Beautiful weather graced the 7th Annual Garden Walk, a fundraiser for the Historical Society of Forest Park. On Saturday, over 225 people attended the event, which showcased eight gardens with the help of dozens of volunteers ensuring everything ran smoothly.
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The day began with ticket pick-up at the Park District of Forest Park’s Roos Recreation Center. Inside, the Historical Society presented a pop-up museum highlighting Forest Park's rich history. Outside, the park district’s grounds supervisor displayed a sample Victory Garden next to Building 4, reflecting this year's theme.
Participating homeowners graciously opened their gardens, each space a testament to their hard work and creativity. Garden Walk booklets provided the history of each garden and the concept of Victory Gardens.


On Friday evening, hosts, volunteers, members, and sponsors gathered for a kickoff party at Michelle Melin-Rogovin's garden, the 2022 Best in Show winner. Saturday's after-party was held at McGaffer’s Saloon, where Joe Lepkowski was awarded Best in Show with a beauitul award made by Lin Beribak at the Forest Park Art Alliance. All gardens were given a special award by the Forest Park Garden Club that highlighted what made them special. 

Izzo at the Park District of Forest Park, Goode, Backman, Lipkins,  Pittman-Johannsen, Wagner, Beribak, and ​Lepkowski

​Thank you to Kristen Lyons, Garden Walk Chair, and HSFP Board President Mark Boroughf. They dedicated months to this walk, finding gardens and sponsors, setting up our pop-up museum, scheduling volunteers, and managing everything in Forest Park before and after the event. Special thanks to Kristen for coordinating with the Park District for this wonderful starting point and their collaboration. Shout out to our entire Historical Society board who work so hard on this and all our events!

Thank you to Linda Beribak at the Art Alliance not only was she a garden host this year but she also created this beautiful award for Best in Show!

Running the Garden Walk requires 25 volunteers, we couldn't do this without you!

Not only Is the Garden Walk a ton of fun it is also our biggest fundraiser of the year! Huge thank you our sponsors who bought booklet ads, many of which come back year after year.

April Baker Homes
Ferrara Candy Company
Smokey Joel's
Everett Wealth Solutions
Lauren Burjan @Properties
McGaffer's Saloon
O'Sullivan's Public House
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And a thank you to our community partners 
Park District of Forest Park
Garage Galleries
Oak Park Garden Walk
Forest Park Garden Club

And a thank you to our raffle donors
Kristen Lyons
Michelle-Melin Rogovin
Kiwanis of Forest Park
McGaffer's Saloon

We are thrilled to announce that a new bronze plaque honoring Dr. Joseph Corbin has been installed on his gravestone at Forest Home Cemetery as of May 30, 2024. This significant event was sponsored by the Historical Society of Forest Park.

It is highly unusual for the National Register of Historic Places to honor a man from Ohio who made a substantial impact in Arkansas by recognizing him in Illinois. This remarkable recognition was made possible through the years of persistent effort by Dr. Gladys Turner Finney, an Ohio native, who tirelessly advocated for the acknowledgment of Dr. Corbin’s extraordinary life and achievements and Forest Parker John Rice. 

Dr. Joseph Corbin dedicated his life to radically improving the lives of Black men and women in the United States. Dr. Finney's devotion to his legacy eventually met with the efforts of John Rice, culminating in this proud testament to Dr. Corbin's enduring impact, now commemorated at Forest Home Cemetery.

This past month the Historical Society of Forest Park sponsored the bronze plaque recognizing the grave of Dr. Joseph Corbin.  Uli Lieb, our Treasurer, worked on navigating the wording and making sure all the pieces were in place to have this honor in our town.    It is highly unusual to have the National Record of Historic Places honor a man from Ohio who made a huge impact in Arkansas be recognized in Illinois.  Through years of persistence, Dr. Gladys Turner Finney a woman from Ohio, pushed for the Illinois grave to be recognized for the extraordinary life and achievements of a man who radically worked to improve the lives of Black men and women in the United States.  Her devotion met up with John Rice and created this proud testament to a man that came to rest at what is now known as Forest Home Cemetery.    
With representatives from the Department of the Interior, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and  Dr. Gladys Turner Finney the placard was unveiled at the chapel at Forest Home.  The Plaque was then given to staff at Forest Home Cemetery to be install on his headstone.  His grave is near the 290 Expressway for thousands of people to pass everyday.

