Christine LaFave Grace
Marketing & Communications Assistant, Wheaton Park District
630.510.4987 | [email protected]

August 22, 2024

Free public presentation to feature Illinois Humanities Road Scholars speaker John Goldsmith.

WHEATON—Heard the story about “Three Frenchmen and a Goat”? It’s not the start of a bar joke, but it is an entertaining tale that John Goldsmith will share this September at the DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton.

“Three Frenchmen and a Goat: The DeMoulin Bros. Story,” will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Museum, located at 102 E. Wesley St. in downtown Wheaton. During this FREE and open-to-the-public special event—made possible through an award from the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars program—Illinois Humanities Road Scholar John Goldsmith will share the story of three enterprising Illinois brothers who founded a business in 1892 that went on to become one of the biggest manufacturers of marching-band uniforms in the country.

The presentation is being offered as a unique complement to one of the Museum’s recently opened special exhibits, “Extracurricular: High School Tradition and Culture in DuPage County.”

Goldsmith is a longtime follower of the DeMoulin brothers, with his mother having worked as a seamstress for the DeMoulin Bros. company in the 1950s. Goldsmith currently is the curator of the DeMoulin Museum in Greenville, Illinois, and is a member of the Illinois Association of Museums’ board of directors. He describes the DeMoulin brothers’ curious journey to success as a tale of “trick chairs, strength testers, graduation caps and gowns, and band uniforms.” Attendees of “Three Frenchmen and a Goat” will have the chance to explore the traveling trunk of marching-band treasures and company gadgets that Goldsmith has curated over the decades.

The DuPage County Historical Museum, under the direction of Michelle Podkowa, Manager and Educator, is grateful to the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau for the opportunity to offer the “Three Frenchmen and a Goat” presentation. The Road Scholars program gives Illinois museums the chance to host guest speakers on a wide range of historical and cultural topics for educational public events.

Built in 1891 as a town library, the DuPage County Historical Museum is owned by DuPage County and operated as a facility of Wheaton Park District. Its principal purposes are to educate the general public through the collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of materials that document the history of DuPage County and its relationship to Illinois and the nation and to provide local history services for historical organizations and for scholarly endeavors.

The Museum is free to the public and open Monday – Friday from 8:30A to 4:30P and on weekends from Noon to 4P.

Details about these upcoming exhibits and programming can be found at dupagemuseum.org.