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Archival Collections A-Z

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2011 Snowstorm Photographs

Date: 2011. Size: 2 linear feet in 2 boxes, includes 114 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The 2011 snowstorm started Tuesday afternoon, February 1, 2011. Over 20 inches of snow would eventually descend upon the city with winds measuring up to 70 miles per hour. The Snowstorm Photograph Collection contains photographs of Chicago neighborhoods during or just after the 2011 blizzard. [Finding aid]

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Abbott, Robert S. - John H. Sengstacke Family Papers

Dates: 1847-1997. Size: 179 linear feet. Accession #2007/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Robert S. Abbott founded the Chicago Defender in 1905; his nephew John H. Sengstacke took over the family’s newspapers upon Abbott’s death in 1940. The papers trace the Abbott-Sengstacke family history from the mid-19th century in Georgia through Abbott’s move to Chicago and creation of a journalistic empire, to the death of Sengstacke in 1997. The papers are arranged in three superseries: Robert Abbott, John Sengstacke and Myrtle Sengstacke. Extensive documentation of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the Chicago Defender, the Pittsburgh Courier, the Michigan Chronicle, Provident Hospital and the political history of Chicago is included. The papers feature correspondence, manuscripts, organizational and subject research files, biographical materials, programs, clippings and memorabilia. A large collection of photographs is being processed and will be available at a later date. [Finding aid]

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Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago Archives

Dates: 1980-2003. Size: 15 linear feet. Accession #2000/12. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago was formed to preserve and perpetuate the historic records of African American ancestors and to promote the study of history and genealogy. The collection contains organizational files, annual reports, conference files, reports, family newsletters, reunion books and funeral programs. [Partially processed]

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Albany Park Community Collection

Dates: 1919-2001. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 5 boxes plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Albany Park Community Area is located eight miles northwest of Chicago’s Loop. Community number fourteen of Chicago's seventy-seven official communities, Albany Park was annexed into Chicago in 1889. This collection documents life in Albany Park from 1919 to 2001. [Finding Aid]

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Albritton, Jesse Lee Papers

Dates: 1938-1965. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Accession #2010/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Jesse Lee Albritton was a Chicago-based labor organizer and author of regular columns featured throughout the 1940s and 1950s in the Chicago Crusader and Federation News. [Finding aid]

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Algren, Nelson Collection

Dates: 1933-1999. Size: 8 linear feet; 6 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. This collection includes copies, often multiple editions/printings, of Algren’s works, from his first short story entitled “So Help Me,” published in Story in 1933 to The Devil’s Stocking, published posthumously in 1983. The collection contains an array of newspaper articles, interviews, bookdealer catalogs, reviews and photographs. The NAC also includes articles and reviews of Algren’s work by other writers and critics.  [Finding aid]

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Alkalimat, Abdul Papers

Dates: 1981-2005. Size: 33 linear feet. Accession #1983/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. This collection predominantly consists of conference papers, articles, speeches and unpublished manuscripts written and collected by Abdul Alkalimat while he was director of African American studies at the University of Illinois-Urbana. Recent additions include a clipping file on Harold Washington, and materials on black studies and the Internet. [Partially processed]

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Allen, Barbara E. Papers

Dates: 1915-2010. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #2005/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Barbara Allen produced, directed and co-wrote the Emmy-winning documentary Paper Trail: 100 Years of the Chicago Defender. The film was broadcast on WTTW, a Chicago PBS affiliate. The collection consists of research materials, original uncut videotaped interviews, audiotaped interviews and complete interview transcripts from the documentary. Interview subjects include then-Senator Barack Obama, Emil Jones, Col. Eugene Scott, Bobby Sengstacke, Timuel Black, Roland Martin, Theresa Fambro-Hooks, Earl Calloway and Lonnie Bunch. [Finding aid]

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Allen, Claudia Papers

Dates: 1985-1991. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Collection documents the work of Claudia Allen, a Chicago playwright. Includes scripts and production information. [Finding aid]

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American Civil War Documents, Manuscripts, Letters and Diaries and Grand Army of the Republic Collection

Dates: 1785-2005, bulk 1860-1866. Size: 12.5 linear feet, in 23 boxes, includes 7 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Material in this collection predominantly relates to the American Civil War—its battles, rank and file soldiers, leaders and veterans. A large portion of this material focuses on the experience of soldiers and leaders from Illinois through letters and diaries. Other major topics in this collection include slavery throughout the world in the centuries leading up to the Civil War; Abraham Lincoln; and the veteran's group, the Grand Army of the Republic, especially its Illinois Departments. Further documentation of the Civil War appears in ephemera, songs and poems, patriotic envelopes and currency. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Wayne Whalen Digital Archive of the Grand Army of the Republic and Civil War Collections. [Finding aid]

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American Civil War Era Newspapers

Dates: 1854-1907, Bulk 1860-1872. Size: 29.75 linear feet in 53 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. These newspapers come from around the United States, with one item from Cuba. The papers were primarily printed in larger cities like New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago, but papers from smaller cities also appear. The vast majority of the collection is comprised of issues of the Chicago Tribune. The time period covered extends before and after the Civil War. Events of note covered in the papers include the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Also noteworthy are 1863 issues of The Daily Citizen from Vicksburg, Mississippi, that were printed on wallpaper scraps because during the war, the publication ran out of newsprint paper. [Finding aid]

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American Civil War Era Sheet Music Collection

Dates: 1845-1918, bulk 1862-1864. Size: 5.5 linear feet in 2 boxes and 2 bound volumes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Music played an essential role during the American Civil War, both for the soldiers actively fighting and people on the home front. The majority of the sheet music in this collection was published during the American Civil War, by Chicago music publishing companies Root & Cady and H.M. Higgins, featuring composers and lyricists like Henry C. Work and George F. Root. [Finding aid]

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American Civil War Photographs and Images and Grand Army of the Republic Photographs and Images

Dates: 1857-2008, bulk 1861-1865. Size: 18 linear feet, plus 31 framed items. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Images in this collection predominantly relate to the American Civil War—its battles, rank and file soldiers, leaders, veterans, politics and symbolism. A large portion of this material focuses on soldiers and leaders from Illinois, with a wider focus on soldiers from the American Midwest. Many formats are represented, from early photographic formats like tintypes to postcards to oil paintings. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Wayne Whalen Digital Archive of the Grand Army of the Republic and Civil War Collections. [Finding aid]

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American Federation of Musicians. Chicago Chapter Files

Dates: 1928-1979. Size: 69 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Contains deceased members files (1940-1979), photocopied minutes of the trial board (1928-1938), annual meetings (1938-1965) and board of directors (1930-1965) of Local 208. [Partially processed]

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American Library Association, Black Caucus, Chicago Chapter Archives

Dates: 1974-2004. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #1983/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The collection documents the work of the Chicago Chapter of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. The collection includes founding documents, minutes, correspondence, flyers, financial documents, photographs and memorabilia. [Processed]

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AMF Midway Postal Retirement Organization Archives

Dates: 1955-2005. Size: 5.25 linear feet. Accession #2006/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. These workers were the first African Americans allowed to work at Midway Airport’s AMF postal facility. They later worked on trains, distributing mail throughout the Midwest. The AMF Midway Postal Retirement Organization was founded in 1991 to document the history of African Americans in the organization. The collection contains administrative records, newsletters, photographs, reports, diagrams and memorabilia. [Finding Aid]

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Amos, Wally Papers

Dates: 1975-1996. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1979/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Wally Amos, entrepreneur, speaker, actor and writer from Tallahassee, Fla., is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookie brand. The collection consists of correspondence, draft copies of manuscripts, memorabilia, awards and books. [Finding aid]

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Amundsen High School Collection

Dates: 1931-1987. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 4 boxes and 7 photographs, plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Amundsen High School was constructed in 1930 on Damen Avenue at Foster Avenue in Winnemac Park on the North Side of Chicago. Originally a junior high school, it was converted to a four-year high school in 1933 and has continued to serve as a high school since that time. The collection contains yearbooks, clippings, programs, the school newspaper, and photographs Photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Northside High Schools Digital Collection. [Finding Aid]

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Anderson, Goldwin E. Notebooks

Dates: 1937-1938. Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Austin Community Collections. This scrapbook collection documents Austin social organizations and prominent neighborhood residents. [Finding aid]

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Anderson, Maceo Papers

Dates: 1940-1985. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1991/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Maceo Anderson was one of the original members of the legendary Four Step Brothers, an early African American tap dancing act. The papers consist of a scrapbook documenting their career. [Finding aid]

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Army of the Potomac Reports

Dates: 1863 February-July. Size: 9.75 linear feet in 9 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The collection is comprised of official returns, morning reports and various other personnel listings and reports for departments in the Army of the Potomac, which was the Union’s primary army fighting in the eastern theater during the American Civil War, 1861-1865. Commanding officers authorized the reports by signature, and so the signatures of many well-known military commanders appear. [Finding aid]

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Arnold, C.D., Photographic Collection

Dates: 1891-1893. Size: 23.75 linear feet in 20 boxes, includes 12 volumes, 1,091 plates. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. This visual record of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, photographed by official fair photographer C.D. Arnold, documents construction of the fair and interiors and exteriors of the major buildings. Arnold also made general views of the Exposition. [Finding aid]

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Asian American Small Business Association Records

Dates: 1990-2001. Size: .75 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Established by Charlie Soo in 1979, the Asian American Small Business Association encouraged economic development in the area near Argyle Street and Broadway. The bulk of the collection consists of news releases and flyers promoting events. It also includes newspaper articles about Argyle Street, letters from Soo, reports, newsletters, and ephemera. [Finding Aid]

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Askin, Steve Papers

Dates: 1969-1984 (Bulk dates 1977-1983). Size: 0.75 linear feet in 2 boxes plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Steve Askin was Harold Washington’s Communications Director during his unsuccessful run for mayor in 1977. In addition to information about Washington’s positions on key issues, there is significant documentation of the immediate aftermath of the loss, including a report, written by Askin, assessing the situation and how to move forward. Of particular note are the files marked “Police Surveillance/Red Squad” which Harold Washington requested and obtained. [Finding aid]

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Associated Clubs of Woodlawn

Dates: 1920-1972. Size: 4 linear feet in 9 boxes including 1 photograph. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Woodlawn Community Collections. The Associated Clubs of Woodlawn Records documents the organization’s work to promote business, civic, educational and social welfare in the Woodlawn community. The collection contains committee files, correspondence, meeting minutes, membership rosters, reports. [Finding aid]

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Austin Community Collection

Dates: 1839-1981. Size: 14 linear feet in 19 boxes includes 300 photographs and 19 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Austin Community Collections. The collection contains manuscript, print and photographic documentation on demographic, economic, cultural, social, political, and religious development of the Austin neighborhood. The collection contains biographical information on Austin residents, as well as information on businesses, religious institutions clubs and organizations, hospitals, municipal agencies, parks, residences, schools, streets, transportation, and wartime activities. [Finding aid]

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Austin Daughters of the American Revolution Papers

Dates: 1930-1938. Size: 1 linear foot in 2 boxes, plus 8 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Austin Community Collections. The Austin Daughters of the American Revolution (ADAR) - David Kennison Chapter was founded on December 12, 1921. The chapter’s namesake, David Kennison, claimed to be a Revolutionary War veteran. He died in 1852 and was buried in Lincoln Park, which was then a cemetery. Six scrapbooks compiled by ADAR members contain press clippings, photographs and yearbooks describing ADAR functions and members. [Finding aid]

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Austin High School Records

Dates: 1881-1987. Size: 6.5 linear feet in 14 boxes, including 17 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Austin Community Collections. This collection documents Austin High School from its earliest days in the 1870s through the federally mandated desegregation attempts of the 1960s and 1970s. The documentation includes histories, news clippings, photographs, programs, student publications and yearbooks. [Finding aid]

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Austin Newspapers Collection

Dates: 1876-1997 (Bulk dates: 1970-1997). Size: 69 linear feet in 23 boxes plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Austin Community Collections. The collection contains issues of community newspapers including The Austin Herald, The Austin News, The Austinite, The Austin Voice, The Austin Weekly News, and The Windy City Word. [Finding aid]

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Austin Woman’s Club Records

Dates: 1912-1965. Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Austin Community Collections. Clippings, yearbooks and scrapbooks that document the Club’s objectives which were “intellectual and social culture, general philanthropic work, a united effort toward self-improvement and the elevation of humanity.” [Finding aid]

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Avidon, Sarajane Papers

Dates: circa 1965-2004. Size: .75 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Sarajane Avidon was a Chicago actress performing at Wisdom Bridge and Orphans Theatre among others. She was also a founding member of Chicago Shakespeare Theater where she appeared in Henry V and Twelfth Night. The Sarajane Avidon Papers include scripts, programs, photographs and notes pertaining to Avidon's career in Chicago theater. [Finding aid]

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Back of the Yards Community Collection

Dates: 1921-1983. Size: 1 linear foot in 1 box, plus 13 microfilm reels. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains materials relating to the Back of the Yards community, including news clippings, historical sketches and microfilm reels of the Back of the Yards Journal and the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) scrapbooks. [Finding aid]

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Back of the Yards Newspaper Collection

Dates: 1940-2015. Size: 35 linear feet in 50 boxes including 970 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains issues and clippings of Back of the Yards Journal, the paper that worked closely with the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC), along with Journal News, City NewsHound and a selection of corresponding photographs. Collectively, these newspapers served Chicago’s New City, Brighton Park, Archer Heights, McKinley Park, Bridgeport, Gage Park and Clearing neighborhoods and emphasized local stories not covered by Chicago’s larger publications. [Finding aid]

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Bacon, Warren and Mary Papers

Dates: 1951-2006. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2009/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Warren Bacon was a prominent Chicago civic leader and member of the Chicago Board of Education. Bacon opposed the policies of Chicago Public Schools superintendent Benjamin Willis. The papers include photographs and documents from Warren’s career and from his wife, Mary, and from their membership in the Great Black Book Club. [Finding aid]

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Bailiwick Repertory Records

Dates: 1953-2000; bulk dates: 1982-2000. Size: 19.5 linear feet, includes 211 photographs, 4 slides. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Bailiwick Repertory was founded in 1982 to be a contemporary theater with a classical core that fostered directors and strove to provide affordable, accessible and responsive entertainment that reflected Chicago’s diverse communities. The records document Bailiwick’s productions, operations and artistic mission and include its Deaf Bailiwick Artists productions, Directors’ Festival and Pride Performance Series. [Finding Aid]

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Balaban and Katz Collection

Dates: 1841-2002. Size: 1,382 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. More than 26,000 scores for dance band/theatre orchestra arrangements with individual parts. [Processed]

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Baldwin, E. Eugene Papers

Dates: circa 1987. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Collection documents the career of E. Eugene Baldwin, a Chicago playwright. Collection includes several revisions of his play Moonlight Daring Us to Go Insane, which played at the Body Politic Theatre in fall 1987. [Finding aid]

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Barlow, Esther A. Collection

Dates: circa 1880-1993. Size: 5.5 linear feet in 9 boxes and 89 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Esther A. Barlow was a children’s librarian at Chicago Public Library from 1927 until her retirement in 1976, including over twenty years as Head of Children’s Services at Hild Regional Library. The collection contains personal and professional papers, books and publications, and photographs. Photographs from this collection are available in the Library’s Esther A. Barlow Digital Collection. [Finding Aid]

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Barnett, Etta Moten Papers

Dates: 1901-2004. Size: 15 linear feet. Accession #2007/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Internationally acclaimed concert and musical theater singer, social activist and philanthropist Etta Moten Barnett’s career began in the 1930s and continued past her 100th birthday. She starred in Broadway musicals and in films. Her husband was Claude Barnett, founder and president of the Associated Negro Press. She was active in the Chicago chapter of The Links, Inc. Her papers include correspondence, speech texts, clippings, programs, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Barr, Norman B. Papers

Dates: 1896-1987, Bulk dates 1900-1940. Size: 7 Linear Feet in 12 boxes, plus 5 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Norman B. Barr was minister of the Olivet Presbyterian Church in Chicago which undertook local missionary work, eventually operating a settlement house, library, medical dispensary, camp, supervised playground facilities, language classes, and even music lessons. The collection documents the tandem career of Barr and the fortunes of Olivet Institute. [Finding aid]

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Barrett, Brenetta Howell Papers

Dates: 1942-2006. Size: 48 linear feet. Accession #2007/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A lifelong Chicagoan, Brenetta Howell Barrett was a leader and political activist in West Side community organizations. She served in the mayoral administrations of Harold Washington and Eugene Sawyer. Active in housing, environmental and civil liberties issues, she was also involved in community protests in the 1960s and 1970s. Her papers include correspondence, office files, programs, clippings, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Barzel, Ann Dance Film Archive

Dates: 1932-1981. Size: 9 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Art Information Center. The Ann Barzel Dance Film Archive is a collection of more than 50 hours of original film that documents the entire breadth of mid-20th century dance in Chicago, including companies such as the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Ballet Theatre, Jooss Ballet, Martha Graham and scores more. All of the 16mm footage, which was filmed by the late dance critic Ann Barzel between 1936 and 1981, was transferred to DVD and fully cataloged. This electronic collection is a joint project between the Newberry Library and the Chicago Public Library. [Processed]

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Bass, Henry Papers

Dates: 1952-1975. Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Civil War and American History Research Collection. [Processed]

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Beaman Photograph Album

Dates: 1915-1918. Size: 0.25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. A collection of photographs from a YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. [Finding aid]

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Belmont Cragin Community Collection

Dates: 1883-1946 (Bulk dates, 1913-1946). Size: 1 linear foot in 1 box, includes 13 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This small collection contains clippings, programs, yearbooks, photographs, and biographical and historical sketches of the Belmont Cragin neighborhood in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. [Finding Aid]

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Berry, Leonidas Papers

Dates: 1891-1995. Size: 17 linear feet. Accession #1988/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Leonidas Berry, noted gastroenterologist, teacher, author, medical rights and civil rights activist, was a major figure in Chicago and nationally for more than 50 years. He was president of the National Medical Association, founder of the Flying Black Medics and successful litigant against the exclusion of African American physicians from Michael Reese Hospital. His collection includes monographs, serials, photographs, correspondence, research notes, minutes, lectures, publications, books and memorabilia. His papers are especially strong in Provident Hospital history. [Finding aid]

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Bethel New Life Records

Dates: 1870-2010. Size: 10.25 linear feet in 14 boxes, includes 354 photographs, 27 audiotapes, 17 videotapes, 6 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Garfield Park Community Collections. Bethel New Life, Inc. is a non-profit community development corporation and social service organization. The organization received an Illinois Humanities Council grant in 1983 to “involve the Black community of Chicago’s West Side in recovering the recent history of the area.” The Looking Backward to Move Forward project from 1984 to1989 focused on the themes of migration, ownership patterns, the church, and community leadership. The historical explorations included a series of oral histories and also gathered a range of documents and photographs that were donated or copied for the archival record. [Finding aid]

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Beverly-Morgan Park Collection

Dates: 1874-2010, undated. Size: 21 linear feet, includes 148 photographs, 4 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Beverly-Morgan Park Collection contains range of manuscript, printed and photographic materials on the development of these adjacent community areas in southwestern Chicago. The documentation includes information on businesses, clubs and organizations, municipal agencies, parks, religious institutions, residences, schools, transportation, and the Village of Morgan Park from its incorporation in 1892 until its annexation to the City of Chicago in 1914. [Finding aid]

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Binder, Dr. Morris Playbill Collection

Dates: 1939-2014. Size: 9 linear feet in 6 record boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Dr. Morris Binder Playbill Collection includes bound volumes of theater programs, documenting nearly every performance the physician attended dating from 1939 until his death in 2012. Binder's index and additional programs were also provided by the donor. [Finding aid]

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Bishop, Charles Papers

Dates: 1939-1963. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #1999/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Charles Bishop, retired professor at Malcolm X College, researched early 20th century African American culture as part of his family history investigations. His family history is centered in Louisiana, Mississippi and Chicago. Collection contains theatrical posters, photographs, magazines and research materials. [Partially processed]

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Björling, Jussi Archives

Dates: 1930-1996. Size: 34 linear feet; 300-plus photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Comprehensive audio holdings: more than 900 78 r.p.m., LP, cassette, reel-to-reel and CD recordings of the legendary Swedish tenor. Other materials include biographies, personal effects, photographs and videos. [Description]

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Black Ensemble Theater Company Records

Dates: 1976-2001. Size: 4 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Black Ensemble Theater was founded in 1976 by noted actress, producer and playwright Jackie Taylor. The collection includes reviews and promotional pieces for such productions as Taylor’s The Other Cinderella and Muddy Waters: The Hoochie-Coochie Man in addition to administrative and financial records dating from the company’s inception. [Finding aid]

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Black Radical Congress Archive

Dates: 1998-1999. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #1998/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Materials collected at the inaugural conference of the Black Radical Congress, held in Chicago in June 1998 and in the months that followed. Collection consists of publicity, programs, position papers, newsletters, clippings and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Black, Timuel D., Jr. Papers

Dates: 1918-2010. Size: 336 linear feet. Accession #2003/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Professor emeritus at City Colleges of Chicago, Timuel Black is a prominent historian, author, human rights activist and expert on Chicago’s African American history. During the 1960s, he was president of the Negro American Labor Council, Chicago Chapter  and organizer of Chicago participation in the 1963 March on Washington. Black was active in more than 100 organizations over seven decades. The collection includes extensive organizational files, correspondence, manuscripts, subject files, oral histories, audiovisual materials, photographs and memorabilia. Additional papers relating to the life and work of his children, Timuel Kerrigan Black (1963-1993) and Ermetra Black-Thomas, were accessioned in 2007. Selected items from the collection are available online in the Timuel D. Black Jr. Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Blanke, Esther Diaries

Dates: 1903-1904. Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This collection contains two handwritten travel diaries belonging to Chicago artist Esther Blanke. The diaries cover the years 1903-1904 and document her travels in Europe with her sister, Chicago artist Marie Blanke. [Finding Aid]

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Body Politic Theatre Collection

Dates: 1969-1993. Size: 63.5 linear feet; photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. A pioneer of the off-Loop theater movement, Body Politic was a theater and arts organization founded in 1969 as a division of the Community Arts Foundation. It hosted a number of theater companies that went on to establish houses of their own as well as the resident company Dream Theater. [Partially processed]

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Bond Leonard, Toni Collection

Dates: 1948-2012. Size: 42 linear feet. Accession #2011/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Aftro-American History and Literature. Toni M. Bond Leonard became involved in the reproductive justice movement in the 1980s, eventually becoming executive director for the Chicago Abortion Fund. In 1996, Bond Leonard was one of the founding members of African American Women Evolving, which was formed to provide educational services to the African American community about reproductive justice, equality and education. The collection includes organizational and biographical records, as well as manuscripts, correspondence and educational resources. [Finding Aid]

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Book of the Fair

Dates: 1893. Size: 2 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. A portfolio of facsimile illustrations by well-known artists of World’s Columbian Exposition buildings, fairgrounds and exhibits. [Finding aid]

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Bowman, Houston and Cora Papers

Dates: 1961-1997. Size: 0.5 linear feet. Accession #2009/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Houston and Cora Bowman were founding members of Trinity United Church of Christ, a large and influential church on Chicago’s South Side. Their papers include the early history of Trinity, church newsletters, anniversary books and newspaper clippings. [Finding aid]

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Bowman, Louis Andrew Papers

Dates: 1876-1959. Size: .25 linear feet; 17 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Personal papers related to Louis Bowman’s ministry including radio addresses, speeches, articles, pamphlets and his book The Life of Isaac E. Brown (1927). [Finding aid]

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Box, Willie Papers

Dates: 1992-2006. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #2005/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Willie E. Box, educational administrator and author, donated his collection of research materials on African American museums. The papers also include pamphlets and brochures. [Partially processed]

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Brennan, George A. Papers

Dates: 1915-1958. Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box, plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. Collection reflects George Brennan’s personal interest in the local history of the Calumet region and the early Dutch community in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Brighton Park Community Collection

Dates: 1927-1992. Size: 1 linear foot in 2 boxes including 1 audiocassette, plus 4 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Brighton Park Community Collection contains information about neighborhood schools and religious institutions as well as a 100-page manuscript, “Gleanings of Archer Road” by local historian and reporter, Joseph Hamzik. [Finding aid]

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Brooks, Sydonia/National Association of Negro Musicians Papers

Dates: 1915-2002. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #1995/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A leader in the Chicago Music Association and the National Association of Negro Musicians, Sydonia Brooks donated a collection of CMA and NANM newsletters, proceedings and photographs. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Brown, Ann Hennington Papers

Dates: circa 1890-2001. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #1999/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ann Brown was a member of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and longtime member of the Missionary Society of Arnett Chapel A.M.E. Church. Collection contains photographs, memorabilia, funeral programs, church programs and genealogical records relating to the Brown family. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Browne, Al Papers

Dates: 1928-1939. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Accession #2004/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Collection consists of two scrapbooks from 1934 to 1938 from Al Browne’s tours around the United States as a circus clown and circus owner/manager. [Finding aid]

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Browning, Alice Papers

Dates: 1942-1985. Size: 7 linear feet. Accession #2000/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Alice Browning was a writer, editor, educator, publisher and co-founder of the International Black Writers Conference. With Fern Gayden, she published Negro Story magazine and later launched the Browning Letter. Her papers include correspondence, manuscripts, serials, newsletters, photographs, newspaper clippings, pamphlets and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Bryant, Leroy Papers

Dates: 1975-2006. Size: 132 linear feet. Accession #2004/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Leroy Bryant served as chair and professor of history and African American studies at Chicago State University, and was active in civil rights work. His collection largely consists of extensive subject research files on a wide range of topics in African American studies. Many of the sources in the files are not widely available. An especially significant collection centers on the history of African Americans in Florida. The papers also include manuscripts, monographs, serials and correspondence. [Partially processed]

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Burns, Ben Papers

Dates: 1939-1999. Size: 177 linear feet. Accession #1981/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. At Johnson Publishing Company, Ben Burns was executive editor of Ebony and Negro Digest magazines. He was later the editor of Sepia magazine. The papers center on Burns’ career in journalism and his authorship of a memoir, Nitty Gritty. The collection consists of correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, clippings, memorabilia and Burns’ personal library. [Finding aid]

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Butler, Roy G. Collection

Dates: 1922-1997. Size: 6 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Clippings, personal effects, documents, recordings, musical scores and photographs of jazz sideman and band leader Roy G. Butler, who toured the world from 1922 to 1997. [Processed]

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Calumet Pioneer Historical Society Records

Dates: 1935-1967. Size: 2 linear feet in 3 boxes, including 37 photographic images. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. The Calumet Pioneer Historical Society was established in 1935 by the head of the Pullman Branch Library to help preserve the history of the area. The collection includes administrative records, executive committee and regular meeting minutes in addition to a selection of non-manuscript material and artifacts. [Finding aid]

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Calumet Region Community Collection

Dates: 1850-2021, [Bulk dates, 1850-1975]. Size: 25 linear feet, including 546 photographs, 22 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. The Calumet Region Community Collection spans Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, South Holland, Dolton, Fernwood, Gano, Kensington, Riverdale and Rosemoor neighborhoods. The collection includes biographical, business, church, community and school records in addition to photographs, scrapbooks, community histories and artifacts spanning more than one hundred years. [Finding aid]

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Campbell, Lillian M. Memorial Collection

Dates: 1858-1940. Size: 14.5 linear feet, includes 355 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Lillian May (Smith) Campbell and her husband, Frank R. Campbell amassed a collection of photographs of Chicago views that primarily depict streetcars, trolley buses and other modes of transportation as well as document opening ceremonies for bus and streetcar lines across the city in the 1930s. The collection is particularly strong in the neighborhoods of Roseland, South Shore, South Chicago, Woodlawn, Lake View, Rogers Park, Portage Park and Logan Square. [Finding aid]

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Campbell, Sylvia Photograph Collection

Dates: 1968. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2008/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. This small collection of photographs consists of snapshots taken by Sylvia Campbell’s husband on Chicago’s West Side during the April 1968 riot following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. [Finding aid]

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Candlelight Dinner Playhouse/Forum Theatre Records

Dates: 1961-1997. Size: 3 linear feet in 5 boxes, includes 36 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. First dinner-theater in the United States. Collection consists primarily of promotional materials such as programs, reviews and clippings for musical and comedy productions. [Finding aid]

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Carter Temple C.M.E. Church Archives

Dates: 1952-2002. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #1996/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Carter Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1921. Carrie McMorris, a longtime member of the congregation, donated this collection, which contains church histories, programs, souvenir booklets and special events records of Carter Temple C.M.E. Church. [Finding aid]

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Casey, Warren Papers

Dates: 1970-1988. Size: 3.5 linear feet in 7 boxes, includes 2 audiocassettes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Draft and final scripts, lyrics and scores, as well as some administrative material such as correspondence for productions and projects on which Warren Casey worked during the 1970s and 1980s. Includes considerable materials relating to Grease, including working notes, draft and final versions of the script and score in its various manifestations, and the published score. Also included are drafts of screenplays for the film version of Grease and its sequel, Grease 2. [Finding aid]

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cassens, gloria Collection

Dates: circa 2012-2015. Size: .5 linear feet, includes 908 photographs, 2 folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. gloria cassens is a writer and a photographer. While her work covers several genres, including architectural photographs and shots of nature, but her main focus, and the content of this collection, is on individuals she encounters in her daily wandering in Chicago’s Loop and Near North Side. Her photographs graphically depict the human conditions that some people, young and old, men and women, experience. [Finding aid]

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Cayton, Horace R. Papers

Dates: 1866-2007. Size: 32 linear feet. Accession #1983/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Horace Cayton was a nationally prominent black sociologist, co-author of Black Metropolis and director of Chicago’s Parkway Community House. Collection consists of correspondence, published and unpublished manuscripts, photographs, subject research files, memorabilia and oral history recordings. In the last years of his life, Cayton conducted research, including interviews, on the life of noted black author Richard Wright. Housed with Cayton’s papers is his personal library, with many author-inscribed books. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Center Theater

