History Committee
Friends of Danada was incorporated by the State of Illinois in 1986 to promote and encourage or foster civic, patriotic, historical and educational activity related to this wonderful property.
To foster this purpose and to assist and support the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Don Nash, a Friends of Danada Board of Trustees member and a former President formed the History Committee in 2011 to research, document and preserve the history of Dan and Ada, the Rice Estate, the Ada L. Rice Racing Stables, the Estate property as well as the Friends of Danada.
The Committee is made up of Friends of Danada Volunteers, and continues the legacy and work of Don Nash and Paul Cox, our resident historian, who both passed away in recent years. Friends of Danada is committed to honoring both Don and Paul by continuing their work and the committee’s goal of making our historical artifacts and stories available to the public via this website and other means.
Since its inception, the Committee has acquired thousands of photos, newspaper and magazine articles, artifacts and film footage from private sources. Additionally the Friends of Danada History Committee self-produced and published a twelve minute documentary video summarizing the lives of Dan and Ada Rice and the development of what is now the Danada Forest Preserve. The video is available on this site as well as Facebook and Youtube.
The Committee also self-produces this website to avail its research and history to the public so keep checking back for updates. It is our goal to provide a fun and interesting educational experience about this segment of DuPage County history.
Being a History Committee volunteer is a great way to give back to your community and a fun way of learning, preserving and rediscovering local history. In addition to meeting new people and making new friends, volunteers can learn and research interesting historical information. From discovering photos and news articles to following genealogy or writing history summaries to planning and executing ways to educate the public, volunteering is an extremely rewarding experience.
The Committee meets regularly about every four weeks at Danada House. Research and documentation is an ongoing affair and new members are welcome. If you enjoy the history provided in this web site and you would like to help us, please call Danada House at 630-668-5392.
