THE PFINGSTEN PHOTOS: ALBUM #2

Last week we saw the first online photo album of amateur, turn-of-the-twentieth-century, local guy, Fred Pfingsten. His intent was, with his camera, to take photos of his family and farm. The catalyst for the purchase could very well have been his wedding to Emma Rohlwing that took place on September 3, 1903.

Multiple photos were taken by Mr. Pfingsten on his wedding day. This is a continuation of those photos. The earlier blog post can be seen here.

The largest tent at the Pfingsten/Rohlwing wedding. (Photo credit to the Pfingsten family)

It seems this photo, likely taken by Fred Pfingsten near dusk, illuminates the interior, upper structure of the tent. The size of the tent is quite large and probably allowed for a wooden floor to be placed inside for the dancing and merrymaking that would follow. Notice the American flag that is hoisted on one of the poles of the tent. The dining, “Welcome” tent is likely to the right and a young girl stands in front of the tent. The trees in the background almost block the Pfingsten house that is barely visible by its roof line and chimney at the back of the photo.

The two tents at the Pfingsten/Rohlwing wedding. (Photo credit to the Pfingsten family)

Taken from more of a distance, with this photo Fred went beyond one of the farm fence lines and out into the field to capture a longer shot of the location of the wedding festivities. The large tent is to the left, and the dining “Welcome” tent is to the right. The Pfingsten house is in the background. We can just make out the chimney on the left side of the house.

Raising their steins to drink to the newly married couple. (Photo credit to the Pfingsten family)

This group of men, raising their steins to the young couple, don’t appear to be too happy. However, given the fact that holding a smile for an extended period while Fred staged the photo, it is not too surprising that most them look somber. Anyone’s mouth would likely relax from a smile into repose.

To a man, the partygoers are dressed in suits and hats. Even the young boy in front has on a wide-brimmed hat that he wears with his white shirt. One man has a watch chain on his vest and another holds a cigar. Some, as is the fashion today, have beards, while others are clean shaven.

It seems that the beer is dark in color and that they hired someone from the outside to dispense it. The gentleman in the upper left, who is wearing an apron, appears to be the “bartender.” There is a more blurred gentleman in an apron standing to the left of him who probably worked with him.

More curiously is the sign, tent or wagon that has the letters F. S W A. In doing some research, the only company that comes close is T.F. Swan of Elgin whose business, in an 1883 edition of Elgin Daily News, is listed as a type of dry goods store. Maybe by 1903 he had expanded into the line of canvas and tents?

Fred and Emma (Rohlwing) Pfingsten, sitting in the middle, are surrounded by their wedding party. [Photo credit to the Pfingsten family]

This photo of the wedding party was, also, likely arranged by Fred, before he took his place in a chair next to his bride and allowed someone else to “take” the photo. Four bridesmaids, four groomsmen and two flower girls make up the group.

Unfortunately, the wedding party is unidentified though, it is somewhat easy to recognize that two of the women and one of the girls have the same eyes as Emma. The ladies, second from the left and second from the right in the back row, and the young girl to the right of Fred are quite probably Emma’s sisters. She had a large number of siblings who she would have likely included in her wedding.

Fred had only sisters who survived to adulthood so the men standing around him were either cousins or friends. It is interesting to note that both Fred and Emma were the oldest children in their families, though other family members married before them.

Wedding attendees. [Photo credit to the Pfingsten family]

This is another one of the glass plate negative photos produced by the Conant students. We can’t be sure that the photo was taken at the Rohlwing/Pfingsten wedding but it seems somewhat likely based on the fact that the women’s dresses resemble, quite strongly, the dresses on the ladies in the photo above.

The young girls are in their white, Sunday best and the location appears to be the Pfingsten farm, judging by the trees in the background.

What makes this photo so unique and wonderful for its time is the casual posing of two of the couples who have definitely had a good day. Most other photos of the day were often staged in a photographer’s studio. Fred’s informal, unpretentious camera caught these marvelous moments right on his family’s farm. What a treasure.

Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org

THE PFINGSTEN PHOTOS: ALBUM #1

Some time in the late 1800s or early 1900s, this young boy who was born in Schaumburg Township, would grow up and indulge himself by purchasing a camera. His name was Fred Pfingsten and his intent was to take photos of his family and farm. The catalyst for the purchase could, very well, have been his wedding to Emma Rohlwing that took place on September 3, 1903.