Size: 18 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Center Theater Collection includes production records, posters and photographs. [Partially processed]

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Central Area, The Links, Inc. Archives

Dates: 1952-2004.  Size: 7 linear feet. Accession #2006/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Central Area, The Links, Inc. is a regional coordinating body with nearly 60 member chapters, stretching from Michigan to Oklahoma, and from Minnesota to Virginia. Established in 1952, Central Area has kept detailed archives, including correspondence, minutes, programs, chapter histories, photographs and audiovisual materials. [Partially processed]

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Century of Progress Collection

Dates: 1928-1934. Size: 13.25 linear feet, includes 19 oversize folders, 24 artifacts, 239 photographs, 129 negatives, 54 postcards. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Commemorating Chicago’s centennial anniversary, A Century of Progress was the name given to the international exposition held in Burnham Park along Chicago’s lakefront from 1933-1934. Technological innovation was the theme of the fair. The collection contains artifacts, brochures, booklets, guides, maps, photographs, postcards, fairgoer scrapbooks, souvenirs and viewbooks from the 1933-1934 World’s Fair as well as publicity and fundraising addresses, press releases and other planning materials. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's More From Our Collections Digital Collection.  [Finding aid]

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Century of Progress Scrapbooks

Dates: 1933-circa 1939 (Bulk dates, 1933). Size: 5 linear feet in 4 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection comprises of 11 scrapbooks of news clippings related to Chicago’s Century of Progress World’s Fair. Most of the clippings in the scrapbooks are from Chicago newspapers though the creator is unknown. While many different aspects of the Fair are covered, there is a significant amount of dedicated to Sally Rand, the burlesque dancer and actress, known for her fan dance. [Finding aid]

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Chandler, Elizabeth Papers

Dates: 1891-1931 (Bulk dates, 1891-1899). Size: 0.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Elizabeth (Bessie) Chandler and Albert Hafner were engaged to be married shortly before Albert moved to Chicago for business in 1891. Over the next decade, Albert wrote letters back to Bessie in Florida about his varied experiences in Chicago. The letters describe, among other things, the 1893 World's Fair, farm life in Evanston, cold winters, boarding houses, bicycling and business ventures from cigar sales to real estate. [Finding aid]

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Chase, Horace G. Papers

Dates: 1843-1902. Size: 0.75 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collections. Collection consists of business (real estate) correspondence. [Finding aid]

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Chatham-Grand Crossing Community Collection

Dates: 1852-1980. Size: .75 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Chatham-Grand Crossing Community Collection contains a selection of items that fall into the following topical areas: biography, business, clubs and organizations, historical sketches, municipal agencies, religious institutions, schools, transportation and wartime activities. The materials include articles, correspondence, flyers, news clippings and reminisces. The bulk of the items are from the 1920s-1950s. [Finding aid]

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Chef Kocoa/Kocoa's Kitchen Collection

Dates: 1987-2009. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #2012/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Palma Scott-Winbush, professionally known as Chef Kocoa, is a well-regarded Chicago-based chef and owner of Kocoa's Kitchen. She spent seventeen years on the staff of the Chicago Reader in advertising before changing careers, transforming her life-long love of baking into a new venture. In 1990, she returned to school to further develop her culinary skills and graduated from the Washburne College Chef Training Program in 1991. Among her many accomplishments as a successful chef and business owner, author, consultant, food critic, and correspondent for several local media outlets, Chef Kocoa also made history as the first African American to have a syndicated, live cooking segment on WGN. Her papers contain personal and professional documents, photographs, audiovisual materials, as well as memorabilia that shed light on her impact on Chicago's hospitality industry. [Processed]

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Chicago Actors’ Ensemble Collection

Size: 9 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Chicago Actors’ Ensemble Collection includes production, financial and business records in addition to posters, photographs and promotional materials. [Unprocessed]

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Chicago African American and Latinx Newspapers Microfilm Collection

Dates: 1936-2004. Size: 7 microfilm reels. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The issues from 40 different newspapers chosen for this Illinois Newspaper Project (INP) derive from neighborhood and independent African American and Latinx papers in the Chicago area. The newspapers on these reels complement the runs of newspapers held by Chicago Public Library. The originals are held at Chicago History Museum. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Afro-American Analytic Union Catalog Archives

Dates: 1939-1940. Size: estimated 18 linear feet. Accession #1942/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Horace Cayton supervised this WPA (Works Project Administration) project to develop a bibliography of all resources on African Americans found in Chicago-area libraries. The archive consists of the original catalog cards created by the project. His report on the project, “Bibliography on the Negro in Chicago” may be found in box 17 of the Horace R. Cayton Papers, opens a new window. Published in four volumes in 1978, the card catalog collection is titled The Dictionary Catalog of the Vivian G. Harsh Collection of Afro-American History and Literature, the Chicago Public Library., opens a new window [Processed] 

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Chicago Artist Files

Dates: 1890-present. Size: 72 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Art Information Center. The Chicago Artist Files are a vertical file documenting more than 100 years of Chicago artists, art movements and arts organizations. Archived materials include, but are not limited to, news clippings, letters, photographs, slides, CDs, artists’ books, gallery invitations and original artwork. View listings of the artists represented in the Chicago Artists' File, arranged alphabetically by name: Background, #s, A-B, C-D, E-F, G-H, I-K, L-Mi, Ml-N, O-Q, R-Sc, Se-Sz, T-V, W-Z.

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Chicago Blues Archives

Dates: 1923-2013. Size: 288 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Items relating to blues in Chicago and around the world, including 500 LPs and CDs, both commercially produced and unique; 50 original videos of the Chicago Public Library’s Speakin’ of the Blues program series; several hundred feet of clipping and photo files; and realia. Continues to receive documents of the annual Chicago Blues Festival. [Description]

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Chicago City-Wide Collection

Dates: 1807-2021, (Bulk dates: 1871-1970) Size: 43.25 linear feet in 147 boxes, including 152 oversize folders, 1816 photographs, 3 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Chicago City-Wide Collection consists of a wide assortment of manuscript, printed and photographic materials on multiple topics. It includes biographical, business, cultural, educational, municipal, recreation, religious, social and transportation source materials. The collection is designed to gather together materials that relate to the city as a whole and to include materials from Chicago communities that fall outside of the Library’s existing neighborhood collection strengths. In addition, the collection covers the Loop and Downtown areas and contains a wide range of guide and souvenir viewbooks geared toward tourism; sketches and images from historical events, especially the Chicago Fire of 1871; a series of Chicago maps dating back to 1835; and several significant maps of Chicago parks, including several 19th century maps for West and South Park Commissions and 134 of 171 maps created as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the 1930s. [Finding aid]

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Chicago City-Wide Collection: Series 18: Viewbooks

Dates: 1871-1977. Size: Approximately 2 linear feet, 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection.This series of the Chicago City-Wide Collection contains souvenir viewbooks and guidebooks to Chicago, and individual city views from 1871 to 1977. It is an excellent reference source for images of particular buildings. [Finding aid]

Chicago Civic Action Collection

Dates: 1909-2020, undated; bulk dates 2016-2020. Size: 2.75 linear feet in 5 boxes and 1 oversize folder, includes 1301 photographs, 37.9 GB, 22 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection includes flyers, newsletters, pamphlets, papers and statements related to social justice movements and actions in Chicago. The digital photographs depict nine protest rallies and marches that took place between 2016 and 2020 including the Women’s March. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Collection of Cecilia Cooper

Dates: 1812-1996, bulk dates: 1868-1875. Size: 1.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection consists of Chicago ephemera, illustrations, newspapers, theater programs and stereoscopic view cards, also called stereographs, collected by Cecilia and Allen R. Cooper. The topics of interest include the Chicago Fire of 1871, pre-Fire theatre and Col. Wood’s Museum. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Collection of Kenan and Carol Heise

Dates: 1812-circa 2005; bulk dates 1893-1980. Size: 33 linear feet, includes 3 oversize folders, 417 photographs, 14 contact sheets and negatives. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Chicago Collection of Kenan and Carol Heise includes a wide range of materials: advertisements, articles, catalogs, directories, event programs, flyers, guides, government publications, literary journals and chapbooks, maps, memorials and historical sketches, newsletters, pamphlets, photographs, reports, serials, souvenir publications and speeches. Most of these materials provide a snapshot of activities undertaken by Chicagoans or local organizations at various times and reflect Heise’s belief that “genuine creativity and authentic culture come not from the elite, but from the people.” [Finding aid]

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Chicago Dance Collection

Dates: 1920s-present. Size: 66 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Art Information Center. Vertical files and video recordings documenting Chicago dancers and dance performances. Materials include, but are not limited to, news clippings, programs, photographs, slides, CDs, performance invitations, oral histories and video/DVD recordings. [Partially processed]

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Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Collection

Dates: 1891-1992 (Bulk dates, 1950-1980). Size: 41 Linear Feet in 127 boxes (including 3 audio cassettes, approximately 16,000 photographic negatives, 35 boxes of photographic images, and 3 boxes of video reels), plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The records in this collection were created and collected by the Department of Urban Renewal, its predecessors and other Chicago city departments with duties related to planning and development. The majority of the collection is comprised of photographs, contact sheets, negatives and slides of Chicago neighborhoods considered and targeted for improvement, including images that show buildings and neighborhoods that were subsequently razed. There are also papers related to the administration of the Department's initiatives, publications related to planning and development, images of events related to various urban renewal and development projects and images of staff members of the Department of Urban Renewal, the Chicago Plan Commission and other related City entities. Photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records: Photographic Negatives Digital Collection.  [Finding aid]

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Chicago Department of Water Management

Dates: circa 1866-2011. Size: 118 linear feet in 70 boxes including 55 scrapbooks and one bound atlas. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Today, Chicago’s Department of Water Management delivers nearly 1 billion gallons of drinking water to residents of Chicago and 125 suburbs daily. The collection includes historic documentation of the Jardine Water Purification Plant (formerly Central District Filtration Plant), Eugene Sawyer Water Purification Plant (formerly South District Filtration Plant), the water cribs in Lake Michigan, and Chicago’s 12 pumping stations, including Chicago Water Tower (Chicago Avenue Pumping Station). Historic materials in this collection include articles, brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, photographs, press releases, reports, and scrapbooks. [Partially processed]

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Chicago Film Archive of Performance (C-FAP)

Dates: 2014-2016. Size: .25 linear feet, 27 Blu ray recordings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Collection includes recordings of live performances and associated programs filmed by the Chicago Film Archive of Performance (C-FAP). [Finding aid]

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Chicago Food Collection

Dates: 1872-2019. Size: 1.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Contains pamphlets created by food manufacturers, recipe booklets, recipe card sets and recipe scrapbooks. [Partially Processed]

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Chicago Loop Alliance Collection

Dates: 1895-2006. Size: 39 linear feet in 53 boxes and 7 oversize folders, includes 4,056 photographs, 2,480 slides, 795 4”x5” negatives, 60 videos, 6 audio cassettes, 2 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Chicago Loop Alliance, formerly known as the State Street Council and the Greater State Street Council (GSSC), was founded in 1929 to promote the business interests of downtown State Street. This collection documents the activities of the organization through correspondence, marketing materials, meeting minutes, newsletters, photographs, press releases, studies, reports, and audiovisual resources. Among the projects was the closure of vehicular traffic on State Street and its transformation into a walking Mall between 1979 and 1996. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Medieval Players Collection

Dates: 1948-1993, undated; bulk dates: 1986-1993. Size: 4 linear feet, includes 20 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Chicago Medieval Players Company was founded by Ann Faulkner in 1985. The company focused on drama from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. The collection includes production and artistic files for 13 plays as well as administrative materials. [Finding Aid]

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Chicago Menu Collection

Dates: 1885-2020; bulk dates: 2010-2020. Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Collection includes menus from restaurants and food establishments across the city. [Partially Processed]

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Chicago Millennium Collection

Dates: 1997-2001. Size: 17 linear feet, includes 1 oversize folder, 177 photographs, 12 audio recordings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Chicago Millennium Collection documents the events planned by the City of Chicago to mark the beginning of the third millennium. The Collection consists of the files generated primarily by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA). The three main projects undertaken by DCA are the Dance ‘til the Dawn of the New Millennium, the International Millennium Dinner, and the Year 2000 Themes. [Finding aid]

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Chicago on Stage Lecture Series

Dates: 1981-1982. Size: 1 linear foot in two boxes, includes 37 audio cassettes and 4 reel-to-reel audio recordings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Chicago Public Library put on a series of 25 lectures and panel discussions devoted to the history and development of theater in Chicago. The programs were held jointly by the Lake View Branch of Chicago Public Library and the CPL/Cultural Center, and made possible in part through grants from the Illinois Humanities Council and Illinois Arts Council. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Outdoor Art League Collection

Dates: 1929-1996. Size: 4 linear feet, includes 48 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Chicago Outdoor Art League (COAL), founded in 1900, sponsored gardening programs; donated trees to local organizations, hospitals and schools; and offered art and music scholarships. The League worked frequently with schools in Chicago. It was affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Park District Records: Drawings

Dates: 1870-2010. Size: Approximately 100,000 drawings; Over 25,000 PDF access copies. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Chicago's earliest parks were created between the 1830s and 1860s. In 1869, three major organizations were formed for the creation, maintenance and governance of Chicago's parks: the Lincoln Park Commission, the West Chicago Park Commission and the South Park Commission. By 1934, 22 independent park commissions existed, and in that year, they consolidated into the Chicago Park District. From large, famous park to small, neighborhood playground, from Chicago’s boulevard system to its beaches, the Chicago Park District is represented in its entirety in this collection. The records of the Chicago Park District are comprised of a wide variety of landscape and architectural drawings of parks, park buildings and related green spaces. Researchers will view PDF versions of the drawing in the Special Collections Reading Room. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Park District Records: Photographs

Dates: 1863 – 2005 (bulk, 1934-1995). Size: 100 linear feet in 182 boxes, including approximately 62,000 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Chicago's earliest parks were created between the 1830s and 1860s. In 1869, three major organizations were formed for the creation, maintenance and governance of Chicago's parks: the Lincoln Park Commission, the West Chicago Park Commission and the South Park Commission. By 1934, 22 independent park commissions existed, and in that year, they consolidated into the Chicago Park District. Representing over 500 parks from the late nineteenth century to the present, these photographs document site development, park facilities, features (such as gardens, fountains, playgrounds and sculptures), park staff, programmatic activities, special events, the lakeshore and shore protection efforts and road construction and re-development. Photographs of people engaged in activities and events also appear in great numbers. The photographs show how the demographics and populations served by the city’s parks have changed over time. They also document the history of and changes in American leisure activities and the use of public spaces. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Park District Records: Photographs Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Park District Records: Toy Collection

Dates: circa 1937-circa 1940. Size: 5 linear feet in 5 boxes, plus 1 oversize artifact. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Beginning around 1937, the Chicago Park District established Toy Centers in its fieldhouses as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program to provide playthings for families that could not afford toys of their own during the Great Depression. This collection includes 78 wooden toys created for the Chicago Park District’s Toy Centers. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Postcard Collection

Dates: 1890s-1976; bulk: 1900-1950. Size: 2237 postcards, (2 linear foot). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Spanning the 1890s to the 1970s, the Chicago Postcard Collection offers a wide range of views of the city and an insight into its culture and tourism over the 20th century. Views include aerials, skylines, buildings, businesses, hospitals, municipal structures, museums, parks, religious institutions, schools, sports, streets, transportation and World’s Fairs. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Press Club Records

Dates: 1880-1987. Size: 8.5 linear feet in 6 boxes and 2 bound volumes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Collection consists of the official newsletter of the Chicago Press Club, minutes of the board of governors’ meetings (1949-1987), guest books of club visitors and portraits of club presidents by Chicago artist/illustrator Felix Palm. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Press Veterans Association Photographs

Dates: 1939-1965. Size: 1 folder; 10 oversize prints. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Founded in 1939, the Chicago Press Veterans Association provided working newspaper men and women a forum for sharing their common experiences. In the early 2000s the organization changed its name to the Chicago Journalists Association. The collection consists of ten panorama photographs taken at annual banquets from 1939-1965. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Printers Guild Records

Dates: 2010-2018. Size: 9 linear feet, includes 3 oversize folders and 1 oversize roll, 390 photographs, 158 prints, 10 artifacts, and 2.32 GB electronic files. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Chicago Printers Guild Records document the interactions, events and artwork of a non-profit collection of Chicago-area printmakers. The collection contains board minutes, listserv correspondence, event materials, social media posts, photographs and artwork. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Printmakers Collaborative: Resistance Materials

Dates: 2017. Size: .25 linear feet, 18 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Organizational documents and a selection of hand-printed protest materials from the 2017 Print -- Organize -- Protest (P.O.P.) event hosted by the Lincoln Square print studio and gallery, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative (CPC) in 2017. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. Author Events

Dates: 1995-2011. Size: 189 VHS videocassettes, 41 DVDs, 0.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. These recordings show some of the public programs Chicago Public Library has offered between 1995 and 2011. There is a wide variety of authors in this collection, from bestselling authors to local, emerging talent. In addition to fiction writers the collection features poets, journalists, actors, chefs, scientists and scholars and programs include author talks, panel discussions, dramatic readings and poetry recitals. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. Chicago Cultural Center Contractor Bids

Dates: 1892-1898. Size: 12 linear feet in 25 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection comprises the specifications Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge created for contractors to bid on for the construction of the Main Library for the Chicago Public Library, now known as the Chicago Cultural Center. The specifications show the exact standards contractors were held to when building the new central library, as well as the materials to be used. Many bids have original checks for deposits attached to them and some have additional information about the bidding company included, such as trade catalogs, photographs of proposed machinery, and additional blue prints. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. Early CPL

Dates: 1871-1908. Size: 18 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Early CPL Papers series of the Chicago Public Library Archives document the foundation of Chicago Public Library immediately after the 1871 fire. The series includes detailed information regarding the legislative process which gave authority to the city to raise taxes to maintain a public library; extremely detailed information regarding the first collections; shipping information and costs of exporting donations from Great Britain to the United States; lists of who donated what; and general everyday library business. The series also has information about employment matters in the Library and the construction of the new Central Library. The collection includes the Papers of the Board of Directors, the Papers of the Secretary of the Board and the Papers of the Librarian for this time period. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. George Cleveland Hall Branch Library Archives

Dates: 1932-1975. Size: 33 linear feet. Accession #1932/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Hall Branch is named for George Cleveland Hall, African American physician, Chicago Public Library board member and a founding member of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, who campaigned tirelessly for a full-service library in Bronzeville. Hall Branch, headed by Vivian G. Harsh from 1932 to 1958, was a leading cultural institution in Bronzeville during the Chicago Renaissance. The archives include administrative records, programs, correspondence, photographs, clipping files, pamphlets and research materials from its 1932 opening day until the transfer of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature to Woodson Regional Library in 1975. Selected items are available online in the George Cleveland Hall Branch Digital Collection and the Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. Harold Washington Library Center Construction Photographs

Dates: 1988-1991. Size: 1,411 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This photographic collection documents the construction of the Harold Washington Library Center, the central library for the Chicago Public Library. Both interior and exterior shots were taken, and all aspects of the building’s construction are shown, including the erection of steel, the masonry work, the interior heating and air conditioning systems, and the installation of marble finishes and casework. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. Harold Washington Library Center Design Build Records

Dates: 1986-1991. Size: 22.5 linear feet in 19 boxes, including 471 slides, 2 VHS video recordings plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Harold Washington Library Center Design Build Records document the process by which the design for Chicago Public Library's new Central Library was chosen. On July 29, 1987, Mayor Washington and the City Council authorized a design/build competition and approved a bond issue to finance the project. Under the competition rules, architects and builders teamed up to design the new Central Library within the set price of $144 million. Norman Ross, Chairman of the Citizen Jury, announced the winner on June 20, 1988. By a vote of 9-2, the winning entry was the proposal submitted by the SEBUS Group. Records include information about the jurying process, submittals by the five finalists, including slide presentations and public comment cards. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. Programs

Dates: 1986-2013. Size: 16 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Video and audio recordings of selected programs presented by the Visual and Performing Arts Department and performed at Harold Washington Library Center. [Unprocessed]

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Chicago Public Library Archives. Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection Archives

Dates: 1975-2006. Size: 99 linear feet. Accession #1975/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The archives of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature document the collection’s history after it moved to Carter G. Woodson Regional Library in 1975. The collection includes manuscripts, programs, administration records, reports, photographs, audiovisual materials and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Chicago Reader Motion Picture Stills Collection

Dates: 1970s-2005. Size: 60 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Art Information Center. Publicity photographs, DVDs and motion picture stills of all genres of film from the silent era onward. These images were originally submitted to the Chicago Reader for review purposes. [Unprocessed]

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Chicago Reader Touring Musicians Publicity Photos

Dates: 1970s-2005. Size: 180 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Publicity photographs of musicians or groups that toured Chicago. Images were originally submitted to the Reader for review purposes. [Unprocessed].

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Chicago Sewers Collection

Dates: 1855-2004. Size: 13.5 linear feet, includes 951 photographs, 121 glass plate slides. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Chicago Sewers Collection contains historical sketches, maps, photographs, plans and reports. The bulk of the materials are photographs that depict the construction and repair of Chicago’s sewers with views above and below ground. The sewer systems span neighborhood sites across the city and include several Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects. A selection of photographs from this collection are available in the Library’s  Chicago’s Sewers Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Shakespeare Company Collection

Dates: 1982-1991. Size: 6 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Collection includes production history files through nine seasons, as well as budget and administrative files. [Processed]

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Chicago SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) History Project Archives

Dates: 1960-2011. Size: 16 linear feet. Accession #2006/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Chicago SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) History Project was created in 2005 to collect and preserve the experience of SNCC during the civil rights movement in Chicago. The archive includes correspondence, serials, photographs, flyers, clippings, financial records, newsletters, manuscripts, meeting minutes, oral histories and memorabilia. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Chicago Theater Collection-Dance Programs

Dates: 1914-1969. Size: 2 linear feet in 4 boxes, plus 1 scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Special Collections holds over 100 dance programs and souvenir books. Collection includes material on the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, especially in its earlier incarnations as Col. W. De Basil’s Ballet Russe, the Original Ballet Russe and the Monte Carlo Ballet Russe, as well as a scrapbook of programs donated by Ruth Page. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Theater Collection-Historical Programs

Dates: 1848-2010. Size: 48.5 linear feet in 82 boxes plus 4 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Chicago Theater Collection-Historical Programs contains programs, playbills and newspaper clippings from more than 5,000 productions at Chicago’s historical theaters. More than 2,000 playbills and programs of local dramas, comedies, melodramas, operas, vaudeville performances and other events between the 1840s to the 1920s are available online in the Chicago Theater Collection-Historical Programs Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Theater Collection-Miscellaneous Programs

Dates: 1939-2000s. Size: 37 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Chicago Theater Collection-Miscellaneous Programs includes programs and newspaper clippings for live theater and performance productions in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Programs are generally from off-Loop productions dating 1960 and later. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Theater Travel Guides and Diagrams Collection

Dates: 1890-1929. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Includes publications and serials with amusement listings and venue diagrams to assist tourists and theater-goers secure tickets and plan trips to Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Theater Videotape Collection

Dates: 1973-2005. Size: 26.25 linear feet in 35 boxes (including 404 VHS videocassettes and 2 DVDs). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The collection houses video recordings (primarily VHS videocassettes, but also some DVDs) of productions and other events at theaters across the city. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Theatre Record and Scrap Book

Dates: 1923-1927. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. This scrapbook includes primarily Chicago, New York and Detroit programs, as well as reviews from Chicago newspapers. [Finding aid]

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Chicago Video Project Archives

Dates: 2003-2009. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2010/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Chicago Video Project, a nonprofit, Chicago-based video production company, focused on projects concerning advocacy groups, community development organizations, labor unions, economic and social justice. These archives consist of more than 200 original, unedited videotapes filmed as part of the work on CVP’s documentary, Telling Our Story, on the Chicago Housing Authority’s 15-year Plan for Transition. The tapes include community meetings, protests and interviews with residents, CHA staff and activists. [Unprocessed]

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Chicago: Passport to the World Videotape Collection

Dates: 1987-1994. Size: 6 Linear Feet (in 6 boxes, including 135 videotapes). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Videos produced by Talman Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Chicago and seen on a Chicago-area cable network. Series presents Chicago’s diversity through interviews with individuals, organizations and groups. [Partially processed - Finding aid]

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Childs, Josie Brown Papers

Dates: 1943-2005. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #2004/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Josie Brown Childs, political and civil rights activist, aide to Mayor Harold Washington and cultural events promoter, donated her papers documenting her multifaceted career. The scope of the papers consists of family history in Mississippi, Childs’ early political work, her campaign for an aldermanic seat, her work for Mayor Washington, and her efforts to promote African American cultural and historical awareness. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, flyers, programs and memorabilia are included. [Finding aid]

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Choral Sheet Music Collection

Dates: 1840-2012. Size: 16 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Comprises a collection of sheet music for SATB and a large collection of German TTBB, totaling approximately 1,500 titles. [Partially processed]

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Christian Fellowship Church Collection

Dates: 1927-1990. Size: 1.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Conrad and Martha Wendtland founded the Christian Fellowship Church in their home in 1926. The activities of the church are documented in minutes from committee meetings, financial and membership ledgers, and photographs. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Northside Clubs and Organizations Digital Collection. [Finding Aid]

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City Lit Theater Company Records

Dates: 1957-2007. Size: 11 linear feet in 22 boxes (including approximately 800 photographs and approximately 290 slides) plus 3 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Chicago's City Lit Theater has been devoted to stage adaptations of literary works. The collection includes scripts, promotional material, photographs, production and administrative records. [Finding aid]

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City of Chicago Graphics and Reproduction Center Photographs

Date: 1920s-2008, bulk 1960-2002. Size: 108 linear feet in 217 boxes, plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The City of Chicago Graphics and Reproduction Center Photographs document many aspects of City government and functions for most of the twentieth century. The photographers of this department were hired out by a variety of City agencies and departments to photograph events, facilities, people and equipment. The images cover a vast range of Chicago scenes including construction, clean up and transit projects; festivals, inaugurations, performances and other events; social programs like senior citizen picnics and Low Income Housing Trust Fund projects; photo opportunities with various mayors; and countless views of iconic Chicago buildings, venues, parks, museums and the lakefront. A small series of published reports, brochures and newsletters also appears. [Processed]

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Civil War Round Table Records

Dates: circa 1945-1975. Size: 48 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Civil War and American History Research Collection. [Partially processed]

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Clark, Stephen Bedell Papers

Dates: 1885-1985, bulk 1920-1965. Size: 1.25 linear feet in 2 boxes, including 93 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Stephen Bedell Clark is the author of The Lake View Saga, a book he published about the history of Lake View Township. This collection includes his notes and photographs he used to write the book. [Finding Aid]

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Cloud 42 Theater Collection

Size: 12.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Cloud 42 Theater Collection includes production, administrative and artistic records in addition to visual materials. [Unprocessed]

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Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Chicago Chapter Archives

Dates: 1972-2006. Size: 7 linear feet. Accession #1992/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Founded in Detroit in 1972, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists was created to address the labor, civil rights and political concerns of African Americans active in unions. Donated by Beverly Sandifer of AFSCME Local 1215, the archive includes convention documents, minutes, resolutions, programs, photographs and memorabilia from the Chicago Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Coalition to Save the 'Met' Archives

Dates: 1898-2007. Size: 19 linear feet. Accession #2007/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Founded in 1920 by William Decatur Cook as The Peoples Church and Metropolitan Community Center, it took the name Metropolitan Community Church in 1927. The church became a center for African American political activism and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters union organization drive. The Coalition to Save the ‘Met’ was begun by church members determined to save the historic church building from a wrecking ball. After they succeeded, they began collecting historic documents and photographs to save the church’s history. Papers include programs, clippings, correspondence, church newsletters, audiovisual materials and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Coalition to Save the South Shore Country Club Archives

Dates: 1906-1993. Size: 18.5 linear feet. Accession #1997/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. South Shore Country Club, originally a private club that barred African Americans, was scheduled for demolition in 1977. A grassroots coalition of community organizations organized to save, preserve and restore the historic site for all citizens. This collection contains blueprints and drawings of the renovation of South Shore Country Club, administrative records, statistical reports, newspaper clippings, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding Aid]

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Cohen, Steve Papers, Stewart-Warner Labor Strike of 1981

Dates: circa 1960s-circa 1980s. Size: 1 linear foot in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Stewart-Warner Corp., founded in 1905, made automobile accessories, predominantly speedometers. Its main plant in Chicago was at 1826 W. Diversey Parkway employing over 8,000 workers at its peak. There was a strike in 1981 followed by years of demise, and the factory closed during the 1980s. Workers at Stewart-Warner were organized by the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America Union (UE) but the Union was replaced by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 1031. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, some workers, dissatisfied with Local 1031, an umbrella Local not specific to Stewart-Warner, began a movement to spin off a new Local for Stewart-Warner. The United Workers Association-United Electrical Workers (UWA-EW) was formed in 1979. Conflict between the old and new Unions, and with management, led to a strike in 1981. The collection, amassed by employee Steve Cohen, documents the struggle for Union representation through printed newsletters, flyers, memos, and correspondence.  [Unprocessed]

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Collier, Lucy Smith Papers

Dates: 1891-2002. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #1996/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Granddaughter of Chicago’s legendary Pentecostal preacher Elder Lucy Smith, Lucy Smith Collier’s papers include church documents, programs, memorabilia and photographs of gospel at the Church of All Nations, gospel on the radio, the Lucy Smith Singers and the Roberta Martin Singers. The papers also include a sheet music collection. [Finding aid]

