Forest Park is located on the indigenous homelands of several tribal nations: the Kickapoo, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Potawatomi, Myaamia, and Ochethi Sakowin. For thousands of years, the Potawatomis and their ancestors lived in the area which is now Forest Park. They buried their dead along the east bank of the Des Plaines River which included the area that is at present Forest Home Cemetery. Des Plaines Avenue is known to have been an Indian trail. It lies on top of an ancient sandbar that was on the western edge of Lake Chicago (now Lake Michigan) formed from the melt-water of the last glacier.
Leon Bourassa
Land Grant in the HSFP collection
Ferdinand Haase
White Fawn Ferry
Chicago and Galena Union Railroad Map
Original entrance to Concordia Cemetery 600 feet west of current entrance. Constructed 1889
Entrance to Forest Home Cemetery
Ulysses S. Grant School
The Harlem Race Track circa 1990
Chicago Daily News, 1903
Chicago Daily News, 1904
The Harlem Golf Course Club House
Park District in 1970
Wilma Mae Turner, a famous Bloomer Gril
Torpedoes in Production
The Forest Park library in 1970
Congress Expressway construction 1960
Congress Expressway construction at Des Plaines and First ave 1960
Howard R. Mohr
Inside Forest Park Mall
Plaque recognizing National Historic Landmark
Mayor Calderone
HSFP panel at Cover Our Rust
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1818
Illinois entered the Union. 1839 A French-Native American trader, Leon Bourassa, was granted 160 acres along the Des Plaines River north of what is now Roosevelt Road by President Martin Van Buren. By this time, the Native Americans had been forcibly removed to the west of the Mississippi River. Potawatomi woman Mnetoqua, who is also known as Marguerite or Margaret, stayed to tend to the ancestral lands. When Leon and Mnetoqua married they established their home on the land which is now part of Forest Home Cemetery. 1851 Ferdinand Haase, a German immigrant, acquired land primarily from Bourassa and constructed a residence modeled after the mansions he had observed in New Orleans. He buried three family members near the homestead, and they became the first White settlers laid to rest in the area. 1851 Ferdinand Haase, a German immigrant, acquired land primarily from Bourassa and constructed a residence modeled after the mansions he had observed in New Orleans. He buried three family members near the homestead, and they became the first White settlers laid to rest in the area. 1856 The arrival of the railroad brought a workforce that stayed in the area, thereby establishing the community’s first (White) settlement. In the late 1850s, Haase turned his dairy farm into a picnic grove called “Haase’s Park.” Chicagoans visited the beautiful land for picnics, and to facilitate their access to his picnic grounds, Haase made arrangements with the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad (later known as the Chicago and North Western). As part of the deal, the railway company constructed a spur line that connected Haase’s Park to the main tracks, in exchange for receiving carloads of gravel required for construction purposes. The constant extraction of gravel over the years led to the destruction of the original glacial ridge, significant flattening of the terrain, and the discovery of multiple burial mounds of Native Americans. One attraction of the park was the White Fawn Ferry that took passengers up and down the Des Plaines River. During the Great Depression the WPA painted a mural of the White Fawn that now hangs in the Forest Park post office. 1856 When the Chicago and Galena Union Railroad (now Northwestern) established a division near the approaching Des Plaines Avenue track, it marked the beginning of public transportation in the region. Following the railroad’s arrival, John Henry Quick, a neighboring landowner, bestowed a new name upon part of the area: Harlem, named after his hometown in New York City. 1858 First general store built near the depot and kept by Israel Heller. 1859 Harlem School No.1 opened in present-day River Forest. The building still stands. 1872 When Lincoln Park in Chicago opened, attendance at Haase’s Park dwindled and Haase finally closed the grove. He dammed the Des Plaines River and mined sand and gravel and sold it for income. Haase sold some of his land in 1872 to German Lutherans who established Concordia Cemetery. More acreage was sold the next year to several German fraternal organizations for German Waldheim Cemetery. Accessible by train and with good drainage, the land would make an ideal cemetery. 1873 Jewish Waldheim Cemetery was founded by the United Hebrew Relief Association, which later became part of the Jewish Waldheim Cemetery Association. Jewish Waldheim Cemetery spans over 200 acres of land, making it one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the region. The cemetery is organized into various sections, each serving different Jewish communities, religious affiliations, and burial societies. 1876 Haase and his sons opened Forest Home Cemetery, which remained a family-run burial ground for the next ninety years. 1878 Ulysses S. Grant School was the first school within the present boundaries of Forest Park. It grew to become the Grant-White School, still in its original location. 