Portage Park Community Collection

This collection is arranged in ten series. When both documents and photographs are available on a series topic, they have been separated into two subseries. When a series contains only documents or only photographs, it contains just one subseries.

Series 1: Biographical, 1859-1949 This series contains news clippings, biographical sketches, photographs, and the contents of a scrapbook about a very small number of former residents of Portage Park, mostly the Baldwin family. It contains Subseries A: Documents and Subseries B: Photographs. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically by last name.

Series 2: Business Establishments, 1896-1987 This series contains a brochure, news clippings, photographs, and scrapbook pages on a few Portage Park businesses. It contains Subseries A: Documents and Subseries B: Photographs. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically by the business name.

Series 3: Clubs and Organizations, 1917-1945 This series, the largest in the collection, contains programs, news clippings, ephemera, photographs, and other material from several Portage Park service organizations. It contains Subseries A: Documents and Subseries B: Photographs. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically by the organization name.

Series 4: Historical Sketches, 1921-1991 This series contains four historic sketches of the Portage Park area, written between 1921 and 1991. They are arranged chronologically according to the year written in one subseries, Subseries A: Documents.

Series 5: Municipal Agencies, 1924, undated This series contains two photographs of Cook County Institution, a mental institution and poorhouse, and one photograph of the Chicago Police Department's 26th Precinct station. They are arranged alphabetically in one subseries, Subseries A: Photographs.

Series 6: Parks, 1920-1931 This series contains a program and general ordinances related to Portage Park from 1931 and 1920, respectively. They are arranged alphabetically in one subseries, Subseries A: Documents.

Series 7: Residences, circa 2000 This series contains one subseries, Subseries A: Photographs, which contains a scrapbook of scanned images of the Koester family home.

Series 8: Schools, 1939-1940 This series contains a yearbook, programs, newsletters, and photographs of local Portage Park schools. It contains Subseries A: Documents and Subseries B: Photographs. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically by the school name.

Series 9: Streets, 1952 This series is arranged in one subseries, Subseries A: Documents, which contains a news article on Irving Park Road from 1952.

Series 10: Wartime, undated This series is arranged in one subseries, Subseries A: Photographs, which contains an undated photograph of the First Cavalry, Illinois National Guard, Troop E.