Touring Geneva: Museum offers bus, trolley trips through historic town

GENEVA – A line of ladies made their way into a 15-passenger van recently, taking part in a tour of the city as part of Geneva on Wheels, a new program offered through the Geneva History Museum.

Museum Director Terry Emma took the wheel as she and museum educator Heidi Howlett began the 45-minute drive through Geneva with their group, pointing out the historic Kane County Courthouse on the other side of Third Street.

“In March of 1890, the Kane County Courthouse in Geneva burnt,” Howlett said. “And this magnificent building was erected in its place at a cost of $195,000.”

The women on the tour hooted and laughed at the thought, while Howlett said, “Try to find that now.”

Howlett also pointed out a plaque dedicated to John F. Kennedy, who gave a speech there on Oct. 25, 1960, when he was running for president.

“This building was considered for demolition several times in the 1970s, so I’m glad we saved it,” Howlett said. “You will see many buildings with bronze plaques recognizing their historic significance. Geneva takes pride in preserving historic buildings and repurposing them.”

The museum’s tours of Geneva have become popular, Emma said.

“It all started with trolley tours during Swedish Days last year,” Emma said, referring to the six-day festival held in June.

Surprisingly, those taking the tour – during the festival or this year so far – are not from Geneva, Emma said.

“They’re from Roselle, Westchester, St. Charles, Willowbrook – they’re from all over,” Emma said. “It’s funny. When we asked people, ‘Would you like a trolley tour?’ They would say, ‘Oh, I live here.’ And I would say, ‘Don’t you want to learn about your community?’ … It’s not necessarily a tourist thing. People should know about the town they live in.”

One of the women on the recent tour, Myrt Novak of Willowbrook, said – when she comes to visit Geneva – she tries to organize as many people as possible from her condo building. On the recent trip were her daughter Jane Jecmen, and friends Ruth Hinton and Mary Biekarz, also all of Willowbrook.

“We love Geneva,” Novak said. “We just love coming here; it’s such a neat little town. … We come for the crab cakes at Fiora’s.”

Another woman taking the tour, Maryann Verrassi of Roselle, said she and her friend also come to Geneva often.

“Now that we are retired, we come here more than ever,” Verrassi said.

The museum’s next tours are at noon May 19 and at 10:30 a.m. May 21, Emma said. Cost is $25 a person, with an additional fee for lunch at The Little Traveler, 404 S. Third St., where the tour ends.

The museum also offers private tours. In May, a group of 30 is coming from Hinsdale, bringing their own trolley, Emma said.

Geneva on Wheels offers specific topics for the tours, such as architecture, its historic district, historic homes, a pub crawl, and holiday lights (in December only).

Also new next month will be bike tours at 10 a.m. May 13 and 20, starting at Mill Race Cyclery, 11 E. State St., Geneva, where participants can rent a bike or bring their own.

“It’s a seven-mile bike tour through Fabyan Woods, and then we see some of downtown, visit the museum and go back to the cyclery. It’s about [an] hour and a half,” Emma said.

As this month’s tour stepped off, Pat McGlynn of Mount Prospect said she liked hearing about Geneva’s history.

“I liked the story about the train station being built to get to the Chicago Fair,” McGlynn said.

“We just enjoyed the whole thing,” added Jean Spatol of Hawthorne Woods.

If you go

The Geneva History Museum, 113 S. Third St., Geneva, is offering 45-minute Geneva on Wheels tours that cover a variety of topics .

• Hop-on tours – Museum staff will hop on your tour bus and direct the driver to the route of your choice. Minimum of 10 people; cost is $7 a person.

• Van tours – Provided by the museum. Tour needs a minimum of seven people, with a maximum of 13. Cost is $25 a person.

• Trolley tour – The museum will provide a 30-passenger trolley. Tour needs a minimum of 30 people. Cost is $40 a person.

Register online at www.genevahistorymuseum.org or by calling the museum at 630-232-4951.