John Drury Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains news clippings that John Drury wrote for his newspaper columns called “Historic Chicago Sites,” “North Side Notebook, and “Old Chicago Houses.” The articles provide biographical information, historical sketches and reminiscences that reflect his views about what life was like on the North Side of Chicago from the late 19th Century through the first half of the 20th Century. The majority of articles focus on daily life in the following community areas: Edgewater; Lake View; Lincoln Square; North Center; West Ridge; and Uptown. Two articles represent Portage Park and one article is about Belmont Cragin.
Dates
- 1940 - 1959
Creator
- Drury, John, 1898- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions
Conditions Governing Use
Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection
Biographical / Historical
John Drury (1898-1972) was born in Chicago and began his career in journalism as a reporter for the Los Angeles Record in 1920. Three years later, he returned to Chicago and became a feature writer and columnist for various Chicago newspapers such as the Chicago Daily News and Lincoln-Belmont Booster where he wrote a series of articles about Northside history. Drury also hosted a weekly radio program which featured Chicago history. He was married to Marion Neville, who died in 1967. He died in Valparaiso, Indiana in 1972.
Drury was the author of many books including Old Chicago Houses (1941), Historic Midwest Houses (1947), and Midwest Heritage (1948).
Extent
.5 Linear Feet (in 1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
John Drury (1898-1972) began his career in journalism as a reporter for the Los Angeles Record in 1920. Three years later, he returned to his native Chicago and became a feature writer and columnist for various Chicago newspapers such as the Chicago Daily News and the Lincoln-Belmont Booster where he wrote his series of historical sketches until 1953. This collection contains photocopied newsclippings from three series written by Chicago journalist John Drury: "Historic Chicago Sites" in the Chicago Daily News; "North Side Notebook" in the Lincoln-Belmont Booster; and "Old Chicago Houses" in the Chicago Daily News.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in 13 series, with each series representing a general topic. Within each series they are arranged alphabetically according to the article's topic.
Series 1: Biographical, 1949-1959, undated;
Series 2: Business Establishments, 1943-1952, undated;
Series 3: Clubs and Organizations, 1950-1953, undated;
Series 4: Historical Sketches, 1949-1952, undated;
Series 5: Hospitals, 1949, undated;
Series 6: Libraries, undated;
Series 7: Municipal Agencies, undated;
Series 8: Parks, 1951, undated;
Series 9: Religious Institutions, 1951-1955, undated;
Series 10: Residences, 1940-1953, undated;
Series 11: Schools, 1949, undated;
Series 12: Streets, 1950, 1951, undated;
Series 13: Transportation, 1949-1952, undated.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
In 1982, these articles by John Drury were removed from the Ravenswood Lake View Community Collection to create this collection.
- Belmont Cragin (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Local sources
- Community life -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Edgewater (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Lakeview (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Lincoln Square (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Neighborhoods -- Illinois -- Chicago Subject Source: Local sources
- North Center (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Portage Park (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Rogers Park (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Uptown (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- West Ridge (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Local sources
Creator
- Drury, John, 1898- (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the John Drury Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Robert Marshall, 1982. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Julie Lynch, 2021.
- Date
- 1982
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2021 August: Edited by Julie Lynch for compliance with DACS
Repository Details
Part of the Northside Neighborhood History Collection Repository
Sulzer Regional Library
Chicago Public Library
4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago IL 60625 United States
(312) 742-4455
northsidehistory@chipublib.org