Dr. Joseph Corbin, was one of eleven children born in the free state of Ohio in 1833 to former enslaved parents, William and Susan Corbin.  His early education included subscription schools, as well as both private and home schooling.  He went to Kentucky for college prep courses.  He was the second Black man to graduate from the Ohio University in 1853 with an A.B. degree and was one of the institution’s most distinguished and scholarly graduates.  His mastery of classical languages including Latin, and his mathematic skills were especially noted as well as his flute, piano and organ playing.
After graduation he worked in banking and as the editor and co-publisher of The Colored Citizen Newspaper, he and his wife, Mary Jane, migrated to Little Rock, Arkansas.  He was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1872 which therefore made him president of the board of trustees for the University of Arkansas and he recognized the need for teachers for former slaves and their families.   He went to Pine Bluff to select a site and open Branch Normal College of the Arkansas Industrial University  and opened the college in 1875 in a small house.  He lobbied for and successfully was granted the land in 1889 for the for the school and buildings at the edge of town.

He oversaw nearly every aspect of the school as an instructor, management of the dormitories for men and for women, provided his own belongings to furnish the school, cleared land, saved wood for fuel, was the custodian and even built the fence around the school to prevent trespassers.  Corbin was steadfast in his belief that African American youth must build their future on something other than farming.

 When the political climate in Arkansas shifted he lost his position when the Republican Reconstruction government was overturned, and was unable to regain his position.  He continued in Pine Bluff serving local Black community.  He co-founded the Arkansas Negro Teachers Association and was president from 1898-1904.  He was president of the Colored Teachers Association in 1902-1903 and Grand Master of the Negro Grand Lodge of Arkansas. He was principal of Merrill High School after his forced retirement from Branch Normal College, a position which he held until his death in his home January 9, 1911.

He had a second residence in South Township Chicago and  had purchased a plot of six graves in 1909 at  German Waldheim Cemetery which did not have racially restrictive burial covenants.  His son was the first to be buried there, followed by his wife in 1910.  He was interred January 14, 1911, at the German Waldheim Cemetery (now Forest Home Cemetery) in Forest Park, Illinois, according to his desire, design, and last will.    

In order for the Dr. Joseph Carter Corbin Gravesite to become a landmark status, there had to be no other extant resource closely associated with his significance.  No properties at Branch Normal College remain from his time there although several campus properties that have been are named in his honor including the J.C. Corbin Teaching Center, Corbin Hall, J.C. Corbin Laboratory Training School, and  J. C. Corbin High School.  His home in Pine Bluff is now a vacant lot.  Merrill High School where he was principal from 1902-1922 was closed in 1971 when school segregation ended. 
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Dr. Corbin was inducted posthumously into the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame, October 4, 2018, for his advancement of education as a civil right for former slaves and their descendants.  Illinois now is able to join in the recognition of a man that faced obstacles from every direction, yet persevered and made a tremendous impact on our society. 
It is through the will of a remarkable woman, Dr. Gladys Turner Finney, who was an educator who was trained through the Corbin schools that we are able to reflect and learn from the work of Dr. Joseph Carter Corbin, which rings through our nation.
 
 
 

​Around 200 people gathered in the beautiful weather to honor the Haymarket Martyrs and neighboring graves. They brought songs, engaged in friendly political debates, and laid roses. It's an honor to share information and respond to questions on such occasions.

The Historical Society of Forest Park presented the Mark Rogovin: Working Class Heroes Award this May Day to President Larry Spivack, who not only serves as the head of the Illinois Labor History Society but also holds  the title of former Union Vice President of AFSCME Local 31. Renowned for its commitment to preserving labor history, the Illinois Labor History Society has been an ally of our Historical Society of Forest Park, overseeing the upkeep of the Haymarket Monument situated within our community. President Larry Spivack stands as a stalwart advocate for Illinois Labor History and the rights of workers, drawing countless visitors from across the state to Forest Park. Mark and Larry collaborated tirelessly over the years in their shared endeavor to safeguard the legacy of the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument. It is with great pleasure that we bestow this award upon Larry, in recognition of his unwavering dedication and contributions to the cause.

Join us on a journey to Forest Home Cemetery, where every May Day, a diverse array of individuals—from anarchists and communists to socialists, labor historians, union members, and the simply curious—gather to honor the legacy of the Haymarket Martyrs. The spirit of solidarity and remembrance shines brightly as people converge from across Chicagoland and the globe.
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Witness the camaraderie and reverence as attendees pay homage to those who gave their lives in the struggle for workers' rights, justice, and freedom. This video captures the essence of May Day 2023, offering a glimpse into a unique and powerful tradition that continues to inspire and unite generations. Join us every year in Forest Park, Illinois, in commemorating the Haymarket Martyrs and celebrating the ongoing fight for social and economic justice.