Did You Know?

Did You Know #9


Chick Evans (right) and Robert A. Gardner
By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

Sometimes it’s fascinating, seeing the kinds of people that come out of Edgewater. People who make a strong impact outside this little community. A while back, before starting this blog, I did a DYK post about none other than our current Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. To reiterate from that, Clinton was born in Edgewater Hospital in 1947, and lived in the area with her family before moving to Park Ridge.

While the subject of today’s post isn’t quite as well known as the former First Lady, he might ring a bell for some of our readers. [more...]

Did You Know #8

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

“Sometimes it seems as if unwritten laws are more carefully observed than the written ones.”

The Chicago Defender archive is one of my favorite resources. The African American newspaper was founded in 1905 by Robert Sengstacke Abbott, starting out as a weekly publication before switching over to a daily release in 1956. It was the second daily African American newspaper in the country, the first being the Atlanta Daily World, which was founded in the 1920s. [more...]

Did You Know #7

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

Did you know that the Edgewater area was affected by a massive typhoid outbreak in 1889? There were over 300 reported cases of the disease, overburdening local doctors to the point where they were forced to turn many people away. A prominent local physician, Dr. R. N. Tooker, theorized that the epidemic came in part from the putrid emanations stemming from open sewers and rotten vegetation in the Lake View area.

Did You Know #6

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

At first glance, this looks like a normal, pleasant holiday scene, doesn’t it? The pictures on the wall, the stockings hanging over the fireplace… all that’s missing is a towering Christmas tree, a pile of presents for the children, and some chestnuts roasting on the open fire.

But let’s take another look, shall we? [more...]

Did You Know #5

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

More tales of visiting royalty! Immanuel Lutheran Church has welcomed a number of Swedish royals to its services before, including including Princesses Birgitta and Desiree of Sweden on November 13, 1960 and Prince Bertil of Sweden on November 21, 1965. It has also had as guest speakers two persons who have served as Bishop of Uppsala and Primate of the Church of Sweden – His Grace, Yngve Brilloth, on August 24, 1954 and Archbishop Gunnar Hultgren on January 16, 1972.

[For more information, click here to read a 1988 Scrapbook article about Immanuel Lutheran Church which mentions the royal visitors.]

Did You Know #4

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

Did you know that Hillary Rodham Clinton spent the first years of her life here in Edgewater? Clinton was born on October 26, 1947, in Edgewater Hospital, and lived in the neighborhood for about two years before moving to Park Ridge with her family.

[For more information, type Hillary Clinton in the search box at the bottom of the left column or click here.]

Did You Know #3

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

Calumet Baking Powders was opened in 1889 in Edgewater by William Monroe Wright (1851-1931). The double-acting baking powder’s name was taken from a Native American word for the peace pipe. Wright ultimately sold the company in 1929 to General Foods.

[Editor’s note: We have not yet been able to verify that the Calumet Baking Powder Company had a factory in Edgewater.]

Did You Know #2

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

Did you know that Edgewater has hosted royalty in the past? On April 19, 1988, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden visited the neighborhood to dedicate the Swedish American Museum at 5211 North Clark Street.

[For more information, type “King Carl XVI” in the search box at the bottom of the left column or click here.]

Did You Know #1

By Megan Hudgins-Cunningham

The first grocery store to be opened in Edgewater came in 1891. It was managed by William Marshall and William Wilson, and originally stood in the Guild Hall at the corner of Bryn Mawr and Winthrop. By 1895, the store had been relocated to 1102 Bryn Mawr Avenue, and was owned by James McManus.

[For more information, type McManus grocery in the search box at the bottom of the left column or click here.]

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