Local Historians have been treasuring and using Louise Barwick’s beautiful paintings to learn, teach and inspire interest in history since Louise herself pivoted from creating beautiful art to also using it to illustrate what life was once like in this lovely place.

Louise’s images spotlight places special to her and to this community in her day as they existed from 1893 to 1905, though a number of her historical pieces were not painted until the 1940s, from memory. This was a time when other artists in the region, too, were using their art to open windows into the past. As a teacher herself, Louise clearly embraced those possibilities.

Beverly/Morgan Park is a beautiful place to live, but for its natural splendor our unique Ridge was once a destination for artists before development changed the face of it. A state geologist who visited the Ridge Historical Society almost 25 years ago told us our Blue Island Ridge had been so dramatic that it could’ve been a national park. This is a quote from a 1918 publication of the Cook County Forest Preserves describing their new Beverly Hills park (later named Dan Ryan Woods), and though it refers specifically to territory in North Beverly, it is also a reflection of the original natural aspect of the entire Blue Island Ridge:

“In Beverly Hills, the southern end of Cook County has a real beauty spot. It is a preserve only 126 acres in extent but for its acreage it boasts more spectacular points of interest than any other stretch of forest land in the county. It is an ideal natural park.”