TRAVELING TALKS
We bring the museum to you! Our Traveling Talks offer deep dives into specific stories we can only give brief information on our tours. These talks are great for book clubs, library programs, history enthusiasts, and more!
The fee is $150 for a one-hour presentation which includes time for Q&A.
Discounts are available for schools. Call us at 630-377-6424 or click the links below for more information.
Elizebeth Smith-Friedman at Riverbank in Geneva c.1916. Photo by William Friedman.
Elizebeth Smith-Friedman was a pioneer in code-breaking. Growing up in small-town Indiana, she would eventually become one of the nation’s foremost cryptanalysts. She took down smuggling syndicates during Prohibition, broke enigma codes in WWII, and caught Nazi spies in South America. She and her husband, William Friedman, practically invented their field overnight. Learn about her start at the fabulous Riverbank estate of Colonel George Fabyan, the eccentric millionaire, and how her research lead to the start of the NSA.
Around 1846, the Alexander brothers, Julius and Edward, built a small 30x48 foot limestone blacksmith shop on the east bank of the Fox River in Geneva, Illinois. The shop evolved with the city of Geneva and continues to stand to this day. Remarkably, this simple structure tells an incredibly rich story about how Geneva was settled and how the people of Geneva dealt with their rapidly changing world. Discover the hidden history this unremarkable building can share and what is being done to save and reuse it for the next generation.