Historical Note

The Office of Civilian Defense was established in Washington, D. C. in 1941 to organize the civilian population of the United States into support of the World War II war effort. The goal of local offices was, according to a government flyer, "to enroll volunteers and to place them in jobs or training in line with their capacities" and to "provide a central place in which all accredited training courses for volunteers may be listed and to arranged for such additional courses as may be necessary." By January, 1942, Chicago had been divided into Civilian Defense Districts and districts into blocks. Each block was headed by a block captain, whose duties were to enroll volunteers for service as air wardens, auxiliary firemen and police, drivers, nurses, messengers, etc.

Scope and Content

While the collection documents the work of more than one district on Chicago’s west side, it would appear that the materials in this collections are the records of the District 4 office. District 4 was bounded by Clinton Street on the east, the south branch of the Chicago River and the drainage canal on the south, the city limits on the west, and a crooked line formed by Kinzie, Kedzie and North Avenues on the north. Its headquarters were in the Gold Dome Building of Garfield Park. The collection documents every aspect of the office’s work, as seen in the box/folder list on pages 2 and 3 of this guide. One interesting file is 3:5, "Suggested classification scheme for files on Civilian Defense." This is the recommendations from the central office in Washington as to how what files should be saved and how they should be organized.

Provenance

This collection became the property of the West Side Historical Society, which met at the Legler Branch Library of The Chicago Public Library system. The material was with the entire West Side Historical collection, to the University of Illinois at Chicago for a ten-year period from 1976 to 1986. In the latter year it was transferred to the Special Collections Division of the Chicago Public Library.

Processed by Galen R. Wilson, April 1993.

Access

The Office of Civilian Defense Records are available to the public for research in the Special Collections and Preservation Division Reading Room on the 9th floor of the Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center, 400 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60605. The collection does not circulate, although photocopy and photoreproduction services are available depending upon the condition of the original materials. First time patrons to Special Collections must present photo identification and complete a Reader Registration Form. Telephone inquiries on this collection and other Special Collections holdings can be directed to 312-747-4875.

Box and Folder Inventory

BOX 1

1. Air raids; 1942-43
2. Blackouts; 1942-43
3. Bulletins—"C"; 1942-43 (Division Four Information desk copy)
4. Bulletins—"C"; 1944-45 (Division Four Information desk copy)
5. Bulletins—Meetings, "B, D, E, F, H"; 1942-45 (Division Four Information desk copy)
6. Chicago’s Outdoor Choral Concert Series—Flyer; 1944 July & August
7. Child care and nursery schools

BOX 2

1. Community activities; 1943-45
2. Community news items; 1942
3. Community news items; 1943
4. Community news items; 1944
5. Community news items; 1945
6. Conservation
7. Consumer information
8. Control Centers
9. Exhibits—Newsclips; 1943-44
10. Flag dedications and raisings
11. Information desk—Newsclips; 1942-43
12. Instructions to division historians
13. Junior Citizens Service Corps (American Youth Reserves); 1942-44
14. Manuals and handbooks
15. Membership certificates
16. Memorials
17. Miscellaneous newsclips; 1943-44
18. Morale Committee—Correspondence, programs, publicity
19. Morale Committee—Newsclips
20. Organizing of Office of Civilian Defense; 1942

The Protector (v. 1, n. 8) -- Oversize 1

21. Radio—Newsclips; 1943
22. Red Cross—Newsclips; 1943

BOX 3

1. Salvage—Correspondence and notices
2. Salvage—Handbills
Salvage—"National Salvage Program: Official Plan" -- Oversize 2
3. Salvage—Newsclips
Salvage—Posters (3 pieces) -- Oversize 3
4. Service men’s center
5. Suggested classification scheme for files on Civilian Defense
6. Training classes
7. Victory gardens; 1942-44
8. War Loan drives: First; 1942 War Loan drives: First—Posters (2 pieces) -- Oversize 4
9. War Loan drives: Second; 1943
10. War Loan drives: Third; 1943 War Loan drives: Third-Posters (3 pieces) Oversize 5
11. War Loan drives: Fourth; 1943-44
12. War Loan drives: Fifth—Correspondence, forms and brochures; 1944
13. War Loan drives: Fifth—Newsclips War Loan drives: Fifth—Posters (8 pieces) Oversize 6
14. War Loan drives: Fifth—Statistics
15. War Loan drives: Sixth—Correspondence, forms and brochures; 1944
16. War Loan drives: Sixth—Newsclips War Loan drives: Sixth—Posters (3 pieces) Oversize 7
17. War Loan drives: Seventh—Correspondence, forms and brochures; 1945 War Loan drives: Seventh—Posters (3 pieces) Oversize 8

OVERSIZE MATERIAL

Oversize 1 The Protector (v. 1, n. 8)
Oversize 2 Salvage—"National Salvage Program: Official Plan"
Oversize 3 Salvage—Posters (3 pieces)
Oversize 4 War Loan drives: First—Posters (2 pieces); 1943
Oversize 5 War Loan drives: Third—Posters (3 pieces); 1943
Oversize 6 War Loan drives: Fifth—Posters (8 pieces); 1944
Oversize 7 War Loan drives: Sixth—Posters (3 pieces); 1944
Oversize 8 War Loan drives: Seventh—Posters (3 pieces); 1945

PHOTOGRAPHS

1.1 Air Raids—Committee
1.2-1.4 Air Raids—Drills
1.5 Division 4 Christmas party; [1942-44]
1.6 Memorials—Gentry/Spiker memorial plaques dedication; 1944 July 23
1.7 Memorials—Tichy/Nesbit memorial plaques dedication; 1944 Oct 22
1.8-1.16 Memorials—Unidentified dedications
1.17 Salvage—Display board: "Where Your Paper Goes"; 1945 Apr
1.18 Victory garden staff; 1944 May
1.19-1.24 War Loans—Seventh War Loan drive; 1945