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One particularly memorable experience Margaret Philbrick has from growing up in Geneva is going to see a historic crèche nativity scene as a child.
“It was our family tradition to walk up the hill to (local store) the Little Traveler and we would see, in the Christmas season, the nativity scene that (store founder) Kate Raftery and those who followed her would display,” Philbrick said. “I loved it. It was magical.”
She remembers how the angels appeared to fly as she did not notice the clear filament line that held them up.
“It was a beautiful effect,” Philbrick said.
It was an experience Philbrick, who now lives in Wheaton, wanted to share with her own children about three years ago. But she discovered the nativity set was no longer on display at Little Traveler.
“We went on a bit of a mission to find it,” Philbrick said.
Philbrick eventually found the crèche’s new home was in the Geneva History Center. She also learned the nativity scene had been lost for 12 years until it was found in the late 1960s by Merritt King in the basement of a building on River Lane slated for demolition. In a state of disrepair, it was returned to the Little Traveler until it was donated to the History Center in 1989.
“The story was so compelling that we decided to create a book about it,” Philbrick said.
The story is not exclusive to Philbrick’s experience, and many memories about the crèche, dating back to the 1920s, recently were shared by Geneva residents.
“(The book) is about something that all of us know quite a bit about,” said Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, during the Nov. 23 City Council meeting.
Philbrick’s children’s book, “Back to the Manger: A Treasure Hunt for the Nativity,” was published in September by Singing River Publications. Philbrick’s mother, Sarah McGreevy, who is an oil painter, contributed the artwork.
“I wrote the story in about two hours,” Philbrick said. “It took her about two years to do the paintings.”
The two will be signing copies of their book Friday at the Geneva History Center, as the crèche will be placed on display for the rest of this month.
Philbrick said they already have 33 events scheduled around the book, including appearances in St. Louis and San Antonio.
“It extends itself beyond Geneva,” Philbrick said. “With the particular story, people are very captivated by loss and restoration, particularly of something that is very beautiful and significant.”
One particularly memorable experience Margaret Philbrick has from growing up in Geneva is going to see a historic crèche nativity scene as a child.
“It was our family tradition to walk up the hill to (local store) the Little Traveler and we would see, in the Christmas season, the nativity scene that (store founder) Kate Raftery and those who followed her would display,” Philbrick said. “I loved it. It was magical.”
She remembers how the angels appeared to fly as she did not notice the clear filament line that held them up.
“It was a beautiful effect,” Philbrick said.
It was an experience Philbrick, who now lives in Wheaton, wanted to share with her own children about three years ago. But she discovered the nativity set was no longer on display at Little Traveler.
“We went on a bit of a mission to find it,” Philbrick said.
Philbrick eventually found the crèche’s new home was in the Geneva History Center. She also learned the nativity scene had been lost for 12 years until it was found in the late 1960s by Merritt King in the basement of a building on River Lane slated for demolition. In a state of disrepair, it was returned to the Little Traveler until it was donated to the History Center in 1989.
“The story was so compelling that we decided to create a book about it,” Philbrick said.
The story is not exclusive to Philbrick’s experience, and many memories about the crèche, dating back to the 1920s, recently were shared by Geneva residents.
“(The book) is about something that all of us know quite a bit about,” said Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, during the Nov. 23 City Council meeting.
Philbrick’s children’s book, “Back to the Manger: A Treasure Hunt for the Nativity,” was published in September by Singing River Publications. Philbrick’s mother, Sarah McGreevy, who is an oil painter, contributed the artwork.
“I wrote the story in about two hours,” Philbrick said. “It took her about two years to do the paintings.”
The two will be signing copies of their book Friday at the Geneva History Center, as the crèche will be placed on display for the rest of this month.
Philbrick said they already have 33 events scheduled around the book, including appearances in St. Louis and San Antonio.
“It extends itself beyond Geneva,” Philbrick said. “With the particular story, people are very captivated by loss and restoration, particularly of something that is very beautiful and significant.”
The crèche consists of 47 pieces with 44 figurines, including baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and agrotto. The set is believed to have been created in Naples, Italy, in the 1700s and brought to Geneva more than 75 years ago, according to historians.
History Center Curator Jessica McTague said all but three of the set’s pieces are restored this year. Each figure costs about $500 to restore. McTague said the next project could be restoring the costumes for about $600 a piece.
“We have to be sure to have antique costumes,” McTague said.
An annual luncheon is held at the History Center, with proceeds of ticket sales going to the crèche restoration project. The rate of restoration has been about five figures per year.
Besides sponsoring an angel figure for her mother, Philbrick said she will continue supporting the crèche’s restoration moving forward.
“Part of the reason why we wanted to do this book was to raise money for the restoration,” Philbrick said.
Ten percent of book sales will be donated to the restoration project. The book recently sold out at Little Traveler and Barnes & Noble in Geneva Commons.
