History Speaks presentation highlights early Illinois history

Explore the Illinois frontier through the eyes of Juliette Magill Kinzie during Naper Settlement’s History Speaks Lecture Series presentation that will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 8 at Century Memorial Chapel, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Tickets for the History Speaks Lecture Series at the door are $7 adults and $6 youth 4-12 and students. Save $1 by purchasing tickets in advance by 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. Call (630) 420-6010.

In 1830, Juliette Magill, a well-educated young woman born and raised in a well-to-do family from Connecticut, met famous fur trader John H. Kinzie at her grandparents’ home in Boston. They fell in love and he asked her to be his wife and share with him the great adventure of life in the wilderness. Betsey Means of WomanLore will portray this adventurous pioneer woman, historian and writer.

Means based her performance on Magill Kinzie’s book “Wau-Bun; the early days.” The History Speaks audience will feel as though they have stepped back in time to 1855 and are guests in Magill Kinzie’s living room, listening to her tell her life story.

“I go back to the original writings of the women I perform, create scripts directly from their writing and then memorize their own words,” Means said. “It’s a powerful way to connect to the women I bring to life.”

An interesting fact is that Magill Kinzie was the grandmother and namesake of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low.

Means has been bringing women of history to life for 12 years. She is a professional actress who has performed with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare on the Green, Blue Rider Theatre and Chicago Children’s Theatre, among other groups.

“In a one-woman performance, the audience helps create the performance,” she said. “We go on a journey together.”

For more information, about the program, visit www.napersettlement.org.

About Naper Settlement

History comes to life at Naper Settlement, an outdoor history museum, located in downtown Naperville at 523 S. Webster St. Nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, Naper Settlement has 30 historic structures ranging from a rustic log cabin to an elegant Victorian mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s where history comes to play. For more information, visit www.napersettlement.org or call (630) 420-6010.

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