Joliet museum photo exhibit captures early 20th century in Joliet area

A Joliet resident took hundreds of photographs in the early 20th century, and some of his photos are on display at the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

The Frederick W. Huverstuhl Photography Exhibit includes images of Huverstuhl’s family, home, travels and Joliet streetscapes, said Steven J. Wright, curator at the Joliet Area Historical Museum, 204 N. Ottawa St. in Joliet. The exhibit will be available until early 2025.

The photos were donated by John Leach in 2001.

“Many of these images probably haven’t been seen in decades,” Wright said.

All of the photos are in black and white. Wright said he was surprised at the volume of images because he had considered photography was an expensive hobby during that time period and not readily accessible.

“It was just interesting to see someone who wasn’t a professional photographer take all these images as more of a hobbyist,” Wright said.

The collection had been in storage, and Wright said the museum came across it earlier this year.

“We were excited to do something like this to showcase these images,” he said.

He believes the Frederick W. Huverstuhl Photography Exhibit should have a wide appeal.

Wright said his favorite image is of a “circus day” in Joliet, taken about 1905.

“You see people in the circus carts, which was kind of cool to see,” Wright said. “You can’t tell the location by the background. It’s somewhere more open where they pulled the carts, like a traveling circus, so no recognizable landmarks behind it. It looks more like a traveling circus.”

“It was just interesting to see someone who wasn’t a professional photographer take all these images as more of a hobbyist.”

—  Steven J. Wright, curator at the Joliet Area Historical Museum

Who was Frederick W. Huverstuhl?

Frederick W. Huverstuhl was born April 13, 1847, in Holdorf, Germany, and immigrated to the U.S. with his parents, with the family settling in Chicago, according to Joliet Area Historical Museum website.

Huverstuhl moved to Peoria as an adult to learn marble. He then moved to Joliet, working in local marble shops. In 1877, Huverstuhl opened a tombstone shop at Van Buren and Chicago streets and then relocated his business to 625 Cass St. in 1880, according to the website.

He married Mary O’Connell in 1868 and together they had three children: William J., Frank B., and Frederick E. Huverstuhl, according to the website.

From the late 1800s through the early 1900s, Huverstuhl took photographs of his family, home, business, downtown Joliet, and his travels, preserving them in photo albums and scrapbooks and adding handwritten descriptions of his images, according to the website.

These albums are “largely still intact,” with any loose pages from the albums now stored separately, according to the website. The collection also includes drawings by Huverstuhl.

Highlights of the exhibit

Curated images in the exhibit include:

Downtown Joliet building no longer in existence: The Woodruff Inn, the 1887 Will County Courthouse that was demolished in 1969, the old Will County Jail and sheriff’s residence, the Higinbotham mansion, the Joliet high school before Joliet Township High School (Joliet Central High School) and some buildings along the canal on Bluff Street.

Huverstuhl’s travels: Starved Rock State Park, Peoria, World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 in Chicago

Family photos: Family members sitting on a bench, a posed photo of the family in a boat, candid images of the family fishing from the bank of Hickory Creek and early “selfies” that Frederick W. Huverstuh snapped of himself.

Wright said the public can view all of Frederick W. Huverstuhl’s photographs in a separate kiosk.

For more information, call the Joliet Area Historical Museum at 815-723-5201 or visit jolietmuseum.org.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Frederick W. Huverstuhl Photography Exhibit

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Saturday

WHERE: Joliet Area Historical Museum, 204 N. Ottawa St. in Joliet.

INFORMATION: Call 815-723-5201 or visit jolietmuseum.org.