Welcome

The first Edgewater Hospital building ca 1930
1908 building on Clark at Balmoral having the brick facade replaced
Delivery wagons next to Gengler store on Summerdale at Clark, 1902
Facade of Trumbull School on Foster Avenue, 1908
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 Group will be Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the Betty A. Barclay Community Room at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library, 6000 N. Broadway.

The subject of the meeting is “Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago’s Lakefront” by Lois Wille. Click here for a flyer.

Autumn Salon series

We are delighted to invite you to our new Autumn Salon series at the Edgewater Historical Society museum. These salons are part of the EHS Celebrating Edgewater’s Theatres exhibit. They will continue on selected Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. through the year. The Autumn Salons are in partnership with the Friends of Edgewater Library.

To view our full calendar of events, please click here.

Sept. 24 The Neo Futurists
Guest speaker: Lara Johnson, Archivist
 
Oct. 22 Redtwist Theatre
Guest speaker: Dusty Brown, Artistic Director
 
Nov. 19 Steep Theatre
Guest speaker: Peter Moore, Artistic Director
 
Dec. 10 Raven Theatre
Guest speaker: Jonathan Berry, Artistic Director
 

New exhibit: Celebrating Edgewater Theatre

Edgewater is one of the most active communities in Chicago supportive of local small and mid-sized theaters. Over the past 100 years more than 50 theater companies have performed in Edgewater. Their missions, audiences and performance spaces are diverse, bringing together people of all ages. In return, these theaters have enriched the lively and thriving life of our community. The exhibit includes reference to all the theaters, playbills, posters, costumes, photos, artifacts, video interviews and a children’s corner of exploration. A year long series of programs is planned to include lectures, backstage theater tours and a continuation of our Evening Salon Series.

For a glimpse at the exhibit click here.

Growing Community: Luxembourgers in Edgewater

“Growing Community: Luxembourgers in Edgewater” highlights the Luxembourger migration to the Edgewater area and the Luxembourgers’ unique economic activities and cultural institutions. The exhibit is the result of a partnership between Loyola University Chicago, the Edgewater Historical Society and the Luxembourg Cultural Society of America. Five Loyola students under the supervision of Prof. Brad Hunt researched and produced the exhibit, which was on display through the end of 2025.

Click here to see the presentation.

Exploring Broadway’s Architectural Treasures

If you missed EHS’s recent program which spotlighted the architectural treasures of Broadway in Edgewater, visit the links below for the presentation and the Q&A session that followed.

You can also see EHS’s survey of Broadway’s architecturally significant buildings here

Chicago Neighborhood Architecture: EHS Explores Broadway’s Architectural Treasures videos

(Part 1)

(Part 2)

(Part 3)

(Q&A)

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.

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

Stolen Land and Colonization

Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
Edgewater Branch, Chicago Public Library
Betty A. Barclay Community Room
6000 N. Broadway, Chicago 60660

November is Native American Heritage Month. Les Begay, Diné, founder of the Indigenous Peoples Day Coalition, will discuss how the United States government used their laws to steal Native land and to erase Native people and their culture. To this day the US government continues to ignore Native treaties and sovereignty. Les has held lectures on various aspects of Native history in high school and college classrooms, at the Edgewater Library, and previously at the Edgewater Historical Society. Click here for a flyer.

Great Lake: An Unnatural History of Lake Michigan

Saturday, January 9, 2027 at 10:00 a.m.
Edgewater Branch, Chicago Public Library
Betty A. Barclay Community Room
6000 N. Broadway, Chicago 60660

The history of Lake Michigan is deeply connected to Chicago from the city’s founding to its largest infrastructure projects. The lecture will touch on some of the ever-escalating and divergent demands we have placed on Lake Michigan, and how the lake’s ecosystem responded to those changes. Theodore J. Karamanski, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of History and founder of the Public History Program at Loyola University Chicago. Click here for a flyer.

2026 Summer Nights in Edgewater (Past)

PLEASE NOTE: There is a make-up concert on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. to replace the canceled July 15th concert.

Join your neighbors again this year, on warm summer nights, for our popular community program of free live performances. From July 8 to August 19, 2026, every Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m., different local musicians will entertain you in the beautiful EHS garden. Children and pet friendly! All are welcome. Click here for the 2026 schedule.

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