SHELDON PECK HOMESTEAD REOPENS FOR 2020 WITH NEW EXHIBITS POSTPONED

New artifacts include an 1880’s Tramp art picture frame, made from old cigar boxes. Tramp art, so called because it was a popular pastime for itinerants, was created during the 1870’s to the 1940’s and primarily made from readily available discarded wooden cigar boxes. Tramp art required a pocket-knife and a knack for whittling and time on your hands. Many people, including women and children, created a variety of decorative and functional objects from cigar boxes, items which are now considered collectible.

Also on display for a limited time, is an 1840’s wooden box with an Anti-slavery Motif. The wooden box and painted motif is another example of folk art. This design was a popular image repeated from the late 18th century through the mid-19th century to promote the abolitionist movement in both England and the United States. A quote on the box states, “Am I not a man and a brother?” and was first created in 1787 by potter Josiah Wedgewood. Benjamin Franklin stated the image was “Equal to that of the best written pamphlet.”

The Lombard Historical Society celebrates Lombard’s heritage by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of Lombard and operates the Victorian Cottage Museum, the Carriage House and the Society’s Archives at 23 W. Maple Street, and the Sheldon Peck Homestead, a National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site, at 355 E. Parkside Avenue in Lombard. Both the Victorian Cottage and Peck Homestead host activities and groups and are open for tours several days a week.