Introducing the Raupp Museum

Hi. Every relationship begins with a great introduction, so let’s begin. The is the local history museum for the Buffalo Grove area — we tell the story of Buffalo Grove from Native American settlement in the early 1800s, through one hundred years of dairy farming life and on into the bustling suburb of today. However, one of the most romantic stories of all is the story of how the museum came to be.

During 1960s Buffalo Grove was growing like mad — farmland was being sold, houses were being built block by block, and families were moving in every day. Literally, every day — the principal of the grade school at that time remembered that every Monday morning he would come to school and have at least two or three new students to register for classes. The police force had hired its first officer, the fire department had purchased its first ambulance (a 1951 Cadillac), and the town finally had a grocery store. was brand new, and plans for were in the works.

Buffalo Grove had almost everything a town could want, and everyone wanted to be part of this new town. Want proof? When the first part of the Strathmore subdivision went on sale, the builders sold 65 homes the first weekend, raised the price of everything $1,000, and planned to be completely sold out by the end of the month.

At this time, just to the north of the first wave of building, three bachelor brothers
(Phillip, and Raupp) had just sold their farm. Actually, not quite all of their farm — while the cornfields would become new houses, the brothers saved the 3.5 acres that their original farmhouse was on, and came to the Village with a deal. They would donate the property to the Village, if the Village would agree to put either a museum or a library on the site. The Village agreed, and the deal was struck. However, the Village had very little money at the time, so nothing was done. Then, in 1969, the was created, and the Village approached the park district with the same deal — they could have the land and buildings for free, if they would promise to put a museum or a library on the site. The park district agreed, and began to convert the original Raupp home into a farmhouse museum, so that people could see how the farmers used to live. This looked like a great solution until one night when the farmhouse caught fire and burned to the ground.

Luckily, the park district was still committed to the idea of a museum, so the project did not end with the fire. Instead, one of the early developers of Buffalo Grove donated a sales building, which was moved to the site to become the new museum. The park district built an addition, volunteers built exhibits, and, on September 16, 1979, the museum first opened to the public.

A lot has changed in the thirty years since the museum opened. Buffalo Grove has grown and diversified. The original museum buildings have been remodeled and replaced by newer and better buildings and exhibits. But the idea that history is a gift to be shared with the community is still one of the principals that guides the museum staff today.

This column will be a new way to do that. Whether it is sharing a piece of Buffalo Grove’s past, highlighting an object in the museum’s collection, or sharing tips on how to preserve your own history, our goal is to connect our readers to the history that is all around you. Ideas? Questions? Comments? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!