and exhibits at the high school.
Community Day was June 1. That included more concerts and a “Seeing Naperville” automobile tour.
Three thousand copies of a 128-page souvenir booklet were produced for $1,700. They could be purchased for 35 cents a copy or mailed for 50 cents.
The Naperville Heritage Society has several copies in its collection. They are available in the research library and on the Illinois Digital Archives at www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/npl/id/6979.
The booklet includes historic sketches, brief discussions of organizations in the community, and photographs of homes and buildings.
While the United States had declared war on Germany in April 1917, there was no mention of what became known as World War I in the Home Coming materials.
Andrea Field, curator of history at Naper Settlement, contributed to this story. For more information, go to www.NaperSettlement.org
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
