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

Edgewater walking tours

Submitted by Larry on Sun, 07/05/2020 - 7:00am

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.

Note: There is one new tour available. Sign up before it sells out. The new tour is:

North Edgewater:
DATE: Oct. 25, 2020; TIME: 1:00 p.m.

All other tours are sold out.

Due to safety requirements, you must register online for each tour, and pay using this link.

Here are descriptions of the five walking tours: [more...]

Chicago History Book Group

Submitted by Larry on Sun, 09/13/2020 - 4:44pm

The next meeting of the Chicago History Book Club will be Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. To attend, please register at bit.ly/ehszoom1. This program is a partnership with EHS, the Edgewater Branch Library and Friends of the Edgewater Library.

The book to be discussed is: “Blood Runs Green: The Murder That Transfixed Gilded Age Chicago” By Gillian O’Brien.

Click here for a flyer.

Exhibit: The Chicago Conspiracy Trial

Submitted by Larry on Tue, 09/01/2020 - 9:59pm

The Chicago Conspiracy Trial: One Juror’s Ordeal

In 1968 the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago. Protests, confrontation, arrests and ensuing trial, tested the legal and political processes. The Chicago Conspiracy Trial of 1969-1970 was a challenge to the American justice system. This exhibit examines one juror’s experiences, reflected through her journals, and the lasting impact of the trial on her and her family.

The exhibit was recently mentioned in an article on the CBS Chicago website about the new Trial of the Chicago 7 movie. [more...]

Virtual Museum exhibits

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

EHS MuseumWhile the EHS Museum is temporarily closed, we invite you on a virtual curator’s tour of our current 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

Important Museum Information About Coronavirus 2019

Submitted by Larry on Fri, 03/13/2020 - 10:29am

March 17, 2020

To Our Friends and Members,

The Edgewater Historical Society values and relies on the health of its volunteers, members, and everyone in the community. We take seriously the current recommendations from all levels of government to limit gatherings in order to reduce potential exposure to and spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus 2019). We are especially concerned about protecting vulnerable populations that might participate in any of EHS’s upcoming events.

With this in mind, the Edgewater Historical Society Museum will be closed to the public until further notice. We will let you know when we feel it is safe and healthy to resume our hours at the conclusion of the Coronavirus ordeal.

We look forward to celebrating our Grand Reopening. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the robust information that we have on the EHS website about our Edgewater history.

You also might enjoy some worldwide museums that will have free virtual tours during the Coronavirus ordeal, with links in this Travel and Leisure article.

In addition, EHS is canceling or postponing the following events for the time being:

March 21 Annual Meeting at Edgewater Branch Library (Canceled)

We will reschedule our speaker on the History of the Lakefront for a later date, and we will prepare a summary of the Annual Report to be posted on social media. The volunteer fair will also be rescheduled, but in the meantime, consider joining our fellow volunteers in the coming year.

April 11 Chicago History Book Group (Postponed indefinitely)

We will reschedule the meeting as soon as the Edgewater Library again allows meetings in their Community Room. In the meantime, keep reading, everyone. That’s something we can now do more of, yippee!

April 16 Annual Spring Fundraiser at Breakers Edgewater (Postponed indefinitely)

If you submitted payments for the fundraiser, you will be contacted about a refund or return of your check. We thank our sponsors and silent auction donors; we intend to have the auction at a rescheduled event.

We thank you, our public and members for your support and forbearance during this difficult time.

Board of Directors
Edgewater Historical Society and Museum

[more...]

Exhibit: High Water and Hell

Submitted by Larry on Tue, 01/07/2020 - 6:57pm

Rising Lake Puts Chicago on Edge

The recent dramatic rise in the level of Lake Michigan is posing a serious – though not unprecedented – threat to property on Chicago’s lakefront. A new exhibit opening January 11 at the Edgewater History Museum – “High Water and Hell: Rising Lake Puts Chicago on Edge” – examines how the previous record high lake levels in the late 1980s severely battered the City and caused extensive damage to Chicago’s lakefront communities. [more...]

Edgewater Beach Hotel, 100 Years Later

Submitted by Larry on Sun, 05/22/2016 - 12:55pm

The one hundred year anniversary of the opening of the Edgewater Beach Hotel is being celebrated with an exhibit at the Edgewater Historical Society and Museum. The exhibit will be open on weekends from 1 to 4 p.m. Come prepared to learn about this fabulous hotel that put Edgewater on the map by surfing our website. [more...]

EHS Annual Wyman Lecture (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Sat, 09/26/2020 - 1:14pm

Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
Via Zoom

The Ordinary Man Who Made Chicago Rational

As Chicago grew through the consolidation of smaller municipalities, its street naming and numbering system became a confusing hodgepodge. It took the efforts of one dedicated North Side citizen, Edward Brennan, to convince the city’s business leaders and politicians to try to rationalize the Grid. While Daniel Burnham tried to make the “City Beautiful,” Brennan strove to make the city logical. Join noted Chicago writer Bill Savage, who will draw on research for his next book (working title: The City Logical, or Why Daniel Burnham is Way Over-Rated) for this amazing story.

You must register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Click here for a flyer.

Wanted: Edgewater Living Treasures Award Nominations (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Sun, 08/30/2020 - 9:44pm

The Edgewater Historical Society is seeking nominees for its Edgewater Living Treasures Award. EHS invites Edgewater residents to submit the name(s) of anyone whom they feel is deserving of the award by October 15, 2020. Click here for the nomination form. Winners of the award are at the sole discretion of the Edgewater Historical Society. [more...]

History of Chicago’s Lakefront (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Sat, 07/04/2020 - 7:03am

Dennis McCclendonJoin us on July 11th at 11 a.m. for the much anticipated, but delayed program on the History of Chicago’s Lakefront, with noted Chicago geographer and historian Dennis McClendon.

The event is free, but you must register in advance to receive information how to join the Zoom meeting.

Dennis McClendon is a Chicago historian and geographer, who makes his living drawing maps. His design firm, Chicago CartoGraphic, creates a wide variety of maps for the tourism industry and real estate firms, for books such as the AIA Guide to Chicago Architecture and the Encyclopedia of Chicago, the region’s CTA and Pace transit maps, as well as most Chicago-area bike maps. He is well known as an expert on the city’s built environment and transportation, quoted regularly on WTTW’s “Ask Geoffrey” and WBEZ’s Curious City.

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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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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.