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Colter, Cyrus Papers

Dates: 1890-1995. Size: 10 linear feet. Accession #1995/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Cyrus Colter was a distinguished African American novelist, short story writer, lawyer and professor. The papers include manuscripts for his novels, correspondence, photographs, clippings and memorabilia documenting Colter’s career as an author. A smaller group of materials pertains to Colter’s legal and political career and his personal life. [Finding aid]

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Come for to Sing Archives

Dates: 1975-1988. Size: 6 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Ninety-eight DAT dubs of original audiocassettes of interviews from Come for to Sing magazine with such folk musicians as Steve Goodman, Fred Holstein, Bob Gibson and Tom Paxton. [Unprocessed]

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Commodore, Chester Papers

Dates: 1914-2004. Size: 36 linear feet. Accession #2007/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Chester Commodore was the editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Defender for more than 50 years. In his capacity as one of the earliest established black editorial cartoonists, Commodore offered both humor and protest by using his cartoons to highlight and fight injustice both locally and nationally. His papers include his original cartoons, including the “Accent” caricatures that ran from 1974-1979, correspondence, photographs, newspapers and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Commons Theatre Collection

Dates: 1980-1992. Size: 27 linear feet; photographs, audiotapes and videotapes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Collection consists of a full production history over 10 seasons and includes promotional, technical, administrative and artistic information. Artistic files include script library and casting information. Administrative files include board of directors minutes, grant applications and financial records. [Processed]

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Constellation Lodge Records

Dates: 1916-1927 (Bulk dates, 1917-1919). Size: 2 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The majority of the collection consists of letters from lodge brothers serving in World War I, with updates on their lives and activities. It also contains a small amount of historical information about Lodge #892 of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. [Finding Aid]

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Cooley, Mrs. Harlan Ward Papers

Dates: 1932-1934. Size: 0.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Mrs. Harlan Ward Cooley served as head of the Chicago Women's Club's Century of Progress Committee, which sponsored a series of lectures during the Century of Progress Exposition entitled, "Women in Civilization." This collection includes correspondence between Mrs. Cooley and speakers, as well as copies of speeches delivered at the Exposition. [Finding aid]

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CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), Chicago Chapter Archives

Dates: 1947-1990. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2007/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. CORE, a national civil rights organization, began in Chicago in 1942, with protests to force desegregation of restaurants and other public accommodations. These archives cover the period of the early and mid-1960s, when Chicago CORE’s membership was at its height. Records include meeting minutes, correspondence, flyers, programs, news clippings and photographs. [Finding aid]

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D

Dailey, Ulysses Grant Papers

Dates: 1884-1980. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #1995/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ulysses Grant Dailey was a nationally prominent surgeon. He served as president of the National Medical Association, operated his own hospital in the 1920s and 1930s, was a leader at Chicago’s Provident Hospital, and helped educate surgeons in Africa, Asia and Latin America. His papers consist of biographical materials, manuscripts, correspondence, programs, photographs and memorabilia. A partial draft of a biography of Dailey entitled The Scholar and the Scalpel is also included. [Finding aid]

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Darrow, Clarence S. Papers

Dates: 1891-1956. Size: 1.75 linear feet in 3 boxes (including 1 photograph), plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Woodlawn Community Collections. Collection consists of published works in pamphlet or journal form, and a small amount of correspondence and news clippings. [Finding aid]

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Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, Records

Dates: 1895-1965. Size: 6.5 linear feet in 13 boxes, plus 2 oversize folders.. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, is an organization whose membership can trace its lineage to soldiers who served on the Union side in America’s Civil War, 1861-1865. The DUVCW was founded in 1885 in Massillon, Ohio. This collection is comprised almost entirely of minute books from the Department of Illinois and various local tents throughout the state. [Finding aid]

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Davis, Charles A. Papers

Dates: 1946-2009. Size: 16 linear feet. Accession #2003/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Charles Davis was a journalist, a public relations specialist and an entrepreneur. During the 1940s, he served as the leading political reporter for the Chicago Defender. In the 1960s, he was one of the founders of the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations. Davis was director of the National Insurance Association and served on the boards of several important Chicago companies. His papers include correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, programs, clippings and memorabilia. [Finding Aid]

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Davis, Melvin A. Papers

Dates: 1966-1978. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2003/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Melvin Davis served as president of United Automobile Workers Local 1083. He was also active in the Black Arts Movement and in the African Nationalist Pioneer Movement. His papers include materials on the 50th anniversary of Marcus Garvey’s death, the campaign to build a Marcus Garvey memorial and black theater. The papers consist of manuscripts, bulletins, flyers, serials and photographs. [Unprocessed]

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Davis, Milton O. Papers

Dates: 1953-2015. Size 7.5 linear feet. Accession #2016/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Milton Davis co-founded South Shore Bank, later renamed ShoreBank. It was the first bank holding company to combine commercial banking, real estate development, nonprofit loan funds and international advisory services aimed at community development. Davis was also an active Civil Rights activist and served as President of the Congress of Racial Equality, Chicago Chapter. The collection consists of correspondence, event programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, audiovisual materials and memorabilia. Davis' work as a banker, activist and community leader are well documented with manuscript materials. [Finding Aid]

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Deems, Barrett Collection

Dates: 1956-1998. Size: 10 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Barrett Deems (1914-1998) was a Chicago-based jazz drummer and band leader who worked with many luminaries, including Louis Armstrong, Paul Ash, Jimmy Dorsey and Red Norvo. The collection includes clippings, photographs and realia such as awards and instruments. [Processed]

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Democratic National Convention Records

Dates: 1965, 1968. Size: 3 linear feet in 4 boxes, including 2 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago determined that Hubert Humphrey would be the Democratic candidate for president. Throughout the Convention, anti-war protestors demonstrated around Chicago and experienced police violence and arrests. The majority of this collection details the events and messages of the Convention itself through the officially produced material that was distributed to delegates and press. The protests surrounding the convention and the ensuing police crackdown are covered through a series of national alternative newspapers. [Finding aid]

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Department of Public Works. Bureau of Engineering Photographs

Dates: circa 1910s-1980s. Size: 7.1 linear feet in 17 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Between 1861 and 1991, the Department of Public Works consolidated services for Chicago’s parks, public buildings and bridges, river and harbor, sewerage, streets and water management. Today, all of these services have been reorganized into their own or other city departments. The photographs in this collection capture views of various airport, bridge, expressway and street construction and renovation projects that were kept by staff in the department's Bureau of Engineering. [Partially processed]

Deppe, Rev. Martin L. Papers

Dates: 1932-2019, bulk dates: 1966-2010. Size: 222 linear feet, includes 6 artifacts, 257 buttons, 737 photographs, 145 digital photographs, 4 16mm films, 41 cassette tapes, 3 DVDs, 6 LPs, 16 reel-to-reel tapes, 3 VHS tapes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Rev. Martin L. Deppe created and collected the materials in this collection during his time working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s (SCLC) Operation Breadbasket program, Clergy and Laity Concerned (CALC), the Alliance to End Repression (AER) and the United Farm Workers (UFW). The collection is comprised of meeting materials, memos, flyers, photographs, posters, publications, reports, speeches, buttons and artifacts that reflect the activities of Chicago’s Civil Rights, anti-war and social justice movements. Projects and actions include confronting the economic discrimination in Chicago’s African American communities, the nuclear freeze movements, anti-apartheid campaigns and Vietnam War opposition. [Finding aid]

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Dick Buckley’s Archives of Jazz

Dates: 1989-1993. Size: 32 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. More than 400 hours from Dick Buckley’s show on WBEZ, recorded on reel-to-reel audiotape, often with a program log included. [Partially processed]

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Dickerson, Earl B. Papers

Dates: 1891-1985. Size: 12 linear feet. Accession #2008/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Attorney and business executive Earl B. Dickerson was honored for his civil rights and civil liberties work. He was general counsel at Supreme Liberty Life Insurance (an African American-owned company), a Chicago alderman and lead attorney in Hansberry v. Lee, a landmark case challenging restrictive covenants. Dickerson’s papers include correspondence, programs, genealogical materials, clippings, serials, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Drawing and Print Collection

Dates: 1756-2016, undated. Size: 15.25 linear feet in 11 boxes, 14 folios, 55 Oversize Folders, includes 34 drawings and 715 prints. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Drawing and Print Collection brings together a selection of 2-dimensional artworks that are part of the Library’s permanent art collection. The collection contains works on paper that use drawing media such as charcoal, ink, pastel, pencil or watercolor or one of the printmaking processes such as collography, drypoint, etching, lithography, screen printing or woodcut. [Finding aid]

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Driskell, Claude Papers

Dates: 1900-2002. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1995/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A prominent Chicago dentist, Claude Driskell served as president of the Lincoln Dental Society and is the author of a history of Chicago’s African American dentists. He was also the historian for the renowned “Original Forty Club” and authored the club’s 75th anniversary book. Driskell’s papers include manuscripts, photographs, serials and memorabilia. [Finding Aid]

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Drury, John Collection

Dates: 1940-1959. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This collection contains news clippings that John Drury wrote for his newspaper columns called “Historic Chicago Sites,” “North Side Notebook, and “Old Chicago Houses.” The articles provide biographical information, historical sketches and reminiscences that reflect his views about what life was like on the North Side of Chicago from the late 19th Century through the first half of the 20th Century. [Finding Aid]

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Dungill Family Papers

Dates: 1894-1999. Size: 5 linear feet. Accession #2000/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Dungill Family Orchestra, a touring band based in Chicago from the 1930s through the 1960s, achieved success as a family band in which each member played a different instrument. The papers include scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, press clippings and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Durham, Richard Papers

Dates: 1939-1999. Size: 25 linear feet. Accession #1998/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Richard Durham, journalist, radio and television playwright, was the author of the groundbreaking radio drama series Destination Freedom. From 1948 to 1950, the weekly program dramatized black history events and individuals. Durham later wrote the television series Bird of the Iron Feather and edited Muhammad Ali’s biography, The Greatest. The papers include correspondence, research notes, play scripts, clippings, serials, photographs, page proofs and galleys. [Finding aid]

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Dyett, Capt. Walter Papers

Dates: 1906-1998. Size: 14 linear feet. Accession #2007/11. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. One of the most influential bandmasters and music educators in Chicago’s history, Walter Dyett taught generations of Chicago jazz, classical and blues musicians at Wendell Phillips and DuSable high schools. The papers document his career with official records, correspondence, programs, news clippings, yearbooks, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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E

East Garfield Park Community Collection

Dates: circa 1870-1964. Size: 21.5 linear feet in 25 boxes, including 344 photographs, 12 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Garfield Park Community Collections. The East Garfield Park Collection contains manuscripts, printed material and photographs on businesses, clubs and organizations, religious institutions, residents, schools and street scenes in the community area, as well as Garfield Park itself. [Finding aid]

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Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church Archives

Dates: 1871-2005. Size: 11 linear feet. Accession #2002/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ebenezer, founded in 1902, was one of the Chicago churches at the center of the gospel music revolution of the early 1930s. Under the Rev. J.H.L. Smith, Ebenezer grew to more than 3,000 members and included Thomas A. Dorsey, Theodore Frye, Roberta Martin, Eugene Smith and Robert Anderson among those who made music there. The Ebenezer archives include church newsletters, anniversary and souvenir programs, correspondence, photographs, sheet music, audiovisual material, organizational records and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Ebright, Lisa Collection

Dates: 1970-1993. Size: 43 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Lisa Ebright Collection includes production (and some rehearsal) photographs representing over forty Chicago theaters across the city including Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court, Northlight and Remains. All photographs by photographer Lisa Howe-Ebright. [Partially processed]

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Edison Park Community Collection

Dates: 1919-1981 (Bulk dates, 1962-1976). Size: .75 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Edison Park, located on the far northwest side of the city, is one of Chicago's seventy-seven community areas. This collection mostly consists of news clippings documenting people and organizations in the Edison Park community. There is also a small amount of additional material such as programs, booklets, and correspondence. [Finding Aid]

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Eichelberger, Brenda/National Alliance of Black Feminists Papers

Dates: 1974-1997. Size: 8 linear feet. Accession #1997/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Open to “any black woman interested in advancing the cause of black feminism,” the National Alliance of Black Feminists was a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to achieving full equality for black women in America. Brenda Eichelberger, founder of NABF, served as president of the Chicago Chapter. The collection consists of manuscripts, brochures, promotional literature, correspondence, financial statements, newspaper clippings, journal articles and serials. [Finding aid]

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Eisenschiml, Otto Papers

Dates: 1937-1964. Size: 1.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Civil War and American History Research Collection. Otto Eisenschiml (1880-1963) was a collector, avid reader, traveler and prolific writer in the areas of chemistry, Civil War history and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. His many years of searching and researching saw the publication in 1937 of his first book, Why Was Lincoln Murdered?, which was quickly followed by two other Lincoln works: In the Shadow of Lincoln’s Death and The Case for A. L------, Aged 56 in 1941 and 1943. These and many other articles, books and speeches are in the Eisenschiml Papers. [Processed]

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Elam, Melissia-Lauretta Peyton Papers

Dates: 1891-1961. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession # 2007/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Melissia Elam came to Chicago in 1876 from Missouri. She established a club home for working girls in 1919; it became a center for social and cultural activities. Elam belonged to Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church. After her death in 1941, the work at Elam Home was carried on by Lauretta Peyton. The papers include personal and organizational correspondence, programs, clippings and memorabilia. [Finding aid, opens a new window]

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Elder, Leland B. Jr., Papers

Dates: 1945-2016. Size: 9 linear feet Accession #: 2016/02.Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature.  Leland B. Elder, Jr. worked as part of the Chicago Public Library’s Public Information Office (PIO) for over 30 years (1984-2016).  His responsibilities included editing and writing for the various incarnations of the library’s newsletters, marketing, press releases and promoting library programs and services. His papers, which include press releases, event flyers and programs, detail the growth and development of the PIO and the Marketing Department of the Chicago Public Library as well as the evolution of the ethnic heritage committees and the annual library programs. [Finding aid]

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Ellsworth, James W. Papers

Dates: 1880s-1901. Size: 12 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. Papers of one of the leading directors of the World’s Fair of 1893. Collection consists of outgoing correspondence (85 letters), incoming correspondence (926 letters), departmental records and ephemera. The collection documents fair activities from planning stages through the disposition of the exhibits and buildings after the close of the exposition. [Finding aid]

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Ellsworth-Arnold Photograph Album Collection

Dates: 1892-1894. Size: 5.5 Linear Feet in 3 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. The Ellsworth-Arnold Albums were photographed by official Fair photographer C.D. Arnold for James W. Ellsworth, a member of the Exposition's Board of Directors. The images document the progression of Jackson Park from a mossy landfill into one of the most beautiful and fleeting architectural gems of the 19th century. [Finding aid]

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Englewood Community Collection

Dates: 1868-2012 (bulk dates: 1890-1945). Size: 13.5 linear feet in 16 boxes, includes 283 photographs and 16 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Englewood Community Collections. The collection contains a range of articles, brochures, historical sketches, newsletters, photographs, programs and reports that focus on Englewood’s neighborhood events, persons and organizations, particularly during the late 19th century to the early 1960s. Of particular note are the neighborhood photographs and the series devoted to schools in Englewood. [Finding aid]

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Englewood High School Records

Dates: 1874-1959. Size: 7.5 linear feet in 10 boxes including 66 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Englewood Community Collections. The Englewood High School Records contains historical sketches, laboratory notebooks, photographs, programs, publications and yearbooks that chronicle school history and student activities [Finding aid]

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Englewood Historical Association Papers

Dates: 1868-1951. Size: 1 linear foot in 2 boxes (including 10 photographic images), plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Englewood Community Collections. Documents the organization which worked with the Kelly Branch Library to gather and preserve historical material of the Englewood district of Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Englewood Newspaper Collection

Dates: 1878-1934. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Englewood Community Collections. A small collection of neighborhood newspapers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [Finding aid]

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Englewood Woman’s Club Records

Dates: 1898-1932. Size: .75 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Englewood Community Collections. The Englewood Woman's Club was organized in 1896. Collection consists primarily of yearbooks dating from 1898 to 1931. [Finding aid]

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eta Creative Arts Foundation

Dates: 1983-2000. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 3 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. eta was founded in 1969 by Abena Joan Brown and Okoro Harold Johnson. The theater produces dramas and musicals by local and national playwrights and features “Playwrights Speak,” a readers’ theater for new playwrights. [Finding aid]

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Evans, Charles J. Papers

Dates: 1920-1994. Size: 7 linear feet. Accession #1996/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Charles Evans was professor of African and African American literature at the City Colleges of Chicago. As an activist in the civil rights and Black Arts movements, Evans developed new curricula for teaching literature of peoples of African descent. He was also active in the union representing City Colleges teachers. His papers include his poetry, literary criticism manuscripts, correspondence, research notes on Richard Wright and other authors, curricula, union records and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Evans, Jesse Papers

Dates: 1994. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1994/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Jesse Evans is the former alderman for Chicago’s 21st ward. This small group of papers consists of serials and other materials Evans brought back from a 1994 trip to South Africa. [Partially processed]

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Evans, Rev. Clay Archive

Dates: 1946-2017. Size: 90 linear feet, includes 66 art/artifacts, 5 oversize folders, 786 photographs, 267 digital photographs, 32 oral histories and 885 audiovisual recordings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Rev. Clay Evans Archives span his 50 years of pastoral leadership at Chicago’s Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church that he founded in 1950, and beyond his retirement in 2000. His ministry reached into the larger community with the What a Fellowship Hour broadcasts, Gospel choir performances and an engagement with the Civil Rights Movement along with numerous religious and community organizations such as the African American Religious Connection (AARC), the Broadcast Ministers’ Alliance and Operation PUSH. The collections include church documents, photographs, artifacts and audio-visual broadcasts and interviews. [Finding aid]

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Evans, Rev. Clay, Collections on

Dates: 1950-2016. Size: 4.5 linear feet, 147 photographs, includes 44 audio recordings, 7 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Collections on Rev. Clay Evans brings together materials related to Rev. Clay Evans and Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church during the 50-year span of his leadership from 1950-2000. These materials reflect member involvement in choirs, clubs, committees and community service opportunities fostered by Rev. Evans and their participation in annual banquets, revivals and travel. The collection includes church documents, photographs, artifacts and musical recordings. [Finding aid]

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Evans, T. Arthur Papers

Dates: 1902-2002, bulk dates: 1924-1926. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. T. (Thomas) Arthur Evans (1878-1945) was the Chief Engineer for the creation of Chicago’s double-level Wacker Drive that opened in 1926. The collection includes a small selection of his professional documents including his resume, engineering licenses, correspondence, ephemera, news clippings along with 43 photographs, most of which are related to the construction of Chicago’s Wacker Drive. [Finding aid]

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F

Fantus, Felix Theater Scrapbook

Dates: 1899-1907. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Felix Fantus (1886-1955) was an active theater-goer. He collected playbills from the Grand Opera House, Illinois, Powers', Dearborn and McVicker's theaters among others. Fantus included these programs and other clippings and ephemera in his theater scrapbook. [Finding aid]

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Fenger High School Records

Dates: 1925-1987. Size: 5 linear feet in 10 boxes (including 28 photographs), plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. Collection consists primarily of yearbooks dating from 1925 to 1965 (partial run). [Finding aid]

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Fernwood Methodist Church Scrapbooks

Dates: 1953-1971. Size: 2 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. Scrapbooks compiled by Mr. and Mrs. William Fenstemacher. These scrapbooks contain photographs of members of the congregation at  religious and social events.  Also included are news clippings and programs relating to the activities of the church. [Finding aid]

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Finlay, John J. Papers

Dates: 1933-1945. Size: 0.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. This collection chronicles the early work of several social service organizations through the experience and leadership of board member John J. Finlay. It contains documents and letters that catalog the Chicago Area Project’s (CAP) work as well as the work done by other social service organizations in the 1930s and early 1940s. [Finding aid]

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First Lutheran Church of the Trinity Records

Dates: circa 1890s-2014. Size: 13 linear feet in 7 boxes including 7 folio ledgers. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. First Lutheran Church of the Trinity was founded in 1865 as the first Lutheran church in Chicago’s Bridgeport community. The church started out as a German immigrant parish named “Ev. Luth. Dreieinigkeits” (Evangelical Lutheran Trinity) and supported an elementary school. The collection includes bulletins, marriage/baptism/birth ledgers, meeting minutes, photographs and programs. [Partially Processed]

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Flory, Ishmael Papers

Dates: 1938-2003. Size: 34 linear feet. Accession #2004/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ishmael Flory’s career in civil rights, labor and radical activism began with student protests at Fisk University in the 1930s. Flory served as a leader in the Communist Party’s organization on Chicago’s South Side from the 1940s through the 1980s. He was also co-founder of the African American Heritage Association. A friend to Paul Robeson, W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes, Flory’s activist career included dozens of protest movements. His papers include correspondence, minutes, organizational records, flyers, position papers, serials, photographs and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Forgue, Norman W. Collection

Dates: 1878-1974. Size: 2.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Norman Forgue was a bookmaker, typographer and founder of several private presses including At the Sign of the Gargoyle, The Black Cat Press, The Norman Press and Normandie House. The collection includes keepsakes, books and booklets, printed advertising and promotional material, greeting cards from his presses, a small selection of correspondence with Lloyd Emerson Siberell and a carbon typescript of an unpublished memoir about his youth called, Suddenly I Remember. [Finding aid]

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Fowler, Rev. Elmer Papers

Dates: 1980-1996. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2000/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Founder of Third Baptist Church, civil rights activist and avid photographer, Rev. Elmer Fowler’s collection contains photographs, monographs, newspaper clippings, funeral programs and a tribute written by Fowler to Benjamin Mays. [Partially processed]

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Free Street Theater Collection

Dates: 1968-1999. Size: 67 linear feet; photographs and audiovisual materials. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Free Street Theater Collection archives document the history of Free Street from its inception in 1968. Included are files from the highly acclaimed production Project!, as well as from the theater's present-day commitment to addressing teen and social issues through plays and musical productions.. [Finding aid]

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French, Robert O. Papers

Dates: 1902-2007. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #1999/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Robert French, nephew of black beauty culture pioneer Annie Turnbo Malone, was a leader in Malone’s Poro College from the 1940s through the 1980s. French’s papers document Malone’s career, and the organizational life of Poro College and the Poro Association. The papers include correspondence, programs, photographs, clipping files, funeral programs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Furry, Clara Hemmings Theater Scrapbooks Collection

Dates: 1905-1954. Size: 1 linear foot in 4 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Clara Hemmings Furry pasted her theater programs and occasionally clippings and pictures into scrapbooks. Pages are annotated with place, date of performance and the identity of Furry's companions. [Finding aid]

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G

Gads Hill Collection

Dates: 1914-circa 1940, undated. Size: 2.25 linear feet in 3 boxes, includes 357 photographs, 2 drawings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Established in 1898 as a settlement house to serve poor immigrant families in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago’s Lower West Side community area, Gads Hill Center offered education, job training, recreational activities and other social services. The photographs in this collection depict a range of activities and facilities in the early part of the twentieth century. [Finding aid]

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Gage Family Collection

Dates: 1909-1926. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box, 78 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains 78 photographs of the Gage family who resided at 4236 S. Prairie Avenue in Chicago’s Grand Boulevard community in the early 20th century. [Finding aid]

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Gayden, Fern Papers

Dates: 1883-1985. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #2007/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A founding member of the South Side Writers Group in the 1930s, Fern Gayden’s long and diverse career included leadership roles in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the South Side Community Art Center. She co-published Negro Story magazine with Alice Browning. Her papers include family history records, correspondence, flyers and programs, photographs and audiovisual materials. Also included is information on Gayden’s hometown of Dunlap, Kansas, files from her service as a social worker and original copies of Negro Story. [Finding aid]

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Gerber, Ann Photograph Collection

Dates: circa 1970s-2013 (Bulk dates: 1985-1999). Size: 2 linear feet, includes 1604 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Chicago journalist, Ann Gerber, began writing for Lerner Newspapers in 1950 and eventually became the society gossip columnist and editor for their weekly publication, Skyline. The photographs in her collection were used to illustrate her society column. The images feature scenes from Chicago social events such as award ceremonies, charitable occasions and opening nights as well as portraits of athletes, artistic directors, award winners, debutantes, business leaders, entertainers, journalists, local celebrities, philanthropists, politicians, and other newsmakers. [Finding aid]

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Girl Scouts of America Troop #427 Records

Dates: 1941-1971. Size: .25 linear feet; 1 photographic scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Lawndale Community Collections. The records that comprise the Girl Scouts of America, Troop #427 Collection, reflect the involvement of the scouts in the Lawndale-Crawford community, through brochures, correspondence, minute books, play scripts and programs. Also included in the collection is a scrapbook containing approximately 300 photographs of the girls of troop #427 at events and programs during the years 1941-1966. [Finding aid]

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Go On Girl! Book Club Archives

Dates: 1996-2006. Size: 18 linear feet. Accession #1998/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Go On Girl!, an African American book club, was the vision of three girlfriends in 1991 and has developed into a national book club with more than 25 chapters. Its mission is to expand the African American reading experience, concentrating on authors from the African diaspora. Collection includes correspondence, organizational records, uncorrected galleys and proofs, annual conferences and awards, data sheets for books read, surveys, questionnaires, newsletters and photographs. [Partially processed]

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Godzilla Rainbow Troupe Records

Dates: 1971-1974. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Founded by Garry Tucker (pseudonym “Eleven”) in 1971. Includes programs and promotional material for six productions starring such well-known Chicago theater personalities as Linda Kimbrough and Jack Wallace. [Finding aid]

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Goodman Theatre Archive. Goodman Family Papers

Dates: 1912-1987, bulk dates: 1957-1978. Size: 5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Goodman Family Papers document the family’s ongoing support and involvement with the Goodman Theater after it was established as a memorial to the late playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman by his parents in 1922. The papers include correspondence, memos, meeting materials and scrapbooks related to operations of the Goodman Theatre and the School of Drama of the Art Institute of Chicago. [Finding Aid]

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Goodman Theatre Archive. John Reich Papers

Dates: 1925-1986, undated. Size: 9 linear feet, includes 24 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. John Reich served as artistic director of the Goodman Theatre and its Theatre School from 1957 to 1972 and was instrumental in the establishment of the theater’s professional acting company. Afterwards, he worked as a director and teacher in a guest capacity at various institutions until shortly before his death in 1988. The papers contain John Reich’s subject files, correspondence, speeches and articles along with productions and scripts for the Goodman and other theaters. [Finding Aid]

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Goodman Theatre Archive. Production History Files

Dates: 1925-2001. Size: 84 linear feet, 7,484 photographs, 55 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Oldest continuously operating theater company in Chicago. The production History Files document the theater’s early production history through promotional materials such as programs, press releases, reviews, news clippings, photographs and videotapes. Materials for the past 30 years of productions include an extensive collection of prompt books, production research and technical information. [Finding Aid Part 1], [Finding Aid Part 2], [Please contact Special Collections about Partially Processed additions]

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Goodman Theatre Archive. Tom Creamer Papers

Dates: 1985-1996. Size: 19 linear feet, 49 photographs, 16 audiocassettes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Tom Creamer (Adapter) served as dramaturg for more than 50 productions at the Goodman Theatre. The Creamer Papers contain production scripts of plays presented between 1985 and 1996. Supporting the scripts are research materials, photographs, and audiocassettes relating to research in the Dramaturg's office. [Finding Aid]

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Gould, E. B. Programs Collection

Dates: 1879-1883. Size: 5.2 linear feet in 4 boxes and 1 scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Elwyn Blaine Gould, born in 1854, was a businessman who came to Chicago in 1879. He was an enthusiastic playgoer, who kept and annotated his programs. Collection includes programs for operettas, farce, variety shows, concerts, modern plays and Shakespeare. Selected playbills from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Theater Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Grand Army of the Republic, Wilcox Post No. 668 Records

Dates: 1889-1928. Size: .2 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was an organization of former soldiers and sailors who served in the Union forces during the Civil War or who were members of state militia on active duty and subject to national call during the war. The Wilcox Post, No. 668 was located at 9628 S. Longwood Drive in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood. The collection consists of 3 manuscript ledgers and a selection of pension certificates. [Finding aid]

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Greater Rockwell Organization Records

Dates: 1979-2020. Size: .75 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Greater Rockwell neighborhood is located within Chicago’s Lincoln Square community area. This small collection contains administrative records and publications from the Greater Rockwell Organization, a local neighborhood group. It includes newsletters, correspondence, by-laws, event and program files, membership information, reports, and questionnaires. [Finding Aid]

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Greek Star Newspaper Collection

Dates: 1948-1985. Size: 21 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Greek Star newspaper was founded by Peter Lambros, a Chicago businessman, in 1904, and continued for over a century until 2015. This collection is comprised of an incomplete run of issues of the Greek Star, printed in Chicago for the city’s Greek population. [Finding aid]

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Green, Henry D. Photograph Collection

Dates: 1944-1954. Size: 396 photographs, 232 negatives. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Henry D. Green was a commercial photographer on Chicago’s North Side. Subjects in the collection include local businesses, community groups, celebrations in neighborhood parks and events at local schools. Many photographs reflect life on the North Side during World War II. Additional materials by Henry Delorval Green are held at the Chicago History Museum. Photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Henry D. Green Photograph Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Gremp, David Photographs

Dates: 1978-1979, 2016. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box, includes 69 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. As part of the CETA/Neighborhood Arts Program in Chicago, David Gremp was the artist-in-residence assigned to the Chicago Public Library. His photographs document the neighborhoods surrounding 13 library branch locations including Austin, Chatham, Chinatown, Garfield Park, Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Little Village, Lower Westside, Pullman, Scottsdale, Uptown, and Washington Heights. [Finding aid]

