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at North Blue Island and on alternateSunday afternoons at the other charges. Occasionally when the presiding Elder came, the three charges united in what was called a quarterly meeting. It is hard for you to realize how much the hearing of this Elder who came from elsewhere was anticipated by people who seldom heard any public speaker on any subject, except their own minister. The people of the visiting charges were entertained at dinner by the people of theneighborhood where the meeting was held. And this social intercourse wasalso highly valued. Sunday school was held in the summer in pleasant weather. There were no Christmasfestivals, for there was no Sundayschool held during the winter, but wehad a few picnics, though not annually. One long remembered which wascalled the “Four horse picnic” because each wagon was drawn by four horses We owed to a gift of used books from the first Presbyterianlt;]church of Chicago that we had a really interesting library. This with a small case of books owned by theschool district constituted the first circulating library of this vicinity.We had certain customs of our own.A few years ago the name of a man who used to attend that church wasmentioned in my presence. I thought there was something odd about that man—what was it? Soon memory answered, he used to sit with his wife in church! We were strictly segregated in church, the men sat on one!11I]]side, the women on the other. Occasionally a bride and groom sat together on their lirst appearance at church. In each of these instancesthe man did not embarrass himself by sitting on the women’s side, she sat on the men’s side.Persons going to The Crossing inthe spring and summer of 1869 sawunwonted activities, new fences whitewashed, men clearing the underbrush from the grove, graders makingstreets. The explanation of all thiswas that the Blue Island Land andBuilding Company had purchased a tract of land bounded as nearly as our old maps show on the west by Wood St. between 99th and 107th St.,extending east, north of 101st toProspect and south of 101st to the main Rock Island tracks.Prospect Ave. following the Grove was their principal street, there weremany miles of vacant land betweenhert and Chicago but this company had seen the beauty of these groves find ridges and was plotting theirground for suburban lots. The Rock Island road was making suburbanlife here possible by building the branch road to Blue Island. This branch left the main line a little northof 99th St., parallelled that streetthrough part of its course, joining the j track as it now is, a little south of99th St. The road was completed asfar as the Panhandle tracks hv thefourth of duly, 1869. On that day a great advertising picnic was held on the Ridge east of the Panhandle between 95th and 99th, then unoccupied. Many trains ran out on the Panhandle and Reek Island and hundredsof people came. There was picnicingin the grove and military maneuvers given on the prairie just east of thegrove.1869 is the last year in the territory of this neighborhood as a strictly farming community. Thirty-five years after the first settlers cabin was built.
Newspaper Details
Morgan Park Suburban Star
Morgan Park, Illinois, US
Thu, Jul 03, 1924
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 06 Jul 2023
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