Yorkville Library Oral History Project Seeks Longtime Residents

The has launched a new program entitled “Remembering Yesterday.”

The program was inspired by the s recent article about Susan Kritzberg’s remembrance of years gone by and her desire to preserve some of the history of Yorkville as she recalls it from her childhood.  “Remembering Yesterday” will seek and record an oral history from individuals who have been involved in the community for many years prior to the area’s growth explosion. 

The library has sought to find individuals who are from a broad spectrum of careers and community involvement that includes educators, businessmen, community activists, and those with interest in preserving memories of days gone by.

The initial group of individuals who shared their combined memories met in November under the guidance of Adult Services Director Shelley Augustine. One of our participants quoted his grandfather as saying: “Times have changed since Willie died.”   The question he asked is: “Who’s Willie?”

As the program progresses each person will be asked the same general questions, such as what schools were like when they were young, were there any sports for youngsters, what types of stores were located downtown, the community structure with Yorkville on the south side of the Fox River and the town of Bristol on the north side, and various other topics of interest.  The library will keep a record (both digital and hard copy) of each person’s memories in the Local History/Genealogy Room at the Yorkville Public Library.

If you or someone you know has a long history in Yorkville and would be interested in sharing memories from the time Yorkville was a small farming community, contact Shelley Augustine at 630-553-4354.