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Gubert, Betty Collection of African Americans in Aviation

Dates: 1927-2002. Size: 12 linear feet. Accession #2010/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Betty Gubert is a retired librarian who worked for decades at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. She is the author of several books on African Americans in aviation, including the noted bibliography Invisible Wings. Her papers include correspondence with black aviators, photographs and subject research files. [Finding aid]

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H

Hall, Juanita Papers

Dates: 1899-1965. Size: 5 linear feet. Accession #1974/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Juanita Hall was a singer and choir leader best known for her roles on Broadway. Her papers consist of her personal collection of sheet music and orchestrations, including many original items and hand annotations of printed sheet music. Among the items are songs from Broadway musicals, the Hall Johnson Choir, Eubie Blake and other composers. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Hambrecht, George F. Papers

Dates: 1842-1928. Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Civil War and American History Research Collection. [Processed]

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Hamilton, Evalyn Papers

Dates: 1990-1999. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1999/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Evalyn Hamilton, the first coordinator of the Vivian G. Harsh Society, was also active in Go On Girl! book clubs in Chicago. Her personal papers include cultural and literary flyers, programs, serials and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Handy, Moses P. Papers

Dates: 1890-1895. Size: 3 microfilm reels. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. Moses P. Handy served as Chief of the Department of Publicity and Promotion for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. These microfilm reels contain copies of records pertaining to this part of Handy's varied career. The originals are housed at the Clements Library at the University of Michigan. [Finding aid]

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Harano, Ross M. Papers

Dates: 1942-2021, Bulk dates: 1969-1988. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Ross M. Harano Papers document his leadership and participation with the Chicago Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Alliance to End Repression (AER) on efforts in the 1970s and 1980s to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act of 1950 and enact redress thought the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The collection includes committee meeting and planning materials and Congressional hearings and reports. [Finding aid]

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Harper Theater Records

Dates: 1959-1971, bulk dates, 1964-1968. Size: 3 linear feet in 4 boxes (including 45 photographs). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Hyde Park Herald publisher, Bruce Sagan renovated and reopened the Harper Theater as a playhouse, dance and music venue in 1964. The Harper Theater Records include administrative records, correspondence, clippings and promotional materials highlighting theater and music performances during the 1960s. [Finding aid]

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Harris, Adlean Papers

Dates: 1965-2005. Size: 105 linear feet. Accession #1993/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Adlean Harris, a librarian at Governor’s State University, was a founding member of all three Chicago-based African American genealogical societies. She was a leader in the Chicago chapter of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History and a participant in a host of other black history and civil rights organizations. Her papers include an unusually wide range of organizational files, flyers, programs, correspondence, serials, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Harris, Greg Papers

Dates: 1988-2000. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1996/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Greg Harris has been a nationally syndicated cartoonist whose work appeared in more than 50 African American newspapers. His papers include original cartoon drawings, newspaper clippings, correspondence and notes. [Partially processed]

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Hart, F. Lawrence (Larry) Collection

Dates: 1973-1990. Size: 2 linear feet in 6 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Larry Hart, a designer and actor, graduated from the Goodman School of Drama in 1968. Collection includes posters for productions at Victory Gardens, Next Theatre Company and Pary Production Company. [Finding aid]

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Hart, Patricia L. (Pat) Papers

Dates: 1974-1989. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 folder, includes 161 slides. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Pat Hart, a costume designer, studied costume design at the Goodman School of Drama. She designed for productions at Touchstone Theatre, Pary Production Company and Victory Gardens. [Finding aid]

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Hatchell, Mildred Papers

Dates: 1941-2002. Size: .5 linear f00t. Accession #1993/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Former Chicagoan Mildred Hatchell conducted extensive research on the hymns of the Rev. Charles Albert Tindley. Her papers consist of research materials, clippings and correspondence in support of her effort to have the Rev. Tindley recognized as the author of the song, “We Shall Overcome.” [Finding aid]

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Hatzfeld, Clarence Papers

Dates: 1897-2003 (bulk 1910-1930). Size:1.75 Linear Feet in 2 boxes (including 128 photographs), plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection documents the life and work of Chicago-based architect Clarence Hatzfeld. It includes personal correspondence and photographs of Hatzfeld’s family, as well as photographs, renderings, architectural drawings, newspaper and magazine clippings and promotional brochures that cover his professional work. [Finding aid]

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Hawthorne Neighbors/Dodge Collection

Dates: 1960-1976, undated. Size: 2.25 Linear Feet (in 5 boxes, including 626 slides). This collection contains records of the Hawthorne Neighbors, a branch of the Lake View Citizens' Council, and approximately 626 color slides of Lake View. The slides mostly depict residential yards and gardens, but a small number of local businesses and religious institutions are also included. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. [Finding Aid]

Hayes, Charles A. Papers

Dates: 1944-1997. Size: 10 linear feet. Accession #2010/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Charles Hayes was a union leader in the United Packinghouse Workers of America and in two successor unions from the 1940s through the 1980s. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993. Most of his papers have been lost, but this small collection includes correspondence, speech texts, reports, clipping files, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Head, Cloyd Collection

Size: 25.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Cloyd Head (1886-1969) was a Chicago playwright and theatrical director. His play in verse, The Grotesque Decoration in Black and White, was produced by the Chicago Little Theatre. [Unprocessed]

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Hegewisch and East Side Newspaper Collection

Dates: 1950-1994. Size: 30 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains issues of East Side News, The East Side Times, Hegewisch Herald, Hegewisch News, The Herald, South Chicago Chronicle and The South Chicago Herald. These are newspapers that served Chicago’s East Side, Hegewisch, South Chicago and South Deering communities along with the surrounding areas of Burnham and Calumet City. [Finding Aid]

Heise, Carol Papers

Dates: circa 1970s-1990s. Size: 6 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Social justice advocate, Carol Heise, put her nursing and legal degrees to use with her research and advocacy for human rights. Locally, her work in Edgewater and Evanston helped to establish Illinois standards for nursing homes, group homes and individuals with mental health challenges. Internationally, her Chicago chapter of the Christian Urgent Action Network for Emergency Support (CUANES) created an action network to monitor human rights in the Philippines. [Unprocessed]

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Heise, Kenan Papers

Dates: circa 1940s-2008. Size: 41 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Kenan Heise came to Chicago in 1963 to join columnist Jack Mabley at the Chicago American. His work covering the poor led to his signature “Action Line” column that began in 1965 in the Chicago American and later moved to Chicago Today and eventually to the Chicago Tribune. Kenan Heise authored over 35 books, primarily on Chicago topics, and owned Chicago Historical Bookworks in Evanston. The papers in this collection include research files and manuscript drafts for his columns and publications. [Partially Processed

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Heritage Press Archives

Dates: 1944-2002. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #1988/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Heritage Press, founded by Paul Breman and operated out of London from 1962 to 1975, was one of the most important publishers of black poetry of its time. Best known for virtually launching the careers of Robert Hayden, Audre Lorde and Dolores Kendrick, the press also published major works of poetry by Arna Bontemps, Waring Cuney, Fenton Johnson, Ishmael Reed and prominent members of the Black Arts Movement, including Chicagoans Conrad Kent Rivers and Ronald Fair. The archives include correspondence, manuscripts, booklets, publicity, clippings and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Hill, Herbert Papers

Dates: 1963-2002. Size: 1.5 linear feet. Accession #1996/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Herbert Hill served in the 1950s and 1960s as labor director of the NAACP, where he was one of the most effective voices raised against racial discrimination by unions. He was later a professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Wisconsin. His collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts and published articles written by Hill. [Finding aid]

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Hintze, Clarence Jazz Drummer’s Collection

Dates: 1935-1997. Size: 15 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Chicago-based jazz drummer Clarence Hintze donated this collection of mainly LP jazz big band recordings, many of which center on drummers such as Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and Louis Bellson. [Processed]

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Historical Society of Woodlawn Records

Dates: 1937-1965. Size: 1 linear foot; 10 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Woodlawn Community Collections. The Records of the Historical Society of Woodlawn consist of financial records, minutes of meetings, membership rosters, printed materials and news clippings. [Finding aid]

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Histories of the Public Schools in Chicago

Date: 1939. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This collection is comprised of the type-written pages of Histories of the Public Schools in Chicago by Charles S. Winslow, which provides a one-page outline of basic information about each Chicago Public School. It was written around 1939. [Finding aid]

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Holli, Melvin Papers

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2010/11. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Melvin Holli was a history professor and author who wrote several books on Chicago politics, including The American Mayor. His papers include subject research files on Mayor Harold Washington’s administration, newspaper clippings and notes. [Unprocessed]

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Holmgren, Edward Papers

Dates: 1949-2003. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #2009/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Edward Holmgren spent more than 40 years working in the area of public housing, housing integration and urban renewal, both in government and private sectors. He began his career with the Chicago Housing Authority and was executive director of the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities. His papers include correspondence, organizational records, conference proceedings and serials. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Holton, Deborah Papers

Dates: 1940-1990. Size: 12 linear feet. Accession #1999/11. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Deborah Holton, professor of literature at DePaul University, wrote her doctoral dissertation on “The Plays of Lorraine Hansberry: Studies in Dramatic Form.” The papers include her research notes, photocopied and original manuscript materials, photographs and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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House Party International Collection

Dates: 1985-1999. Size: 98 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. More than 8,000 individual popular music videos currently are being transferred from unusable U-matic videotape to DVDR. [Partially processed]

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Houston, Gary Papers

Dates: 1969-2013. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box, plus 5 oversize folders and 2 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Gary Houston has been an actor, director, and producer in Chicago’s theater scene since 1969.  This collection is comprised of photographs, programs, playbills and posters from his prolific career. [Finding aid]

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Howalton Day School Archives

Dates: 1946-1999. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #1996/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Noted as the oldest African American private, non-sectarian school in Chicago, Howalton School (1947-1986) was established as an early alternative school stressing creativity, the arts and the humanities. Its founders were sharply critical of the failings of Chicago’s public schools in the African American community. The archives consist of correspondence, manuscripts, handbooks, brochures, promotional literature, financial statements, programs, photographs, newspaper clippings and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Howard, Dr. T.R.M. Papers

Dates: 1929-1976. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2009/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Theodore Roosevelt Mason (T.R.M.) Howard was a surgeon, civil rights leader and entrepreneur. He came to national prominence in the 1950s, when he was president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, the most important civil rights group in Mississippi then. He also served as president of the National Medical Association. Forced to leave Mississippi, he spent the last 20 years of his life in Chicago and ran for Congress in 1958. Howard’s papers include two scrapbooks he created, correspondence, texts and audiotapes of speeches and articles, clipping files and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Hughes, Langston Papers

Dates: 1940-1942. Size: 5 linear feet. Accession #1942/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The papers consist of three successive typescript drafts of Hughes’ autobiographical memoir, The Big Sea, as well as galley proofs for this book. Each of the drafts contains extensive revisions and marginalia by Hughes. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Humboldt Park Community Collection

Dates: 1892-1941. Size: .5 linear feet; 46 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. This small collection contains information about the neighborhood as well as issues of The Northwestown Booster newspaper from 1937-1940 and early photographs of Humboldt Park itself. [Finding aid]

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Husband, Lori Papers

Dates: 1965-2003. Size: 40 linear feet. Accession #2004/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Lori Husband was a leading researcher, teacher and author in the field of African American genealogy. The author of three studies of genealogical information found in the Chicago Defender newspaper, Husband also taught genealogical methodology. Her papers include research materials, subject files, curricula, serials, organizational minutes and programs. [Unprocessed]

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Hyde Park Community Collection

Dates: 1830-1988. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 6 boxes plus 2 photographs and 10 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Hyde Park Community Collection contains a selection of items related to Hyde Park businesses, club and organizations, municipal agencies, residences and schools. The documents include a range of documents brochures, historical sketches, municipal reports, newsletters and publications, with a selection that predates the 1889 annexation of the Village of Hyde Park into the City. [Finding aid]

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Illinois Central Railroad Photograph Album

Dates: 1923 March-August. Size: 2 folders, including 16 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This photograph album documents a construction project on the Illinois Central Railroad tracks in the downtown Chicago lake front area. The 16 images were taken by the Illinois Central Railroad. [Finding aid]

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Illinois Entertainer Files

Dates: 1978-1985. Size: 48 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Includes manuscripts, articles, press releases and press kits that were used to publish this local popular monthly entertainment journal. [Unprocessed]

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Illinois Writers Project: “Negro in Illinois” Papers

Dates: 1936-1942. Size: 22 linear feet. Accession #1942/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. This Illinois Writers Project study of the African American experience in Illinois from 1779 to 1942 consists of draft chapters, research notes, newspaper extracts, oral history transcripts and draft essays. All the work was destined for the “Negro in Illinois,” an unfinished book on which more than 100 researchers from the Illinois office of the Federal Writers Project collaborated. The study was supervised by Arna Bontemps and Jack Conroy. Among the writers who participated were Richard Wright, Fenton Johnson, Margaret Walker and L.D. Reddick. The majority of this collection is available online in the Illinois Writers Project: "Negro in Illinois" Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Imagination Theater

Size: 64 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Imagination Theater Collection includes production, artistic and administrative records. [Unprocessed]

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International Society of Sons and Daughters of Slave Ancestry Archives

Dates: 1996-2002. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1997/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. International Society of Sons and Daughters of Slave Ancestry Archives is a non-profit lineage society committed to documenting and preserving the genealogy of former slaves for future generations. Founded in 1997, ISDSA commemorates slave contributions to world history and recognizes the work of genealogical researchers. Collection contains articles of incorporation, bylaws, minutes, correspondence, pedigree charts, manuscripts and Juneteenth celebration programs. [Partially processed]

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International Theatre Festival of Chicago Collection

Dates: 1986-1996. Size: 85 linear feet; photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Biannual festival held in Chicago six times from 1986 to1996. Founded by Jane Nicholls Sahlins to introduce Chicago artists and audiences to the work of some of the greatest theater companies from around the world. Collection consists primarily of programs and promotional material. [Partially processed]

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Italians in Chicago Project

Dates: 1979-1981. Size: 4 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Oral history transcripts from interviews with Italian Americans in Chicago; the project was based at the University of Illinois at Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Jackson, Timothy Papers

Dates: 2000-2008. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2008/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Chicago Defender editorial cartoonist Tim Jackson is also renowned as the creator of the website Pioneering Cartoonists of Color, the most extensive database of information about early African American cartoonists. Jackson also worked for LifeTimes, a publication issued by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. The papers consist of his original cartoons, preliminary sketches and graphic design drawings for LifeTimes. [Partially processed]

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Jacobsen, Arnold Recorded Sound Collection

Dates: 1900-1960. Size: 103 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. A large collection of LPs, 45s and 78s donated by collector and record salesman Arnold Jacobsen. [Partially processed]

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Jarrett, Vernon Videotape Collection

Dates: 1991-1998. Size: 3 linear feet (150 videotapes migrated to DVDs). Accession #1999/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Vernon Jarrett was a pioneering journalist, award-winning columnist for the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists, civil rights activist and community leader. This collection contains DVDs of more than 150 episodes of his television programs Face to Face and Sunday in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Jazz/Blues/Gospel Hall of Fame

Dates: 1937-1979. Size: 12 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Two thousand commercially produced LPs. [Processed]

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Jefferson Township Collection

Dates: 1874-2000. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This small collection consists mostly of biographical and historical sketches, with a small amount of news clippings and reports. The following community areas are represented in this collection: Albany Park; Forest Glen; Irving Park; Jefferson Park; Logan Square; and North Park. [Finding Aid]

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Jefferson, Joseph Awards Collection

Dates: 1971-2000. Size: 2.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection.  The Joseph Jefferson “Jeff” Awards were named after the nineteenth-century actor Joseph Jefferson III and honor excellence in the Chicago theater community by recognizing both Equity and non-Equity (Citations) productions. The collection includes administrative materials donated by members of the Executive Committee, as well as promotional items such as programs, invitations and clippings. [Processed]

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Jewish Music Archives

Dates: 1991-2006. Size: 23 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Contains more than 200 unique interviews and performances on CDR, cassette and minidisk featuring klezmer musicians from North America and Europe. Established by the YIVO Institute For Jewish Research, Chicago Chapter. [Processed]

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Johnson, Bennett Papers

Dates: 1968-1995. Size: 39 linear feet. Accession #2000/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Bennett Johnson, a graduate of Roosevelt University with Harold Washington, has been a civil rights and radical activist since the 1940s. He was a leader in the March on Conventions movement, Protest at the Polls and the NAACP. He was one of the early activists in Washington’s successful campaign for mayor of Chicago. Johnson was co-founder of Path Press, a black-owned publishing house. His papers include correspondence, minutes, programs, manuscripts and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Johnson, May Business Papers

Dates: 1911-1941. Size: 1.25 linear feet in 2 boxes, including 41 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. May Johnson was a performing arts agent. Collection primarily concerns the careers of violinist Zlatko Balokovic and soprano Eleonora DeCisneros, and includes information on the Chicago Grand Opera Company. [Finding aid]

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Johnson, Mildred Papers

Dates: 1945-1994. Size: 27 linear feet. Accession #1994/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Mildred Johnson was an educator, poet, children’s book author, principal of Howalton School (1982-1985) and director of Say! Children’s Theater. Her papers include correspondence, posters, plaques and awards, newspaper clipping files, books, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Johnson, Rev. Floyd D. and Sweetie C. Papers/Zion Temple Missionary Baptist Church Archives

Dates: 1940-1997. Size: 39 linear feet. Accession #1989/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Rev. F.D. Johnson and his wife, Sweetie C. Johnson, were leaders in the National Baptist Convention from the 1940s through the 1980s. Rev. Johnson was the pastor of Zion Temple M.B. Church in Chicago and served for more than 20 years as the president of the National Baptist Convention’s Foreign Missionary Board. Their personal papers and the church’s archives include correspondence, organizational documents, programs, clippings, serials and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Johnson, Venona Papers

Dates: 1966-1995. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2001/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Venona Johnson’s papers include materials on the Chicago Chapter of the Girlfriends, a social and philanthropic club. Included are administrative records, chapter bylaws, financial records, clippings, conference proceedings and newsletters. The papers also contain materials from St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church, including newsletters, anniversary souvenir books and funeral programs. [Partially processed]

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Johnson, Virgil C. Papers

Dates: 1967-2015. Size: 72.5 linear feet in 44 boxes, includes 1,141 drawings, 127 photographs, 569 slides, and 2 oversize folders, and 4.02 GB electronic files. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Virgil Johnson is an award-winning costume designer whose work has been seen at numerous theaters in Chicago, including Goodman, Court, Victory Gardens, Body Politic, Steppenwolf, Northlight, St. Nicholas and Apollo. Collection includes costume sketches and renderings as well as programs and notes. [Finding aid]

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Johnson, William Papers

Dates: 1988-1996. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1996/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. William Johnson’s papers include his slides and photographs, activities of the Washington Park Camera Club and materials from the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. [Partially processed]

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Jones, Calvin B. Papers

Dates: 1972-2010. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Accession #2010/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Chicago muralist, Black Arts Movement activist and co-director of AFAM gallery, Calvin B. Jones was a leader in community murals projects in Chicago. This small collection includes photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Jones, Dewey Roscoe Papers

Dates: 1910-2013. Size: 16 linear feet. Accession #2015/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Dewey Roscoe Jones was a Chicago-based journalist for the Chicago Defender. He rose to the role of Managing Editor while writing feature articles, book reviews, and columns. Jones left the Defender in 1932 to work as the Associate Advisor on Negro Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. He returned to Chicago in 1938 to serve as the Assistant Director of Hull-House, Jane Addam’s progressive settlement just southwest of the city’s Loop. The collection contains newspaper articles, correspondence, manuscripts, photographs and memorabilia documenting the personal and professional lives of Dewey Roscoe Jones and his wife, Faith Jefferson Jones Killings. [Finding Aid]

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Jones, Ellen Collection

Dates: 1985-1990. Size: 3 linear feet; photographs and slides. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Ellen Jones Collection contains lighting and set design work from 1985 to 1990. The material includes lighting plots, floor plans, scripts, programs, promotional posters, photographs and slides. [Finding aid]

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Jones, Jeanne Boger Papers

Dates: 1845-2000. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #20001/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Jeanne Boger Jones is a genealogist and descendant of abolitionist minister Abraham T. Hall of Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church. Her papers contain materials relating to her family’s genealogy, World War II black naval veterans of Great Lakes and records of the Chicago chapter of the Idlewild Lot Owners Association, Inc. Included in the papers are genealogical charts, newspaper clippings, videotapes, correspondence and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Jones, Richard Papers

Dates: 1974-2005. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2007/13. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Richard Jones served as an officer in Bronzeville’s famed 8th National Guard Regiment and as manager of 47th Street’s South Center Department Store. The papers consist of subject research files on the history of the 8th regiment as well as a set of 1974 by-laws. [Unprocessed]

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Jones, Willa S. Papers

Dates: 1930-1984. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1982/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Willa S. Jones was, for 52 years, the founder, writer and producer of the acclaimed Chicago Passion Play. First presented in 1926 in a storefront church, the Passion Play later moved to St. John-Baptist Church. Jones was also a gospel pianist and director of a choir sponsored by the National Baptist Convention. Her papers include clippings, programs, serials and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Joyner, Marjorie Stewart Papers

Dates: circa 1890-1994. Size: 107 linear feet. Accession #1992/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Marjorie Stewart Joyner was national supervisor of Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Colleges, chair of Chicago’s Bud Billiken Parade and Chicago Defender Charities, benefactor of Bethune-Cookman College and an activist in the Democratic Party in Chicago. Her papers include correspondence, business records, programs, serials, clipping files, photographs and memorabilia. Organizational materials from the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association, Alpha Chi Pi Omega Sorority and Fraternity, Cosmopolitan Community Church and the Bud Billiken Parade are also included. [Finding Aid]

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Jubilee Showcase Gospel Music Video Collection

Dates: 1963-1984. Size: 20 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Fifty hours of the 100 extant programs of this Emmy Award-winning Chicago gospel music television program. Performers include the Staple Singers, Dixie Hummingbirds and hundreds of others. [Description]

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Just the Beginning Foundation Archives

Dates: 1940-2008. Size: 78 linear feet. Accession #2000/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Just the Beginning Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to honor Judge James Benton Parsons, the first African American appointed to the U.S. District Court with life tenure. The foundation’s mission is to highlight the accomplishments of African Americans in the federal judiciary, and to provide education and outreach to youth on career opportunities in the legal profession. The archives include correspondence, administrative records, photographs, conference proceedings, biographical information on federal judges and audiovisual materials. An addition to the archives consists of the papers of Edward Toles, federal bankruptcy judge and former president of the National Bar Association. [Partially processed]

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Justice Graphics, Inc. Collection

Dates: 1970s-1990. Size: 3 linear feet in 6 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Keep Strong Publishing began in 1975 in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. It was started by progressive community activists Walter “Slim” Coleman, Helen Shiller, and others, and soon changed its name to Justice Graphics, Inc. This collection consists of Justice Graphics Inc.’s files about Harold Washington and other related politicians. Of note is a series related to Washington's 1985 trip to Israel and Italy, accompanied by Shiller, acting as photographer. [Finding aid]

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Juvenile Welfare Association Records

Dates: 1898-1980, Bulk dates: 1924-1950. Size: 9.5 linear feet in 19 boxes, including 7 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection includes the records of the Juvenile Welfare Association and materials on founder Bertha Lyons’ Self-Development Course, including lessons, sheet music, recitations, or dramatic exercises. Documents also include scripts from the Adult Education Program created by Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1938-1939. [Finding aid]

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Kaba, Mariame Papers

Dates: 1989-2016, bulk dates: 2003-2016. Size: 18 linear feet in 28 boxes, (2 oversize folders, 34 artifacts, 8 VHS recordings, 5 DVDs, 68 physical photographs, 26.1 GB of born digital material including 4795 digital photographs). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Mariame Kaba works as a community-based organizer and educator with a focus on violence against women and girls, the prison system and youth leadership development. During her time in the Chicago area, Kaba actively worked with Chicago Alliance to Free Marissa Alexander (CAFMA), Chicago Freedom School (CFS), Chicago Taskforce on Violence Against Girls and Young Women, Girl Talk, Project NIA, Rogers Park Young Women's Action Team (RP YWAT) and We Charge Genocide. Her papers contain documents, photographs and video of programs and initiatives undertaken by these organizations. [Finding Aid]

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Kanief, Zarah G. Zechman Papers

Dates: 1936-1944. Size: 0.1 linear feet in 4 folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Zarah G. Zechman Kanief was an actress, director and teacher in Chicago in the middle of the twentieth century. She taught drama and theater privately and also for the Chicago Park District. This collection consists primarily of photographs, with a small number of documents, capturing the performances of Kanief’s drama students whom she taught through the Chicago Park District's drama program. The parks represented are primarily on the west and northwest sides of Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Kellum, David Papers

Dates: 1920-1981. Size: 1 linear feet. Accession #2004/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. David Kellum was a leading figure at the Chicago Defender from the 1920s through the 1950s. He is credited with the invention of the Bud Billiken character and was an early coordinator of the Bud Billiken Parade. This collection contains reproductions of early Bud Billiken photographs and an oral history interview about David Kellum conducted with his son, James Kellum. [Finding Aid]

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Kellum, David W. Papers

Dates: 1920-1981. Size: 1 linear feet. Accession #2004/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. David Kellum was a leading figure at the Chicago Defender from the 1920s through the 1950s. He is credited with the invention of the Bud Billiken character and was an early coordinator of the Bud Billiken Parade. This collection contains reproductions of early Bud Billiken photographs and an oral history interview about David Kellum conducted with his son, James Kellum. [Finding Aid]

Kelly, Ernece Papers

Dates: 1964-1975. Size: 1.5 linear foot. Accession #2000/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ernece Kelly was an activist in the 1960s Chicago civil rights movement and a staffer for the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations. This collection contains political buttons, books and pamphlets. [Finding aid]

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Kersey, McGowan and Morsell Archives

Dates: 1919-2010. Size: 15 linear feet. Accession #2012/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. This collection contains the funeral registers from Kersey, McGowan and Morsell Memorial Chapel which was located in the heart of the Bronzeville community at 3515 S. Indiana. The chapel opened in June 1919, one month before the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 and closed on January 31, 2010. [Unprocessed]

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Kinnamon, George A. Poster Collection

Dates: 1958-1967, undated. Size: 4 linear feet, includes 127 posters. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. This collection of 106 unique posters, collected by George H. Kinnamon as he drove through Chicago for his work, offers a glimpse at posted outdoor advertisements of public entertainment and politics in Chicago and Illinois during the 1950s and 1960s. [Finding aid]

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Kinsella, Helen G. Collection

Dates: 1905-1966. Size: 2.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Helen G. Kinsella was a teacher in Chicago for over 50 years, including 30 years teaching drama and public speaking at Lake View High School. This collection documents her career and work. It includes photographs of dramatic productions and student activities at Lake View High School. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Northside High Schools Digital Collection. [Finding Aid]

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Kircher Family Papers

Dates: 1873-1958. Size: 2 linear feet in 4 boxes (including 57 photographs), plus 7 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Johannes Kircher was the founding pastor of Bethlehem Evangelical Church. Collection includes materials relating to Kircher family history and the history of the church. [Finding aid]

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Knowles Postcard Collection

Dates: circa 1890-1967. Size: 93 postcards; 3 postcard booklets. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Postcards of Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Krueger, Robert W. Photograph Collection

Dates: 1886-2003 (Bulk dates, 1984-2003). Size: 5 linear feet includes 1057 photographs, 271 negatives, 158 slides, and 1 painting. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. From 1984 to 2003, photographer Robert Krueger worked with Chicago Public Library to document the neighborhoods and people of the North Side. This collection contains the hundreds of photographs he produced, including images of street scenes, parks, businesses, houses, schools, cemeteries, religious institutions, and community events. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Robert W. Krueger Photograph Digital Collection.  [Finding Aid]

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Kuck, Barbara Alternative Press Collection

Dates: 1963-1971. Size: 2 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The archive of Chicago’s Nicholas Senn High School student Barbara Kuck contains 78 alternative publications from 1968 and 1971, including 22 issues, drafts and notes related to The Paper which she edited and published. [Finding Aid]

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Kuumba Theatre Company Collection

Dates: 1969-1996; Bulk dates: 1970-1986. Size: 20 linear feet, includes 164 photographs, 43 negatives, 31 slides, 10 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Kuumba Theatre Company was founded in 1969 by Chicago dramatist, Val Gray Ward. The collection contains the theater company’s production history files, administrative records, artistic files and affiliations with a range of community and political organizations. The documentation includes the work of local playwrights along with the company’s nationally recognized productions, The Amen Corner, The Little Dreamer and In the House of the Blues. [Finding aid]

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Lai, Grace Collection

Dates: 1989-1995. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Grace Lai (1927-2010) was an artist known for her watercolor sketches of Chicago's construction sites and changing skyline. The collection consists of reproductions and photographs of her work and an article about her. [Finding Aid]

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Lake Claremont Press Records

Dates: circa 1990-circa 2015. Size: 14 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Files from a small publishing company that focused on Chicago and Chicagoland topics and authors. Includes correspondence, books, graphic proofs, press kits, memorabilia, posters, reviews, photographs, VHS tapes, promotional items, zip drives, thumb drives and other digital formats. Many books published by Lake Claremont Press are available in the Chicago Public Library circulating collection. [Partially processed]

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Lake View Council on Religious Action

Dates: 1966-1991. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 2 boxes and 89 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection.The Lake View Council on Religious Action was organized in 1940 by representatives from local churches and synagogues and members of the Kiwanis Club of Lake View. The collection contains documents and photographs from their annual award luncheon as well as a small number of general historical files. [Finding Aid]

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Lake View High School Collection

