South Lawndale Community Collection
Scope and Contents
The collection contains a range of articles, brochures, historical sketches, newsletters, photographs, programs and yearbooks that focus on neighborhood events, persons and organizations in the South Lawndale community, particularly during the mid-20th century.
Dates
- circa 1902-1952
- Majority of material found within 1938 - 1947
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.
Biographical / Historical
South Lawndale is number 30 of the 77 official communities that make up Chicago. Situated five miles southwest of the Loop, the area is bounded by the Stevenson Expressway on the south, Cermak Road on the north, Western Avenue on the east and Cicero Avenue on the west. South Lawndale attracted residents following the Great Fire of 1871. Germans and Czechoslovakians moved westward on 22nd Street (later Cermak Road), and the rest of the area, west of Crawford Avenue (later Pulaski Road) was annexed to the city in 1889. A number of industries were established along the area’s railroads, including the McCormick plant (later the International Harvester Company) and the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works in Cicero, just northwest of the area. Successive groups of Poles, African Americans and Latinx communities have followed to take advantage of employment opportunities in nearby industry.
Extent
3.5 Linear Feet (in 6 boxes including 23 photographs and 3 oversize folders)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection contains a range of articles, brochures, historical sketches, newsletters, photographs, programs and yearbooks that focus on neighborhood events, persons and organizations in the South Lawndale community, particularly during the mid-20th century.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 2 series: Series 1: Documents, 1911-1952, undated and Series 2: Photographs, circa 1902-1947.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from Chicago Public Library, Legler Branch in the 1980s, as part of a Dr. Scholl Foundation grant. Supplement 2 was a donation from a private individual in 2003. Supplement 3 includes materials donated by Rebecca Davis related to Rose Marie Fertig’s experience at Harrison Technical High School [Photographs 1.22-1.23, Box 5, Folders 1-2 and Oversize Folder 3].
Source
- Chicago Public Library. Legler Regional (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the South Lawndale Community Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Original author unknown, 1989. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Michelle McCoy, 2021
- Date
- 1989
- 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