In the early days farmers with their horses and wagons would line up to deliver milk on cold wintery days to the Lake Zurich Creamery on Main Street. The Mionsky Apartments now stand where the creamery once stood. According to the Ela Historical Society records, in the 1920s, milk could be purchased for "$1 to $2 per 100 weight of milk."

   Yesterday, we asked you what these Lake Zurich women were doing at the annual Lake Zurich Day picnic. According to the caption in the Lake Zurich Reporter, “Women 19-35 forgot dignity in favor a good time when they scrambled in a pile of sawdust for coins as the crowd looked on at the Lake Zurich Day picnic. Later, they competed in pounding nails. The older women played bingo.”

The Lake Zurich Day Annual Picnic was celebrated for the first time in 1928 and continued for decades. All the residents, except for the police chief, left town for a nearby picnic grove to spend the day playing games and enjoying each other's company, according to the Ela Historical Society. What do you think the women in this photo are doing?  Can you identify any of the people in the other photos? Check back for the answer to what those women are doing on Sunday, May 6.

Yesterday, we asked you to tell us what the item in the picture was used for. The item was found in the basement of the Ela Historical Society and Museum while performing some spring cleaning and painting. Harold Chisamore, historical society volunteer, said the item was used at the turn of the century to pick ice blocks off of the lake. "We didn't even know we had that," Chisamore said of the item. What treasures have you uncovered while spring cleaning your home?

Ela Historical Society and Museum volunteers recently cleared out the museum's basement to allow workers to paint the walls and floor, a project that takes place every so often. The basement is used for storage and archives. It's not open for public display, so items stored in the basement are rarely seen by anyone other than historical society volunteers. So what did they uncover? A variety of random items, including dishes, postcards, a hat and even a sign advertising a Thanksgiving dinner at a local hotel. A particularly interesting item is featured in the first photo of this gallery. Do …

What do you know about the old Palatine, Lake Zurich & Wauconda Railroad?According to Lake Zurich Centennial: One Hundred Years of a Midwestern Village, the first rails were laid on the PLZ&W in Palatine on Aug. 17, 1911, and railroad construction reached Lake Zurich in October. The rails didn't reach Wauconda until May 14, 1913.The PLZ&W's first engine was purchased from the Northwestern Railroad. It was named "Maud" (and later called "Old Maud") after a popular comic strip at that time, "Maud the Mule."The Lake Zurich Centennial book states: "A big engineering problem was the crossing of …

Yesterday, we asked you to identify the woman in this photo. The woman in this photo is Mary Jane Delano. She married Joseph Chase Whitney on Dec. 8, 1860. They had six children, including May Whitney — the namesake of May Whitney School. The family lived on the Whitney farm.Stay tuned for next week's history question!

Do you know who this woman is? Here are some clues: She was born Sept. 20, 1842, and died in 1914 in Lake Zurich. She was married to a prominent Lake Zurich resident. She gave birth to a daughter, Clarissa, in 1862. Her brothers served in the Civil War. We'll reveal the answer tomorrow!

Yesterday, we asked you identify the man in this photo. If you said Joseph Chase Whitney, you're right! Whitney grew up on the Whitney family farm and took over the management of the farm upon the death of his father in the mid-1800s. He served in a variety of roles in the community, including as the deacon of the First Baptist Church of Barrington, and he served on the village and school boards here in Lake Zurich. Stay tuned for next week's history question!

Do you know who this man is?Here's a little bit of information about him, courtesy of the Ela Historical Society and Museum: He was born June 6, 1833, in New York and died Feb. 12, 1914 in Lake Zurich. He grew up on a farm and attended the Lake Zurich and Waukegan Academies. He joined the 96th Regiment in Illinois in 1862 and served in the Civil War. His Civil War stories are published in Robert Snetsinger's Kiss Clara for Me. He was an inspector in the Chicago Stockyards from 1890-1900. He was a founding member of the Ela Mutual Insurance Company for 30 years. He's buried at Evergreen …

In a Patch Poll yesterday, we asked you to guess how many “man hours” it took to clear Ela Township Roads during the infamous blizzard of 1967. According to an article from the defunct The Frontier Enterprise newspaper on file at the Ela Historical Society and Museum, it took 210 man hours to clear the roads after the storm. The article says it took just 18 man hours to clear the streets after a typical snowstorm. Stay tuned for next week's local history question!

In today's "Bringing Back the Past" column, we're taking a look at the blizzard of 1967.The storm hit the Lake Zurich area in late January, leaving knee-deep snow around town. An article from the defunct The Frontier Enterprise newspaper from Feb. 2, 1967 recalls the "Great Blizzard." According to the article, schools closed early on a Thursday and remained closed Friday and the following Monday as crews worked to remove snow from streets throughout the village and Ela Township. The article tells of a Lake Zurich Public Works employee who picked up baby formula at a local pharmacy and …

The Ela Historical Society and Museum will host a special speaker Jan. 15 about Girl Scout history.Suzy Marshalla will talk about the Girl Scouts program at 2 p.m. The event is open to all.The national Girl Scouts program was founded 100 years ago. Locally, Lake Zurich's first troop was founded in 1940 by Emma Dernehl. The Ela Historical Society and Museum has a large display of Girl Scouts memorabilia, including uniforms, badges, crafts, books and camping supplies. Marshalla provided the items for the display.The items will be on display through March 2012. The museum is open every Thursday…

The Ela Historical Society and Museum is a treasure trove of local history. Among its collections are dozens of postcards — including several from Christmastime. Ron Frank of the Ela Historical Society said the postcards date back to the early 1900s and represent what people sent to each other in place of large Christmas cards. Enjoy the photographs of these lovely postcards. You also can stop by to see them in person. The Ela Historical Society and Museum will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday. The historical society also is featuring a display about local Girl Scout history.

Yesterday, we asked you to name the five basketball players featured in the picture. The players — all related — were the founding members of the high school basketball team in the mid-1940s. The team — two brothers and their three cousins — led the team to be the undefeated conference champions in 1945 with a 14-0 record. The team was again crowned the conference champions in 1946 with a 12-2 record. So who was pictured? Grever family members Kenneth and Orville (brothers) and their cousins Herman, Lloyd and Glen. Bottom row: Herman (center) and Lloyd (guard) Top row: Kenneth (forward), Glen…

Did you know that in the mid-1940s, the founding members of the high school basketball team were all members of the same family? The team — two brothers and their three cousins — led the team to be the undefeated conference champions in 1945 with a 14-0 record. The team was again crowned the conference champions in 1946 with a 12-2 record. Here's this week's question: Who were these basketball players?

Yesterday, we asked you to name the woman who started the first Girl Scout troop in Lake Zurich. Her name was Emma Bernehl. She started the first Lake Zurich Girl Scout troop in 1940. She died at age 81 in 1965. Read about the special Girl Scout exhibit at the Ela Historical Society and Museum.

The Ela Historical Society and Museum is gearing up for the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts with a special display that features everything from Brownie Beanies to camping-related silverware from the 1960s.Historical Society President Coral Lee Scranton said the majority of the display was provided by a local Girl Scout leader.The display includes pins, handbooks, a canteen from the 1970s, a flashlight from 1950 and a variety of uniforms. Scranton said the items will be on display through March. The 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts is in March 2012.The Ela Historical Society is open …

Yesterday, we asked you to name the year that first football team was founded at Ela High School. The correct answer is 1949. Stay tuned for next week's question!