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.
April 2019
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.
New post on the Group page, now called Beverly/Morgan Park History page. Go to Beverly/Morgan Park History to join the group.
The name of the group page has been changed to Beverly/Morgan Park History so there is no confusion with this home page for the Ridge Historical Society. Please see Beverly/Morgan Park History and join the group to share posts.
We are starting a "Group" page for people to share stories, photos, questions and answers about the history of the Beverly Hills, Morgan Park, Mt. Greenwood, and Washington Heights communities of Chicago. Please join us! Click on the new page here and send us a request to join. You will be added within a day.
April 22 is Earth Day when we focus on environmental issues. There is not much left of the original "wild Ridge" due to almost 200 years of "development" but here are four places where we can still see remnants of some of the ecosystems that once flourished here.
In the far southeast corner of Mount Hope Cemetery (entrance on 115th Street at Fairfield Ave.) we can see the remnants of the vast sand deposits that were the western shore of the pre-historic Blue Island. The sandy land was not suitable for farming and that is why we have so many cemeteries and golf courses along the western side of the island, starting with St. Mary's and Evergreen Cemeteries at 87th Street and going south.
Second, we have the Ridge Park Wetlands to the west of the Metra train tracks just north of 96th Street. The water ran off the Ridge to the east, creating wetlands, swamps and marshes for miles. This is one very small patch still preserved.
Third, we have Hurley Park at 100th St. and Winchester Ave. where there is signage about the once vast oak woodlands that covered the area. We still have old growth oak trees in the area but many of them are reaching the end of their lifespan and will die off in the next 50 years. We have not kept pace with establishing new oak trees.
Last, we have the south section of Dan Ryan Woods (south of 87th Street) where we can still see the ravines and natural gradients in the terrain that would have existed before most of the land was leveled for building.
Photos by C. Flynn.
The Ridge Historical Society supports the efforts to restore the Givins Castle, Beverly Hills/Morgan Park area's most recognized landmark. A series of world folk music concerts have gone on since last Fall at the Castle, with the proceeds (after a few expenses) all going to the Castle Restoration Fund. The series was underwritten by the late Dean Miller, in memory of his late wife, Martha Herriott Swift. The last concert of the series (with the money going to the Castle) for this year will be held on Saturday, April 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the Castle, 10244 S. Longwood Drive. The performers are the group Come Sunday.
A description of the group: "Come Sunday is a Chicago-based Jazz septet heavily influenced by the musical genres indigenous to North America: jazz, blues, folk. In Come Sunday the genres are melded together into one swingin’ good time, then delivered by four powerful singers and the deep grooves of a crazy-good rhythm section."
The band has a Facebook page so you can check them out. Come Sunday
The concert series is arranged by John Devens, who owned/operated the World Folk Music Center on 103rd Street for many years. People were very upset when that venue closed, but they can still enjoy the concerts John books through this series. And the one thing everyone agrees on is that John Devens knows the best talent from the Chicago music scene.
To reserve a seat for this concert, you can just respond to this post THROUGH THE RIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (NOT ANY "SHARES" WHICH RHS WON'T SEE), and we'll get the info to the Castle. Please give name and number of seats you want. The suggested donation is $20 per person and you can pay at the door. Thank you. For information on the Castle restoration itself, visit that page. Givins Beverly Castle
For some reason I cannot figure out, this post will not share. If you want to send it to someone else, let me know and I can send it.
The unfortunate fire in Notre Dame Cathedral got me thinking about the "French connection" to the Blue Island Ridge. We had an early group of settlers here, and their legacy to the community is also a church – the historic and charming Sacred Heart Church at 11652 S. Church St.
Sacred Heart was originally founded in Alsip in 1892. After another unfortunate fire, the church moved to its current location to be closer to the Purington Brick Yards at 119th and Vincennes, where many of the French people worked. The current church was built in 1904-5 and originally appeared as a wooden frame church, built on posts in a swamp. The church was established as a “national church” which meant it would serve a particular nationality, not a defined geographic area. The story goes that the workers hid bricks in their clothing and brought them over from the brick yard, one or two at a time, and in 1922, the present brick facade was added. The church as it stands now is actually the old frame church clad with this "donated" brick.
