J. Y. Scammon

In researching the article about the Confederate monument in Oak Woods Cemetery, I stumbled into the fact that Chicago harbored Confederate sympathizers. It made me question my assumption that Hyde Park had been Lincoln country. I was glad to find that, while I can’t prove the general attitude in what was then a small town, … Continue reading J. Y. Scammon →

Clara Louise Burnham, A Woman of the Century

(A repeat post) As we head to the November 5, 2024, election and the signs are that women's votes will make a difference, I thought I'd repost this. Illinois was the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment, though in their rush, there was a technical problem that had to be redone. It took over … Continue reading Clara Louise Burnham, A Woman of the Century →

Deco Arts Building

Last year, I took a class at the Newberry Library. Turned out to be a bit different than I thought, but it was a writing class that asked us to talk about a corner in Chicago and what it meant to us. So, here’s one of the things I wrote. One day in 1975, I … Continue reading Deco Arts Building →

When History Gets It Wrong

Confederate Monument in Chicago Misinformation metastasizes through the information ecosystem in ways large and small. My pet peeve is the number of people who attended the 1893 Columbian Exposition—27million individuals did not attend the fair. That number is everywhere, but it’s a misunderstanding of another stat. There were 27 million daily entrance tickets sold but … Continue reading When History Gets It Wrong →

Bur Oaks of Wooded Island

Before the Columbian Exposition, Frederick Law Olmsted said the area in Jackson Park was not promising, with its boggy swales and sand ridges covered with "vegetable mold.” J. Francis Murphy made a watercolor sketch of what it looked like just before work began in January 1891. Olmsted and fair manager Daniel Burnham worked out the … Continue reading Bur Oaks of Wooded Island →

An Itinerary for CAC Open House in Hyde Park

Written for a friend who told me what was already in her plans, so I supplied her with links to background information on her way. 1. South Side Entertainment District along Cottage Grove.and 63rd Street It grew because of the Cable Cars, so you can see a couple photos and see why it was there … Continue reading An Itinerary for CAC Open House in Hyde Park →