Benedictine Sisters of Chicago (OSB) The Benedictine Sisters first came to America from Eichstatt, Germany in 1851, and in 1861 three sisters came to Chicago to teach German-speaking children. They established St. Joseph’s Convent and School at Chicago and Wabash. In 1871, after the Great Chicago Fire, they chartered a new school, Saints Benedict and […]
by Colleen Taylor Sen The order, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), was founded in 1831 by five women in Dublin, Ireland, led by Mary Frances Clarke. They originally immigrated to Philadelphia, moving in 1843 to Dubuque, Iowa, which remains their headquarters to this day. Committed to education, especially of girls, they […]
by Hank Morris Schools: West Ridge: George Buchanan Armstrong School of International Studies 2110 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL 60645 George Buchanan Armstrong (1822-1871): developed railway postal service. Armstrong was born in Ireland and moved to Chicago in 1854. He became the Assistant Postmaster and helped to develop a railway postal service. Armstrong was appointed […]
by Hank Morris The majority of Chicago Bungalows were built between 1910 and 1940. They were typically constructed from brick (sometimes in decorative patterns) and had one and a half stories. It’s been said that, at one point, nearly a third of the houses in the Chicago area were bungalows. Like many other local homes, […]
John (Jack) Cudahy (1843-1915) was one of the giants of Chicago’s meat packing industry and a millionaire Board of Trade investor. He won the admiration of the business and financial world for two great achievements. Within three years of his arrival in Chicago in the 1870s, he had accumulated over $1 million. When the “Panic […]
Robert W. “Little Bob” Figg (1872-1926) Crossed baseball bats adorn the top of his headstone with a baseball farther down. The lettering reads: “Figg, Robert W. 1872-1926. Our friend, your friend, everybody’s friend, ‘Little Bob Figg.’ This memorial subscribed to by his many friends and baseball fans.” Figg earned his nickname “Little Bob, or Little […]
Edward A. Sharp, Sr., (1860-1952) was the first Clerk of the Village of Rogers Park, which was incorporated in April, 1878. The boundaries of the Village were Devon Avenue to the south, Ridge Avenue on the West, Rogers Avenue on the north and the Lake on the east. His service contributed greatly to the development […]
Edward Hines (1863-1931), the founder of Edward Hines Lumber Co., was born in Buffalo, NY, the only son of an Irish immigrant family of seven children. When he was two years old, his family moved to the Chicago area. From the age of 14 he worked in the lumber industry. In 1892, at the age […]
Michael “Hinky Dink” Kenna (1858-1946) was born in a shack at Polk and Sholto Streets and left school at the age of 10 to sell newspapers. According to legend, Chicago Tribune publisher and 26th Mayor of Chicago, Joseph Medill (1823-1899), gave him his nickname because of his short stature. He later owned saloons and a […]
by Colleen Taylor Sen George Peter Alexander Healy (1813-1884) was one of the most prominent and sought-after portrait painters of his day, Healy was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He lived in Chicago from 1855 through 1869 and again from 1892 until his death. Among his notable portraitures are “Webster’s Reply to Hayne,” done in 1851, […]