Cook House Offers a Glimpse Into Victorian Era

Have you ever visited the Ansel B. Cook House in Cook Park?

I stopped in on Sunday for the first time. I just happened to be out taking photos at the "Dog Days of Summer" and saw that the house was open for tours.

I wandered in and was immediately impressed with the beauty of the home. As someone who is practically obsessed with the Victorian era (I am, for example, amassing a collection of Victorian-era photos), the Cook House was a wonderful visit back in time.

Though most of the furniture and other decor is not original to the house, Ansel B. Cook's intricately-carved, roll-top desk can be seen upstairs.
 
There's also an impressive collection of Victorian-era wedding dresses on display throughout the house. I'll bet you didn't know that back then, women didn't wear white wedding gowns unless they were especially well-to-do. This allowed women to wear their wedding dresses more than once. 

I also got an interesting history lesson from one of the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society volunteers about the origin of the phrase, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." The gentleman explained that in the past, straw-filled mattresses rested atop a series of ropes that could be tightened. So, before bed, people would tighten the ropes—and they'd flip their mattresses so that the bed bugs inside would be on the other side of the mattress. Fascinating!  

There are so many other interesting things to see at the Cook House. If you want to stop by for a visit, it's open Sundays in June, July and August from 2-4 p.m.