Stop by and see our Annie display! The adorable red-head, Little Orphan Annie, was born in Lombard in 1924. Harold Gray created her while he was working as an artist at the Chicago Tribune newspaper. He actually lived at 215 S. Stewart. After the success of Annie, Gray purchased “Chateau Leroy” on Main Street for his parents and lived there for a short time after the death of his first wife, Doris Gray. Dr. William LeRoy, a carpenter by trade, was the first owner and probably builder of the house at 119 N. Main but is affectionately referred to as “The Little Orphan Annie Home.” Dr. LeRoy started the construction of the home in 1878 and it was finished in 1881. After the Civil War, Dr. LeRoy used his carpentry skills to build prosthetic limbs for Civil War victims, which is how he made most of his money. In 1927, Harold Gray purchased the home for his parents, with whom he lived for the next two years. During that time, Gray’s popular cartoon “Little Orphan Annie” occasionally contained Lombard references and similarities of the home in the artwork. In 1929, Gray moved out east but his parents remained in the Lombard home.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 19:57:32 +0000
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