A-Z Digital Collections

See Northside High Schools.

Esther Barlow was a children’s librarian in neighborhood branches of Chicago Public Library from 1927 until 1976.

The Chicago Examiner was one of a dozen major newspapers published in Chicago at the turn of the last century. It was known for its sensational news stories.

Parks have always been a part of Chicago’s city planning. Explore their growth, development and use from six large parks begun around 1870 to more than 500 today.

On January 1, 1873 the Chicago Public Library opened its doors in a water tank that had survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. These photographs trace our history from that small structure to the development of neighborhood libraries across the city.

The Black Chicago Renaissance was a creative movement when activism and scholarship flourished with the prodigious work of African American community leaders, performers, artists, writers and activists.

The sewer systems and passageways that lie beneath our feet are critical to the health and well being of the city. Offering a rare look at the “underbelly” of Chicago, this collection of historical images features construction photographs of sewers and tunnels.

Theater collections at Chicago Public Library document a vibrant local theater community.

See Chicago Theater.

See Northside Clubs and Organizations.

Camp equipment, weaponry and uniforms used on the homefront and the battlefield, with a focus on the Illinois experience.

The George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives contain materials related to the operation of Chicago Public Library’s Hall Branch, opened in 1932. The branch is named after prominent African American physician, activist and leader George Cleveland Hall. The Hall Branch Archives contain annual reports, branch bulletins, programs, fliers and memos from 1932 through the 1970s.

See Chicago Theater.

Chicago Public Library’s Northside Neighborhood History Collection houses the photographs of Henry Green, a commercial photographer on Chicago’s North Side. Additional materials by Henry Delorval Green are held at the Chicago History Museum.

This collection includes over a thousand items from the Illinois Writers Project. Many of the Chicago Black Renaissance writers worked on this book project, and the digital collection contains their early draft chapters and research. These writings explore the African American experience in Illinois, including arrival, slavery, social conditions, religions, education, Black business and life in the suburban areas around Chicago.

See Northside High Schools.

In 1984, Chicago Public Library began working with local photographer Robert Krueger to document the North Side.

See Northside Clubs and Organizations.

See Northside High Schools.

Watch the Millennium Park site transform from an industrial wasteland to a new urban park of world renown from 1999-2005, under the project management of U.S. Equities Realty and acclaimed architects, engineers and artists.

Glimpse the activities of the thriving civic service scene on the North Side as well as the rich ethnic and religious heritage of the community.

Photographs of high school football games, theatrical productions, dances and extracurricular activities from the 1870s to the 1950s.

See Northside Clubs and Organizations.

See Northside Clubs and Organizations.

Lake View Township and its evolution from an independent municipality into current Northside communities, 1860s-1990s.

Mayor Harold Washington, the first African American mayor of Chicago, transformed the city during his years in office (1983-1987).

The Philip David Sang Collection contains unpublished and published works and ephemera united by its focus on the struggle of Africans and African Americans through the Middle Passage to the civil rights movement.

See Northside High Schools.

See Remembering Harold Washington.