1885 The first village hall in Harlem was erected in 1885 at the northeastern intersection of Randolph Street and Circle Avenue. It served the community until 1917 when a municipal structure was built at 517 Des Plaines, now the present-day village hall. The original building was relocated in 1947 before eventually being demolished for condominiums. 1886 In May of 1886 the Altenheim, a German “Old People’s Home” in Forest Park, officially opened its doors to 75 elderly German-Americans. It was the culmination of years of effort on the part of the Frauenverein des Deutschen Altenheims, a German Women’s Society dedicated to humanitarian service and caring for the elderly. The building stood on grounds planned by the same landscape architect responsible for Chicago’s Lincoln Park. A structure was erected on a 20-acre plot of land in Harlem, now Forest Park. Over ten thousand people attended the laying of the cornerstone in 1884, and the Mayor of Chicago Carter Harrison attended the building’s dedication in May 1886. The main building is reminiscent of the Gothic architecture popular in Germany at the time, and was decorated with the following inscription: “DEUTSCHES HAUS IM NEUEN LAND SCHIRM ES GOTT MIT STARKER HAND/ German House in New Land May God Protect it with Strong Hand” 1886 Twenty gas streetlights were installed throughout town. They came complete with a lamplighter who received a salary of $12 per month. 1887 On November 13, 1887, five of the Haymarket Martyrs were buried in Waldheim Cemetery. These five were among the defendants convicted in the aftermath of the Haymarket affair: August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, George Engel, and Louis Lingg. 1890 Karl Lau started a sausage factory which became the area’s first industry. 1893 The Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument in Waldheim Cemetery was dedicated on June 25, 1893, attracting a crowd of approximately 25,000 people. The monument was sculpted by Albert Weinert and paid for by The Pioneer Aid and Support Association. Crowds still gather from around the world, especially on May Day (May 1st), to visit the Haymarket Monument. 1894 On July 30, 1894 the Harlem Race Track opened its gates to eager spectators in 1894, the track quickly became a beloved destination for horse racing enthusiasts from near and far. The race track boasted grandstands and a meticulously groomed track. 1895 The Metropolitan Westside “El” began electrified rapid transit service in 1895. Because it ran through Garfield Park, it became known as the Garfield Line. 1897 The installation of electric lighting for “whomever desired this service,” was available to those living on or doing business on Madison Street. 1898 First Telephone Franchise established February 21, 1898. This building is now home to Twisted Cookie and Junction Diner. 1901 The Harlem Race Track opened a 9 hole golf course on the track’s infield. 1905 Horse racing was banned and the Harlem Race Track switched over to automobile racing. 1907 Wanting to distinguish itself from another nearby Illinois town of the same name and to reflect the lush greenery and natural surroundings of the area in hopes of attracting growth, Harlem became Forest Park on August 12, 1907. The Chicago Tribune declared, “Harlem drops tainted name,” as the town was known for gambling and drinking. 1907 Where the CTA Blue Lines station now stands was once the home of Forest Park Amusement Park. It was one of the most spectacular of its day, featuring a roller coaster superstructure, a carousel, games, and shows. Fifteen years later, it succumbed to a devastating fire. Although attempts were made to rebuild, it was never able to fully recover. Learn more here including a short documentary 1908 Vehicle tags made their appearance in 1908 after the Village Council passed a wheel tax ordinance to fund the repair and improvements of streets. To prove you paid your tax, all vehicles had to show a metal plate “attached to the right side of the vehicle or the horse.” The rates were $4 per one-horse vehicle and up to $24 for six-horse vehicles. A two-seat automobile paid $20, seats for three raised the price to $25. 1910 The Harlem Golf Course opens as an 18 hole golf course. It became known as the first and finest course in Chicago’s suburbs and the first public daily-fee course. The Grandstands are converted into the club house. 1913 In 1913 the first village election was held under the new Commission form of government, which had been approved by voters in 1911 and had designated the presiding officer as Mayor (instead of President) for a four-year term. 1914 The vote for women came to Illinois in 1914. Albert Roos, a prominent citizen, urged them to exercise their franchise to defeat a referendum calling for the abolition of all Proviso Township saloons. As a result, saloons in Forest Park existed down to the present day (though not during Prohibition). 1915 A new village hall was built. 1916 The referendum calling for a free library was passed in 1916. Fifty people obtained library cards to access the 2200 books housed in two rooms of the Village Hall. 1917 Forest Park Review founded, by Albert Hall, was first published on Oct. 20, 1917. 1919 The Volstead Act brought Prohibition to Forest Park forcing all 39 of its taverns to stop selling alcohol. 