Thursday, August 28, 2008

Freeport

My Mother knows I have a love of old things, and a love of books. When she and a friend went to Freeport for lunch last week, they stopped at a little grill that was attached to an antique store. She told me they had such a wonderful selection of school texts from the 1800's. We decided to take the kids and go have a look. I knew I had already spent my book money until close to Christmas, but there is no harm in looking and it would be a nice drive. Freeport is about 45 minutes west of here. We arrived at The Swan's Nest about lunch time. We ordered our lunch and my mom kept the kids while I went and looked at the books. She was right. There were McGuffey Readers, Union Readers, and just about every other kind of reader you could imagine. They also had a "Physical Geography" book from about 1880 that had the most wonderful ink drawn maps. But my favorites were a 1921 edition of The Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan and right next to it was a 1930 copy of John Bunyan: The Man and His Work. Oh they were wonderful. They were so reasonably priced too. I set them back on the shelf and prayed they would still be there in November.
Lunch was very good and the kids really enjoyed it. I promised them we would come back in November and get the Bunyan books along with some other treasures we would certainly find.
Zach and I went outside while Mom and Charlotte used the ladies room. Zach posed for a couple of pictures while we waited....it sure took them a long time. Out they finally came with a bag in hand. Inside were the Bunyan books. I could have cried!!!
There is an inscription in the front of this one...
Gertrude Carlson
"Petty"
Swedish Free Church
Sunday School 1921
The illustrations are incredible!! The book on John Bunyan's life is going to be so interesting. I can hardly wait to read it aloud to my kids.
It is dated 1932 in pencil on the inside binding. The bindings on both of these books are well intact. It is also wonderfully illustrated.Tucked in the pages of this book, I found a photograph of a woman circa 1930 and a postcard with a coffee advertisement on the back.
I look forward to passing these books on to my Grandchildren someday.
On the way home, we stopped at the Stephenson County Tourist Center. It is the 150th Anniversary of the Lincoln Douglas Debate which took place in Freeport, IL
The area residents put on display, carriages, furniture and clothing from this time.This wedding dress was made by a local man for his Bride-to-be.It is beautiful.
We also visited a Glacial Water Display, but I will save those pictures for another time.
Hope you have a blessed day!

13 comments:

Sweet P said...

What a wonderful day! Your mom is a wonderful person. The wedding is gorgeous!

Carolina Girl said...

You have a lovely family. I wish I could explain more how I feel about wonderful people like your mom and Charlotte, but I just don't have the words.

I love seeing pictures of the "old days" as my mom always calls them. I long for simpler times such as those. I would miss computers a little, but I think I could live without it :-)

Mommy pfohl said...

Wonderful pictures and what a wonderful time! -mindy

dot said...

Wow!! What a wonderful time. I love old books and these books are great. You are lucky to have a Mom who knows you so well. Enjoy.

dot said...
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Sarah said...

What fun! How exciting about the Bunyan books! Aren't mothers wonderful?!

Angie said...

I love antique things too. What a special surprise from you Mom!!

Wouldn't it be great if they could turn back time? I'm with "One Christian Mom" ... I wouldn't mind living in the "old days". :)

In Pursuit of His Call said...

What a neat day and how awesome of your mom to surprise you as she did!

Great pictures!

Thanks for sharing your adventure...

copperswife said...

Congratulations on the Bunyan books! What a find, and what a blessing that your mom bought them for you.

The pictures were great. I especially loved the photos of the women's clothing.

Julie said...

Oh, the part about the books brought tears to my eyes. What a sweet momma you have. Mine would have probably done that as well. :)
Sounds like a fun day!

Unknown said...

What a great find! I too love old books...lucky you! I'm glad they found a good home:)

moreofhim said...

OH, my goodness!! Those books are wonderful! What treasures and how sweet of your Mom to get them for you. I LOVE books, too, but especially old books. Thank you for sharing your great find!

God bless you ~ Julie

Marilyn Robertson said...

I am convinced that you find the neatest places to visit! That wedding dress is unreal! I'm glad you were able to take the books home with you where they will be loved!