West Side Historical Society Records

Dates: 1930-1955
Size: 7.75 linear feet in 23 boxes including 21 photographs, 1 audiotape
Repository: Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60605
Collection Number: spe-nhrc-wshs
Immediate Source of Acquisition: Transferred from Chicago Public Library, Legler Branch in the 1980s as part of a grant from the Dr. Scholl Foundation. Additional contents added in 2018.
Conditions Governing Access: Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use: Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.
Preferred Citation: When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: West Side Historical Society Records [Box #, Folder #, Photograph #], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library.
Finding Aid Author: Original author unknown, 1989 February. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Michelle McCoy, 2021

Abstract

The West Side Historical Society worked with staff at Legler Regional Library to collect information about Chicago's West Side. The collection includes the organization’s annual meeting proceedings, by-laws, constitution, collection development policy, correspondence, meeting minutes, photographs, programming, publicity, research indexes and transcripts from a weekly radio quiz show featuring questions about Chicago’s West Side.

Biographical/Historical

The West Side Historical Society (WSHS) was founded sometime around 1929 or 1930 as recorded by Miss Pearl L. Field, librarian at the Chicago Public Library, Legler Branch and Honorary Life President of WSHS. The mission of WSHS was to discover the West Side’s pioneer families, neighborhood settlement boundaries and the other histories of the community area.

The WSHS was associated with Chicago Public Library, Legler Branch for almost twenty-five years. From this location, the group held meetings, mounted exhibits and the stored historic materials that were jointed cared managed with library staff.

The West Side Historical Society disbanded sometime in the late 1950s.

Scope and Contents

The West Side Historical Society Records include the organization’s annual meeting proceedings, by-laws, constitution, collection development policy, correspondence, meeting minutes, programming, publicity, research indexes and transcripts from a weekly radio quiz show featuring questions about Chicago’s West Side. The group’s activities included historic research, presentations, radio quizzes, school competitions and tours. The materials span the 1930s through the mid-1950s.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred from Chicago Public Library, Legler Branch in the 1980s as part of a grant from the Dr. Scholl Foundation.

Supplement 1 contains additional materials from the West Side Historical Society. The administrative files were retained in Box 8, Folders 18-39. Historical neighborhood materials collected by WSHS were added to the Neighborhood History Research Collection that corresponded with its community area.

Supplement 2 contains 13 boxes of index card files that were maintained by the West Side Historical Society.

Additional contents were added in 2018.

Arrangement

The West Side Historical Society Records are arranged into series: Series 1: Administrative Files, 1930-1954 and Series 2: Photographs, 1931-1952, undated.

Subject Headings

  • Associations, institutions, etc -- Illinois -- Chicago – History
  • Austin (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Societies and clubs -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History

Related Collections

  • Goldwin E. Anderson Notebooks
  • Austin Community Collection
  • Austin High School Records
  • Austin Newspaper Collection
  • Austin Women’s Club Records
  • Bethel New Life Collection
  • Lower West Side Community Collection
  • Northwest Federation of Improvement Clubs Records
  • Office of Civilian Defense Records
  • Slack Family Photograph Album
  • Wesleyan Bible Class Records
  • West Garfield Park Community Collection
  • West End Women’s Club Records
  • West Side Council of Parents and Teachers
  • West Side Newspaper Collection
  • West Town Community Collections
  • Frank L. Wood Scrapbooks
  • Marion C. Young Hull House Collection

Collection Inventory

Series 1: Administrative Files, 1930-1954

Scope and Contents

Series 1 contains the administrative papers of the West Side Historical Society (WSHS). The files include the organization’s annual meeting proceedings, by-laws, constitution, collection development policy, correspondence, meeting minutes, programming, research indexes and publicity. The annual meeting records provide an almost complete picture of WSHA’s finances, membership and activities. The Executive Board meeting minutes provide additional information about the group’s operational practices. Their programs included a weekly radio quiz show that featured questions about Chicago’s West Side, history competitions at neighborhood schools and membership events and tours.

The index files in boxes 9-16 are by name or subject and offer some useful research access points. Additionally, many cards refer to articles in local West Side newspapers such as The Garfieldian and The Austinite or citywide newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Daily News.

The index files in boxes 17-21 are name and address indexes. Box 17 appears to have the names of WSHS members. Box 18 includes addresses for area clubs and organizations, particularly those with contacts to the WSHS. Beginning at the end of Box 18, through Box 21, is a name and address index for military service persons, but it is unclear what connection these servicemen had to the organization or in what war they fought.

Arrangement

Series 1 is arranged alphabetically by type of activity or subject.

