Larry Shure is a preservation planner who has lived in Rogers Park for 20 years. Since 2006 he has shared his neighborhood observations, sketches, diagrams and maps on his blog, Ultra Local Geography, with a unique artistic flair. His Illustrated presentation, Historic Architecture and Development in Rogers Park/West Ridge: Selected Entries from the Ultra Local […]
By Kay McSpadden, Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society Board Member On Nov 4, 2019 Marjorie Fritz-Birch spoke as part of the Living History program. Fifty years ago, Her mother Jean Fritz had been one of the jurors at the Chicago 7 Trial, one of the most important and controversial events of 2oth Century Chicago History. […]
Join Rob Case, our Ace Photo Archivist, for the last Great Chicago House Hunt session of the year, where he’ll show you how to use digital resources like Google Streetview, old phone books and other internet resources to search for clues in unidentified photos. No experience necessary, but it helps if you’re comfortable with using Google for searches and have basic internet skills.
Another in our series of Living History talks By Kay McSpadden, RPWRHS Events Chair and Board Member The scale that started it all. Photo by Stephanie Barto. When most people think of Chicago manufacturing, they think of steel, but Andrew Clayman thinks of all the ordinary things that were manufactured in Chicago. He talked about […]
Join the Ranks of Our Digital History Detectives. Over the years, we’ve accumulated many photographs of homes, commercial buildings and other places in the neighborhood with limited information as to their location, date or subject matter. We’re filling in the details for as many as we can, and you can help. Join Rob Case, our […]
Fifty years ago, on Sept 24, 1969, the Chicago Conspiracy Trial opened to decide the fate of eight protesters arrested during the 1968 Democratic Convention. The trial was a political, legal and historical landmark that lasted for almost five months, becoming known as the Chicago Seven trial when one defendant, Bobby Seale, accused Judge Julius […]
Part of Andrew Clayman’s collection of vintage Chicago-made products has been on display at our office, but Andrew himself will be our Living History Speaker on October 17 at the Northtown Branch Library, 6801 N. Western Ave, when he will discuss the collection with a special emphasis on the sometimes-overlooked manufacturing legacy of the North […]
Around the turn of the 20th Century, the new residential development called Birchwood Beach attracted prosperous Chicago residents with its clean air, proximity to Lake Michigan and easy access to downtown Chicago via a train station near what is now the Red Line stop at Jarvis Square. On open lands once covered by a thick […]
Tom Nall reports on a new walking tour through West Ridge Bungalow Districts with ties to Chicago’s Prohibition Era history.
Artists of the Wall has been an important part of Rogers Park for a quarter of a century. Learn the story behind this enduring Loyola Park Advisory Council project that adds art to our lake shore and involves hundreds of local residents and artists from around the city. Mary Bao, long-time RPWRHS member and one of the founders of the event, will talk about how the festival began, how it has evolved over more than two decades, and plans for where it’s going in the future.