Woodlawn Community Collection
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence, biographical essays, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, advertisements, announcements, historical essays, printed materials, church publications, meeting minutes, membership rosters, school certificates and diplomas, scrapbooks, and photographs. Some topics included in the Woodlawn Community Collection:
Citizen’s Improvement Club of Woodlawn Park; The First Presbyterian Church; The Hayes Hotel; Hyde Park High School; Kimbark-Woodlawn Block Club; South East National Bank (formerly the Woodlawn Trust and Savings Bank); The Woodlawn Organization (T.W.O.); War Time Activities; Woodlawn Business Men’s Association; Woodlawn Mothers Roundtable; Woodlawn Urban Progress Center.
Dates
- 1857 - 1992
Creator
- Historical Society of Woodlawn (Chicago, Ill.) (collector., Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.
Biographical / Historical
The Woodlawn neighborhood is 8 miles south of the Loop. The neighborhood runs roughly from 60th Street south to 67th Street and from the Lake west to King Drive and in places to South Chicago Avenue. The area was annexed into Chicago in 1889. Woodlawn is number 42 of the 77 official communities that make up Chicago.
Extent
11 Linear Feet (in 22 boxes (including 247 photographs), plus 15 oversize folders)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Woodlawn neighborhood is 8 miles south of the Loop. The neighborhood runs roughly from 60th Street south to 67th Street and from the Lake west to King Drive and in places to South Chicago Avenue. The area was annexed into Chicago in 1889. Woodlawn is number 42 of the 77 official communities that make up Chicago.
Includes correspondence, biographical essays, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, advertisements, announcements, historical essays, printed materials, church publications, meeting minutes, membership rosters, school certificates and diplomas, scrapbooks, and photographs.
Arrangement
Organized into thirteen series:
- Series 1: Biographical data and Portraits, 1857-1961, Bulk dates: 1920s-1940s
- Series 2: Business establishments, circa 1870-1982, Bulk dates: 1920s-1940s
- Series 3: Cemeteries, 1938-1941
- Series 4: Religious Institutions, 1887-1984, Bulk dates: 1930s-1940s
- Series 5: Clubs and organizations, 1884-1990, Bulk dates: 1920s-1950s
- Series 6: Historical essays and sketches, 1905-1992
- Series 7: Hospitals, 1937-1965
- Series 8: Parks, 1893-1951
- Series 9: Residences, 1885-1938, Bulk dates: 1890-1920
- Series 10: Schools, 1860-1966, Bulk dates: 1900-1950s
- Series 11: Streets, 1877-1956, Bulk dates: 1920s-1940s
- Series 12: Transportation, 1887-1956
- Series 13: War time activities, 1917-1923, 1941-1947
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was housed in the Chicago Public Library's Woodlawn Branch Library. In the 1980s Special Collections, working with a Dr. Scholl Foundation grant, transferred and processed the collection to make it fully available to the public. Additional material has been added to the collection over time from various donors and sources. Box 12, folders 1-18 were transferred from the Bessie Coleman Branch. Photograph 1.247 was transferred from the Beverly Morgan Park Collection.
Separated Materials
Several topics were separated from the Woodlawn Community Collection (WCC) and formed into individual collections:
- Associated Clubs of Woodlawn Records
- Clarence Darrow Papers
- Historical Society of Woodlawn Records
- United Woodlawn, Inc. Records
- Woodlawn Block Club Council Records
- Woodlawn Women's Club Records
Additionally, the following items were removed and placed with separate collections:
- Civilian Defense Alert: Vol. I No. 1 1942 Mar 11, Vol. II No. 29 1943 June 25, Vol. V No. 1 1945 Jan, Vol. V No. 3 1945 Mar, Vol. V No. 4 1945 Apr. Moved to Chicago City-Wide Collection, Box 48, Folder 23
- The Illinois Central Rail-Road Company offer for sale over 2,400,000 acres selected prairie, farm and wood lands ... Pamphlet, 32 pp. New York: John W. Ameran, 1855. Includes map. Moved to Chicago City-Wide Collection, Box 40, Folder 20
- Shorey, Daniel L., Problems of Municipal Government for Chicago Pamphlet. No publication data. January, 1885.16 pp. Moved to Chicago City-Wide Collection, Box 33, Folder 11
- Deanne Steam Pump Co., proposal to build sewerage pumping service for Hyde Park, 1888 Oct 17. Hyde Park Community Collection, Box 3, Folder 8
- Hyde Park Historical Society: News clipping, Sept. 1939. Moved to Hyde Park Community Collection, Box 1, Folder 3
- Hyde Park Baptist Church: 75th Anniversary Program, 1949. Moved to Hyde Park Community Collection, Box 1, Folder 1
- Rockefeller Memorial Chapel: Historical essay, newspaper clipping, 1945. Moved to Hyde Park Community Collection, Box 1, Folder 2
- Specifications for pumping machinery and boilers, for the Village of Hyde Park, Cook County, Ill. 1888 July 17. Moved to Hyde Park Community Collection, Box 3, Folder 7
- Supreme Court of Illinois. Abstract of Record. Village of Hyde Park vs. Board of Commissioners of Cook County, City of Chicago. 1887. [Hyde Park’s fight against annexation into city of Chicago.] Moved to Hyde Park Community Collection, Box 3, Folder 9
Processing Information
In the 1980s Special Collections, working with a Dr. Scholl Foundation grant, processed the collection to make it fully available to the public.
- Associations, institutions, etc. -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Community life -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Woodlawn (Chicago, Ill.) -- Biography. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Woodlawn (Chicago, Ill.) -- History -- Sources. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Creator
- Historical Society of Woodlawn (Chicago, Ill.) (collector., Organization)
- Chicago Public Library (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Woodlawn Community Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Original author unknown. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Johanna Russ, 2021.
- Date
- 1980s
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Unit at Harold Washington Library Center Repository
Harold Washington Library Center, 9th Floor
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State Street
Chicago IL 60605 United States
(312) 747-4875
specoll@chipublib.org