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.
September 2019
The Ridge Historical Society has three big events coming up in the month of October. All will have individual "Event" listings but here is the preliminary info on them so you can mark your calendars.
Grand Opening and Reception for the "Threads of Imagination" exhibit will be on Wednesday, October 16, from 7 to 9 p.m. at RHS, 10621 S. Seeley Ave., Chicago. This will be your chance to meet the four artists in person, view their items and learn their wonderful stories – Judie Anderson, Nicole Burns (Ni Bu), Sandra Leonard, and Maggie O'Reilly. We'll also be talking about Madame Alla Ripley, the famous fashion designer who lived on the Ridge in the early 1900s who inspired this exhibit. Wine and cheese, free and open to the public, please stop by!
Open House Chicago, Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, at RHS, 10621 S. Seeley Ave. This event is a city-wide project of the Chicago Architecture Center to promote some of the "hidden gems" in the city. RHS and ten other places in the neighborhood are open for touring those days. Please go to the website for Open House Chicago 2019 for more information.
"Folklore and Phantoms" – A Look at the Paranormal Ridge, on Friday, October 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Givins Beverly Castle, 103rd St. and Longwood Drive. Carol Flynn, RHS Communications, will share ghost stories and paranormal happenings that people have shared with her over the years, and there will be plenty of time for attendees to share their own stories. The $15 entrance fee goes to the Castle Restoration Fund. Wine and beer and appetizers. Reservations are a necessity as space is limited. Reservations will open on October 1.
Some more pictures of items at the RHS garage sale this week-end. Nice items for entertaining and gifts. Some nice collectors' items, good kitchen items for cooks.
This postcard was submitted to the RHS page with the question of which stop was this?
Answer: The 91st Street stop was originally called Beverly Hills. This is along the Metra line and this charming station still stands. It was built ca. 1889 by architects Charnley and Evans in the Queen Anne style.
The original train line runs to the east of Beverly/Morgan Park. In the 1870s, and expanded later, a branch of this line was extended west to the developing Ridge. The stations along the line were named:
Beverly Hills (91st), Longwood (95th), Walden (99th), Tracy (103rd), Belmont (107th), Morgan Park (111th), and Raymond (115th). The 103rd and 115th Sts. stations are now gone. The others comprise the Beverly/Morgan Park Railroad Stations District, an official historic landmark district in the City of Chicago. This is considered a "thematic" district because the buildings are connected by purpose, not by location.
The stations were designed to go along with the architecture of the houses being built on the Ridge, and replaced original frame stations. The stations are rare survivors of once-common commuter stations and are an important link in the historical development of the community.
The next event on the horizon is the Grand Opening and Reception for "Threads of Imagination," the exhibit at RHS that explores art and fashion through the creativity of five Ridge artists. See the attached flier.
Alla Ripley Bannister was a famous "modiste" who designed and created fashions for women in the early 1900s. Alla lived in Beverly in the Craftsman-style house built by her husband, architect George S. Bannister, at 1620 West 102nd Street. (Bannister is also famous for being the architect of the "Rotary House" at 10856 S. Longwood Drive.) Alla Ripley's great-niece has shared a number of family photos with us, including photos of the house when it was first built.
Alla was called "the maker of modes" and "the very last word in style" during her years as Madame Ripley. Her studio was on Michigan Ave., just down the street from the Art Institute. She dictated fashion styles through the bulletins she authored as president of the Fashion Art League of America. It was said that her fashions were "marked by a grace of line that suggests a Parish original." Some of her designs from publications of her day are shown in the exhibit.
Four contemporary Ridge artists are also in the exhibit. Judie Anderson, Maggie O'Reilly, Nicole Burns and Sandra Leonard all have unique approaches to "fashion art" and plan to be at the Grand Opening. This is your chance to stop by to meet them.