Lisle Depot side room

This second floor side room was an all-purpose type of room and used by families living in the Depot as a playroom, extra storage, or even a second bedroom for children. Ray Schmidt, the son of a Lisle Depot Custodian and first paid police officer in Lisle, writes in his memoir that he slept in this same bedroom as a child. Toys were very practical in addition to being leisurely. Play-based learning was the prominent way that children learned household skills and social conventions. For example, tea sets taught children how to participate in adult afternoon tea times. Children sewed letters, numbers, and their names onto sampler pillows to practice their letters and learn to hand sew.