Naperville, IL -  

When Joseph Naper was sworn in as Naperville's village president in 1857, he promised to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois and to perform the duties of president according to the law and to the best of his understanding. He also vowed that he had not fought a duel nor sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel.

Because of that vow, before he took and signed the oath of office to become village president, it is believed that Joseph Naper gave up his dueling pistols to a friend or family member to keep. The pistols disappeared from sight until 1931 when they were part of a display of historic memorabilia on the back bar of a hotel called the Washington House and remained there until it closed in 1939. Although the actual items had not been seen for decades, a photograph of the pistols appears in the Naperville Centennial booklet.

The whereabouts of these artifacts remained a mystery until a Naperville family with ties to the city's early settlers offered to loan the pistols to Naper Settlement in honor of Naperville's 175th Anniversary and in conjunction with Naper Days 2006 to be held June 16-18.

According to research conducted by Naper Settlement staff, this type of dueling pistol set was manufactured by Henry Deringer of Philadelphia from the late 1820s to 1866. Also, a handwritten document preserved with the pistols tells their owner's story from Naper's days as a seafaring captain on the Great Lakes to his military duty during the Blackhawk and Mexican wars. The pistols are now on display in the Pre-Emption House Visitor Center and will become part of the "Brushstrokes of the Past...Naperville's Story" exhibit.  

"We couldn't have been more pleased to receive the offer to display the pistols as part of the Naper Days celebration to honor our founding fathers," said Peggy Frank, Executive Director of Naper Settlement. "It's an amazing resurfacing of historic importance, especially give that it's our 175^th anniversary year."

While on the grounds for Naper Days, don't miss another new exhibit called, "Discarded History," featuring items from the privys of Naperville's earliest citizens, including Joseph Naper. Naperville resident Tom Majewski is the guest curator for this special exhibit on display through July 17.

To learn more about Naper's life, see the premiere of "Community Building on the Great Frontier: The Story of Joseph Naper and the Founding of Naperville," produced by Naperville Community Television, Channel 17, in cooperation with Naper Settlement. The new documentary, which will be shown in Century Memorial Chapel during Naper Days along with other Naperville-related television programs, sheds light on Joseph Naper, his vision, struggles and triumphs and how he helped build the community we know today.

The past comes to life at Naper Settlement, the only outdoor history museum in Illinois accredited by the American Association of Museums. This 19^th century museum village, located in the heart of downtown Naperville, features a 13-acre site with 30 historic structures. For more information, call (630) 420-6010, the Event Hotline at (630) 305-5555 or visit www.napersettlement.museum for details.

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Note to editors: To schedule taking a photograph of the artifacts, please call Chief Curator Louise Howard at (630) 420-6014.