Dates: 1874-2002. Size: 12 linear feet in 23 boxes, includes 85 photographs, 9 oversize folders, and 1 volume. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Lake View High School, located at the corner of Ashland Avenue and Irving Park Road, was the first high school in Lake View Township. The history of the school is documented in this collection, which includes early annual reports, newspaper clippings, and programs and ephemera from school events. The collection also includes a run of the school’s Red and White yearbook, Lake Re View newspaper, and photographs. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Northside High School Digital Collection.  [Finding Aid]

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Lambda Pi Alpha, Beta Mu Chapter Archives

Dates: 1970-2002. Size: 14 linear feet. Accession #2003/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Beta Mu Chapter of Lambda Pi Alpha Sorority, an organization of registered nurses, was organized at Provident Hospital in 1954. The archive includes correspondence, photographs, minutes, newspaper clippings, videotapes, souvenir books, programs and constitution bylaws. [Partially processed]

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Landers, Ann Collection

Dates: 1951-2002. Size: 36 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Collection consists of the personal correspondence of “Eppie” Lederer, author of the syndicated advice column, “Ask Ann Landers.” [Partially processed]

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Lane Technical High School Collection

Dates: 1912-2007. Size: 6.75 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. In 1934 Lane Technical High School moved from a building at Sedgwick and Division streets to its campus at Addison Street and Western Avenue. This small collection contains files about the school after it moved. [Finding aid]

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Langer, Adam Collection

Dates: 1984-2011. Size: 21 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Adam Langer is a novelist, journalist and playwright. His books include the novels Crossing California, The Washington Story, Ellington Boulevard and The Thieves of Manhattan, as well as the memoir My Father’s Bonus March. The collection documents Langer’s career. It contains drafts of his published and unpublished books, scripts, research notes, promotional materials, articles he wrote for the Chicago Reader and nearly a full run of Chicago-based Subnation. [Finding aid]

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Lanyon Family Papers

Dates: 1874-1940s. Size: 11 folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Lanyon Family Papers consists of photographs and ephemera about members of the Lanyon family who settled in and started businesses in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. [Finding aid]

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Lattimer, Agnes Papers

Dates: 1963-1991. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2001/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A 1954 graduate of Chicago Medical School, Agnes Lattimer was the college’s first African American alumna. After working as director of ambulatory pediatrics at Michael Reese Hospital, she took a similar position at Cook County Hospital. From 1986 to1995 she was medical director of Cook County Hospital. Her papers include newspaper clippings, correspondence and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Lawndale-Crawford Community Collection

Dates: circa 1850-1981. Size: 40.25 linear feet in 34 boxes including 755 photographs, 26 oversize folders, 95 glass plates images. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Originally gathered by the Lawndale-Crawford Historical Association, the manuscripts, printed material and photographs in this collection focus upon the community areas that span North and South Lawndale and includes documentation of Bohemian immigrants who settled in the area around 1900. There is also information about neighborhood schools, businesses, residents, clubs, and the controversial name changing of Crawford Avenue to Pulaski Road. [Finding aid]

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Lawndale-Crawford Historical Association Records

Dates: 1929-1984 (Bulk dates: 1934-1953). Size: 3 linear feet in 6 boxes, including 31 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection includes organization files, local history materials, photographs and a scrapbook of news clippings gathered and created by the Lawndale-Crawford Historical Association. [Finding aid]

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Learning Logic Foundation Archives

Dates: 1969-1996, undated. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1994/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Learning Logic Foundation, headed by Calvin Pearce, was a non-profit think tank created to promote educational discussion and experimental programs between senior citizens and school-age youth. The collection includes correspondence, bylaws, board meeting minutes and neighborhood gang violence reports. [Finding aid]  

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Leigh, Laurie M. Photographs

Dates: 1977-1991. Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. This collection contains nearly 90 photographs taken in neighborhoods around Chicago by photographer Laurie M. Leigh. While the majority of the photographs are of buildings and areas in the city, the collection also includes two portraits. [Finding aid]

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Lems-Dworkin, Carol Papers

Dates: circa 1973, undated. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1992/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Musician, teacher and author Carol Lems-Dworkin donated photographic reproductions of African American jazz musicians. [Finding aid]

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Lerner, Michael S. Papers

Dates: 1953-1985. Size: 1 linear foot in 1 box and 7 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This collection documents Michael S. Lerner and Leo A. Lerner’s involvement in local commemorative and historical groups on the north side of Chicago. It contains notes, fliers, correspondence, clippings, photographs, and related material. [Finding Aid]

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Les Cameos Archives

Dates: 1955-2004. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2004/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Les Cameos is an African American women’s social organization founded in 1951 as a group of mothers of Girl Scouts, but that continued as a club with parties and charitable events. The organization’s archives include photograph albums, programs and newspaper clippings. [Partially processed]

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Links, Inc. Chicago Chapter Archives, The

Dates: 1950-2006. Size: 78 linear feet. Accession #1999/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Links, Inc. is a national women’s service organization founded in 1946 in Philadelphia. The Chicago chapter was founded in 1950. The chapter has included such notable members as Madeline Stratton Morris, Edith Sampson, Oneida Cockrell and Olive Diggs. The Links, Inc. archives include organizational records, annual cotillion books, program booklets, newsletters, conference proceedings, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Linsley, Caroline Theater Scrapbooks Collection

Dates: 1909-1956. Size: 9 scrapbooks. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Caroline Linsley collected Chicago theater programs, clippings and pictures which she pasted into a series of photograph albums and blank scrapbooks. Also included are movie programs and programs from New York and other locations where she traveled. [Finding aid]

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Liss, Ted Collection

Dates: 1953-1992. Size: 7 linear feet; photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Archive documenting the work of Ted Liss, a Chicago actor, teacher and director. Liss was the founder of the Chicago Equity Library Theater, the Ted Liss School of Performing Arts and the Ted Liss Studio Actors Workshop. Collection includes biographical files on Liss, information on the studio and school of performing arts, a financial series and a selection of commercial scripts. [Processed]

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Little, Mrs. Frank Ephemera Collection

Dates: 1874-1888. Size: Flat files. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Mrs. Frank Little assembled a collection of broadsides, programs and flyers from local events in 19th century Ravenswood. [Unprocessed]

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Livingston, Dorothy Rogers Papers

Dates: 1941. Size: .25 linear foot. Accession #1998/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Dorothy Rogers Livingston, a program coordinator for the Chicago Park District in 1941, collected play scripts and memorabilia from Federal Theater Project plays presented in the parks. Her papers consist of these play scripts and memorabilia. From 1942 through 1950, she was program director for Parkway Community House, the innovative settlement house led by Horace Cayton. Additional materials of Dorothy Rogers Livingston are located in Horace Cayton’s papers. [Finding aid]

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Lockett, Cherie Papers

Dates: 1953. Size: .25 linear foot. Accession #2007/12. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. This collection consists of rare promotional and descriptive materials on the first years of Lake Meadows, a middle-class housing development in Bronzeville owned by New York Life Insurance Corporation. [Finding aid]

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Logan Square Community Collection

Dates: 1887-1989 (Bulk dates, 1941-1955). Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box, 22 photographs, 28 slides, 18 negatives, and 11 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This collection contains news clippings, historical sketches, photographs, and ephemera related to the Logan Square neighborhood, mostly from the first half of the twentieth century. There is also a small amount of material related to the Avondale neighborhood. [Finding aid]

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Logan, Arthur Papers

Dates: 1887-1999. Size: 17.5 linear feet. Accession #2004/11. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Arthur Logan, a graphic artist, singer and choirmaster, was graphic designer for the 1927-1929 “Wonder Books,” edited by Frederic H. Robb. Logan was later active in Chicago churches as a choirmaster through the 1980s. His papers include early Wendell Phillips High School yearbooks, gospel music programs, photographs, clippings, sheet music and memorabilia. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Logsdon, Joseph Papers

Dates: 1960-1961. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1961/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The papers consist of his typed dissertation submitted to the University of Chicago for a Master of Arts in social sciences. The dissertation traces the Rev. Archibald J. Carey and his impact on politics in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Loop Players Theater Collection

Dates: 1962-2005. Size: 2 linear feet; 137 photographs; 521 slides. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Loop Players are part of the drama department at Loop College (now Harold Washington College). The collection contains programs  promotional material and photographs from their theatrical productions as well as programs and promotional material for the Annual Harold Washington Oratorical Festival. [Processed]

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Lower West Side Community Collection

Dates: 1891-2022. Size: 3.75 linear feet in 6 boxes and 1 oversize folder, includes 15 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. The Lower West Side in Chicago has served as an entry point for several immigrant groups over the years including Bohemians, Germans, Poles and Mexicans. The bulk of the collection documents the Pilsen area and the predominately Mexican American residents in that community. The topics include arts and culture, schools, social organizations and religious organizations. The Gads Hill Center settlement house folders cover several of the earlier immigrant groups to this area. [Finding aid]

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MacDonald, J. Fred Papers

Dates: 1955-1974. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2010/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. J. Fred MacDonald is professor emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and president of MacDonald & Associates, a historical film archives based in Chicago. The collection includes DVD transfers documenting black arts, television and radio during the early 20th century. [Unprocessed]

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Mackel, Audley Papers

Dates: 1925-1970. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2003/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Audley Mackel was a prominent dentist in the Vicksburg-Natchez, Mississippi area. In the 1950s he was active in the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, headed by T.R.M. Howard. In a legendary incident, he drove Howard in a hearse past Ku Klux Klan gunners. Mackel was also instrumental in an NAACP lawsuit challenging “separate but equal.” The papers include correspondence, original petitions, photographs, speeches, clippings and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Made in Chicago Collection

Dates: 1942-1999. Size: 25 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. The Made in Chicago Collection consists of various smaller collections of musical material, both scores that were published in Chicago and recordings made here (including recordings made at the Harold Washington Library Center). The following collections have been consolidated into the Made in Chicago Collection:  Herbert James Wrightson Collection, Saugatuck/Douglas Music Festivals Collection and National Music Company Collection. [Partially processed]

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Magic Circle Theatre Records

Dates: 1972-1977. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box (including 24 photographs, 1 audiocassette) and 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Magic Circle Theatre was founded by Goodman School alumnus Guy Giarrizzo and dedicated to the investigation of innovative techniques and the development of new plays. It became one of the resident theaters at the Body Politic in 1973. The collection consists of promotional and production records including programs, posters, flyers and reviews. There are also copies of several original scripts from early shows. [Finding aid]

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Maier, Max Papers

Dates: 1906-1953. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. In 1947 Max Meier exhibited his collection of Chicago playbills, programs and scrapbooks at the Chicago Public Library. A Chicago native, Meier was a contributor to the Chicago Tribune "Line O' Type" column and an avid theater-goer. This collection documents the exhibit through photographs and clippings, as well as contains several examples of Meier's correspondence. [Finding aid]

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Manney, Edward Papers

Dates: 1980-1992. Size: 11 linear feet. Accession #1992/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Edward Manney was the assistant curator of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature from 1984 to 1992. His personal collection consists of manuscripts, books, posters, memorabilia, theater programs, newspaper clippings, videos, color slides, campaign materials from Harold Washington’s 1983 mayoral election and exhibit catalogs. [Partially processed]

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Mardis, Geraldine Lane Papers

Dates: 1907-1953. Size: 3.5 linear feet. Accession #2003/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Geraldine Lane Mardis’ grandfather Alexander Lane graduated from Rush Medical College in 1895 and served as an Illinois state legislator. Her family vacationed at Idlewild, Mich., beginning in the 1920s. While a student at University of Chicago, Mardis was the subject of a racially motivated controversy. Her papers include correspondence, newspapers clippings, Idlewild and Chicago photographs, and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Martin & Morris Collection

Dates: 1940-1975. Size: 14 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. This collection of 1,500 scores is almost exclusively gospel vocal music and represents nearly the complete catalog of the publisher, The Martin & Morris Music Studio. [Description]

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Martin & Morris Music Company Papers

Dates: 1905-1980. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2003/14. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. When the Martin & Morris store was closing in the 1990s, gospel music devotees bought up the store’s remaining sheet music stock. The papers include more than 300 gospel music titles, some of them rare. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Martin, Rev. George Papers

Dates: 1901-1972. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2000/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The papers of the Rev. George Martin, D.D., an A.M.E. minister originally from Kansas City, Missouri, were donated by his daughter, Chestine Warfield Allen. Martin was sent in 1916 to serve A.M.E. congregations in the Pacific Northwest, where he was a pastor in Portland, Oregon, Seattle and Spokane, Washington. He later returned to Kansas City as a pastor and was influential in the A.M.E. church nationally. His papers include correspondence, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Mason, Grace Papers/Franklyn Atkinson Henderson Photograph Collection

Dates: 1880-1920. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1992/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Grace Mason, a descendant of pioneering Chicago African American photographer Franklyn Atkinson Henderson, donated his collection of nearly 100 photo portraits of “prominent Negro Chicagoans.” Photos were created from 1885 to 1915. Many of these photos were exhibited at the 1940 American Negro Exposition. The papers include photos of the “Old Settlers” and an official register of the Chicago Old Settlers Club, founded by Ida McIntosh Dempsey in 1904. Later Scott family records and photographs are also included. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Maxey-Boyd, Alva Beatrice Papers

Dates: 1930-2003. Size: 10 linear feet. Accession #2010/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Alva Maxey-Boyd was a community organizer active in civil rights, urban renewal and historic preservation. She taught at Roosevelt and Northeastern Illinois universities. Her papers include correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, subject research files and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

McBride, William Papers

Dates: 1907-1995. Size: 45 linear feet. Accession #1995/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. From the 1930s through the 1980s, William McBride was an artist, political activist and collector of Bronzeville cultural memorabilia. During the early 1940s, he played a prominent role with the South Side Community Art Center, serving as its publicity director. His papers include early SSCAC organizational and publicity files. Also included are extensive files of cultural and political activities, correspondence, fliers, programs, posters, playbills, art studies and photographs. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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McCutcheon, John T. Cartoons

Dates: 1901-1940s. Size: 3 linear feet, includes 79 cartoons. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. John T. McCutcheon worked as a political and satirical cartoonist on the staff of several Chicago newspapers between 1889 and 1946. He spent the bulk of his career at the Chicago Tribune where his cartoons offered commentary on a range of topics spanning economics, politics, social change and international affairs. The majority of the cartoons in this collection come from his time at the Tribune. [Finding aid]

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McGill Family Papers

Dates: 1870-2008. Size: 13 linear feet. Accession #2004/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Nathan K. McGill, a native Floridian, had a profound impact on Chicago journalism and law. In 1925, he was appointed assistant state’s attorney in Chicago. A confidant of Robert Abbott, he later served as general manager, vice president and counsel of the Chicago Defender. He was also a member of the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors. From 1934 to 1937, he published his own newspaper, Metropolitan News. Nathan McGill’s papers consist of newspaper clippings, serials, rare documents, photographs and memorabilia. The McGill Family Papers also include materials from Nathan McGill’s brother, Simuel D. McGill, a civil rights attorney who represented the Scottsboro Boys, and items from their descendants. [Finding aid]

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Meet the Playwright Lecture Series

Dates: 1986. Size: .5 linear feet in one box, includes 12 audio cassette tapes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. In November 1986, the Chicago Public Library hosted a series of 15 lectures and panel discussions in which Chicago playwrights discussed their work, presented performance excerpts and answered audience questions. This program was organized by the Chicago Office of Fine Arts and co-sponsored by the Chicago Public Library. It was made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. [Finding aid]

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Merritt, Michael Papers

Size: 3.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Award-winning set designer Michael Merritt (1945-1992) worked closely throughout his career with Chicago-area theaters. In particular he designed sets for David Mamet’s plays including Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed the Plow. The Michael Merritt Collection includes drawings, set designs and renderings, notebooks, posters, blueprints, slides and photographs. [Unprocessed]

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Metcalfe, Ralph Papers

Dates: 1934-1975. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1993/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ralph Metcalfe was an Olympic track athlete and was later elected a Chicago alderman and Congressman. The papers include early correspondence, awards, photographs, official documents and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Milk Dealers’ Association Ledger and Minute Book

Dates: 1889-1895. Size: 1 linear foot in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. Account book from the Milk Dealers Association [which may also have been known as the "Milkman Association"] in the Roseland neighborhood. While most of the entries are minutes from the Association meetings, the value of the book is its documentation of a grass-roots union movement in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Millennium Park, Inc. Records

Dates: 1992-2006. Size: 60 linear feet in 28 boxes, includes 13 VHS videos, 746 photographs, 6 CDs, 105 oversize folders/items, 18 artifacts, 1.11 GB electronic files. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Millennium Park, Inc. Archives contain information from the early planning stage of Chicago’s “Lakefront Millennium Project” in 1998 through the completion and opening of Millennium Park in 2004. The majority of the collection consists of presentation boards showing elevations, site plans, renderings and architectural sections of the various sites in the park. The sites represented in the collection include the Jay Pritzker Music Pavilion and the B.P. Pedestrian Bridge, designed by Frank Gehry; Cloud Gate, designed by Anish Kapoor; Crown Fountain, designed by Jaume Plensa; the Lurie Garden, designed by Gustafson, Guthrie, Nichol, Ltd.; Millennium Monument and Wrigley Square; the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance, designed by Thomas Beeby; the Exelon Pavilions, designed by Thomas Beeby and Renzo Piano; and the Boeing Galleries. There are a number of artifacts in the collection including a scale model of Cloud Gate, architectural models of the Lurie Garden by the three finalists in the international garden competition, models of the Crown Fountain and a model of the Millennium Monument, or Peristyle, in Wrigley Square. See also photographs from the Millennium Park, U.S. Equities Realty Collection in the Library’s Millennium Park Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Millennium Park, U.S. Equities Realty Collection

Dates: 1999-2005. Size: 80 linear feet in 99 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. U.S. Equities Realty was retained to act as owners’ representative for many of the enhancements to Millennium Park. These photographs document the development and construction of the major sites in Millennium Park. All of these photographs are digital and in color. Photographs from this collection are available in the Library’s Millennium Park Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Minor, Frances Papers

Dates: 1863-2009. Size: 15 linear feet. Accession #2002/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A Chicago public school educator and South Side Community Art Center and African American history activist, Frances Minor’s papers focus on African Americans in Chicago, Minnesota and Mississippi. Other topics include her late husband, school administrator Byron Minor; Judge Irvin C. Mollison; and St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church. The collection consists of programs, clippings, serials, correspondence, funeral programs, scrapbooks, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Minor, Myrtis Papers

Dates: 1946-2007. Size: 2.5 linear feet. Accession #2004/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. As a high school student in Jackson, Mississippi, Minor was one of the leaders of a 1949 bus boycott for civil rights. Her papers document the boycott, her career as a nurse at Provident Hospital and her activities in community organizations. They consist of oral history audio recordings, programs, yearbooks, clippings and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Montrose, Ruth Papers

Dates: 1962-1979. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1981/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ruth Montrose was a social worker active in the National Council of Negro Women, the League of Black Women, the National Association of Black Social Workers and the Chicago Urban League. Her papers include a wide range of music, theater and political programs as well as flyers, correspondence and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Mootry, Maria Papers

Dates: 1971-2001. Size: 3.5 linear feet. Accession #2001/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Poet, literary critic and essayist Maria Mootry was a professor at the University of Illinois-Springfield and the author of literary criticism on Gwendolyn Brooks. Her papers include original manuscripts, correspondence, conference programs and memorabilia. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Morgan Park Co-op Credit Union Archives

Dates: 1940-1995. Size: 6.5 linear feet. Accession #2001/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Morgan Park Co-op Credit Union, founded in 1940, is the oldest African-American credit union in Chicago. The collection contains photographs, legal documents, history brochures and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Morris, Aldon Papers

Dates: 1986-2006. Size: .25 linear foot. Accession #1998/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Professor of sociology and African American studies at Northwestern University, Aldon Morris is the author of Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. His papers include published and unpublished articles, speeches and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Morris, Madeline Stratton Papers

Dates: 1859-2003. Size: 15 linear feet. Accession #2003/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Madeline Stratton Morris’ papers document her work as an educator, author and activist in the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. As a Chicago schoolteacher during World War II, she developed the first “Negro History” curriculum to be adopted by a U.S. public school system. Later, she was the author of black history books for young people. Her papers include correspondence, her original curriculum guide, manuscripts of published and unpublished works, photographs, programs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Morrow, E. Frederic Papers

Dates: 1952-1996. Size: 13 linear feet. Accession #2000/11. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Best known as a member of President Eisenhower’s White House staff, E. Frederic Morrow worked for the Urban League, the NAACP and CBS radio before joining Eisenhower’s campaign in 1952. He served on the White House staff from 1955 through 1960 and wrote a memoir, Black Man in the White House. His papers include manuscripts, correspondence, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Mosby, Sisi Donald Papers

Dates: 1951-1964. Size: 2.75 linear feet. Accession #1997/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Civil rights activist, journalist and historian Donald Mosby published The Struggle, a 1960s civil rights newspaper, and did most of the writing on a biography of Ulysses Grant Dailey. Papers include rare newspapers, original manuscripts and speeches, and page proofs. [Finding aid]

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Motley, Willard F. Papers

Dates: 1939-1951. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2002/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. This small group of Willard Motley’s papers includes newspaper clippings, manuscripts and journal articles by Motley. Also included is significant correspondence between Motley and William P. Shenk, co-founder of Hull House literary magazine. [Finding aid]

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Moye, Don/Art Ensemble of Chicago Papers

Dates: 1970-1990. Size: 8 linear feet. Accession #1993/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Don Moye is best known as one of the members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the avant-garde jazz group that emerged in the 1970s. The papers include posters, programs, audiovisual materials and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Musial, Tom Photographs

Dates: 1988-1991. Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection of photographs documents the construction of the Harold Washington Library Center through daily images of building progress. It includes slides, photographs and negatives. [Unprocessed]

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National Black Nurses Association, Chicago Chapter Archives

Dates: 1970-2005. Size: 38 linear feet. Accession #2003/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Chicago Chapter of National Black Nurses Association, established in 1970, is dedicated to collective action by nurses to investigate and advocate for the health care needs of African Americans, and to implement strategies that ensure access to equal health care. The archives include official documents, minutes, programs, investigative reports, correspondence, clippings, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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National Jewish Theatre Records

Dates: 1986-1996. Size: 6 linear feet, 1 audio tape reel, 18 folders of photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The National Jewish Theatre was founded in 1986 as a professional company devoted to producing plays that, according to one of its artistic directors, “explore and illuminate contemporary Jewish life.” This collection includes newsletters, board minutes, scripts, production contracts, programs, press clippings and photographs. The theater closed in 1996. [Finding aid]

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Nesbitt, Prexy Papers

Dates: 1968-1996. Size: 36 linear feet. Accession #1996/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Prexy Nesbitt was a leader in organizing Chicago’s support for southern African liberation and against apartheid. He wrote extensively on southern Africa and collected materials on liberation movements there. His papers include manuscripts, programs, rare serials and subject research files. [Partially processed]

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Nieminski, Joseph Papers

Dates: 1956-2001. Size: 96.75 linear feet in 56 boxes and 31 oversize folders, includes 955 drawings, 99 photographs, 314 slides, 55 models. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Joseph Nieminski is a an award winning set designer whose work has been seen at Goodman, St. Nicholas, Northlight and Court theaters, among others. The collection includes set models, draftings, painter's elevations, sketches, slides, photographs, programs and clippings.  [Finding aid]

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North Center/Lincoln Square Neighborhood Association Collection

Dates: 1999-2001. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The North Center/Lincoln Square Neighborhood Association Collection was founded in 2000 by longtime residents of the neighborhood in reaction to real estate developers who were tearing down buildings and replacing them with luxury condos and houses, driving out longtime residents. This collection contains newsletters, news clippings, flyers, and membership forms which outline the group's activities to fight for affordable housing and fight against chain stores moving into their neighborhood. [Finding aid]

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North Lawndale Community Collection

Dates: 1872-1959 (Bulk Dates: 1935-1959). Size: 2.5 linear feet in 6 boxes including 118 photographs and 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains a range of articles, brochures, historical sketches, newsletters, photographs, programs and reports that focus on neighborhood events, persons and organizations, particularly during the mid-20th century when Russian Jews were the dominant foreign-born group. [Finding aid]

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North Mayfair Community Collection

Dates: 1869-2000. Size: 1 linear foot in 2 boxes (including 31 photographs). Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. North Mayfair is a residential neighborhood near La Bagh Woods within the community area of Albany Park on the north side of Chicago. This collection contains news clippings, letters, and other material that document the history of local families, businesses, parks, organizations and other topics. It also contains historical sketches and reminiscences from former residents. [Finding Aid]

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North Park Village Collection

Dates: 1915-2007. Size: 14 linear feet in 29 boxes (including photographs), includes 3 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. North Park Village is located on the grounds of what was once Chicago’s Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium, covering nearly 160 acres on the northwest side of the city. It includes a nature center, senior housing, a gymnasium, and other community resources. The collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, planning documents, event fliers, news clippings, historical material, brochures, photographs, and other records that document the site’s transformation from a sanitarium to a village and nature center within Chicago. [Finding Aid]

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North Town Woman's Club Records

Dates: 1930-1980. Size: 3 linear feet in 6 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The North Town Woman’s Club was formed on December 17, 1930. It aimed to pursue civic, educational, and philanthropic purposes. This collection consists mostly of their meeting minutes and reports, with a small amount of additional material such as notes and correspondence.[Finding Aid]

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Northlight Theatre Collection

Dates: 1975-2000. Size: 6 linear feet, includes 7 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Founded as the Evanston Theatre Company in 1975 and dedicated to producing thought-provoking plays, while also providing community service programs for Chicago and the northern suburbs. Collection consists primarily of promotional material such as programs, press releases, reviews and clippings, although there are a small number of prompt scripts from productions in the 1980s. [Finding aid]

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Northside Postcard Collection

Dates: 1906-circa 1963, undated. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Northside Postcard Collection consists of about 200 color and black-and-white postcards of scenes from Chicago’s North Side dated between circa 1906 and circa 1963. Areas of focus include scenes of popular destinations for tourism and recreation on the North Side, such as the lakefront, hotels, monuments, and attractions at Lincoln Park. [Finding Aid]

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Northwest Federation of Improvement Clubs Records

Dates: 1914-1954. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 5 boxes, plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. Records of citizens’ associations formed to bring about community improvements. Covers an area of the Northwest Side from North Avenue (1600 N) north to the city limits and from Western Avenue (2400 W) west to the city limits. [Finding aid]

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Norwood Park Community Collection

Dates: 1838-2012 (Bulk dates, 1943-1978). Size: 2 linear feet in 4 boxes (including photographs). Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Norwood Park, one of Chicago’s seventy-seven community areas, is located on the far northwest side of the city. This collection contains clippings, historical sketches, and a small amount of additional material such as publications, letters, and ephemera. It includes information on local businesses, residents, religious organizations, schools, residences, and other areas of the community. [Finding Aid]

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O'Shea, John Scrapbook

Dates: 1901-1959. Size: 2 linear feet in 1 box, including 1 scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. John O'Shea was known as the "Father of River Park." This scrapbook documents O’Shea’s life, the development of the North Center area from farms and prairies to urban neighborhood, the development of the River Park District and its parks and the Irish Catholic community on Chicago’s northwest side in the 1930s and 1940s, especially the Queen of Angels Parish and its clergymen. [Finding aid]

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Office of Civilian Defense Records

Dates: 1942-1945. Size: 1.5 linear feet; 24 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. Collection includes community news items. The materials in this collection are the records of the District 4 office, which 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 many aspects of the office’s work during World War II. [Finding aid]

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Old Pops & Piano Music Single Sheets

Dates: 1809-2004. Size: 72 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Old Pops comprises single song sheet music in alphabetical sequence in 286 boxes; 8 additional boxes contain Chicago songs, war songs and Christmas songs. Music Single Sheets are instrumental piano pieces filed alphabetically with Old Pops. [Processed]

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Old Town Players Collection

Dates: 1967-1984. Size: circa 78 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Old Town Players were a community theater group that used both professional and amateur actors to bring new plays, musicals and Chicago premieres to the stage. Collection documents the production, financial and general history of the Old Town Players. [Partially processed]

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One Book, Many Interpretations Collection

Date: 2006-2011. Size: 5.5 linear feet in 4 boxes and 17 bound volumes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. This collection consists of 21 artist books and fine bindings that were displayed at two juried bookbinding exhibits—One Book, Many Interpretations in 2006 and One Book, Many Interpretations: Second Edition in 2011—coinciding with the fifth and tenth anniversaries of Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago program. The books, each drawing inspiration from a previous One Book, One Chicago selection, represent a wide range of styles, from traditional fine bindings to conceptual artist books. [Finding aid]

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Open Space Section Records

Dates: 1894-2011 (Bulk dates 1991-2010). Size: 106 linear feet; 6 linear feet of photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Open Space Section is part of the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development’s Sustainable Development Division. Growing out of the 1998 CitySpace plan, the Open Space Section works to increase the amount of publicly accessible open space in Chicago, in an effort to provide recreational green space to all residents. Some of its projects have included the Campus Park Program, the Calumet Open Space Reserve and projects to develop public pathways and trails along the Chicago River. The collection documents Open Space’s varied initiatives to increase the amount of and improve the access to green space for all Chicagoans. [Finding aid]

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Organic Theater Records

Dates: 1969-2000. Size: 21 linear feet in 40 boxes (including 503 photographs and 4 artifacts), 3 oversize folders and 12 audiocassettes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Founded in 1969 by Stuart Gordon and Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, the Organic Theater staged a number of influential productions, including Warp, a science fiction epic adventure, and Bleacher Bums, which featured Dennis Franz and Joe Mantegna. The collection consists of artistic, administrative, outreach and production files. [Finding aid and unprocessed material]

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Orstrom, A.Z. Song Plugger Cards Collection