He most likely developed his photos on dry glass plate negatives. Oregon State University says “dry plate glass negatives were in common use between the 1880s and the late 1920s.” [Oregonstate.edu]

Imagine, though, the forethought that Mr. Pfingsten must have given to the purchase, considering that he “likely needed considerable chemical and technical knowledge, specialized darkroom materials and equipment, and a dedicated work space to develop [his] plates and print photographs.” [Texas State University]

Where in a farmhouse would Mr. Pfingsten have developed his photos? Chances are it was the basement, where he would have also been without electricity and heat. Even in remote Schaumburg Township where there was little ambient light, the basement was probably his first choice. Regardless of where he worked, it couldn’t have been an easy task to bring himself up to speed on the developing process.

While the library owns some of the Pfingsten photos outright, there are others that we were allowed to scan, compliments of the Pfingsten family. In addition, others were developed from some of the original glass plate negatives in 2012-2013 by students in the Conant High School Photography Club that was overseen by Linda Patino-Goergen.

These glass plate negatives were donated to Doug Flett of St. Peter Lutheran Church by Rev. Michael Pfingsten, a descendant of Fred Pfingsten. It was Mr. Flett’s diligence that caused him to seek out Conant High School. After the Photography Club finished their work with the negatives, they were then given to the library as the permanent repository.

Multiple photos were taken on the Pfingsten’s wedding day, which was a Thursday. In those days, most large weddings in the area took place on Thursdays. One of the reasons may have been that families did not want to interfere with church services that were held on the weekend.

Fred and Emma (Rohlwing) Pfingsten stand behind two of their flower girls outside of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Schaumburg. Reverend Gustaf Mueller stands on the right of Mr. Pfingsten. (Photo credit to the Pfingsten family)

While we can’t be one hundred percent sure that Mr. Pfingsten and his camera took these clearer photos, the fact that the above photo has a typed description at the bottom is a good indication that he did. It is likely Mr. Pfingsten staged the photos that he was a part of and then someone else, with his instructions, took the picture. This photo was taken outside of St. Peter Lutheran Church. Reverend Gustaf Mueller stands to the right of Mr. Pfingsten. He served as pastor of St. Peter’s from 1883 to 1905.

Horses and wagon that likely brought the newly married couple to the Pfingsten farm after the wedding. (Photo credit to the Schaumburg Township District Library)

This photo, taken on the Pfingsten farm (the barn, with its double cupolas, is distinctive) could have been taken either before the wedding or as the festivities began. It is most likely the former, based on three reasons. If Mr. Pfingsten was setting up the camera he would have had more time to do so before the wedding than after. Also, it would have been easier to gather the men and boys together in the wagon on the way to the church, rather than after they arrived back at the farm for the merrymaking. And, thirdly, the aprons on the men look crisp and snowy white. It is difficult to imagine that that pristine condition would have continued through the day and night of celebrating.

The “Welcome” tent at the reception on the Pfingsten farm. (Photo credit to the Pfingsten family)

This photo is one of those developed from the glass plate negatives that were donated to the library by the Pfingsten family. It is a virtual guarantee that Mr. Pfingsten took the photo himself, given the somewhat blurred image.

Through details gathered by the Conant students, family members stated that this was likely taken the day after the wedding. To a certain extent, we might dispute this fact, given the more stylish nature of the ladies’ dresses. It is difficult to imagine they would be cleaning up in such dressy dresses.

If it’s not the day after, it is possible it is the morning of the wedding. In either case, it must have been early in the morning given the tidy nature of the women’s clothing. We also have to assume that most of the people in the photo are part of the immediate Pfingsten family who were on the premises for the wedding or members of the Rohlwing family who came over to help.

The “Welcome” tent at the reception on the Pfingsten farm. (Photo credit to the Pfingsten family)

This is another photo taken outside of the Welcome tent at the wedding. It, too, has a typed description below the photo. With the blurred gentleman on the left, Fred Pfingsten likely took the photo.

It is unique in that we can see that this is one of the dining tents on the premises. Both men and women are sitting elbow to elbow around the table that is wide enough to accommodate two chairs at either end. Others are waiting to take their place, including young ladies who wore their best white dresses. These girls still wore their dresses at or slightly below their knees as it was not considered unseemly to show their legs. The men and boys all wore suits, with many of them also sporting hats.

The corner of another tent is in the upper right corner. Next week, we will see that tent as well as more photos of this famous wedding in Schaumburg Township.

And, thus begins a look at the photos planned, staged and developed by a man who clearly was interested in photography as a hobby. We are fortunate, as it is a look at every day occurrences in a Schaumburg Township world that is far removed from ours.

Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org

SCHAUMBURG ROAD IN THE 1950’S

Many talk about how much Schaumburg Township has changed over the years but until you see the pictures it’s really hard to grasp.

