History

New to the Collection

Photos from the Naperville Train Crash of 1946
A recent donation to Naper Settlement's museum collection included 16 black and white photographs taken after the April 25, 1946, train wreck in Naperville. Considered the worst train wreck in Chicago area history, 47 people died and approximately 125 people were injured.

Two trains, the Advanced Flyer and the Exposition Flyer, had left Union Station in Chicago on different tracks. Traveling several minutes apart, they merged onto the same track several miles outside Chicago. The Advanced Flyer made an unscheduled stop in Naperville to inspect their undercarriage and the Exposition Flyer's engineer did not see the Advanced Flyer's signal lights or the red flag being waved by the rear brakeman. The Exposition Flyer slammed into the back of the Advanced Flyer.

At the time of the wreck, Naperville had no hospital. Homes and businesses nearby were set up as makeshift hospitals and the injured were transported to hospitals in Aurora.

See the photo gallery here >

1944 Football Program
A recent donation brought back memories of Naperville High School's football team from the 1940s. As World War II raged throughout Europe and Asia, back here in the U.S. people tried to create a sense of normalcy by continuing their traditions, such as Friday night football games. In a football program dated Nov. 11, 1944, which pitted Naperville High School against Marmion Academy, there is a list of players, but also included were the names of those residents who were missing in action, prisoners of war and those who were formerly on the team, but now were members of the Armed Forces.

Sports Letter 'N'
An "N" donated to Naper Settlement's collections belonged to a 1944 Naperville High School graduate. That same grad also received two cherished letters with "Champs" emblazoned in gold, signifying the team had won a championship the "Little Seven," which included teams from high schools from as far away as Dundee. Through the years, the number of students might have grown at the high school, but varsity letters evoke the same sense of pride.