Dates: 1906-1928. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The A.Z. Orstrom Song Plugger Cards Collection contains approximately 86 song plugger cards. Song plugger cards contained an advertisement for a dance or picnic on the front and lyrics from popular songs on the back. The cards are generally 2-3 inches tall and 4-5 inches wide, come in a variety of colors, and sometimes contain small illustrations. [Finding aid]

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Owen, Chandler Papers

Dates: 1922-1972. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2010/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Chandler Owen was a writer, editor and labor activist who co-founded the radical socialist journal The Messenger with A. Philip Randolph. He later worked as managing editor of the Chicago Bee newspaper. This small group of papers includes original typescripts of several of Owen’s speeches and essays. [Finding aid]

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O’Quinn Family Papers

Dates: circa 1937-circa 1987, undated. Size: 5.75 linear feet in 6 boxes, includes 112 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Lawndale Community Collections. The O’Quinn Family Papers document their participation in Chicago’s Lawndale community that includes Boy Scouts of America, O’Quinn Royal Gladiators Drum and Bugle Corps and West Side Negro Women's League. [Finding aid]

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Palmer, Alice and Edward (“Buzz”) Papers

Dates: 1950-2005. Size: 5 linear feet. Accession #2006/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Alice Palmer, an educator and human rights activist, worked on Harold Washington’s campaigns and served as an Illinois state senator. She was active in Chicago’s civil rights movement of the 1960s and in international dialogues beginning in the 1980s. Her husband, “Buzz” Palmer, a former police officer, was one of the founders of the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League and has been active in international human rights work. Their papers include correspondence, subject research files, programs, serials and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Parada, Esther Papers

Dates: 1929-1993. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #2007/15. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. In 1992, Esther Parada, an artist and professor at University of Illinois at Chicago, created an exhibit entitled, “Who Dis/Covers, Who Dis/Colors?” The exhibit investigated the struggle of African Americans for representation of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable at the 1933 Century of Progress international exposition in Chicago. The papers include original art by Parada, research materials from the period of the exposition and press coverage of the 1992 exhibit. [Unprocessed]

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Passovoy, Lorraine Papers

Dates: 1940-1984. Size: .5 linear foot. Accession #1987/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Lorraine Passovoy’s papers include research materials and correspondence on the life of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable. [Finding aid]

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Path Press Archives

Dates: 1961-1996. Size: 41 linear feet. Accession #1997/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. One of the first black-owned publishing companies in the United States, Path Press was founded in Chicago in 1969 by novelist Herman C. Gilbert and civil rights veteran Bennett Johnson. The company was active until 2001 and had considerable success with Gilbert’s novel, The Negotiations. The archives include published and unpublished manuscripts, correspondence, administrative records, publicity, distribution/sales files and photographs. Additional materials were accessioned relating to unpublished authors at Path Press. [Finding aid]

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Patricca, Nicholas A. Papers

Dates: 1980-1999. Size: 2 linear feet in 4 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Collection documents the work of Nicholas Patricca, a Chicago playwright and an artistic director at Chicago New Plays, a collective service organization dedicated to the development of playwrights working in Chicago. Materials include original scripts and production materials for 18 plays written by Patricca. [Finding aid]

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Patricia Liddell Researchers (PLR) Archives

Dates: 1920-2006. Size: 150 linear feet. Accession #1994/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Patricia Liddell Researchers is an African American genealogical society co-founded by Adlean Harris and Thelma Eldridge. The PLR’s initial donation of 2 linear feet has grown exponentially along with the surge in interest in genealogy. The PLR archive includes over 10,000 funeral programs, surname indexes, organizational files, program materials, conference workshops, meeting records, genealogical serials and a wide variety of national genealogical information. [Finding aid]

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Paul, Rick Collection

Dates: 1969-1977. Size: 4 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Rick Paul is a well-known Chicago set designer of plays, ballets, operas and films. Collection consists of set renderings from four productions. [Finding aid]

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Paul, Stanley Papers

Dates: circa 1929-2017 [bulk dates circa 1960-2017]. Size: 42.25 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, General Chicago History Collection. Stanley Paul was the band leader of Chicago’s Pump Room in the Ambassador East Hotel from 1964 through 1974, leading the orchestra with style, class and verve. At the time the Pump Room was the watering hole of the best-known celebrities in the world and the grandeur of those years is evident in the collection, with photographs and personal notes from people such as Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Irv and Essee Kupcinet, Ethel Merman, Gloria Swanson and Oprah Winfrey. The collection documents his career and life as a musician, before, during and after Mr. Paul’s years in the Pump Room. [Finding aid]

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Pearson, Roy Sigfrid Papers

Dates: 1941-1962. Size: 4.25 linear feet in 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Roy Sigfrid Pearson worked as an architectural designer for De Leuw, Cather & Company in Chicago, beginning in 1946. He worked on a number of buildings related to transportation and infrastructure. These drawings reflect his work on six different buildings in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Pegasus Players Records

Dates: 1978-1999. Size: 2 linear feet; 61 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Pegasus Players is located in the Uptown neighborhood. Collection consists of promotional materials such as programs, reviews and clippings. [Finding aid]

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Pennick, Aurie A. Papers

Dates: 1966-2016 (bulk dates: 1982-2016). Size: 2 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Chicago native, Aurie A. Pennick is an African American attorney and philanthropist whose work spans across Chicago’s municipal and nonprofit organizations. Pennick’s papers include her involvement with Mayor Harold Washington’s Office of Women’s Affairs, her decade of executive stewardship at the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities and her ongoing engagement with housing and policing issues in Chicago. The collection contains a variety of articles, newsletters, programs, reports, studies and videos that Pennick authored, consulted in or contributed to in the course of her work from 1982 to 2016. [Finding Aid]

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People for Community Recovery Archives

Dates: 1983-2008. Size: 62 linear feet. Accession #2009/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. People for Community Recovery (PCR) is a community organization located in the Chicago Housing Authority’s Altgeld Gardens project on Chicago’s far Southeast Side. Founded in 1979 by Altgeld Gardens resident Hazel Johnson, PCR demanded cleanup of toxic waste surrounding the community and pressed for repair work. The organization also coined the term “environmental racism.” The archives include correspondence, organization files, programs and newspaper clippings. [Finding aid]

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People’s Gas Light & Coke Co. Photo Albums

Date: 1924-1929, 1944, undated. Size: 2 photo albums, 303 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The People’s Gas Light & Coke Company photo albums were created to document three natural gas pipeline projects in Chicago neighborhoods. The 1925 Northwest Side Project runs through the Old Irving Park and Mayfair communities and goes on to span the bridge at North Branch Chicago River near Forest Glen Avenue. The 95th Street Project runs through the Beverly, Longwood Manor and Rosalind communities. The 1944 project includes pipelines that extend to and from the Crawford Distribution Station, the Division Street Station and the 22nd Street Station. The albums contain views of equipment, natural gas pipes, iron fittings, work crews and street views of the surrounding neighborhoods. [Finding aid]

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PerformInk Collection

Dates: 1987-2005. Size: 29 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The PerformInk Collection contains press releases and other promotional materials that Chicago-area theaters sent to the PerformInk offices between 1987 and 2005. [Finding aid]

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Perkins, Marion Papers

Dates: 1938-2003. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #2006/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Arkansas-born and Chicago-based Marion Perkins was an acclaimed sculptor; his works are held at the Art Institute of Chicago and DuSable Museum. From the late 1930s until his death in 1961, Perkins was a radical activist whose art reflected his perspectives.  The papers include Marion Perkins’ writings, photographs and articles about his work. [Finding Aid]

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Perkins, Useni Eugene Papers

Dates: 1960-2014. Size 12 linear feet. Accession #2014/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Useni (Eugene) Perkins is an accomplished poet, essayist and social worker who was a leader in the Black Arts Movement. His father is artist Marion Perkins. The papers include plays, poetry and interviews by Useni Perkins as well as correspondence and photographs. [Finding Aid]

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Perlman, David Map Collection

Dates: circa 1670-1901. Size: 2 linear feet in 1 box and 1 oversize folder, includes 21 maps, 5 illustrations. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The collection contains 21 maps and 5 illustrated views of the Chicago area that punctuate a timeline from the 17th century to the turn of the 20th century. Significant works include maps of the Great Lakes region by European cartographers that recorded the Native American name of “Checagou” or “Chicagou” for the site now known as Chicago, an 1834 real estate plat map and views of notable Chicago buildings and transportation routes were rendered in steel and wood engravings for a 1872 publication called, Picturesque America, or the Land We Live In. [Finding aid]

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Philippi, Michael Models

Dates: 1990-1991. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box, includes 2 models. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Set and lighting designer Michael Philippi worked on stages nationwide and in Chicago. Collection includes two partial set models for productions staged at the Goodman Theatre. [Finding aid]

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Phillips, David: Chicago Park District Photographs

Dates: 1872-1963. Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection of photographs features 23 of the Chicago Park District's earliest parks, showing park construction, fieldhouses, aerial views, and people enjoying the parks. Celebrated photographers appear in the collection including J.W. Taylor, Kaufmann & Fabry, and George Lawrence. Of particular note are the panoramic views of park construction by J.W. Taylor taken in 1904 that capture the South Park Commission implementing its revolutionary plan to build small parks close to overcrowded, working class, immigrant neighborhoods. [Finding aid]

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Pinkney, Nannie Papers

Dates: circa 1959-1994. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1994/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. In the 1950s, Nannie Pinkney was a clerk at George Cleveland Hall Branch Library. Her papers include an oral history audiotape on the Hall Branch and the last years of Vivian Harsh’s life, as well as photographs. [Finding aid]

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Piven Theatre Workshop Records

Dates: 1974-2001. Size: 2.25 linear feet in 4 boxes, plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Established in 1974 by Byrne and Joyce Piven, who were also founding members of the Playwright’s Theatre, the group that spawned Second City. The workshop is located in Evanston and boasts such recognizable alums as Joan and John Cuzack, Aidan Quinn and Jeremy Piven. The collection includes information on Piven Theatre Workshop productions as well as promotional material on classes and workshops. [Finding aid]

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Plays and Players, Series 1, Theater Scrapbooks Collection

Dates: 1891-1916. Size: 10 scrapbooks. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The compiler of this scrapbook series remains anonymous. Scrapbooks include programs, clippings, newspaper reviews and commentary for opera, concerts, dance, vaudeville and all types of theater. Pictorial material is also included. [Finding aid]

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Plays and Players, Set 2, Theater Scrapbooks Collection

Dates: 1908-1912. Size: 1 linear foot in 5 boxes, includes 5 scrapbooks. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The compiler of this scrapbook series remains anonymous. The volumes include programs, newspaper clippings and the compiler's comments and notes. Productions represented include operas, concerts, plays and dance. [Finding aid]

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Pocius, Mike Photographs

Dates: 1971-2022. Size: 3 linear feet in 2 boxes, includes 63 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Mike Pocius is a Chicago photographer and longtime resident of the Bridgeport neighborhood. His photographs capture a range of primarily Chicago community events, street scenes and artistic compositions from 1971 to 2011 and include scenes in Bridgeport, Little Village, Loop, Pilsen and other neighborhoods. [Finding Aid]

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Pockmire, Robert Papers

Dates: 1977-1980. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Robert Pockmire is a painter, illustrator and designer. During the late 1970s he worked at the Victory Gardens Theatre in various roles, most notably as graphic designer. The collection includes posters, programs, clippings and subscription mailings designed by Pockmire. [Finding aid]

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Pollard, Fritz Papers

Dates: 1916-2004, undated. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2005/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. An early and exceptional football star, Fritz Pollard played for Lane Tech High School and Brown University, and in the National Football League. The papers include newspaper clippings and photographs collected by Eleanor Towns. [Finding aid]

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Portage Park Community Collection

Dates: 1859-circa 2000 (bulk, 1900-1940). Size: 1.5 linear feet in 3 boxes and 75 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Portage Park is one of Chicago’s 77 community areas, located on the Northwest side of the city nine miles from the Loop. The Portage Park Community Collection contains programs, fliers, brochures, publications, and other material related to local businesses, schools, and community organizations; news clippings; a small amount of biographical information and historical sketches; and a scrapbook and scrapbook pages. It also contains a number of photographs, most of which date from the 1910s. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Northside Clubs and Organizations Digital Collection.  [Finding Aid]

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Prince Hall Freemasonry Archives

Dates: 1902-2006. Size: 7.5 linear feet. Accession #1997/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The papers, donated by Brian Abrams, Robert DeCuir and Isaac Washington, include rare serials, Masonic proceedings, lodge materials, directories, programs, annual reports, bylaws, amendments and memorial services. [Finding Aid]

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Pullman Collection, Historic

Dates: 1872-2008, undated. Size: 19 linear feet, includes 97 photographs, 1 scrapbook, 11 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains annual reports, brochures, bulletins, news clippings and photographs on the Pullman Company, the Pullman Free School of Manual Training, Pullman Town, and the 1894 strike. [Finding aid]

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Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church Archives

Dates: 1905-1999. Size: 5.5 linear feet. Accession #2001/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The oldest African American congregation in Chicago, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. was founded in 1844. The archive includes anniversary books, programs, newsletters, membership registers, financial records and photographs. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Rabb, Madeline Murphy Papers

Dates: 1980-1991. Size: 6 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Madeline Murphy Rabb served as Executive Director of the Chicago Office of Fine Arts from 1983 to 1990, where she helped strengthen and expand the city’s cultural arts programs. The Madeline Murphy Rabb Papers span from 1980-1991 and include administrative documents, speeches, material related to conferences and exhibits, publicity, research, and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Ramsey, Jane Papers

Dates: 1982-1988. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 5 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Jane Ramsey served in Mayor Harold Washington's cabinet as Director of Community Relations (1986-1988) and served as Executive Director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Her papers represent her work in Washington's administration and his campaigns for Mayor, with an emphasis on Jewish voters. [Finding aid]

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Ravenswood and Lake View Abstracts of Title Collection

Dates: 1853-2001 (Bulk dates, 1869-1921). Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection.This collection consists of abstracts of titles, transfer documents such as trust deeds and quit claims, and building specification records for lots on Chicago’s north side in the Ravenswood, Ravenswood Manor, and Lake View communities. [Finding Aid]

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Ravenswood Congregational Church Records

Dates: 1870-1969, undated. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 3 boxes, 43 photographs, and 22 slides. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Ravenswood Congregational Church was founded in the fall of 1869 by the Reverend William A. Lloyd when Ravenswood was a small village. The church closed its doors due to declining membership in 1969. This collection contains news clippings, historical sketches, parish directories, and publications that document the church’s activities such as bulletins, programs, newsletters, correspondence. There are also 4 cookbooks published by the Women’s Society.  The collection also contains 43 photographs which document the church building and some church activities. [Finding aid]

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Ravenswood Gardens Homeowners Association Records

Dates: 1915-1994, undated. Size: 4 Linear Feet (in 7 boxes (including approximately 900 slides) and approximately 200 photographs, plus 3 oversize folders). Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Ravenswood Gardens is a neighborhood located in the southwest corner of the Lincoln Square community area, on the east bank of the North Branch of the Chicago River. The collection includes administrative and historical documents from the Ravenswood Gardens Homeowners Association and over 900 color slides and 200 photographs mostly taken by Ravenswood Gardens resident Emil Dasing. [Finding Aid]

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Ravenswood L Coalition Collection

Dates: 1993-1995. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Ravenswood L Coalition formed in 1994 in response to a proposed construction and renovation project of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Brown Line. Their goal was to advocate for the interests of riders of the Brown Line’s Ravenswood branch and discourage station closures and service disruptions. This small collection contains meeting notes and agendas, correspondence, clippings, survey results, fliers, and brochures. [Finding Aid]

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Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association Records

Dates: 1914-1987. Size: 5.5 linear feet; 84 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Realtor William Harmon developed Ravenswood Manor in conjunction with Ravenswood Gardens. Ravenswood Manor is on the west bank of the North Branch of the Chicago River running from Montrose Avenue to Lawrence Avenue. The collection includes board minutes of this homeowners' association, newspaper clippings, newsletters, files about special events, maps and photographs. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Northside Clubs and Organizations Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Ravenswood Woman’s Club Records

Dates: 1891-1976. Size: 2 linear feet in 4 boxes, plus 5 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The collection consists of yearbooks which contain the club’s articles of incorporation, lists of officers and members, by-laws, news clippings, and program announcements and calendars and 5 photographs. [Finding Aid]

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Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection

Dates: 1848-2020. Size: 26 Linear Feet (in 38 boxes and approximately 1700 photographs, plus 35 oversize folders). Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection documents daily life on the North Side of Chicago from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. It mostly covers the areas of Chicago that were previously part of Lake View Township, such as Lake View, North Center, Lincoln Square (Ravenswood), Uptown, and Edgewater. It also contains small amounts of material related to other Northside communities. The collection includes photographs, news clippings, programs, certificates, letters, ephemera, maps, directories, newsletters, reminiscences, and biographical and historical sketches. Selected photographs from this collection are available in the Ravenswood-Lake View Community Digital Collection. [Finding Aid]

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Reardon, Patrick T. Research Files

Dates: 1970s-1990s. Size: 15.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Patrick T. Reardon spent 32 years working as the urban affairs journalist at the Chicago Tribune where he specialized in writing about social issues and public policy. Since that time, he has gone on to author ten books and publish essays, histories and poems. The collection contains the Chicago and Illinois reports on employment, housing, land use, population, public aid, race and schools that informed his writings. [Partially Processed]

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Reid, Loudella Evans Papers

Dates: 1958-2005. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2006/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Legendary gospel singer and choirmaster Loudella Evans Reid led the choir at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church for more than 50 years. Her papers include church programs, newsletters, audiovisual materials, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Republican National Convention Records

Dates: 1958-1960 (Bulk date, 1960). Size: 3 linear feet in 3 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The 1960 Republican National Convention, held in Chicago, determined that Richard M. Nixon would be the party’s presidential candidate. As the incumbent vice president, Nixon was always a leading contender, but he worked with New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller to adopt platform planks that would appeal to the left wing of the Republican Party. Opposing Nixon was Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater who represented the right wing of the Republican Party. Some of this internal party division can be seen in these records which document the events of the Convention. [Finding aid]

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Residents’ Journal Records

Dates: 1996-2013. Size: 42 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Residents’ Journal is a newspaper written by and for residents of Chicago public housing. Led by former Chicago Daily Defender journalist Ethan Michaeli and Mary C. Piemonte (née Johns), the publication began in 1996 with funding from the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). When this funding ended in 1999, the staff opted to form the not-for-profit organization, We the People Media, to take over Residents’ Journal and the Urban Youth International Journalism Program. Together, the two programs trained thousands of adults and youths in all aspects of journalism and news production. The collection contains the editorial and production notes, newspapers, photographs and research files created to document life in Chicago’s public housing. [Partially Processed]

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Restuccia, Rusty Papers

Dates: 1919-2011. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2009/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Rusty Restuccia, a retired Ford Motor Co. executive, runs a website dedicated to the history of African Americans in the automobile industry. His papers center on his research and writing on the history of African American-owned car dealerships, including those in Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri, and Detroit. [Unprocessed]

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Rich, Faith Papers

Dates: 1821-1993, bulk 1940s-1980s Size: 21 linear feet, 41 boxes, 206 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Faith Rich (1909-1990) was a white community activist, educator and volunteer with numerous organizations including the Chicago Westside Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Independent Voters of Illinois (IVI), the 15th Place Block Club, the Literacy Council of Chicago and local PTAs. She focused her organizing efforts on issues of civil rights, desegregation of schools and neighborhoods, equality in education, racism and the effect of urban renewal on local communities and especially, her own North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago. Her collection contains her voluminous correspondence with family, friends and fellow activists along with meeting materials from social justice organizations and a sizable library of publications that document Chicago's urban renewal initiatives from the 1950s-1970s. [Finding aid]

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Richardson, James M. Papers

Dates: 1890-1990. Size: 118 linear feet. Accession #1995/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. James Richardson, M.D., was an ophthalmologist at Provident Hospital and civil rights activist from the 1940s through the 1990s. He also studied his family history in Oklahoma and Texas. Richardson’s papers include correspondence, subject research files, programs, Howard University and medical periodicals, newspaper clippings, early photographs from Oklahoma and Texas, and rare historical materials from Provident Hospital. [Partially processed]

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Rivkin, Amanda Photographs, Chicago Police Torture Survivors

Dates: 2015 August-2016 August. Size: 2 linear feet in 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Twelve 16” x 24” portraits by photographer Amanda Rivkin depict present-day survivors of systematic torture by the Chicago Police Department, which occurred from approximately 1972 to 1991 under the direction of former Commander Jon Burge. Burge was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in 2010. In 2015, the Chicago City Council passed a reparations ordinance that provided monetary compensation and other benefits to victims of Burge-era torture. Following the passage of the ordinance, Rivkin received a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation to photograph and record the stories of the survivors. [Finding aid]

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Roche, James H. Papers

Dates: 1942-2019; bulk dates 1942-1958. Size: 0.25 linear feet in 8 folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. James H. Roche Papers document the Chicagoan’s World War II experience, his work for the U.S. Navy and the subsequent investigation of his national loyalty based on a handful of visits to the Chicago Chapter of the American League of Peace and Democracy between January and May 1939. [Finding aid]

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Rogers Park/West Ridge Community Collection

Dates: circa 1845-2021. Size: 135 Linear Feet (in 166 boxes, 40 oversized folders, 2 maps, and 1 volume). Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Rogers Park and West Ridge, two of Chicago’s seventy-seven community areas, are located nine miles north of the Loop on the city’s far North Side. This collection documents life in Rogers Park and West Ridge from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. [Finding Aid]

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Rogovin, Mark Collection

Dates: 1960-1995. Size 18.5 linear feet. Accession #2021/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Mark Rogovin was an artist in the modern mural movement and founder of Chicago’s Peace Museum. His collection consists of artwork (prints) by Margaret Burroughs and Tecla Selnick, political and activist posters (including prints related to the Black Panther Party and Mayor Harold Washington’s elections), correspondence and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Rollins, Charlemae Hill Papers

Dates: 1906-1994. Size: 56 linear feet. Accession #1980/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Charlemae Rollins served as children’s librarian at the Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library from 1932 to 1963 and was a nationally recognized pioneer in the development of multicultural children’s literature. Her papers include correspondence, scrapbooks, clipping files, memorabilia, photographs and published and unpublished essays, as well as Rollins’ personal library. An item from this collection is available in the Library's Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Rollins, Joseph W., Jr. Papers

Dates: 1930-2004. Size: 8 linear feet. Accession #1994/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Joseph Rollins, Jr., son of Hall Branch librarian Charlemae Rollins, grew up in the Rosenwald, attended DuSable High School and served in World War II. In the 1960s he became an executive in the federal government’s Office of Economic Opportunity. He was later in a leading position at Arthur Anderson, Inc. After the death of his mother in 1979, Rollins dedicated himself to documenting and perpetuating her legacy. His papers include photographs and memorabilia from Bronzeville and from World War II, correspondence and clipping files from his work at OEO and Arthur Anderson, and extensive files on celebrations and conferences on the work of Charlemae Rollins. [Partially processed]

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Rosen, Stan Papers

Dates: 1960-1992. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1997/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Labor history educator Stan Rosen’s papers include materials on Chicago’s African American labor activists. [Unprocessed]

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Rosenblum, Susan Papers

Dates: 1980-1991. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This small collection consists of case studies, legal documents, reports, pamphlets and booklets connected to Susan B. Rosenblum's work in Chicago in the 1980s. Items in the collection relate to three distinct areas of focus: displacement in the Uptown neighborhood in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the 1984 closing of the Playskool toy factory in West Humboldt Park and the creation of the non-profit Chicago Consortium of Worker Education in 1989. [Finding aid]

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Rosofsky, Seymour Collection

Dates: 1953-1954, 1977. Size: 6 linear feet in 2 boxes and 1 oversize folder, includes 59 drawings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Seymour Rosofsky (1924-1981) was part of a generation of post-war independent-minded Chicago artists and a founding member of the Chicago Imagist tradition. Collection includes drawings, paintings and lithographs of scenes from the Salt Creek Summer Theater and also of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir George Solti. [Finding aid]

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Rupp School Book Collection

Dates: 1867-1914, undated (Bulk dates, 1904-1914). Size: 2.25 linear feet in 5 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This collection contains school notebooks belonging to Clara, Elsie, and Walter Rupp, who studied at Blaine School and Lake View High School in the 1900s and 1910s. It also contains a few volumes of reference material, such as dictionaries and instructional guides, and a few novels. [Finding Aid]

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Rushing, Fannie Papers

Dates: 1963-2004. Size: 12 linear feet. Accession #2006/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Fannie Rushing, a professor at Benedictine University, was an early activist in Chicago Friends of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee). Her papers document the civil rights movement in Chicago and the South, and her involvement in human rights work internationally. Included are correspondence, clipping files, programs, manuscripts, photographs and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Russell, J. Howell Costume Drawings

Dates: 1893. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. J. Howell Russell was a British costume designer whose work was also seen on Chicago's stages. The collection includes drawings for productions at the Chicago Opera House and the Alhambra in London. [Finding aid]

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Saffold, Howard Papers

Dates: 1968-1994. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #2010/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The papers consist primarily of newsclippings and photographs related to the history of the African American Police League in Chicago. [Unprocessed]

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Sampson, Rev. Al Papers

Dates: 1960-1970. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1993/06, Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Rev. Albert Sampson, ordained by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was active in the 1960s civil rights movement. He is the pastor of Fernwood United Methodist Church. His papers include clippings, photographs and memorabilia from his early civil rights activities. [Unprocessed]

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Sandburg, Carl Collection

Size: 5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. The Carl Sandburg Collection includes published poems and writings by the famed poet in addition to clippings, photographs and other ephemera. [Unprocessed]

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Sang, Phillip Papers

Dates: 1682-1970. Size: 15 linear feet. Accession #1978/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Phillip Sang was a collector of manuscript materials and memorabilia on slavery and abolitionism. His papers include original documents from slave owners, slave traders and insurance companies. Other materials include correspondence, photographs, speeches, pamphlets and memorabilia by abolitionists and about the abolitionist movement; as well as few items from the Civil Rights era. Selections from the Papers are digitized and found in the Philip David Sang Collection [Finding Aid]

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Sarah Siddons Society Records

Dates: 1849-2000, bulk dates, 1952-2000). Size: 12.5 linear feet in 17 boxes (including 710 photographs, 73 slides). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Includes administrative records, as well as files kept by the society regarding winners of annual actress/actor of the year awards, leading lady awards and scholarship awards. Also photographs of society events and award recipients. [Finding aid]

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Saunders, Doris E. Papers

Dates: 1920-2006. Size: 75 linear feet. Accession #1994/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Doris Saunders served as a librarian at the Hall Branch during World War II. In 1949, she went to work at Johnson Publishing Company, establishing its corporate library and later directing its Book Publishing Division. From the 1970s through the 1990s, she was chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Jackson State University. Her papers include correspondence, manuscripts, Bronzeville-era memorabilia, subject research files, rare serials, programs and memorabilia. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection. [Partially processed]

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Sawyer, Eugene Mayoral Records

Dates: 1980-1989, Bulk 1987-1989. Size: 71 Linear Feet in 139 boxes, including 259 videotapes, 43 boxes of photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives and Collections. Eugene Sawyer worked in Chicago's Water Department before being elected 6th Ward Alderman in 1971. Following Harold Washington's death in November 1987, Sawyer was elected by his fellow City Council members to serve as mayor. Sawyer lost the special election in 1989 to Richard J. Daley, and after that, he left public office to pursue private business. Events that are most substantively represented in this collection include the construction of International Terminal 5 at O’Hare Airport, the creation of the General Services Department, the restructuring of the Department of Streets and Sanitation and a revamping of various City workflows and software systems related to procurement and telecommunications. The dismissal of mayoral aide Steve Cokely for anti-Semitic comments and the Design/Build competition for the new Central Library, the Harold Washington Library Center, are also covered. The photograph series documents the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta especially well, along with the general daily events attended by Mayor Sawyer. Other important topics covered in a less comprehensive way include education reform; HIV/AIDS; the anti-gang task force, the Chicago Intervention Network (CIN); and representation of underrepresented groups in government and business contracts. [Finding aid]

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Schulfer, Thomas F. Program Collection

Dates: 1935-1985, bulk dates 1940-1969. Size: 6 linear feet in 13 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Thomas F. Schulfer Program Collection was donated to Special Collections in 1988 by his son, Roche Schulfer, Executive Director at the Goodman Theatre. The collection documents primarily Chicago productions of the 1940s, 50s and 60s and includes a series of souvenir programs. [Finding aid]

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Schupp, Rev. Ronald Papers

Dates: 1979-1997. Size: 0.25 linear foot. Accession #1997/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Rev. Ronald Schupp was active in Chicago’s anti-apartheid movement and in efforts to aid the homeless. His papers include programs and clippings. [Finding aid]

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Schwartzberg, Hugh J. Poetry Collection

Dates: circa 1965-1996. Size: 1.75 linear feet, 98 videos, 44 audio albums. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection focuses on poetry activity in and around Chicago. The collection comprises manuscript material, videotapes and LP records. Hugh Schwartzberg, a poet and enthusiast, collected manuscripts of primarily local but also nationally known poets. He videotaped poets reading their work at public programs and collected LPs of internationally renowned poets and writers reading their work, or readings by well-known actors. In addition to the archival collection, there is a book collection of first edition, signed poetry volumes. [Processed]

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Scott, William Edouard Papers

Dates: 1846-2007. Size: 5 linear feet. Accession #2005/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. William Edouard Scott was a prominent painter, illustrator and muralist who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. Scott was one of the first nationally known African American artists in Chicago, and his work is held in many museums and private collections. His papers include biographical materials, correspondence, programs, clippings, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Scottsdale Homeowners Association Records