Take a look at these photos from Tom Helsper.  Check out Schaumburg Road looking west from Plum Grove.   Tom’s grandparents, Walter and Maybelle Ellis, his parents Mathew and Jean (Ellis) Helsper and his uncle and aunt, Melvin and Betty (Ellis) Helsper bought property in 1954 from Dr. Paul and Sara Meginnis on the southwest corner of Schaumburg and Plum Grove Roads.

Earlier that year, the Meginnis’s had purchased property from Palmer and Marjorie Carlson that straddled Plum Grove Road on the south side of Schaumburg Road. Mathew and Melvin Helsper subsequently built homes on the corner for the Ellis and Helsper families.

In this photo you see a simple, paved Schaumburg Road with no striping or individual lanes.  Notice that the area is still being used for farming and that telephone poles line the road.  The house that is slightly to the left is the Lennart and Ann Johnson house, which was the eventual location of Random Acres and has since been torn down.  The Johnsons also purchased their property from Paul and Sara Meginnis.  Now, take note of how the house is so far set back from the road.  Below, is the same view today.

See the white fence far in the middle background?  The Johnson house was on the other side of it.  Notice how close the fence is to Schaumburg Road.  Schaumburg Road with its four lanes and sidewalks certainly took up a fair amount of the Johnson’s front yard didn’t they?

The scene is also filled with houses and trees that have sprung up in the interim.  Isn’t it interesting to think that the trees are less than 60 years old?

This is the same scene in the winter with a slightly more northern view.  The Johnson house is in plain view.  (Who knew a Commonwealth substation would be added behind the house at some point?)  We can also see the St. Peter Church steeple in the background, as well as Schaumburg School with its stone tower that is still there today.

You can also see the red Landmeier barn behind the house on Schaumburg Road.  The Landmeiers not only owned horses but a carriage as well that they would periodically ride up and down Schaumburg Road.

This is an interesting photo in that it does NOT show the Johnson house but it does show the St. Peter Church steeple and Schaumburg School.  The School looks as if it might still be in the building process.  This building opened in January 1954 and, I suspect this is the fall of 1953 leading up to the opening.

This photo looks in the opposite direction towards the east at the Paul and Sara Meginnis farm that they purchased from Palmer and Marjorie Carlson.  A rather basic Plum Grove Road runs along the fence line in the foreground.  Schaumburg Road is the white “line” that runs to the left of the barn.  Paul Meginnis was a veterinarian at Arlington Park racetrack and Sara Meginnis was Schaumburg’s first village clerk.  You can read more about the couple here.

Dr. Meginnis also later opened a small veterinary building on the property which you can see in the photo below.  It is the white building with the gray roof that is behind Tom’s grandmother.

Isn’t it amazing what Schaumburg Township has seen in these past 60 years?  Thank you to Tom Helsper for taking the time and effort to bring the photos to my attention!

Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org

LOOKING FOR COLOR PHOTOS OF SCHAUMBURG FROM THE ’60s AND ’70s

 

In 2004, this wonderful book, written by Betsy Armistead and the Village of Schaumburg, appeared on the scene.  It was put out by Arcadia Publishing and is similar in nature to many of the books they publish, with its many photos and captions.

It was an immediate local hit because it was only the second pictorial history of the area in existence.  An easy book to peruse and immerse yourself in, you can quickly bring yourself up to speed on the history of this village.

In wonderful news, another book is now being considered by the Village, with a focus on the modern, suburban era of Schaumburg.

As a result, they are looking for good quality, color photos from the 1960s and 1970s for inclusion.  

In the case of the first book, about half of the photos were gracious donations from the private collections of local residents who grew up and/or lived in the area.  They are hoping that there is more to be found.

So, the question is…

• Were you and your family living in Schaumburg in the 1960s or 1970s?
• Maybe your family owned a local business?
• Were you at a local event like Septemberfest?
• Did you participate in happenings that organizations like the Jaycees had to offer?
• Did you go to a Schaumburg public or private school?
• Did you build a house in Schaumburg or work at a local business?
• Were you lucky enough to  see someone famous at Woodfield or one of the other businesses?
• Were you part of the beginning of one of the community’s churches?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions–and you have a photo you would be willing to share for possible inclusion in the book–we would love to hear from you!

The 60’s and 70’s were a time of big growth for this area.  People were proud of their newly built homes, schools and businesses and HAD to have taken photos.  We know they’re out there, it’s just a matter of finding them.   If you have one–or many– to share, please contact me at jrozek@stdl.org and we can get the ball rolling!

Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org