1920 American Legion Post 414 is founded. 1920 The inception of the Forest Park District’s development can be traced back to 1920 when the Forest Park Citizen’s Protective League emerged. Their primary objective was to deter the industrial development of the land, envisioning its transformation into a park in the future. Prior to 1920, the area was primarily an extensive vacant lot covered with grass, weeds, and trees. The Village successfully passed a referendum in 1934, leading to the establishment of the Park District of Forest Park. Subsequently, the Park District acquired its initial 14 acres. 1923 Kiwanis Club chapter founded. 1925 Traffic lights came to Forest Park and people’s ability to travel at will was sharply curtailed. Two lights were suspended on cables over the intersection of Jackson and Des Plaines. 1930 In the early 1930s, Emery Parichy brought the Boston Bloomer Girls, a championship softball team, and renamed them the Parichy Bloomer Girls. Some of the more famous Bloomer Girls were paid as much as $5,000 per year, and others operated under contract,making them a truly professional sports team. The ball park gave way to the Eisenhower Expressway in 1955 but left its legacy of championship softball which we still enjoy today. Learn more here including a short documentary 1935 The WPA (Works Progress Administration) came to Forest Park to build pathways, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, a swimming pool and the imposing, English Tudor-style administration building that still dominates the District’s’ grounds on Harrison Street. 1937 The Forest Park Post Office is built on Des Plaines 1941 The Federal Government purchased the land the golf course was on with the intention to build Studebaker airplanes, which fell through. The US Naval Ordnance Plant (Amertorp) began operations in 1942 and met armament needs for the nation through three wars. Thousands of torpedoes for the sinking of enemy ships were manufactured here until 1971. Learn more here including a short documentary 1946 The Forest Park Public Library purchases its own building, the former home of Pauline Haase Thomas, daughter of Ferdinand Haase. 1950s Around 1950, plans were underway for construction of the Congress Expressway, now the Eisenhower. Numerous Forest Park buildings and homes were moved or demolished for the highway and a large portion of Concordia Cemetery and Forest Home Cemetery graves were moved to make way for the highway. On July 30, 1960, the final segment of the Congress Expressway was opened between Des Plaines and First Avenue. It soon became the world’s busiest six-lane expressway. While digging pneumatic tubes used at the Forest Park Amusement Park were discovered. 1960 On July 27, 1960, at around 10:40 PM a Sikorsky S-58 shuttle helicopter making the 11-minute, 6-mile flight between Midway and O’Hare airports around 10:40 p.m. was seen by witnesses zig-zagging and then seeming to stop in the air over First Avenue in Maywood. It then burst into flames and fell to the ground in the western section of Forest Home Cemetery. Thirteen died in this first-ever crash of a Sikorsky in the U.S. 1963 Howard R. Mohr was elected Mayor in 1963, and re-elected twice again in 1971 and 1975. In between those times he represented his district as State Senator for three terms, 1966, 1970, and 1972. 1963 Riveredge Hospital, the largest private free-standing psychiatric hospital in Illinois is dedicated. To this day it provided adult and adolescent psychiatric treatment programs and an alcoholism treatment program. 1968 Forest Park hosts the first No Gloves 16” National Softball Tournament. The now four-day tournament includes a bracket with a double-elimination format. 1974 Howard R. Mohr Community Center is dedicated November 23, 1974. 1983 Forest Park Mall opens with anchor stores Venture and Courtesy Home Center on the site of the Ameritorp Torpedo Plant. 1997 The Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument became a national monument on March 25, 1997. This recognition was made by the United States Congress, who designated the monument as a National Historic Landmark. The monument commemorates the events surrounding the Haymarket affair and the individuals who were involved in it. 1998 Living Word Christian Center purchased the Forest Park Mall and encouraged residents to “Catch the Vision.” 1999 Anthony Calderone is elected mayor of Forest Park serving as Mayor for 20 years, the longest serving mayor in Forest Park history. 2005 Proviso Township opens a third high school, Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park at 1st Ave and Roosevelt Rd. The selective enrollment school serves the whole community of Proviso including Bellwood, Berkley, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, North Lake, Stone Park, and Westchester. 2017 The Arts Alliance was formed in conjunction with the “Cover Our Rust” painting of the Circle Bridge in 2017. The founding members worked with the Village on the bridge project and went on to form the not-for-profit organization that it is today. The Arts Alliance mission: is to bring artists and residents together to enrich lives through the joy of art. |
Download a PDF of the time line
| forest_park_timeline.pdf |