Dates: 1916-2014. Size: 6 linear feet in 8 boxes, including 50 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The Scottsdale Homeowners Association was established in 1952 by residents of Scottsdale, a newly formed neighborhood on the Southwest Side of Chicago. This collection documents association activities through newsletters, meeting minutes, programs, clippings and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Scrapbook of a Matinee Girl

Dates: 1908-1912. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The compiler of this scrapbook remains anonymous. She attended a wide range of plays, operas and concerts. The scrapbook is annotated and includes reviews, clippings and occasionally pictures. [Finding aid]

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Second City Collection

Dates: 1961-1987. Size: 3 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Second City Collection includes promotional files and news clippings in addition to photographs from the famed improvisation theater. [Processed]

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Sengstock, Charles Collection

Dates: 1926-1996. Size: 45 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Music historian Charles A. Sengstock, Jr. has, since the early 1960s, researched and written extensively about the development of jazz in Chicago. Sengstock has donated some 1,200 items, including reel-to-reel and cassette tapes, LPs, 78s, 45s, books, a few transcriptions and a small selection of sheet music. Emphasizing Chicago dance bands from their beginnings, the collection includes rare, non-commercial tapes of performances from such famed local venues as the Aragon and Willowbrook ballrooms, as well as commercial recordings of bandleaders associated with Chicago and manuscript notes. [Partially processed]

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Shaw, Laura Bell Papers

Dates: 1948-1988, undated. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Accession #2003/13. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Laura Bell Shaw served as president of the Women’s Auxiliary board of Provident Hospital in the early 1980s. She was also an organizer of an early African American women’s golf organization. Her papers include programs, rare serials and newspaper clippings. [Finding aid]

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ShawChicago Theater Company Records

Dates: 1970-2019, bulk dates 1994-2019. Size: 5.5 linear feet in 10 boxes, plus 2544 electronic files (9.91 GB). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. ShawChicago specialized in concert readings of works by playwright George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. The collection includes production records, including programs and promotional materials, in addition to scripts, photographs and papers from long serving Artistic Director Robert Scogin. [Finding aid]

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Shepherd, Barbara Photograph Collection

Dates: 1940-1942. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1999/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Barbara Shepherd worked on the 1940 American Negro Exposition held at the Chicago Coliseum. She also served in staff positions in several social service organizations. This small photograph collection is one of the few sources that documents the construction and activities of the 1940 exposition. [Finding aid]

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Shook, Robert Papers

Dates: 1962-1993. Size: 6 linear feet; 279 drawings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Robert Shook’s award-winning lighting designs have been seen at many of Chicagoland’s theaters, as well as throughout the city along Michigan Avenue and illuminating many of the city’s best-loved works of art. Collection includes annotated scripts and drawings for theatrical productions. [Processed]

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Simeon, Neal F. Papers

Dates: 1942-1967. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1979/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Simeon, one of the 16 teachers who organized Dunbar Trade School (now Dunbar Vocational High School) in 1948, later served as acting director of Dunbar and director of Vocational Education Centers for the Chicago Board of Education. His papers consist of scrapbooks of educational clippings, correspondence, photographs and college transcripts. [Finding aid]

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Simmons, Herbert Papers

Dates: 1961 Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1961/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Born in St. Louis in 1931, Herbert Simmons was one of the earliest Black crime genre writers. His protagonists fought the restrictive nature of white society toward Black men. His papers include galleys of Simmons’ novel Man Walking on Eggshells with author’s marginalia. [Finding aid]

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Skinner, Clementine Papers

Dates: 1930-2002. Size: 22 linear feet. Accession #1993/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Clementine Skinner was a Chicago Public Schools assistant principal, teacher and librarian. She was active during four decades in the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and served as president of the Chicago branch. She was also active in the YWCA, the NAACP and genealogical organizations. Her papers include manuscripts, monographs, correspondence, organizational records, yearbooks, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Slack Family Photograph Album

Dates: Circa 1870s-circa 1890s. Size: 1 linear foot in 1 box, including 56 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Kathryn M. Slack spent the first few decades of her life in Chicago's Austin neighborhood before moving to Oak Park. It is presumed the album contains images of Kathryn M. Slack’s ancestors. The portraits include children, adults and older family members, and provide a view on the typical clothing and styles of a white family with the means to purchase photographic services in the late 1800s in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Smith, Carl E., Jr. Collection

Dates: 1959-1965. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2006/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Carl E. Smith was the general and managing editor for several black magazines in Chicago during the 1950s and 1960s. The collection includes rare serial titles: Tone, Marque and Musically Speaking. [Partially processed]

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Smith, Frank W. Glass Plate Slide Collection

Dates: 1830-1933, undated. Size: 11 linear feet, includes 1058 glass plate slides. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The glass photographic slides cover a broad spectrum of Chicago history including businesses, churches, clubs, organizations, municipal agencies, parks, residences, schools, street views and transportation, among other historical topics such as the Century of Progress and the World’s Columbian Exposition. [Finding aid]

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Smith, Homer Papers

Dates: 1957-1964. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1994/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Homer Smith’s memoir, Black Man in Red Russia, was published and promoted by Johnson Publishing Company in 1964. The collection includes an unpublished manuscript by Smith highlighting his life in Ethiopia in the mid-twentieth century. [Finding aid]

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Smith, Jessie Willcox Collection

Dates: 1890-1990, bulk dates: 1900-1935. Size: 18 linear feet; includes155 volumes, 2 artworks. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935) was a prolific illustrator whose work appeared in children’s books, periodicals, and advertisements. The collection includes books, periodicals, calendars, prints, exhibition catalogs and promotional items that feature illustrations by Smith. [Finding Aid]

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Smith, Mary Ella Papers

Dates: 1981-1987. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #2003/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Mary Ella Smith, fiancée to Mayor Harold Washington, took over as head of the Harold Washington Foundation after his untimely death in 1987. Her papers include programs, flyers, newspaper clippings, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Smith, Rosella E. Papers

Dates: 1920-1956. Size: .25 linear foot. Accession #2005/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Rosella E. Smith’s papers include capital stock certificates from Binga State Bank and Supreme Liberty Life Insurance and receipts. Jesse Binga’s bank was a major Black-owned financial institution on Chicago’s South Side. It closed in 1933. [Finding aid]

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South Chicago Community Collection

Dates: circa 1850s-circa 2000, undated. Size: 10.5 linear feet, including 209 photographs, 4 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the South Chicago Community Collections. The South Chicago Community Collection contains a range of ephemera, pamphlets, photographs and news clippings about the neighborhood’s residents, business establishments, religious institutions, clubs and organizations, hospitals, municipal agencies, residences, schools, streets, transportation, and wartime activities. [Finding aid]

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South Chicago Newspapers Collection

Dates: 1883-1961. Size: 5.25 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the South Chicago Community Collections. This collection is comprised of three titles published in the South Chicago neighborhood: The Calumet Record, The Daily Calumet and The South Chicago Daily Independent.  While this collection contains no significant runs of any of the papers, many of the newspapers were saved because they specifically spoke to the history of the South Chicago neighborhood. [Finding aid]

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South Lawndale Community Collection

Dates: circa 1902-1952 (Bulk dates: 1938-1947). Size: 2.5 linear feet in 5 boxes including 23 photographs and 3 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Lawndale Community Collections. The collection contains a range of articles, brochures, historical sketches, newsletters, photographs, programs and yearbooks that focus on neighborhood events, persons and organizations in the South Lawndale community, particularly during the mid-20th century. [Finding aid]

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South Shore Community Collection

Dates: 1839-1982. Size: 23.5 linear feet, includes 431 photographs, 87 glass plate slides, 26 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the South Shore Community Collections. The South Shore Community Collection contains manuscripts, printed material and photographs on businesses, clubs and organizations, religious institutions, residents, schools and street scenes in the community area. [Finding aid]

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South Shore Historical Society Records

Dates: 1935-1979. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the South Shore Community Collections. The collection contains documents related to the foundation and organization of the society itself, including society’s constitution, membership lists, reports, minutes and programs. A short history of the Society produced by one of its members describes the Society’s formation and sets forth its aims. Of particular interest are two notes from author and humorist Opie Read which can be found in the correspondence file. [Finding aid]

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South Shore Newspapers Collection

Dates: 1894-1982. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the South Shore Community Collections. The collection contains twelve partial runs of newspapers from the South Shore neighborhood, some of which are rare. The newspapers from the 1960s and 1970s illustrate the changing population of the South Shore neighborhood. [Finding aid]

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Southeast Ravenswood Association Records

Dates: 1983-1995. Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Southeast Ravenswood Association was organized in 1983 to serve residents of Chicago's North Side in the area from Irving Park Road to Montrose Avenue and Ashland Avenue to Ravenswood Avenue. This collection contains their administrative records and outreach material. [Finding Aid]

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Southern Africa Support Group Archives

Dates: 1963-1980. Size: 5 linear feet in 9 boxes. Accession #1985/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. This Chicago-based organization aided the cause of African liberation movements in Mozambique, Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The archive includes programs, flyers and a wide array of serials. [Finding aid]

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Spanier, Muggsy Archives

Dates: 1920-2001. Size: 12 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Muggsy Spanier was one of Chicago’s best-loved Dixieland jazz musicians. The collection includes rare promotional material, 300 photographs and negatives, 800 newspaper and magazine clippings and various correspondence – 1,300 items in all. [Processed]

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St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church Archives

Dates: 1930-2002. Size: 8 linear feet. Accession #2002/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Church of St. Edmund, King and Martyr was founded in 1909 and is one of the oldest predominantly African American Episcopalian churches in Chicago. The collection contains funeral programs, newspaper clippings, anniversary programs and brochures, sermons, serials and photographs. [Finding Aid]

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St. James, Michael Photograph Collection

Dates: 1890-1997. Size: 2.5 linear feet. Accession #2000/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Photographer Michael St. James collected early images produced by Chicago’s pioneering African American photographers. The collection includes photographs taken in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [Finding aid]

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St. Mark’s Camera Club Photograph Collection

Dates: 1990-1993. Size: 4.25 linear feet. Accession #1992/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. St. Mark’s Camera Club was founded by Willie Griffin in 1972. Griffin was also associated with the Washington Park and South Side camera clubs. This collection contains photographs from the camera club of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. [Finding aid]

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St. Nicholas Theater Company Records

Dates: 1969-1982. Size: 63 linear feet; includes 688 photographs, 246 negatives, 6 audio recordings. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Founded by playwright David Mamet, Patricia Cox, William H. Macy and Steven Schachter, the St. Nicholas Theater Company produced a successful and varied lineup of productions from 1972 to 1981, including Mamet originals like The Water Engine and The Woods. The collection consists of production, administrative, artistic and development records in addition to files about the St. Nicholas School of Theater Arts. [Finding Aid]

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Stage Left Theatre Records

Dates: 1986-2001. Size: 2 linear feet; 107 photographs; 52 oversize files. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Started as a charitable corporation in 1982 to provide a venue for Chicago theater artists to produce new work, Stage Left redefined its mission in 1988 to produce plays that raise the level of debate on political and social issues. The collection promotional and administrative files as well as photographs. [Finding aid]

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Starr, Victoria Papers

Dates: 1979-1992. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1997/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A social worker and union organizer beginning in the 1930s, Victoria Kramer Starr was one of the three women present at the 1937 founding of the Packinghouse Workers Organizing Committee. Her papers include United Packinghouse Workers Union of America materials, oral history interviews and newspaper clippings. [Finding aid]

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Steppenwolf Theatre Company Records

Dates: 1974-2008. Size: 45 linear feet, 8 oversize folders, 478 photographs, 806 photographic negatives. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Steppenwolf Theatre is an ensemble theater company founded in 1974 by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry. The ensemble's strengths include acting, directing, playwriting and textual adaptation. The collection contains audience development, artistic and management files. [Finding aid]

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Sterling, Robert Pan American Games Papers

Dates: 1958-1959. Size: 7 folders, including 12 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This small collection includes items Robert Sterling kept from his role as a referee for basketball games at the 3rd Pan American Games, held in Chicago in 1959. This collection includes twelve photographs of either the opening or closing ceremony at Soldier Field, official published programs, and a metal badge and certificate awarded to Sterling for his participation as referee. [Finding aid]

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Stern, Carrie Papers

Dates: 1982-1995. Size: 3 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains course materials, ephemera, field notes, a master’s thesis, photographs, reports and audiovisual materials that from various community festivals, fairs or celebrations in Chicago including Lithuanian Fest, GhanaFest, Midsommarfest and Rastafarian Fest. [Partially Processed]

Stewart, Eva Lee Papers

Dates: 1951-1995. Size: 5 linear feet. Accession #1995/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Eva Lee Stewart was a nurse during Word War II and later a teacher in Cleveland. The collection contains correspondence, diplomas, nursing credentials, Seventh Day Adventist papers, newspaper clippings, diaries, audiotapes, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Stone, Theodore Charles Papers

Dates: 1899-1998. Size: 32 linear feet. Accession #1998/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Theodore Charles Stone served as president of the Chicago Music Association for more than 50 years and as president of the National Association of Negro Musicians. His papers include correspondence, programs, photographs, clippings and memorabilia documenting his career as a concert baritone, his work in the CMA and NANM, and his work as a music writer for several black newspapers in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Stormfield Theatre Records

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 3 linear feet in 5 boxes, includes 21 photographs, plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. In its five-season history, Stormfield produced nine world premieres and received numerous Joseph Jefferson Award citations. The collection consists of production files that include programs, promotional material, scripts and prompt scripts, reviews and clippings. [Finding aid]

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Story Press Records

Dates: 1977-1993. Size: 1 linear foot in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Story Press publishing company operated in Chicago in the 1980s, publishing short stories. This collection documents its history through correspondence, business files, review files and copies of published books. [Finding aid]

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Streeterville Collection

Dates: 1845-1940 (Bulk: 1890-1931). Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box, plus 2 photographs, 4 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Collection consists of land and legal records concerning Streeterville acreage. [Finding aid]

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Stull, Ann Papers

Dates: 1955-1971. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1999/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Ann Stull was director of Friendship House in Chicago from 1951 to 1955. Friendship House was a Roman Catholic mission that preached and practiced racial tolerance in the pre-civil rights era. Her collection of rare serials and newspaper clippings documents racism, Catholicism’s involvement in interracial justice, labor relations, housing and educational discrimination on Chicago’s West Side. [Finding Aid]

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Suburbia Collection

Dates: 1856-1975. Size: 3 linear feet in 4 boxes, (including 13 photographs), plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Ephemera, pamphlets and photographs about Chicago suburbs. [Finding aid]

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Summerower, Fanniemae and James Papers

Dates: 1960-1995. Size: 18 linear feet. Accession #1999/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Fanniemae Summerower was a schoolteacher, mathematics consultant, philanthropist and widow of real estate broker James Summerower. The couple was prominent in elite Chicago social organizations. The papers include files of social and fraternal organizations, correspondence, audiovisual materials, textbooks, photographs, awards and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Swift, Linda Erf Photographs

Dates: 2015. Size: 6 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. From 2007 to 2015, Linda Erf Swift photographed students from three Chicago high schools in the Hyde Park and Kenwood neighborhoods. The goal of her Chalkboard Project was to generate dialog between students and awareness about their communities, schools and lives. This collection contains six color portraits, exhibit captions and a text panel from the 2015 exhibition at Harold Washington Library Center. [Finding aid]

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Szabo, Alida Poster Collection

Dates: 1976-1987. Size: 5 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Alida Szabo built a poster collection while working in program development, marketing and media services for numerous arts organizations across Chicago. The collection contains 26 posters, collected by Szabo between 1976 and 1987 through her work with theaters including St. Nicholas and Goodman, as well as with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and other cultural institutions in Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Temple, Willietta Jones Papers

Dates: 1972-2002. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2007/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Willietta Jones Temple was a longtime member of Lilydale First Baptist Church and an activist in Lilydale community organizations. Her papers include church anniversary books, programs, correspondence, newsletters, funeral programs and photographs. Also included are materials from other churches and documentation of Lilydale community organizations’ work. [Finding aid]

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Terriere, D.E. Diaries

Dates: 1870-1913. Size: .5 linear feet in 2 boxes, includes 38 diaries. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. D.E. (David Edward) Terriere was a longtime resident of the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago who worked as a banker at the Englewood Bank. His 37 handwritten diary entries, although brief, offer glimpses at his family life, household financial transactions and activities in the city. One of the diaries from 1900 was kept by Terriere’s mother-in-law, Anna Elizabeth Correll of Niles, Michigan. [Finding aid]

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Teske, Edmund Photograph Collection

Dates: 1937. Size: 2 linear feet in 2 boxes, includes 24 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Edmund Teske studied art at the Huttle Art Studio in Chicago, and later worked for Paramount Pictures in the photographic still department. The Edmund Teske Photograph Collection includes 24 images of Triple-A Plowed Under, a Works Progress Administration play performed at the Great Northern Theater in 1937. [Finding aid]

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Thatcher, Harold Papers

Dates: 1940-1996. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2002/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Harold Thatcher, M.D., was a dermatologist who trained with famed African American physician Theodore K. Lawless. Thatcher attained the rank of lieutenant colonel during World War II and was a leader in the National Medical Association. His papers include World War II photographs, programs, clippings and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Theater Portrait and Clipping Files

Dates: 1894-1945. Size: 2 linear feet in 4 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. This collection consists of portraits and clippings relating to actors, actresses, dancers, singers and vaudeville performers who performed on Chicago stages as well as in New York, London and smaller venues across the United States and Europe. Included are portraits, in the form of either professional photographs or clippings from programs, as well as obituaries and other clippings. [Finding aid]

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Theater Scrapbook "D"

Dates: circa 1895-1910. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box, includes 1 scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Theater Scrapbook “D” consists of portraits of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century actors and actresses, clipped from sources such as newspapers, periodicals and programs. [Finding aid]

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Theater Scrapbook "F"

Dates: 1913-1914. Size: .25 linear feet in 2 box, includes 1 scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Includes a collection of programs, newspaper reviews and a few pictures, pasted into a theater-goer’s scrapbook, possibly compiled by Mrs. Rosalie E. Lang. [Finding aid]

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Theater Scrapbook "H"

Dates: 1914-1935, bulk dates 1921-1924. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box, includes 1 scrapbook and 1 folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Theater Scrapbook “H,” compiled by T. Lovel D. Hadwen, includes clipped theater and opera playbills, predominantly from venues in Chicago from the years 1921 through 1924, though there are also programs from New York and Canada. [Finding aid]

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Theater Scrapbook "P"

Dates: 1874-1877. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box, includes 1 scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The scrapbook consists of clipped playbills predominantly from theaters in Chicago, but also from Boston and New York. Chicago venues Hooley’s, McVicker’s and the Academy of Music appear most often, with several programs from the New Chicago and the Adelphi theaters. [Finding aid]

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Theater Scrapbooks "10-13"

Dates: 1900-1929. Size: .75 linear feet in 4 boxes, includes 4 scrapbooks. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Theater Scrapbooks “10-13” consist of materials relating to actors, actresses and performances circa 1900-1929. Materials include photographs and portraits clipped from sources such as newspapers, periodicals and programs, as well as parts of programs themselves and newspaper articles and reviews relating to plays or performers. [Finding aid]

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Theatre Building Collection

Dates: 1970-2010. Size: 46.5 linear feet; photographs and videotapes (see Chicago Theater Videotape Collection). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Archive of a performing arts venue that also includes the records for the Theatre Building’s resident companies: Dinglefest Theatre Company, Performance Community and the New Tuners Theatre. Administrative records include annual reports and financial statements, and information on benefits. Production files document the work of Dinglefest, the Performance Community and New Tuners. [Partially processed]

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Thompson, Era Bell Papers

Dates: 1930-1987. Size: 96 linear feet in 108 boxes, includes 1240 photos, 368 35mm photo slides, 18 audio cassettes and 1 oversize folder. Accession #1987/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Era Bell Thompson, author of American Daughter and Africa, Land of My Fathers, was a pioneering photojournalist for Ebony and international editor for Johnson Publishing Company for more than 30 years. She was also an important figure in the Chicago Renaissance; her ties to the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature span nearly 50 years. Thompson’s papers include correspondence, diaries, financial records, audio and videotapes, monographs, journals, subject clipping files, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Todd, Thomas N. Papers

Dates: 1954-2015. Size: 55 linear feet. Accession #2017/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Thomas N. Todd was a groundbreaking attorney for civil rights. He served as the president of the Chicago Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1971 and president of Operation PUSH from 1983-1984. Attorney Todd established the nation’s first local U.S. attorney’s civil rights office. He taught law at Northwestern University as the school’s first full-time Black law professor. His papers include correspondence, case files, speeches, newspaper clippings, yearbooks, photographs, audiovisual materials, and memorabilia. [Unprocessed] 

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Ton Family Papers

Dates: 1865-1974. Size: 0.25 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. The Ton family immigrated from Holland and settled in the area known today as Roseland. They were a large family and held annual reunions between 1896 and 1955. The collection contains programs from those reunions. [Finding aid]

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Topel Family Photograph Album

Dates: Circa 1860s-circa 1930s, bulk circa 1917-circa 1925. Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box, includes 476 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The photographs in the Topel Family Photograph Album—the bulk of which date from circa 1917 to circa 1925—document the experiences of a Chicago-area family in the early twentieth century. Of particular significance are the photographs related to World War I and Chicago-area war efforts, including a substantial group of images taken at Camp Grant, a United States Army training facility in Rockford, Ill. [Finding Aid]

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Trace, Al Collection

Dates: 1933-1985. Size: 1.5 linear feet, Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Published and unpublished musical scores of Al Trace, the Chicago-born popular band leader and composer of Mairzy Doats. Newspaper clippings relating to his career. [Processed]

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Trade Catalog Collection

Dates: 1864-1986. Size: 29 linear feet in 34 boxes, includes 88 bound volumes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection consists of catalogs and advertisements for goods and services produced or sold by Chicago’s manufacturers, retail stores, wholesale houses and other businesses. The product categories include agriculture, amusement, apparel, appliances, automotive, bicycles, construction, education, furniture, hardware, housewares, jewelry, machinery, medicine, music, printing, publishing, sporting goods and general merchandise. [Finding aid]

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Travel and Railway Poster Collection

Dates: 1910-1941. Size: 9 linear feet, includes 111 posters in 18 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The collection contains 20th century posters from Chicago, North America and international destinations. The chromolithographic posters employ graphic design and illustration to advertise tours, travel agents, and transportation to destinations by railroad as well as ship and bus lines. [Finding aid]

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Travis, Dempsey Papers

Dates: 1970-2008. Size: 30 linear feet. Accession #2010/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Dempsey Travis was a real estate developer, mortgage broker, author of books on Chicago’s African American history and civil rights activist. His papers include correspondence, typescripts of his books, organizational files, photographs, scrapbooks, subject research files and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Trotter, Charlie Collection

Dates: 1977-2017. Size: 26.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Charlie Trotter Collection reflects aspects of Trotter’s life and career from his culinary development to his restaurants to his activities as a celebrity chef. The materials include a selection of menus, personal manuscripts, photographs and artifacts that taken together provide a snapshot into the life of a celebrity chef and the five-star restaurant that changed the culinary landscape of Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Trotter, Charlie Cookbook Collection

Dates: 1699-2014, bulk dates: 1970-2010. Size: 110 linear feet, includes 1326 titles. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Charlie Trotter’s personal cookbook collection reflects a broad spectrum of professional and home cooking titles as well as food and wine commentary and management guides. The bibliography has been annotated to show which titles were signed or inscribed to Charlie Trotter by authors, fellow chefs and friends, or contain letters, menus or news clippings. [Finding aid]

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Tsuda, Akito Photographs

Dates: 1991-2021. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box, includes 118 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. Japanese photographer Akito Tsuda enrolled in Columbia College in 1990. Between 1991 and 1994, his photographic explorations in the city led him to the Pilsen neighborhood and the city’s Lower West Side community where he forged intercultural bonds with the predominantly Latinx residents. [Finding Aid]

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Turner, Glennette Tilley Papers

Dates: 1978-2001. Size: 45 linear feet. Accession #2003/11. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Glennette Tilley Turner is the leading authority on the Underground Railroad in Illinois. She is the author of African American history books and books for children. Her papers document more than two decades of research on the Underground Railroad, including manuscripts, subject research files, programs, monographs, photographs and memorabilia. Also included are materials from Tilley Turner’s work for the National Park Service and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. A small group of materials documents the work of her father, the Rev. John L. Tilley, a historian and leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. [Unprocessed]

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Turner, John B. Collection

Dates: 1852-1975. Size: 2 linear feet in 2 boxes and 4 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. John B. Turner was born in England in 1815. He came to Chicago in 1836 and started a successful livery business. His business was destroyed by the Chicago Fire in 1871. He owned land in North Center in Lake View Township. After the fire, he and his family moved to North Center where they farmed. The materials in this collection document the business activities of John B. Turner and include receipts, correspondence and a ledger. The collection contains some personal materials including family tree, news clippings about the family and a few photographs, including a portrait of John Turner and his family and their home in North Center. [Finding aid]

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Turner, Laurence Papers

Dates: 1931-1990. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1992/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Laurence Turner, an African American supporter of independent African nations, moved to Tanzania in the 1970s. He established his own business and trained local entrepreneurs. His papers document his life and work in Tanzania. [Finding aid]

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U

United Woodlawn, Inc. Records

Dates: 1949-1958. Size: 0.5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Woodlawn Community Collections. Collection documents efforts on behalf of neighborhood improvement projects. [Finding aid]

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University of Chicago Folk Festival Collection

Dates: 1961-1995. Size: 12 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. One hundred twenty-five of the 305 hours of tape recordings made during 35 years of the University of Chicago Folk Festival have been converted into WAV files on CD. The original tapes were recorded with excellent quality by fine arts radio station WFMT and feature performances such as Professor Longhair, Sippie Wallace, Bill Monroe, Odetta and the Beers Family. [Processed]

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Uptown Chicago Commission Collection

Dates: 1956-2020, undated. Size: .75 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Uptown Chicago Commission was founded in 1955 by local business and property owners and renters in Uptown. Members worked together to enforce building codes and get dilapidated buildings torn down, and create a network of block clubs. The collection includes meeting agendas, flyers, membership lists, minutes, newsletters, publications and reports. [Finding aid]

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V

Valmor Products Label Collection

Dates: 1934-1944. Size: 38 labels. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Valmor Products Company was started in 1926 by South Side native and chemist, Morton Neumann. Together with his wife, Rose, the Neumanns operated Valmor Products Co. and its subsidiary companies: Lucky Brown, Madam Jones, King Novelty, and Famous Products Co. The products ranged from hair pomades, perfumes and skin creams to household products that were marketed to African American women prior to the Black is Beautiful movement and frequently consisted of skin lighteners and hair straighteners. The collection consists of a small selection of labels. [Finding aid]

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Victory Gardens Theater Collection

Dates: 1974-1998. Size: 21 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Founded in 1974, Victory Gardens Theater has developed a reputation for artistic achievement; it was awarded the 2001 Tony Award for regional theatre. The archive contains scripts and production and artistic records as well as photographs. [Processed]

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ViewPoint, Inc. Archives (Felix A. Burrows, Jr.)

