The RHS Facebook page is a rich archive of history-related posts by Carol Flynn, RHS Facebook admin and writer until mid-2025. Carol prolifically wrote a wide variety of meticulously researched local history articles for RHS. She continues to write for the Beverly Review and other media sources with articles particularly focused on local Ridge history.
Past Events: 2019
More RHS Garage Sale pics – see events on the RHS page.
Here are some of the finer items that will be for sale at the RHS Garage and Book Sale. More pics later in the week. Go to the RHS page under events for details of the sale.
This coming week-end, Sept. 27-29, 2019, is the annual RHS Garage and Book Sale. Friday and Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm, Sunday, 11 am to 3 pm, 10621 S. Seeley Ave., Chicago.
During the week we will post some items that will be for sale. To start, here are vintage tools from a collector, including cobbler lasts, a blow torch, an inner tube repair kit, and jars of paper matches.
Yes! "Threads of Imagination" is indeed up and open to the public today from 12 to 6 for the Beverly Art Walk. Please stop by!
New event! RHS and the Givins Beverly Castle will be hosting an event for Halloween at the Castle – "Folklore and Phantoms" – a look at paranormal activity on the Ridge, presented by RHS researcher/writer Carol Flynn, on Friday evening, October 25. Mark your calendars now – seating is limited so there will have to be reservations and the program will fill up fast. Complete details will follow including reservations information. There will be a nominal charge and all the proceeds will go to the Castle Restoration Fund. Included will be refreshments – beer and wine and appetizers. We'll talk about the Castle ghost stories and many other stories from the Ridge – Carol has collected over 50 stories of paranormal events on the Ridge and has the blog "Ridge Paranormal Happenings" on Patch. We'll have time to let people share their own experiences also. Stay tuned for more information….
Morgan Park Days
The summer is almost over – Labor Day will be here in just a few days. Labor Day was a special time for Morgan Park in the early 1900s – it was the day devoted to “Morgan Park Day” celebrations.
In September 1900, fourteen years before annexing to the City of Chicago, the Village of Morgan Park held its first-ever public holiday to simply celebrate the village as a community. Stores closed, children were let out of school, and the village’s marching band paraded around town. The people gathered to listen to speeches and sip lemonade.
At that 1900 event, it was suggested that Morgan Park have one day each year devoted solely to the village, where the people “could meet on common ground, their only creed being universal brotherhood.” This led to an event known as Morgan Park Day that was held annually on Labor Day for over a decade.
Morgan Park Days, the first of which was held in 1901, were chock full of activities. Athletic competitions under the direction of the Morgan Park Athletic Club were held on the grounds of the Morgan Park Academy. The entire village decorated houses and outdoor areas. Parades featured carriages and floats adorned with floral displays.
Afternoons were for bands, concerts and speeches. The public forum was considered a very important part of the day. Evenings were reserved for concerts, dinners, dancing, and social time.
The peak year for Morgan Park Days was 1908, and what a grand event that was. The planners encouraged residents to invite their friends and relatives from all over to come for the day. House parties were held throughout the village. The village of 5,000 residents expected 10,000 visitors; over 20,000 showed up.
The churches were in charge of refreshments. Booths were set up to sell peanuts, popcorn, crackerjack, pork and beans, chop suey, pop, lemonade and orange cider, coffee, doughnuts and milk, candy, pies, fruit, sandwiches and red-hots. Other booths sold postcards and souvenirs. Adults strolled around with decorated canes and children were supplied with red balloons. Adults and children alike waved pennants and banners.
The athletic events and contests were numerous. The parade was the longest ever, stretching for two miles. Evening entertainment included a chorus of 50 members. Leading up to the day, public practice sessions were held so residents would be ready to sing along.
No mentions of Morgan Park Day are found in the city papers after 1911. The village annexed to the City of Chicago in 1914. On Labor Day 1917, events focused on honoring the men joining the “new national army” as the country had joined the World War I efforts in April of that year.
A more complete article on Morgan Park Days appears in the summer issue of the RHS newsletter which recently was sent to members. If you are not a member of RHS, please consider joining.
The Ridge Historical Society will host a special exhibit this fall/winter.
"Threads of Imagination" – an exhibit exploring the intersection of art and fashion through the creativity of past and current artists on the Ridge – will open for the Art Walk on September 21, 2019, and run through mid-January 2020.
The exhibit will feature a historical look at Madame Alla Ripley (1867-1948), a famous fashion designer who lived on the Ridge in the early 1900s.
The work of four current Ridge artists involved in various aspects of fashion art will be on display.
Judie Anderson will show the fashion illustrations she created for the Chicago American newspaper in the 1960s. This work covers period fashion shows as well as advertisements.
Nicole Burns will display accessories and unique items she creates from vintage fabrics. Her collection of vintage sewing implements will also be on display.
Sandra Leonard will loan us some of her sculptural clothing, costumes she has created for performance art and other events. Photos of her art in use and samples of her hand-painted fabrics will also be on display.
Maggie O'Reilly will share with us her MaggyMay girls' clothing line, and items from her MAYTA collection, her designs created in Peru and Morocco through Fair Trade agreements.
Here are important dates to remember for viewing this show:
– Saturday, Sept. 21 – The Beverly Art Walk
– Fri., Sat., and Sun., Sept. 27, 28, 29 – The Annual RHS Garage and Better Book Sale
– Sat. and Sun., Oct. 19 and 20 – Open House Chicago
– TBD in early December – RHS Open House and Reception- Meet the Artists, who will have items for sale
– TBD, early January – RHS Champagne and Sweets Reception
More dates will be added as open times are arranged.
Since the 1870s, when artists came by train from downtown Chicago to set up their easels for a day's sketching and painting, there has been an arts community on the Ridge. This exhibit looks at one of the most famous "modistes" of the Chicago, indeed the entire U.S.A., fashion scene, who made the Ridge her family's home.The quartet of current fashion artists who live and create on the Ridge contribute to keeping the arts community alive.
Photo: Madame Alla Ripley, 1916. Photo from her great-niece, Lanora King.
The Ridge Historical Society-sponsored "Friends of the Chicago Portage" Field Trip planned for tomorrow, Saturday, August 3rd at 1 p.m., has been cancelled.
Here's a little article from The Inter Ocean from summer of 1886 giving news of a "fest" in Washington Heights, which included the area we know as Beverly now. The town hall referred to in the article is likely Tracy Hall. Bob Givins is, of course, the builder of the Castle at 103rd St. and Longwood Drive. The newspapers loved Bob Givins; he was a real Chicago personality back in his day.
Reminder – The Ridge Historical Society Spring Hat Tea will be held on Sunday, May 5, at 2:00 p.m. The admission is $25/person and $10 for children ages 10-14. Call 773/881-1675 or email ridgehistory@hotmail.com for reservations.