Wilmette resident Virginia Anderson was raised in Kenilworth and has been executive director of the Kenilworth Historical Society, 415 Kenilworth Ave., (kenilworthhistory.org) for more than seven years. She talked to Pioneer Press Aug. 23.
Q: How did you get involved with the Historical Society?
A: I’m a long-time Kenilworth resident. I came here when I was 18 months old and stayed her until I left for college. After I graduated from the University of Wisconsin, my mother was still living in Kenilworth and a lot of her friends were members. They were looking for younger members, so I was recruited. I was on the board for 18 years before I became the executive director.
Q: Tell us a little bit about the society.
A: The building was built in 1973. The Historical Society worked with architect Phillip Maher, the son of famous Prairie School architect George Maher, and he designed it. The first floor is our exhibition space. On the lower floor we have our collection and archives. We own the building and the village of Kenilworth (whose offices are in the same building) maintains it.
Q: What are some of the more interesting things you can find at the Historical Society?
A: We just completed renovation of the lower level within the last year and now we’re about to embark on making changes on the first floor. Recently, when we were getting things put back together again after the renovation, Kyle Mathers, our curator, found a box that held the death mask of Joseph Sears, the man who started Kenilworth. Neither of us knew we had that.
Q: What’s your favorite part of your job?
A: I get to talk to people; that’s my favorite part. Our board’s made up of wonderful people, and people visit us, looking for information on the house they grew up in, or the one they live in or want to buy. We take oral histories from people. We do a program with second graders where they go on a trolley tour and come to the museum; it’s an eye-opener for them and it’s not unusual for a second grader to bring their parent to the museum later on. I just think that’s fantastic.
– Kathy Routliffe, Pioneer Press
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