Welcome

Facade of Trumbull School on Foster Avenue, 1908
Delivery wagons next to Gengler store on Summerdale at Clark, 1902
1908 building on Clark at Balmoral having the brick facade replaced
The first Edgewater Hospital building ca 1930
2009 Kitchen Exhibit at the Museum
Firehouse at Balmoral & Ashland
Firetruck housed at the original firehouse
2011 Edgewater Grocery Stores Exhibit
Greenhouses in the 1930s
Andersonville school view looking south down Ashland 1880
2010 Home Tour (Edgewater North)
Parade on Clark Street, 1966
Maybelline building at Ridge and Clark, ca. 1930s
Postcard of original Edgewater Post Office on Broadway at Catalpa
Postcard of Senn High School prior to the additions, ca. 1920
Saddle & Cycle Club at Foster Ave. 1900
Saddle & Cycle Club at Foster Ave. 1900
Postcard of Edgewater Beach Hotel, pre-1923
Postcard of Edgewater Beach Hotel Yacht Club
2010 Memorial Day Parade

Chicago History Book Group

The next meeting of the Chicago History Book Club will be Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in the Betty A. Barclay Community Room at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library, 6000 N. Broadway.

This is an in-person event. Masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations.

The subject of the meeting is Margaret Burroughs. Click here for a flyer.

2023 Annual Meeting (35th anniversary)

Greg BorzoThe Edgewater Historical Society invites you to the 2023 Annual Meeting, presenting candidates for your Board of Directors and telling you about plans for 2023-24. The meeting will be on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. in the Betty A. Barclay Community Room of the Edgewater Branch Library, 6000 N. Broadway. Click here for a flyer.

Our speaker, Greg Borzo, a prolific author on Chicago history, will discuss his book “Lost Restaurants of Chicago,” in which he recalls many of Chicago’s lost, but fondly remembered, restaurants.

Face masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations. The program is free to the Public.

Aldermanic candidates survey

As part of its public education mission, the Edgewater Historical Society polled each of the 10 candidates for the 48th Ward aldermanic position about their knowledge and attitudes about Edgewater’s built environment and the value of preservation. Five of the candidates (listed here in alphabetic order) – Joe Dunne, Isaac Freilich-Jones, Brian Haag, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth and Larry Svabek – responded. The questions and the candidates’ unedited responses can be found at: bit.ly/ehsx101

New exhibit: As Time Goes By in Edgewater - 1885 to the Present

“As Time Goes By” is the title of the newest exhibit at the Edgewater Historical Society Museum, 5358 N. Ashland, which opens the weekend of May 28-29, and will continue for many months.

The exhibit features 150 photos of the story of Edgewater from 1885 to the present. A special section tells the story of the Edgewater Beach Hotel. In the months to come there will be more features on the Schools and Churches in Edgewater.

The exhibit will be open during regular museum hours, but special tours may be arranged for a small donation.

New exhibit: The Best of Broadway and Lost Broadway

No street dominates Edgewater like Broadway. The thoroughfare has gone through a number of eras over the past 130 years, and has left behind a rich array of architecture. From early Greystone three-flats to elaborate Jazz Age auto dealerships, Broadway is one of Chicago’s most unique galleries of durable commercial and residential buildings. Now the Edgewater Historical Society is excited to share a new photographic look at many of the street’s old classics – The Best of Broadway. [more...]

New Exhibit: Indigenous Edgewater: Exploring Native History

EHS presents our newest exhibit, “Indigenous Edgewater - Exploring Native History.” The exhibit documents Indigenous culture from 10,000 years ago to the present day. The Indigenous Edgewater exhibit will be available on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. at 5358 N. Ashland Ave.

Natives have lived in the Edgewater area for over 10,000 years. Marsha Holland, exhibit co-curator, discusses Native history in the greater Edgewater area, focusing on the archeological findings of Bowmanville Village and beyond. To view, click here.

Without Natives, would we have Chicago as we know it? Marjorie Fritz-Birch, exhibit co-curator, explores Native contributions to the greater Edgewater area and beyond. To view, click here.

"Remembering Edgewater Beach Hotel" interviews

There have been two recent radio interviews with Kathy Gemperle and John Holden, the authors of “Remembering Edgewater Beach Hotel.” If you want to hear the interviews, they can be found at:

WGN Radio: After Hours with Rick Hogan on July 25, 2021

WCPT Radio: Where Are They Now with Art Andros on November 20, 2021

Virtual Museum exhibits

EHS MuseumWe invite you on a virtual curator’s tour of our recent exhibits:

Edgewater Beach Hotel: 100 Years Later

The Chicago Conspiracy Trial: One Juror’s Ordeal

High Water and Hell: Rising Lake Puts Chicago on Edge

Here is another past exhibit you may remember:

Greetings from Edgewater (2012): description and video

Chicago History Book Group (Past)

The next meeting of the Chicago History Book Club will be Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in the Betty A. Barclay Community Room at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library, 6000 N. Broadway.

This is an in-person event. Masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations.

The subject of the meeting is Gwendolyn Brooks. Click here for a flyer.

Distilled in Chicago (Past)

Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
Edgewater Branch, Chicago Public Library
Betty A. Barclay Community Room
6000 N. Broadway, Chicago 60660

Liquor has influenced nearly two centuries of Chicago’s existence, beginning with the city’s first three permanent businesses. Join David Witter, author of Distilled In Chicago: A History as he shares stories of the temperance movement and how cocktails fueled the sin in the Levee District, spawning Chicago’s first gangsters. This program is in partnership with the Chicago Public Library. Click here for a flyer.

This event takes place in person. Masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations.

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