Dates: 1968-1991. Size: 50 linear feet. Accession #1994/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. ViewPoint, Inc. was a black-owned market and media research firm founded by Felix Burrows. Based in Chicago, ViewPoint was at one time the largest black-owned market research firm in the nation. The corporate archives consist of chronologically arranged client/case files for each contract performed by the firm, as well as subject research files. Burrows closed ViewPoint, Inc. in 1992. [Finding aid]

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Volland, P.F. Collection

Dates: 1917-1958. Size: 78 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Collection consists of the financial records and greeting cards of this Chicago publisher of cards and children’s books. Materials include business ledgers, receipts and the salesmen’s props (sample sets) for the greeting cards. The printed finding aid to the collection, available in the Special Collections Reading Room, includes an index of artists and writers who worked for Volland. The best known of these individuals include Johnny Gruelle, creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy, and illustrators Maginel Wright Enright and Frederick Richardson. [Finding aid]

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W

Walker, E.R. Photograph Album

Dates: 1893. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 1 box, including 41 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. E.R. Walker was an official contracted photographer for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. E.R. Walker produced at least 175 different images for the Exposition. Fair visitors could select the photographs they wanted from among these 175, and build customized souvenir albums. This appears to be one such album, made up of 41 selected images. [Finding aid]

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Walker, Thomas Calhoun Papers

Dates: 1953. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1958/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Thomas Calhoun Walker was born at the end of slavery in Gloucester, Virginia, and educated at Hampton Institute. He later became a lawyer and community activist. His papers consist of the typescript of his autobiography, The Honey-Pod Tree. [Finding aid]

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Wallace, Joan Papers

Dates: 1901-1994. Size: 42.5 linear feet. Accession #2005/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Joan Wallace, daughter of painter William Edouard Scott and widow of anti-poverty federal official Maurice Dawkins, was an assistant secretary of agriculture during the Carter administration. Her papers contain correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Walton, Charles Papers

Dates: 1928-2005. Size: 28 linear feet. Accession #1996/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Born in Alabama, Charles Walton came to Chicago as a child. He became a jazz drummer immediately after World War II. He went on to direct the music education program at Malcolm X College and served as an officer in American Federation of Musicians Local 10-208. In his “retirement,” he worked relentlessly to document Chicago’s black music history, conducting at least 343 interviews with 179 interviewees. The interviews were part of his research for his unfinished book, Bronzeville Conversations. His papers include drafts of his book, the oral history interviews, essays, rare documents and photographs. Subjects include performers, venues, business relationships and the history of American Federation of Musicians locals in Chicago. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection.  [Finding aid]

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Walz, Louis D. Collection

Dates: 1928-1982. Size: 2 linear feet in 3 boxes and 194 photos. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Louis D. Walz directed the Lake View High School Band from 1928 until his retirement in 1961. The collection includes photographs of student musical activities at Lake View High; letters from former students serving in World War II; and programs, clippings, and correspondence related to Walz’s work at Lake View High. Photographs from the collection are available online in the Northside High Schools Digital Collection. [Finding Aid]

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Ward, Val Gray Papers

Dates: 1967-1996. Size: 40 linear feet. Accession #2002/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Val Gray Ward is a celebrated actress, director, producer and founder of Chicago-based Kuumba Professional Theatre Company. Her plays have won numerous awards. Her papers include correspondence, programs, playbills, photographs, artwork and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Warg, Rea Papers

Dates: 1948-1950; 1985 (Bulk date, 1950). Size: 0.25 linear feet in 1 box, including 13 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This small collection contains clippings, photographs, and documents pertaining to Rea Warg’s stage management of the Chicago Fair’s “Frontiers of Freedom” pageant in 1950. Of significance are Warg’s handwritten notes on casting and negotiations with the Actors Equity union. Minor information is included about the Railroad Fair of 1948-1949. [Finding aid]

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Wash, Leonard Papers

Dates: 1958-2011. Size: 67 linear feet. Accession #2000/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Leonard Wash, a writer and an educator at the City Colleges of Chicago, was active in the Black Arts, Black Consciousness and Black Power movements beginning in the mid-1960s. He attended every annual Black Studies Conference at Olive-Harvey College, recording much of the proceedings. His papers document a wide range of movement activity, jazz and literature. They include correspondence, manuscripts, flyers, programs, pamphlets, playbills, serial publications, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Washington Heights Community Organization Archives

Dates: 1968-2003. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2003/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Washington Heights Community Organization, formed in 1966 for the upkeep and economic development and growth of the area, was initially composed of formal block clubs in the Washington Heights and Mount Vernon communities. The organization also campaigned to name a neighborhood elementary school after Marcus Garvey. The archive includes correspondence, board minutes, agendas, newspaper clippings and organizational files. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Illinois State Representative Records

Dates: 1957-1976. Size: 3.25 linear feet in 7 boxes and 2 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Reports, minutes, press releases, speeches, newsletters and news clippings from Harold Washington’s tenure as State Representative for the 26th District of Illinois. Major topics covered in this collection include the creation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Law and the Medical Malpractice Act. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Illinois State Senatorial Records

Dates: 1969-1981, bulk 1976-1980. Size:10.5 linear feet in 21 boxes, plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Reports, minutes, correspondence, newsletters and news clippings from Harold Washington’s tenure as State Senator from 1976 to 1980. The records reflect Washington’s involvement with various committees, particularly the Fair Employment Practices Commission and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, of which he was a founding member. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Central Files Records

Dates: 1949-1987, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 63 linear feet in 55 boxes. Chicago Public Library Center, Special Collections. The Central Files Records consist of correspondence received by the Mayor’s Office. Incoming mail was sorted by Harold Washington’s Executive Office using the Central Filing System. Included in the collection is a small amout of papers from Harold Washington and the files of Dolores Woods, Harold Washington’s Executive Secretary. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Chief of Staff Records

Dates: 1974-1988 (bulk dates 1983-1987). Size: 51.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Records in this collection document the roles of Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff in the management of the city’s workforce, the execution of policies set by Mayor Washington and the administrative direction of the mayoral liaisons. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Each of these sub-cabinets reported to the Chief of Staff and as such, the subjects found in the records are extensive. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Community Services Sub-Cabinet Records

Dates: 1975-1988, bulk dates 1983-1988. Size: 62 linear feet in 45 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. The Community Services Sub-Cabinet focused on the “people-oriented” departments of city government, including Human Services, Human Relations, Departments of Health and Aging and Disabilities and the Chicago Public Library. Records include reports, correspondence and minutes. Major topics addressed in the collection include the spread of AIDS, the construction of a new central library and education reforms. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Development Sub-Cabinet Records

Dates: 1980-1987. Size: 24 linear feet in 16 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. The Development Sub-Cabinet worked with several city departments including Departments of Economic Development, Planning, Housing, Cultural Affairs, Chicago Housing Authority and the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training. Documents include reports, memoranda, correspondence and minutes. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Finance and Administration Sub-Cabinet Records

Dates: 1980-1988, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 27 linear feet in 18 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Major topics in the collection include the renovation of the Chicago and Regal Theaters, the Chinatown Basin Project and the North Loop Development Project. Documents include reports, memoranda, correspondence and minutes. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Infrastructure Sub-Cabinet Records

Dates: 1981-1989, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 18 linear feet in 40 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Departments reporting to the Infrastructure Sub-Cabinet include Aviation, Public Works, Sewers, Streets and Sanitation and Water. Major topics in the collection include an expansion of O’Hare International Airport and the construction of a direct rail link to O’Hare International Airport by the Chicago Transit Authority. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Legislative Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs Records

Dates: 1977-1988, bulk dates 1984-1987. Size: 11.5 linear feet in 23 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Records created by the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) and the Legislative Liaison. IGA was established to coordinate legislative and lobbying efforts for and with various city departments, boards and commissions and with state and federal governments. Major topics in the collection include transportation issues and Chicago’s anti-apartheid and divestment from South Africa efforts. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Office Manager/Supervisor of Clerical Staff Records

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 15.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. In 1983 Harold Washington became Chicago’s first African American mayor. The Office Manager/Supervisor of Clerical Staff Records detail the day to day administrative work done within the Mayor’s Office. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Press Office Photographs

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 41.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Harold Washington was the first African American mayor of Chicago, elected in 1983. The Press Office was part of the Office of the Mayor, and was responsible for the mayor’s scheduling and for ensuring he was prepared for each event by producing briefing notes with detailed background information. The photographs, contact sheets and negatives in this collection were mostly taken by Press Office photographers, Michelle V. Agins, Antonio B. Dickey and Peter J. Schulz, between 1983 and 1987. The images document many of Harold Washington’s engagements and provide a glimpse into his often busy, daily schedule. The types of events he attended varied from day to day, but many were out in the neighborhoods, while others took place inside City Hall. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Remembering Harold Washington Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Press Office Records

Dates: 1979-1991, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 74.5 linear feet in 100 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Press Office was responsible for the mayor’s scheduling and for ensuring he was prepared for each event by producing briefing notes with detailed background information about the organization or venue involved. They also drafted press releases and speeches for the mayor and gathered news clippings on all topics. Of particular note are a collection of news clippings gathered after Mayor Washington’s sudden death. Selected items from the collection are available online in the Harold Washington: Selected Speeches Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Public Safety/Regulatory Sub-Cabinet Records

Dates: 1982-1988. Size: 12 linear feet in 24 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Departments reporting to this Sub-Committee include Police, Fire, Consumer Services, Cable Communications and Animal Care and Control. Records from the Police Department are particularly strong in the area of gangs and the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Crime Prevention. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Schedules and Evaluations Records

Dates: 1986-1987. Size: 9 linear feet in 19 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Files from Mayor Harold Washington’s Scheduling Department detailing events that the mayor was invited to. Records include reports of site-visits, seating plans, floor plans of the venue, the racial mix of the audience and follow-up reports about how the Mayor was received. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. U.S. Congressional Records

Dates: 1970-1983, bulk 1980-1983. Size: 57 linear feet in 43 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Correspondence, speeches, press releases and reports from Washington’s tenure as Congressman for the First District and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Of note are his legislative files and those from his committee and caucus work. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. City Council Proceedings Records

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 15 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. A complete set of the Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago from Washington’s inauguration in 1983 until Eugene Sawyer gave his acceptance speech as Acting Mayor following Washington’s death in 1987. [Processed]

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Washington, Harold Archives and Collections. Pre-Mayoral Photograph Collection

Dates: circa 1938-1983, bulk dates 1969-1983. Size: 5 linear feet in 5 boxes, includes 476 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection begins with photographs of Harold Washington as a student, in the Army and as a member of the Illinois legislature, but the bulk of the collection dates from his time in Washington, D.C., as U.S. Congressman, and from his 1983 campaign for Mayor of Chicago. [Finding aid]

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Washington, Harold Commemorative Year Archives

Dates: 2007-2008. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives & Collections. The Harold Washington Commemorative Year sought to promote remembrance, encourage discussion and champion the legacy of Harold Washington. The Harold Washington Commemorative Year sponsored a series of free public programs and events. [Unprocessed]

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Washington, Harold Political Education Project Records

Dates: circa 1963-1989. Size: 57.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives & Collections. Harold Washington’s Political Education Project Records contain files related to Washington’s career and campaign efforts, including his mayoral campaign in 1983, participation in the 1984 Democratic National Convention, the 1986 Chicago special aldermanic election and Washington’s mayoral re-election campaign in 1987. [Processed]

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Weiss, Hedy Press Kit Collection

Dates: 2003-2017. Size: 5826 electronic files (75.2 GB), .25 linear feet in 1 box (including 31 slides). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Hedy Weiss served as the theater and dance critic for the Chicago Sun-Times 1984-2017. This collection is comprised of electronic files of theater and dance production photos received by Weiss as part of press kits via CD from more than 85 theaters. [Finding aid]

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Wermich North Center News Collection

Dates: 1890-1983. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 2 boxes, 13 oversized folders and 87 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Wermich North Center News Collection contains records from the Wermich family, who published the neighborhood newspaper the Northcenter News. Items in the collection include issues of the newspaper from the 1940s-1960s; minutes, correspondence and newspaper clippings about the North Center Commercial Association; miscellaneous files about other neighborhood organizations, and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Wertz, Irma Cayton Papers

Dates: 1930-1985. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2004/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Irma Cayton Wertz, a graduate of Fisk University, married Chicago sociologist Horace Cayton and moved to Chicago in the late 1930s. During World War II, she served as an early African American WAC officer. Her papers include correspondence, news clippings, official documents and photographs on her experience in the military during World War II. Also included are some materials on her work at Chicago’s Parkway Community House. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Wesleyan Bible Class Records

Dates: 1903-1952. Size: 3.5 linear feet in 5 boxes (including 39 photographs), plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Garfield Park Community Collections. Collection primarily consists of promotional materials for the class. See also the Frank L. Wood Scrapbooks. The Wesleyan Bible Class was organized in 1880, but is best known for the years (1896-1945) it was led by Frank L. Wood. Under his leadership, the class numbered some 900, with an average attendance of 626 per meeting in 1940. The focus of the class was on Bible study. It was interdenominational and designed to serve all churches on the West Side. The collection contains newsletters, programs, invitations and anniversary brochures. [Finding aid]

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West Chesterfield Community Association Archives

Dates: 2000-2019. Size: 4 linear feet in 9 boxes. Accession #2020/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The West Chesterfield Community Association was founded in 1956 to promote community awareness and development. It lies between the Chatham and Roseland communities on Chicago's south side. These papers include monthly board and community meeting notes, community-based projects, newsletters and financial records. [Finding aid]

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West End Woman’s Club Records

Dates: 1894-1929. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Garfield Park Community Collections. The collection consists of  yearbooks which contain articles of incorporation, lists of officers and members, by-laws and program calendars. [Finding aid]

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West Garfield Park Community Collection

Dates: 1831-1970. Size:21.5 linear feet, includes 355 photographs, 16 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Garfield Park Community Collections. The collection contains correspondence, directories, historical narratives, meeting minutes, news clippings, newsletters and over 300 photographs related to businesses, clubs, organizations, religious organizations, persons, residences, schools and street scenes in the West Garfield Park community area. [Finding aid]

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West Side Council of Parents and Teachers Records

Dates: 1923-1950 (Bulk dates, 1940-1949). Size: 3.5 linear feet in 6 boxes including 8 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The West Side Council of Parents and Teachers formed on April 4, 1923, as an umbrella group to support PTA units in individual elementary schools on Chicago’s West Side. This collection documents the West Side Council from its beginning in 1923 up through its division into West Side Council North and West Side Council South in 1949. [Finding aid]

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West Side Historical Society Records

Dates: 1930-1955. Size: 7.75 linear feet in 23 boxes including 21 photographs, 1 audiotape. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. 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. [Finding aid]

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West Side Newspaper Collection

Dates: 1880-1966. Size: 75 linear feet in 6 boxes, including 12 oversize folders, 70 bound volumes, and 6 microfilm reels. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. The West Side Newspaper Collection consists of partial runs of West Side newspapers including The Austinite, Garfield News, Garfieldian and the West Town News, among others. [Finding aid]

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West Town Community Collection

Dates: 1860-2007. Size: 4.5 linear feet, includes 3 oversize folders, 82 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. The West Town Community Collection covers the history of Chicago's West Town neighborhood, its residents, and its institutions, including churches, businesses, organizations, settlement houses, schools and libraries. Of particular note are the photographs that document schools in the neighborhood. [Finding aid]

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West [Near West] Side Community Collection

Dates: 1853-1994. Size: 27.5 linear feet in 35 boxes including 440 photographs, 16 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. The West [Near West] Side Community Collection contains manuscripts, printed material and photographs that document Chicago’s Near West Side, an area bounded by 16th Street on the south, Kinzie Street on the north, the Chicago River on the east and Maplewood Avenue on the west. It was originally called the West Side Community Collection. The collection contains biographical information on residents, as well as information on businesses, religious institutions, clubs and organizations, municipal agencies, residences, schools, streets and transportation. [Finding aid]

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Westbrook, Shelby Papers

Dates: 1945-1992. Size: 1.5 linear feet. Accession #2008/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A Tuskegee Airman during World War II and a historian of African Americans in the military services, Shelby Westbrook’s papers consist of press releases, photographs and audiovisual materials. [Finding aid]

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Whack, Rita Coburn Collection

Dates: 1996-2003. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2002/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Rita Coburn Whack, a novelist, television and radio producer, and on-air radio contributor, won an Emmy for writing in her documentary film, Curators of Culture: Chicago’s South Side Community Art Center, in 2005. Her papers include 41 oral history interviews and other audiovisual materials from her public radio work and from documentaries she created for public television. [Finding Aid]

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Wheeler, Rose Papers

Dates: 1927-2000. Size: 13 linear feet. Accession #1995/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Rose Wheeler was a highly respected social worker, race relations activist and lifelong organizer for world peace. Her papers include manuscripts, correspondence, extensive subject research files, professional and organization materials, and newspaper clippings. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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White, Sarah Papers

Dates: 1985-2004. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #2005/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Sarah White, born in poverty in the Mississippi Delta town of Inverness, became a leading organizer of unions for black women working in the catfish processing plants of the region. She was a key figure in the 1990 strike at Delta Pride Catfish, the largest strike in the history of Mississippi. The catfish workers’ struggle became a celebrated cause in Chicago, as civil rights groups, unions and churches sent assistance. White’s papers include extensive oral history interviews, manuscripts, speeches, clipping files, serials and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Wicker Park Collection of Mary Ann Johnson

Dates: 1879-2002. Size: 2 Linear Feet in 4 boxes plus 4 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Wicker Park is a neighborhood in Chicago's West Town community area on the near northwest side of the city, about three miles from the Loop. This collection contains material gathered by Mary Ann Johnson as part of her research for the book Wicker Park: From 1673 thru 1929 and Walking Tour Guide. There is also a small amount of material from the 1970s-early 2000s. [Finding Aid]

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Willard, Mary Frances Letters

Dates: 1918-1919. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection consists of 52 typed copies of her original letters (322 pages) that Mary Frances Willard (Aunt May) sent to her family members while serving as a YMCA canteen worker in France during World War I. [Finding aid]

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Williams, Melva Papers

Dates: 1940-1990. Size: 45 linear feet. Accession #1995/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Melva Williams toured with the Sallie Martin Singers, led church choirs in Chicago, and served as a high school principal and as a music educator. Her papers include a large sheet music collection of classical and sacred music, clippings, serials and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Wilson, Edith Papers

Dates: 1879-1973. Size: 4 linear feet. Accession #1996/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Edith Wilson was the last person to perform the official portrayal of “Aunt Jemima” for the Quaker Oats Company. Her papers include programs, clipping files, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Wilson, Muriel Papers

Dates: 1975-2000. Size: 8 linear feet. Accession #2002/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Muriel Wilson is a founding member of the African American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago, an activist in the Episcopal Church and a prominent genealogical scholar. Her papers include research materials in African American history and genealogy, subject files, genealogical serials, workshop guides and event programs, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

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Winslow, Eugene Papers

Dates: 1851-1994. Size: 18.75 linear feet. Accession #1993/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Architect, artist and historian Eugene Winslow made his mark in a wide variety of fields. He was a Tuskegee Airman during World War II, an architect influenced by the Bauhaus movement and a Black history researcher in the 1970s. He wrote most of the articles and created all the illustrations for Great Negroes Past and Present. His papers include extensive subject research files created for his work on the book, rare serials, biographical information, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

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Wisdom Bridge Theatre Collection

Dates: 1974-1994. Size: 77.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The Wisdom Bridge Theatre Collection includes both production and administrative records in addition to photographs and videotapes. [Partially processed]

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Women and Girls Collective Action Network Records

Dates: 2001-2011. Size: 3.5 linear feet, includes 1 oversize folder, 320 photographs, 362 negatives, 12 DVDs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Women and Girls Collective Action Network (WGCAN) was established in Chicago, Illinois, in August 2004 as an organization dedicated to end violence and social injustices against women and girls. Through its two primary initiatives, the Community Accountability Institute and Females United for Action (FUFA), WGCAN provided trainings, resources and programs to develop youth and community leadership, challenge media representations and end domestic violence. The documentation includes correspondence, interviews, meeting minutes, photographs, programs, reports, research articles, training surveys and workshop materials. [Finding aid]

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Wood, Frank L. Scrapbooks

Dates: 1885-1941. Size: 10 scrapbooks. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. See also the Wesleyan Bible Class Collection. See also the Wesleyan Bible Class Collection. Frank L. Wood (1864-1945) lived on Chicago’s West Side. He practiced law and served as the editor of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin from 1909 until his retirement in 1937. Wood was a member of the West Side Historical Society and the Wesleyan Bible Class. He was also a collector of Abraham Lincoln material. The Frank L. Wood Scrapbook Collection includes ten scrapbooks, nine of which hold correspondence, programs and news clippings concerning Wood’s numerous speaking engagements, and the tenth miscellaneous published poems by Wood. [Finding aid]

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Wood, Jearl Defense Committee Papers

Dates: 1980-1984. Size: .5 linear foot. Accession #1987/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Jearl Wood, an autoworker, Vietnam veteran, UAW member and artist, was accused of attempted murder, aggravated battery and armed violence. This collection contains the files of the defense fund for Wood, including correspondence, litigation documents, logbook, leaflets and political buttons. [Finding aid]

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Woodlawn Block Club Council Records

Dates: 1958-1960. Size: 1 linear foot. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Woodlawn Community Collections. The Woodlawn Block Club Council’s activities are chronicled in records containing its constitution and by-laws, correspondence, minutes of meetings, membership rosters and publicity materials dealing with its community betterment projects. [Finding aid]

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Woodlawn Community Collection

Dates: 1857-1992. Size: 11 Linear Feet in 22 boxes (including 247 photographs), plus 15 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Woodlawn Community Collections. The Woodlawn neighborhood is 8 miles south of the Loop. The neighborhood runs roughly from 60th Street south to 67th Street and from the Lake west to King Drive and in places to South Chicago Avenue. The area was annexed into Chicago in 1889. Woodlawn is number 42 of the 77 official communities that make up Chicago. Includes correspondence, biographical essays, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, advertisements, announcements, historical essays, printed materials, church publications, meeting minutes, membership rosters, school certificates and diplomas, scrapbooks, and photographs. [Finding aid]

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Woodlawn Woman’s Club Records

Dates: 1913-1954. Size: 1 linear foot in 2 boxes, plus 2 photographs and 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Woodlawn Community Collections. The Woodlawn Women’s Club Records (WWC), contain a bound volume by Louise J. Pearson titled, History of the Woodlawn Woman’s Club, meeting minutes and yearbooks that chronicle by-laws, membership and programs from 1913 to 1954. [Finding aid]

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Woods, Alfred Papers

Dates: 1966-2004. Size: 12 linear feet. Accession #2006/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Poet, librarian and cultural projects activist Alfred Woods is best known as the author of Mannish. His papers include poetry and other manuscripts, correspondence, programs, grant materials, official reports, clipping files and memorabilia. [Unprocessed]

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Woodson, Susan Cayton Papers

Dates: 1910-2004. Size: 24 linear feet. Accession #1999/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Art gallery owner Susan Cayton Woodson has been hailed for her work publicizing and preserving the art of the Chicago Renaissance period. Active with the South Side Community Art Center, she is a member of the famed Cayton family and a descendent of Senator Hiram Revels. Her papers include family documents, correspondence, subject research files and photographs. Papers from her late husband, food chemist Harold Woodson, are also included. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

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Works Progress Administration. Federal Art Project. Illinois Art Project

Dates: circa 1938-1943. Size: .65 linear feet, includes 166 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The collection consists of 166 photographs of artworks, furniture and design items that were produced for the Illinois Art Project which was part of the Federal Art Project (FAP) under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1936 and 1943. [Finding aid]

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World War I Collection

Dates: 1913-1923. Size: 9 linear feet in 5 boxes includes 12 photographs, 17 etchings, 32 glass plate slides and 643 posters (411 original posters). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The WWI Collection brings together posters, photographs, ephemera and etchings related to the war effort. The bulk of the collection is comprised of posters created in the U.S. between 1914 and 1921, but also includes several posters from Great Britain, Canada and France. These materials range from recruitment calls from the various branches of the military to home front initiatives by the U.S. Food Administration, the National War Garden Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The ephemera items consist of a range of decals, flags, handbills, pamphlets, postcards, smaller posters and war stamps with pragmatic themes similar to the posters. The 12 “living photographs” created by Mole and Thomas feature tens of thousands of soldiers, reservists and other members of the military arranged in such patriotic formations as the Liberty Bell or an American eagle. The 32 glass plate slides in this collection focus on the war effort in France, and the 17 etchings were created by the American painter and print maker Lester George Hornby, who followed French and American forces into the trenches. [Finding aid]

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World War II Collection

Dates: 1939-1946. Size: 10 linear feet in 5 boxes and 82 oversize folders, includes 675 posters, 82 oversize folders 42 artworks, 1 artifact, 2 scrapbooks. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The WWII Collection brings together posters, cartoons and ephemera related to the war effort. The bulk of the collection is comprised of posters created in the U.S. between 1938 and 1946, but also includes several posters from Canada, France, Great Britain, Netherlands and New Zealand. These range from recruitment calls from the various branches of the military to home front initiatives by the Civilian Production Administration, the Office of War Information and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A considerable number of posters were created by renowned artists such as Thomas Hart Benton, James Montgomery Flagg, Norman Rockwell, Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) and Ben Shahn. The ephemera items consist of a range of artifacts, handbills, pamphlets and scrapbooks. The folio of 42 prints “Anti-Nazi cartoons,” was produced as a limited edition by Moscow, VOKS, 1943. [Finding aid]

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World's Columbian Exposition U.S. War Department Exhibit Photographs

Date: 1892-1893. Size: 3 linear feet, 350 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The collection consists of 350 photographs that document the U.S. War Department exhibit in the U.S. Government Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Eleven photographs show general views of the Ordnance Exhibit and the remaining photographs mounted to album pages show the installation of the exhibit and catalog the selected firearms and their schematic technologies on display. A.H. Russell was the Captain of Ordnance who was in charge of the Ordnance Section at the World's Columbian Exposition. It is possible that this album was assembled for him or his office. [Finding aid]

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World's Columbian Exposition, Bureau of Music, Official Report

Dates: 1882-1895. Size: 2 linear feet (oversize album, 2 copies). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Under the leadership of conductor Theodore Thomas, the Bureau of Music was charged with the creation of orchestral, choral and band performance plans and an exhibit of musical instruments at the World's Columbian Exposition. The Official Report created by Secretary George H. Wilson consists of an oversize album with typed narratives, copies of letters, photographs and clippings. [Finding aid]

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World’s Columbian Exposition Ephemera Collection

Dates: 1890-1991, bulk 1891-1893. Size: 7 linear feet in 6 boxes and 31 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. Collection consists of approximately 200 ephemeral items such as trade cards, tickets, invitations, postcards and other printed ephemera. [Finding aid]

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World’s Columbian Exposition General Images

Dates: 1893. Size: 10 linear feet in 7 boxes, including 210 photographs and 44 glass plate lantern slides. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. Various scenes of the World's Columbian Exposition and Midway Plaisance on a variety of photographic media. The images depict buildings and scenes from the World’s Columbian Exposition and the accompanying Midway Plaisance. The Catholic Educational Exhibit that was on display in the Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building is especially well represented. [Finding aid]

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World’s Columbian Exposition Snapshots Collection

Dates: 1893-1895, bulk 1893. Size: 2.75 linear feet in 3 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. Most extant images of the World's Columbian Exposition were taken by the official photographer of the Fair, Charles Dudley Arnold. The photographs in this Collection, taken by sometimes anonymous, sometimes named photographers, reflect the spontaneity and joy of snapshots, and not the formality of the professional portraits. [Finding aid]

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World’s Congress Auxiliary Congress of Authors Collection

Dates: 1892-1893; 1926 (Bulk date: 1893). Size: 1.5 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. The World’s Congress Auxiliary of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 consisted of a series of meetings, run by 19 departments, on almost every scholarly and cultural topic, and ran concurrently with the Fair from May 15 to October 28, 1893. The Congress of Authors, a division within the Auxiliary’s Department of Literature, was held July 10-17, 1893. This collection consists primarily of the correspondence of the congress’s Committees of Organization and Cooperation, and the responses of the numerous authors invited to attend and participate in the congress. [Finding aid]

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World’s Congress Auxiliary Pre-Publications, Programs and Circulars Collection

Dates: 1889-1893. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 5 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. The World’s Congress Auxiliary of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 consisted of a series of meetings, run by 19 departments, on almost every scholarly and cultural topic, and ran concurrently with the Fair from May 15 to October 28, 1893. This collection consists of circulars, addresses, reports, and other materials generated by the Departments’ Committees on Arrangements and Organization. [Finding aid]

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Wright, John S. Papers

Dates: 1848-1866. Size: .25 linear feet in 1 box plus 3 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. John Stephen Wright (1815-1874) moved to Chicago from Massachusetts with his father in 1832. In 1833, Wright took a census of Chicago and published a lithographed map of the town in 1834, the year he began a real estate business. This collection concerns his purchase of land in the city in 1848 and the subsequent history of that land over the next two decades. [Finding aid]

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Wright, Richard Papers

Dates: 1935-1936. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #1942/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Collection consists of a  48-page proofed typescript draft of Wright's short story, Big Boy Leaves Home. [Processed]

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Wyatt, Rev. Addie and Rev. Claude Papers

Dates: 1947-2005. Size: 220 linear feet. Accession #2007/04 Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Rev. Addie Wyatt and her husband, the Rev. Claude Wyatt, were co-pastors at Vernon Park Church of God for more than four decades. Addie Wyatt was a meatpacking worker and union activist in the 1940s. Her determination to fight for social justice led her to union leadership roles, culminating in her election as vice president of the Amalgamated Meatcutters Union (later merged into the United Food and Commercial Workers Union). She was a founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. This collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, programs, proceedings, serials, clipping files, audiovisual materials and photographs from her work in labor, black and women’s organizations. Also included is extensive documentation on the history of Vernon Park Church of God, including sermon texts by Claude Wyatt. [Finding aid]

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Yondorf, Alma M. Theatre Scrapbooks Collection

Dates: 1894-1926. Size: .5 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The scrapbooks document theater productions in Chicago and elsewhere. Yondorf frequently annotated her programs with the names of her companions and her opinions of the productions. [Finding aid]

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Young, Marion C. Hull House Collection

Dates: 1900-1967. Size: 1.5 linear feet in 2 boxes, including 7 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. Marion C. Young was born in 1895 and in 1929 she became a resident at Chicago’s Hull-House where she taught cooking classes.  In that same year, she became associated with Hull-House’s Bowen Country Club bringing city children into the country for summer camp. This collection consists of Hull-House and Bowen Country Club materials assembled by Marion Young over some four decades. The material is divided into three series: correspondence, Hull-House publications and publications about Hull-House. [Finding aid]

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Youth’s Companion Collection

Dates: 1892-1893. Size: 1.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Collection. Youth's Companion was a weekly journal published in Boston. This collection consists of 36 issues, dating from October 20, 1892 to December 21, 1893, and containing articles and/or works of fiction related to various aspects of Fair activities, as well as advertisements of companies exhibiting their wares at the World’s Columbian Exposition. [Finding aid]

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Zatterberg, Helen Collection

Dates: circa late 1800s-2002. Size: 2 linear feet in 2 boxes and 5 oversize folders, including 123 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. Helen Zatterberg (1902-2002) worked for Chicago Public Library from 1921 until her retirement in 1967. She founded the Ravenswood-Lake View Historical Association in 1935 and spent many years at Hild Regional Library before becoming Regional Librarian of the North Side in 1957. This collection contains personal papers; professional papers, mostly awards and honors; and photographs. [Finding Aid]

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Zeta Phi Beta, Roanoke, Va., Chapter Papers

Dates: 1950. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1994/10. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The papers include a scrapbook dated 1949-1950 of the sorority founded at Howard University in 1920. [Processed]

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Zimmerman, Mary Scrapbook

Dates: 1895-1953. Size: 1.65 linear feet, includes 1 scrapbook. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Garfield Park Community Collections. Mary Zimmerman’s scrapbook highlights her educational, professional and public achievements. Mary Zimmerman (1869-1953) was one of four original faculty members of John Marshall High School that opened in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood in 1895. She taught Latin for forty years until her retirement in 1935. Zimmerman was active with the American Friends of the Hebrew University and sought to raise funds for scholarships and programs for the Jerusalem institution that was founded in 1925. [Finding aid]

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