'That's History': Historical Society Looks For Modern Donations

PLAINFIELD, IL — It might not be as easy to admit since society has lived through the coronavirus pandemic for more than a year, but masks will go down as part of history, and the Plainfield Historical Society is looking to collect those — and a plethora of other artifacts — for its museum.

Museum Operations Chairman Tina Beaird is helming the operation, and she's asking for Plainfield residents to think of the historical society when cleaning out their spaces.

"We're always collecting the things people consider to be historic artifacts," she said. "History happens every single day. We create history every single day."

While the museum is located in Plainfield, at 23836 W. Main St. — and has been here since 1984, it looks to collect items from surrounding areas as well, including Naperville, Bolingbrook, Oswego and Romeoville. Those items could have a Plainfield connection to them, Beaird said.

What the museum currently lacks, though, are artifacts from the midcentury to modern period. Beaird said many people think something is too new or useless for them to want it, but graduation programs, business cards and advertising flyers all come in handy for storytelling.

"Everything that happens within the village ... that's history," she said. "So whether it was 100 years ago [or] 5 weeks ago, it's still important. Our job is to tell stories ... and if people don't give us those objects, it becomes difficult to tell that story effectively. We have textual references but not so many artifacts."

The limits for what donations the historical society is looking for seem endless: bell bottom jeans, Barbie dolls, Erector sets, kitsch.

"It's part of our lives," she said.

As ubiquitous as Barbies have been, Beaird said that surprisingly, the historical society doesn't have one in its collection.

"We [also] didn't have an ashtray because no one donated one," she said, laughing. "It doesn't have to be some big, huge event to be significant."

Phone books and old newspapers are the Plainfield Historical Society's "bread and butter." Those, as well as yearbooks, are used to point to historic events in the neighborhood, but Beaird said drumsticks or a pair of track shoes, for example, help people connect with and absorb the history.

The museum is an all-volunteer organization, Beaird said, and they're looking to engage the community.

"We're always evolving, learning new things," she said. "Our museum is effective when people think of us as not only a museum but a place where they can donate."

If items aren't used in current displays, they're cataloged and housed in storage areas until they're needed. The historical society typically has seven exhibitions running at once. Now, one exhibit focuses on the high school that was destroyed in the August 1990 tornado, and another highlights local restaurants from the 1940s.

Beaird said one exhibition currently in the works is on Plainfield's elections, so they're looking for yard signs and button donations. She said that they were lucky someone brought them a yard sign from Mayor John Argoudelis's election in April.

The museum is currently open by appointment. A reopening is scheduled for July 24, and the museum's hours will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.