Welcome

The next meeting of the Chicago History Book Club will be Saturday, December 14, 2024 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 “Everybody Pays: Two Men, One Murder and the Price of Truth” by Maurice Possley and Rick Kogan. Click here for a flyer.

After a non-winter and very cold spring, summer finally seems to be coming to Chicago. So what better time for the Edgewater Historical Society (EHS) to launch its latest initiative – Honoring Edgewater’s Heritage Trees. The initiative is multi-faceted and features an exhibit at our museum, a series of tree-related lecture programs, and most importantly a survey of all of Edgewater’s “heritage trees” or those that are more than 50 years old.

This ambitious program grew out of an effort by the Edgewater Glen Association (EGA) block club, when residents became concerned after seeing a number of their majestic parkway trees cut down in recent years. Spearheaded by local resident Andrea Raila, a complete survey of EGA’s parkway trees – along Norwood, Glenlake, Hood and Granville – was conducted over the past year, and the findings and methodology of the survey are documented in the Heritage Tree Audit booklet and the Tree Survey instructions.

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.

We 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