For thirty years, the RPWRHS published a newsletter that began as the RPHS Newsletter and was retitled The Historian in 1994. Created through collective effort and sustained by dedication and care, the newsletter was truly a labor of love. Between 1986 and 2017, each issue preserved the history of our neighborhood while also documenting the life and work of the RPWRHS itself. Within its pages, we shared moments of joy by describing events, celebrating anniversaries, and welcoming new members and volunteers, as well as moments of loss, honoring those we mourned. In recognition of its quality and significance, The Historian received the 1997 Award of Merit for Publications from the Illinois Association of Museums. After nearly a year of work, we are proud to republish these issues through this exhibition and invite you to explore them and rediscover stories from both our neighborhood and the Historical Society.
We extend special thanks to the archivists of the Northside Neighborhood History Collection at the Chicago Public Library for their invaluable assistance with scanning and preserving part of these materials.
Exploring The Historian is simple. Click the year, then select the issue number you want to view, and a PDF viewer will open. Scroll through the issue to learn about the rich past of Rogers Park, West Ridge and the Historical Society dedicated to telling our community story. To close the viewer, click the “X” in the upper-right corner of the window, or click anywhere outside the viewer area to return to the this page.