Father Raymond DeNorus, a missionary priest born in France, became pastor in 1912. From all accounts, he was a very charismatic man. He loved a good time, yet he was a man deeply devoted to his faith. He dispensed medicine, holy water and blessings from his side door. Numerous miracle cures were reported to have taken place over the years. Crutches, canes and braces left abandoned at the church were hung on the side walls. Services at the church drew large crowds and it became a place for pilgrimages. During this time the church became known as the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a shrine being a special place of devotion that attracts travelers from afar. Fr. DeNorus retired in 1935. With time, most of the French families moved on and were replaced by German and Irish workers.
In 1979, the Archdiocese of Chicago under John Cardinal Cody decided to close and demolish Sacred Heart, citing as its main reasons a shortage of priests and the expense of construction needed to correct building code violations. Members of the congregation rallied to restore and preserve the church. The church was closed from 1979-1982. But then Cardinal Cody died, and the new Archbishop, Joseph Bernardin, agreed to review the matter. He reopened the church and celebrated Mass there in 1983. The church was reestablished as a "mission church" operating as part of the Holy Name of Mary Parish in Morgan Park.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus originated in France in the late 1600s when a nun, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, claimed that during a series of apparitions, Jesus promised certain blessings to those who practiced devotion to his Sacred Heart. The Vatican’s position is that the manifestation and promises are true. So the name Sacred Heart was very fitting for a French mission church.
[NOTE: Amendment to this story: The wife of the man from the Sacred Heart congregation who originally told me the story of the bricks posted this: "The brick masons were given permission to take the bricks that were used to line the ovens as those bricks were marked with black spots and therefore not fit to sell." Thank you for sharing more interesting local folklore with us! – Carol Flynn, RHS Communications]
Picture 1 is the original church ca. 1913 before the brick facade was added. The side door at which Fr. DeNorus greeted visitors is visible. Photo from the RHS newspaper archives.
Picture 2 is the church today covered with the Purington bricks. Photo by C. Flynn.
The world lost important cultural and religious history today with the extensive fire damage to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. We express our condolences and support to the French people. Through the ages, we have lost countless historical buildings and sites, and I do mean too many to count. Most are gone forever. Here's hoping the resiliency and courage of the French people will get them through this and they will rebuild their beloved Cathedral.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on Good Friday, April 14, 1865. His body was brought home to Illinois by private train, where it laid in state in Chicago before being moved to Springfield for burial. Here is an article that appeared in a past newsletter of the Ridge Historical Society explaining that a Morgan Park resident by the name of Charles O. Ten Broeke built the catafalque or hearse for carrying Lincoln's coffin through the streets of Chicago. Also posted is an illustration from the May 20, 1865 Harper's Weekly (magazine), depicting the scene. And the last two pictures are of the house Ten Broeke lived in, from his time and the present.
The Civil War was declared officially over on April 9, 1865. After four years of terrible bloodshed and the deaths of 620,000 Americans, celebrations were going on throughout Washington, D.C., and the north. Of course, many of those supportive of the Confederate cause loathed President Abraham Lincoln, which was reflected in the obsessions of John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators who were plotting the murders not only of Lincoln but other government leaders as well.
Five days later, on April 14, 1865, Good Friday, the nation was shocked at the assassination of the President who had worked so hard to preserve the United States.
Illinois is the Land of Lincoln. Although born in Kentucky, Lincoln grew to manhood in Illinois, teaching himself about law and starting a law practice in Springfield. He often came to Chicago, both for law and for politics. He rose to prominence in this state, culminating in his election as President. After he was killed, he was brought home to be buried here.
The Ridge has strong connections to Lincoln, which we will explore in several posts.
Ebenezer Peck (1805-1881) was a well-known consultant to Lincoln. He was a very powerful man in Chicago, a lawyer and an elected legislator, serving in both the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House. Lincoln often called upon Peck for advice. Peck was part of the delegation that informed Lincoln he was nominated for the Presidency. Lincoln met at Peck’s house following the election to plan his cabinet appointments. Peck accompanied President-elect Lincoln in his private train when Lincoln left Springfield for Washington, D. C. Peck made at least three visits to D. C. during Lincoln’s first term. Peck went to the White House in the summer of 1864 and told Lincoln: “Your reelection is necessary to save the Union, and no man must stand in the way of that success.“
Ebenezer Peck had a magnificent home just northwest of what is now 95th St. and Western Ave. It was one of the earliest houses on the Ridge, but destroyed by fire before 1844. He later lived in the Lake View area.