2013-06 RHS Newsletter – SUMMER 2013

This extensive historical piece details the life of Elizabeth "Bessie" Bingle Huntington Sutherland, tracing her roots in the pioneer Ridge community and her 40-year career as a forward-thinking educator. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the American public school system, highlighting shifts during the Age of Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and the Progressive Era under figures like Horace Mann and John Dewey. Sutherland served as principal of the Washington Heights School (later Alice L. Barnard School) starting in 1883 and remained a highly respected figure in Chicago's educational history, eventually having the newly built E. H. Sutherland School named in her honor in 1925 following her death.

Page(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 7

The Ridge Historical Society announces its current exhibit, "'Bessie' – Elizabeth Huntington Sutherland and the E. H. Sutherland School," which will run through September 2013. The exhibit features the life of the pioneering educator, a brief history of U.S. public education, and historical memorabilia from the Sutherland School located at 101st and Leavitt Streets. Some items are on loan directly from the school, and the collection features period costumes, textbooks, and historic student posters from the 1920s through today.

Page(s): 5

The title's numbers reflect the years passed since the end of various major military conflicts, including the Gulf War, Vietnam War, Korean War, WWII, WWI, the Spanish-American War, and the Civil War. The Ridge Historical Society's Volunteer Summer Collections Project is dedicated to inventorying military uniforms, objects, and disaster-related materials such as artifacts from the Chicago Fire of 1871. The society is currently seeking volunteers to help research the origins of these items, attach labels, use museum software, and take photographs to better document the local men and women who served the nation.

Page(s): 5

The President's column details several new and exciting acquisitions for the Ridge Historical Society, including an early Beverly real estate map of Baker's Subdivision donated by Steve Baker, historical newspapers from Roger Chicon, and a collection of geological texts from Rich Kinczyk. The update also covers the discovery of a historic real estate scam brochure from the Trustees System Service Company and progress on the Morgan Family papers archiving project guided by Jane Kenamore. Additionally, the piece welcomes new office assistant Leah Spolarich, recaps the successful Spring Bonnet Tea event, and urges the community to help reach the society's 2013 goal of 300 members.

Page(s): 6, 7

The back-page mailer outlines three major upcoming events for the Ridge Historical Society in the fall of 2013. It promotes the ongoing exhibit "'Bessie' – Elizabeth Huntington Sutherland and the E. H. Sutherland School," which is open through September. Following that, the RHS Annual Garage and Better Book Sale is scheduled for the weekend of October 11–13. Finally, a special presentation titled "Natural history of the Ridge" by geologist Richard Kinczyk is set for Sunday, October 27, where he will discuss the geological formation of the local area.

Page(s): 8