Men passing here
will please
SALUTE THE FLAG

That is what the sign read along the path leading to an enormous flagpole on the west side of the Fabyans’ Geneva estate, Riverbank. While Colonel Fabyan never served in the military—his title was honorary—he was fiercely patriotic. Aside from the American flag that soared high above his estate, Colonel Fabyan served as an unofficial diplomat to the Empire of Japan, hosted patriotic rallies, built trenches on his property for military training exercises, and loaned his codebreaking team to the War Department during World War I. Few in the Chicagoland area could match Colonel Fabyan’s patriotic zeal and the money to invest in it.

The lecture is FREE for Geneva History Museum members and $5/person for non-members.