Welcome

1908 building on Clark at Balmoral having the brick facade replaced
Delivery wagons next to Gengler store on Summerdale at Clark, 1902
The first Edgewater Hospital building ca 1930
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

2017 Edgewater Home Tour (September 17)

Submitted by Larry on Mon, 07/17/2017 - 8:59am

The 29th Annual Edgewater Home Tour is Sunday, September 17, 2017.

Register at Edgewater Baptist Church (1401 West Hollywood) between Noon and 4:00 p.m.

This year, the tour will feature homes and their interiors in the Edgewater Triangle neighborhood. The $25/person admission includes the tour booklet and refreshments. Click here for more information.

2017 Summer Nights in Edgewater

Submitted by Larry on Tue, 05/09/2017 - 7:34am

Join your neighbors again this year, on warm summer nights, for our popular community program of free live performances. From July 6 to August 31, 2017, every Thursday evening from 6 to 8 p.m., different local musicians will entertain you in the beautiful EHS garden. Refreshments will be served. We are pet friendly! All are welcome. Click here for the 2017 schedule.

Save the Woodruff Shopping Arcade

Submitted by Larry on Thu, 05/04/2017 - 8:56am

The shopping arcade at the southeast corner of Broadway and Devon/Sheridan is under threat of demolition. A six story mixed use building is proposed for the site - residential on the top five floors, and retail on the first floor. Fourteen (14) businesses would be displaced, some of which have been there for years.

The Woodruff Arcade is a hidden gem, but a gem nonetheless. It is a unique building type, the precursor of today’s indoor shopping mall, and it is the only one in Edgewater (we once had two). More importantly, it is the only one in all of Chicago. For that reason alone it should be preserved. [more...]

New exhibit - "Made in Chicago"

Submitted by Larry on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 9:12pm

The “Made in Chicago” exhibit is a collection of artifacts from the Made in Chicago Museum - “An industrial history in everyday objects 1900-1970.” The exhibit runs through April 2018.

Explore the kitchen installation and see familiar products from the past. Remember Dad’s old fashioned root beer or Oh Henry candy bars? Many manufacturers, like Steward Warner, are gone, but their products, like the early TVs, are still here.

Stop by to see the real things, and then go online to the Made In Chicago Museum to learn more. You are going to love it. For a short overview of the exhibit by the curator and owner of the collection, click here. [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...]

Neighborhood Biking Tours

Submitted by Larry on Tue, 05/09/2017 - 8:39am

Go EdgewaterGo Edgewater is back for the 3rd year. The Edgewater Historical Society is supporting the program of the Edgewater Environmental Sustainability Project to encourage residents to explore the community by walking, by bike or by public transportation. We will be having nature tours, historical tours, environmental tour, theater and art tours, bike repair clinics and much more.

West Ridge Nature Preserve: Tues. Aug. 22nd. Meet at 5:45 at the Thorndale “L” stop. Ride to Western & Ardmore Aves. with the steward around the 5-acre pond and through the wetland, savannah and woodland habitats in their second full year of development. [more...]

Dirty Waters: Confessions of Chicago's Last Harbor Boss (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Mon, 05/08/2017 - 6:24pm

R. J. NelsonSaturday, August 12, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Edgewater Branch, Chicago Public Library
6000 N. Broadway, Chicago 60660

Chicago author R. J. Nelson will discuss his book Dirty Waters: Confessions of Chicago’s Last Harbor Boss – a wry, no-holds-barred memoir of Nelson’s time controlling some of the city’s most beautiful spots while facing some of its ugliest traditions.

A limited number of copies of the book will be available for purchase after the program. Click here for a flyer.

Chicago History Book Group (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Mon, 05/08/2017 - 5:01pm

Chicago TransformedThe next meeting of the Chicago History Book Club will be Saturday, August 12, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library.

The book to be discussed is: “Chicago Transformed: WW I and the Windy City” by Joseph Gustaitis. Click here for a flyer.

2017 Living Treasures of Edgewater (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Mon, 05/08/2017 - 6:44am

Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.
Edgewater Branch Library, 6000 N. Broadway

You are cordially invited to attend the formal induction of Andrew Park, Tom Welch, Gregg Rojewski and Steve Pryor into the Living Treasures of Edgewater for outstanding service to the Edgewater community.

Chicago History Book Group (Past)

Submitted by Larry on Mon, 05/08/2017 - 6:43am

After the StrikeThe next meeting of the Chicago History Book Club will be Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library.

The book to be discussed is: “After the Strike” by Susan Hirsch. Click here for a flyer.

Syndicate content

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.

Upcoming Events/Tours

If not otherwise specified, events are held at the EHS Museum. If the description ends in “…” click the title for more information.

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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.