Box 4 Folder 5 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1930 October 10
Box 4 Folder 6 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1931 October 19
Box 4 Folder 7 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1932 October 10
Box 4 Folder 8 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1933 October 10
Box 4 Folder 9 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1934
Box 4 Folder 10 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1935 November 18
Box 4 Folder 11 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1936 October 19
Box 4 Folder 12 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1937 April 12
Box 4 Folder 13 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1937 October 25
Box 4 Folder 14 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1938 October 17
Box 4 Folders 15-18 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1939
Box 4 Folders 19-20 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1940
Box 5 Folders 1-3 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1941
Box 5 Folders 4-6 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1942
Box 5 Folders 7-9 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1943
Box 5 Folders 10-12 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1944
Box 5 Folders 13-14 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1945
Box 6 Folder 1 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1945 October
Box 6 Folder 2 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1946
Box 6 Folder 3 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1947 March 4, October 17
Box 6 Folder 4 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1948 March 19
Box 6 Folders 5-6 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1949
Box 6 Folders 7-8 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1950
Box 6 Folders 9-10 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1951
Box 6 Folders 11-12 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1952
Box 6 Folder 13 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1953
Box 6 Folders 14-15 Annual meeting, proceedings Paul Angle, speaker [See also Tape #T1], 1954
Box 6 Folders 16-17 Annual meeting, proceedings, 1955
Box 8 Folder 18 Annual report, General Not for Profit Corporation Act, 1962-1965
Box 8 Folder 19 Letterhead and forms, undated
Box 1 Folder 1 Bulletins, 1936-1938
Box 1 Folder 2 Collection development guidelines, circa 1934-1938
Box 8 Folder 37 Collection, memos and notes, undated
Box 8 Folder 20 Constitution, original draft, by-laws, [1929?], 1938
Box 1 Folder 3 Constitution, by-laws, general history, 1936, 1935
Box 6 Folder 20 Contests - correspondence and announcements, circa 1930s-1940s
Box 6 Folder 21 Contests - elementary schools, circa 1930s
Box 7 Folder 1 Contests - high school, “A Testimony to Robinson,” undated
Box 7 Folders 2-3 Contests - high school, "A.C. Ellithorpe,” undated
Box 7 Folder 4 Contests - high school, “Eleanor Smith at Smith House,” undated
Box 7 Folder 5 Contests - high school, “The Story of Sister May,” undated
Box 7 Folder 6 Contests - high school, “Dr. Joseph B. DeLee,” undated
Box 7 Folder 7 Contests - high school, “Rev. Arnold Damen,” undated
Box 7 Folder 8 Contests - high school, “The story of Anna Braude,” undated
Box 7 Folder 9 Contests - High school, “Bishop Sheil’s Work Among West Side Youths,” undated
Box 7 Folder 10 Contests - high school, “The Story of Carter H. Harrison,” undated
Box 7 Folder 11 Contests - middle school, assorted titles, undated
Box 7 Folder 12 Contests - photography, 1936-1937
Box 1 Folders 7-8 Correspondence, 1937
Box 1 Folders 9-10 Correspondence, 1938
Box 2 Folders 1-3 Correspondence, 1938
Box 2 Folders 4-9 Correspondence, 1939
Box 2 Folder 10 Correspondence, 1940
Box 3 Folders 1-4 Correspondence, 1940
Box 3 Folders 5-6 Correspondence, 1941
Box 8 Folder 21 Correspondence, 1942-1957, undated
Box 1 Folder 4 Correspondence, undated
Box 8 Folder 29 Correspondence, advice from other historical societies, 1933-1935
Box 8 Folder 30 Correspondence, Abraham Lincoln family materials and reminiscences, 1931-1937
Box 8 Folder 22 Correspondence, Bond, Carrie Jacobs, 1939
Box 8 Folder 23 Correspondence, Burroughs, Edgar Rice Inc., 1940
Box 8 Folder 32 Correspondence, General Haller of Poland, 1938
Box 8 Folder 24 Correspondence, Goodman, Benny (Secretary to), 1940
Box 8 Folder 25 Correspondence, Keeney, Albert F., 1941-1948
Box 8 Folder 31 Correspondence, Lincoln, Mary Todd, Chicago home identification, 1931-1937
Box 8 Folder 26 Correspondence, Madigan, George P. and J.D., 1941-1945
Box 8 Folder 27 Correspondence, Miller, John Calvin, 1943-1952
Box 8 Folder 28 Correspondence, Shumon, Ted, 1956-1958
Box 8 Folder 33 Correspondence with speakers, 1934-1946
Box 3 Folders 7-8 Directories, 1930-1945
Box 7 Folder 13 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1932
Box 7 Folder 14 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1933
Box 7 Folder 15 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1934
Box 7 Folder 16 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1935
Box 7 Folders 17-18 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1936
Box 7 Folders 19-20 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1937
Box 7 Folders 21-23 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1938
Box 7 Folder 24 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1939
Box 7 Folders 25-28 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1940
Box 7 Folder 29 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1941
Box 7 Folders 30-31 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1942
Box 7 Folders 32-33 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1943
Box 7 Folder 34 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1944
Box 7 Folders 35-36 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1945
Box 7 Folder 37 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1946
Box 7 Folder 38 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1947
Box 7 Folder 39 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1952
Box 7 Folder 40 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1953
Box 7 Folder 41 Executive Board, meeting minutes, 1954
Box 8 Folder 38 Field, Pearl I., “An Historical Society in the Library,” Wilson Bulletin, vol. XI, no. 7); 1937 March
Box 8 Folder 34 Finances, 1956-1958
Box 3 Folder 9 High school chapters, minutes, undated
Box 8 Folder 39 Life Membership certificate book (blank certificate), 1941
Box 8 Folder 35 Meeting invitations and programs, 1938-1955
Box 17   [Member?] addresses, (includes Austin Historical Society and Golden Wedding listings), undated
Box 6 Folder 18 Membership Committee, 1938
Box 8 Folder 36 Membership drives, 1935, undated
Box 9   Name and Subject indexes, A-B, undated
Box 10   Name and Subject indexes, C, undated
Box 11   Name and Subject indexes, D-Ga, undated
Box 12   Name and Subject indexes, Ga-K, undated
Box 13   Name and Subject indexes, L-M, undated
Box 14   Name and Subject indexes, N-Sch, undated
Box 15   Name and Subject indexes, Schools-V, undated
Box 16   Name and Subject indexes, W-Z, undated
Box 18   Neighborhood club and organization addresses, undated
Box 4 Folder 1 Programming, teas, 1938
Box 4 Folders 2-3 Publicity, radio quiz questions, 1942-1943
Box 4 Folder 4 Publicity, radio quiz correspondence, 1942-1943
Box 6 Folder 19 Research Committee, circa 1930s-1940s
Box 22   Scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, memorabilia, and other materials (3), circa 1930s and 1940s
Box 18   Servicemen names and addresses, A-Broc, undated
Box 19   Servicemen names and addresses, Brod-Ha, undated
Box 20   Servicemen names and addresses, He-Ok, undated
Box 21   Servicemen names and addresses, Ol-Z, undated
Box 8 Folder 16 Tour - 100-mile bus tour, 1953 June
Box 8 Folder 17 Tour - All-day boat trip (canceled), 1954 June
Box 8 Folder 15 Tour - Black Hawk Trail, 1952 June
Box 8 Folder 2 Tour - Chicago Fire of 1871 (includes photographs), 1937 April
Box 8 Folder 9 Tour - City of Chicago, 1946 May
Box 8 Folder 14 Tour - Congress Street highway, Medical Center District, 1951 June
Box 8 Folder 3 Tour - Des Plaines River (includes photographs), 1938 May
Box 8 Folder 10 Tour - Des Plaines River, 1947 June
Box 8 Folder 1 Tour - Haymarket Square and Willow Springs, Illinois (includes photographs), 1936 May, October
Box 8 Folder 11 Tour - Illinois and Michigan Canal, 1948 June
Box 8 Folder 12 Tour - Native American country (includes photograph), 1949 June
Box 8 Folder 7 Tour - Native American localities 1940 October
Box 8 Folder 8 Tour - Native American mounds (includes photographs), 1941 May
Box 8 Folder 4 Tour - Palos Hills (canceled?) 1939 May
Box 8 Folder 5 Tour - Palos Hills (includes photographs), 1939 October
Box 8 Folder 6 Tour - Plainfield, Illinois, 1940 June
Box 8 Folder 13 Tour - Sanitary and Ship Canal 1950 June

