Ogle County Newspapers / ShawLocal.com • Friday, Jun 24, 2022
OGLE COUNTY NEWS
10 LOCAL HISTORY
Museum was very busy during Town & Country Days
S
aturday was open house at Aplington House and the Polo History Museum. The occasion was Polo Town and Country Days. Usually we have a few people drifting in and out and we end up visiting with one another. That was not the case this time. As I pulled in, Tom Nelson was waiting across the street and we went in together. Remember Tom from the Peek Home and our last meeting? He came back with booklets made on the Peek Home for anyone who wants one. We opened the museum and started to get things set up. We had six of us at the Polo History Museum and Susan and Tim covered the Aplington House. The museum had no more than opened when people came from Lanark with unusual milk bottles from a Polo Creamery. I knew them since the gal and I had traveled to Northern years ago to get our education. So we visited big time. Now here we are retired from teaching. Then someone came in and wondered where Burman’s Hatchery had been. I hastened as fast as my walker would go to get the file on the hatchery. I said to Ted to get the big book that Ed Olsen had put together on the businesses and with all that information we managed to figure out where the hatchery had been. Part of it on one side of the street and another part of it on the other side of the street. Soon after that someone else came in with a match holder from Burman’s Hatchery. Now how often does that happen? At that point I started to write things down because I have now reached 90 and at some point my mind could start going. I might not remember who brought that part of our history as a donation. Cathy Hendry came in and soon noticed that we did not have an important part of Central Stamping history. It was an ad made by Central when Cathy
POLO HISTORY Betty Obendorf and her twin sister Chris were three years old. They got to push a bowl of cereal on the floor so the high powered vac could clean the mess up. Cathy went home and came back with the ad for us. We visited for quite a while. People were coming and going with all kinds of questions. Someone who had purchased a house wanted some history and I handed them the book on houses and a couple of files that tell when homes and businesses were built. They settled down at a table to search and found something we copied off. Someone on a motorcycle was traveling by and we had a nice visit. He had originally been from Polo. I found out the math teacher from the high school is my new neighbor and has moved in across the street recently. I did not even realize the old neighbors had left. Soon several from the Terry family came in and it was nice showing them what has been done. I had Ethan Terry in first grade. Where have the years gone? We were busy and it was nice to see all the young folks interested in what we have put together. It is fun showing off Polo’s history. We now have milk bottles, a Burman’s Hatchery match holder and an ad for Central Stamping to put in place. First a little card needs to be made about each one. That I will do when all is quiet. It was a great day at the museum.
• Betty Obendorf is a retired teacher and a volunteer for the Polo Historical Society.
Cast your ballot in the June 28 Primary for Ogle County District 8 Board Member
Lyle Hopkins
Lifelong Ogle County Resident
We are in some tough economic times & some tough County decisions need to be made. I will work with the Best Interest of Ogle County in Mind as issues are voted on. Your vote would be appreciated SM-ST1993383
Photo provided
This advertisement from the 1970s was for Central Stamping in Polo. Pictured in the ad are Cathy and Chris Hendry, 3-year-old twins from Polo. They were to push the bowl of cereal off the table and the new Pow R Vac would clean up the mess. Cathy has donated the ad to the Polo Historical Society. She has never forgotten being part of the ad.
• Full Service Optical Lab • Contact Lenses (including bifocal & specialty lenses) • Comprehensive Eye Health Exams • Diagnosis/Treatment of Eye Diseases • Great Selection of Eyeglass Frames
Northwest Eyecare • 815.732.3121 314 W. Washington St. • Oregon, IL www.northwesteyecare.com
