Holiday open houses at the 1857 Tanner House Museum in Aurora will begin Sunday, Dec. 4, and feature eight specially-decorated rooms. New this year Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting on the opening Sunday, to offer holiday greetings and photo ops in the elaborate parlor. The House will be
By Al Benson Approximately 70 persons gathered Saturday, Oct. 22, to celebrate Ruth VanSickle Ford’s 125th birthday. Guests dined at the Aurora Country Club amid 50 oil and watercolor paintings loaned by patrons of the late Aurora artist, educator, and entrepreneur. Ford (1897-1989) owned and operated the Chicago Academy of
Mary Clark Ormond, president of the Aurora Historical Society, looks at the storage space for smoking materials hidden in the armrest of a gentleman’s Victorian-era smoking chair, which is ornamented with carvings of smoking dogs.
Aurorans can participate in old-fashioned Independence Day fun from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, July 4 at the Tanner House Museum, 304 Oak Avenue in Aurora’s historic Tanner District. There will be a petting zoo, Andy Head – the Wild Wacky Juggler, a blueberry-pie-eating contest, the Bradley Keven Green
Russ George, left, Cosmopolitan Club of Aurora president, presents a $500 check to John Jaros, Aurora Historical Society executive director and Mary Clark-Ormond, society president.
Due to the upcoming holiday weekends hours at the Pierce Art and History Center will be Tuesday-Thursday, Dec. 21-23 from noon to 4 p.m. and December 28-30, from noon – 4 p.m.. The building, which contains several exhibits and the shop, will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years
The Tanner House Independence Day ringing bells event will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fourth of July at the Tanner House, 305 Cedar Street, Aurora. The 53rd annual ringing of our historic bells by the children of Aurora will begin promptly at 1 p.m.. There will be
Angela Clay Thomas was reelected to a third term on the Board of Trustees of the Aurora Historical Society Thursday, Jan. 21.
The face mask, in the view of the Aurora Historical Society, will become the icon of the Covid-19 era. For historians it will be the pictorial marker of a time and a symbol standing for how Aurora and the world strove to deal with a public health menace. It will
The late Greg Zanis, 69, the Aurora carpenter known throughout the country as the man who traveled hundreds of thousands of miles carrying his handmade crosses to scenes of tragedy and loss, wrote a memoir late in his life. Entitled The Cross Man – Crosses For Losses, it traces his
The Luxemburg Club get-together, March 26, and the Stolp Island Social cocktail party for Aurora Historical Society premier donors, April 6, are postponed due to COVID-19 and restaurants being closed. We will have more information about new dates soon. The exhibit galleries at the Pierce Art and History Center downtown,
The exhibit commemorating the one-year anniversary of the loss of life at the Henry Pratt Company in 2019 is being extended until March 14, according to the Aurora Historical Society. “There has been considerable interest in the exhibit,” said executive director John Jaros. “We hope to make sure everyone who
The Aurora Historical Society (AHS) is commemorating the anniversary of the shooting at the Henry Pratt Company in 2019 with an exhibit, “February 15: One Year Later” Saturday at the Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, Aurora. Featured in the exhibit are the five crosses created by
The Vintage Aurora Calendar for 2020, produced by the Aurora Historical Society, is a look back at 12 of the ethnic and cultural groups that helped to build the city following the arrival of the first white settlers in 1834. Executive director, John Jaros, selected the photos for the insight
The fine large house at the corner of Oak and Cedar in Aurora’s historic Tanner District will be open one more afternoon to visit and savor the spirit of the holidays which has been enjoyed there for 162 years. The last opportunity to visit the house museum will be from
The half-price membership promotion by the Aurora Historical Society (AHS) which began in the Summer will continue through December 31. Society president Mary Clark Ormond said the opportunity for 12 months of the perks and privileges of membership is both a way to support the work of the organization and
Honoring the late-Victorian period of the Tanner House Museum, the Aurora Historical Society (AHS) has bestowed its holiday season Victoria award on two rooms this year, decorated by Michael Bryant and Kevin and Rachel Rose Bee. The honor, given for the first time last year, recognizes rooms that capture some
The Fall fundraiser for the Aurora Historical Society will be a Halloween party which will feature costumes, food, dancing, and historical characters. The party will be Friday, Oct. 18 at One East Benton, a 1904 building that was formerly the Aurora Public Library and is now the headquarters of SupportTechs,