Series 2: Photographs, 1931-1952, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 2 contains a selection of photographs that document West Side Historical Society meetings, contests, and other activities. Some of the tours in Series 1 include photographs, primarily snapshots.

Arrangement

Series 1 is arranged alphabetically by type of activity or subject.

Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.1 Board of Directors, (2 copies) 1948 March 11
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.21 Contests - high school quiz participants, [1946?]
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.18 Contests - trophy awarded to Steinmetz High School, 1937
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.19 Contests - trophy awarded to Steinmetz High School, 1939
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.20 Contests - trophy awarded to Steinmetz High School, 1941
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.14 Exhibit [Midwest News window?], undated
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.3 Meetings - annual, 1932 October
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.2 Meetings - Early Settlers, 1931 October 19
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.4 Meetings - Early Settlers, 1944 October
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.5 Meetings - Early Settlers, 1945 October 8
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.6 Meetings - Early Settlers, 1945 October 14
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.10 Meetings - Helen Babcock and Pearl Field (2 copies), 1949 April 5
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.9a Meetings - Joe and Mabel Paul, performers, 1949 April 5
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.12 Meetings - Stanley Pargellis, speaker, undated
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.13 Meetings - Stanley Pargellis, speaker, with unidentified, undated
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.11 Meetings - Student looks at display, 1952 May 20
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photographs 1.8-1.9 Meetings - unidentified group, 1949 April 5
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.7 Meetings - West Division High School alumni, 1948 March 19
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.15 West Side Day at Railroad Fair, pioneer engine replica, 1949 July 8
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.16 West Side Day at Railroad Fair, beauty queens, 1949 July 8
Nhrc Shared Photo Box 6 Photograph 1.17 West Side Day at Railroad Fair, Jimmy Shea’s Irish Dancers, 1949 July 8
Print this page