The downtown Hinsdale of 1907 did not have an Einstein’s Bagels or a Gap, but it did have the buildings that house those businesses today.

Residents can learn what their downtown of yesteryear looked like at the newest exhibit at the Hinsdale Historical Society, “Downtown Hinsdale: 100 Years Ago.”

“People are intrigued with the idea of 100 years ago,” said Museum Director Carrie Hageman. “It’s outside the frame of reference for most people.”

Hinsdale at the turn of the 20th century was a place of innovation during an era of many technological improvements, she said. Some of those improvements included curbs, electric street lamps, concrete sidewalks and paved streets.

“It was thought of as being extremely modern,” Hageman said. “The people in 1907 would have felt like their town had changed drastically.”

The exhibit is anchored by donated artifacts illustrating “a feel for what it was like to go shopping in downtown Hinsdale” a century ago, Hageman said.

A wooden telephone, an old typewriter, a toaster and carpet sweeper are all included in the exhibit, but they are not similar to their 2007 counterparts, Hageman said.
In 2007, residents can get coffee created to custom specifications in downtown

Hinsdale, at Corner Bakery or Starbucks. In the Hinsdale of yesteryear, Hageman said, the more innovative stores offered coffee bean grinding services, for a fee. An old commercial coffee grinder is included in the exhibit.

The exhibit also gives visitors the chance to compare the downtown of old to the downtown of today. For example, a leaded glass tailor window — “very large and striking,” Hageman said — hung over the doorway where a store called French Toast currently resides.

“Not only do you see it, but you can make the connection to what is there in downtown Hinsdale today,” she said.

Visitors can also read newspaper clippings and examine photos. Sandy Williams, Hinsdale resident and Hinsdale Historical Society board member, said the photographs were her favorite part of the exhibit.

“They can visually connect you to these buildings and their uses,” Williams said. “Everyone enjoys seeing historic photographs when they can recognize a piece of history that they know.”

The exhibit is on display every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., now through Wednesday, Oct. 31, at the Hinsdale Historical Society, 15 S. Clay St., Hinsdale. Admission is free.