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

Submitted by Larry on Tue, 07/12/2022 - 3:02pm

The next meeting of the Chicago History Book Club will be Saturday, August 13, 2022 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 program will be in-person, but socially distanced, and with limited participants. Please go to the library’s event calendar (bit.ly/ehsbook5) to register.

The books to be discussed are: “Chicago’s Dream, a World’s Treasure” by Neil Harris, “The Art Institute of Chicago” by Erin Hogan, and “The Modern Wing” by James B. Cuno. Click here for a flyer.

2022 Summer Nights in Edgewater

Submitted by Larry on Mon, 07/04/2022 - 11:05pm

Join your neighbors again this year, on warm summer nights, for our popular community program of free live performances. From July 13 to August 24, 2022, every Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m., different local musicians will entertain you in the beautiful EHS garden. We are pet friendly! All are welcome. Click here for the 2022 schedule.

Edgewater walking tours

Submitted by Larry on Sun, 06/05/2022 - 12:00pm

Walk Edgewater

Enjoy views of the historic buildings of Edgewater in our own unique outdoor museum. Edgewater has three historic districts, designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and many blocks filled with historic homes. Tours will be led by knowledgeable guides. For descriptions of the tours, click “more…” below.

Note: There are only 2 tours available. Sign up before they sell out.

Edgewater Beach Hotel:
DATE: Aug 14, 2022; TIME: 1:00 p.m.

Andersonville Historic District:
DATE: Aug 20, 2022; TIME: 11:00 a.m.

You must register online for each tour, and pay using this link (bit.ly/ehswalk8)

There is a limit of 20 in each tour. Our tour guides, who will have microphones, will lead you through the tour, and share with you our researched brochure. Face masks are recommended but optional. The fee for each tour is $15, which supports the Edgewater Historical Society Museum.

Here are descriptions of all 11 walking tours and their scheduled dates/times: [more...]

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

Submitted by Larry on Fri, 05/13/2022 - 6:48pm

“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

Submitted by Larry on Fri, 04/01/2022 - 8:13am

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

Submitted by Larry on Sat, 03/05/2022 - 2:40pm

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

Submitted by Larry on Sun, 11/21/2021 - 1:56pm

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

Submitted by Larry on Sat, 07/04/2020 - 7:00am

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

If the walls could talk (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Tue, 07/12/2022 - 3:24pm

Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
Edgewater Branch, Chicago Public Library
Betty A. Barclay Community Room
6000 N. Broadway, Chicago 60660

If the walls of Edgewater Hospital could talk, they’d proudly share the years of being Chicago’s leading medical facility, before breaking into tears at what went on during the hospital’s final decade. Podcasters Todd Ganz and Stephani Young share nearly a century’s worth of history about the hospital that proudly treated thousands of Chicagoans, as well as Hollywood’s elite. This program is in partnership with the Chicago Public Library. Click here for a flyer.

This is an in-person event. We encourage those who are not vaccinated, may be immunocompromised, or may have family members who are immunocompromised, to wear a mask.

Lincoln in Edgewater event (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Tue, 04/26/2022 - 8:11am

In the mid-1800s, the current Senn Park location was the site of “7-Mile House” (seven miles to downtown Chicago), a homestead and inn at which travelers might stop on their way to or from Chicago. Abraham Lincoln may have stopped there in 1860 during his first campaign for President and, for the past 25 years, Senn Park has been home to Charles Keck’s “The Young Lincoln” statue.

The Edgewater Historical Society is pleased to invite you to join Ald. Harry Osterman, retired Ald. Mary Ann Smith, DePaul University historian Mark Pohlad, and other elected officials and guests, to commemorate Lincoln in Edgewater on Friday, April 29, at 1 p.m. in Senn Park, 5887 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. Light refreshments will be served.

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We welcome you to the Edgewater Historical Society website. Here you will find information about the Society and its Museum, including current exhibits and upcoming events or tours. There is also a searchable archive of newsletter articles and tour booklets going back to 1988. If you have comments or questions, please use the “Contact us” button above.

How to Find Us

The Edgewater Historical Society Museum is located at

5358 N. Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60640
773‑506‑4849

Open Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. and by appointment.

Regular admission to the Museum is free but donations are gratefully accepted.


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Please help support the work of the Edgewater Historical Society and Museum with a donation. Note: If you want to become a member or renew your membership, please click the “Membership” button above.

The Edgewater Historical Society is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law for 501(c)(3) organizations.