See a Selection of our Historic Photos Online We are happy to announce that more than 8,000 digitized images in our photo archive are available for viewing online. Now you can browse our collection or search for photos of specific people, places or events from your computer, phone or tablet. The photos are for viewing […]
A Renewed Push To Get An Answer from the Chicago Park District Kevin McGurn, speaking on behalf of the RPWRHS Pollard Park Task Force, delivered letters of support to the Chicago Park District Commissioners on April 10, 2024. Among the supporters whose letters were included were three members of the Pollard family, two members of […]
Explore the oldest Catholic cemetery established by the Archdiocese of Chicago Visit the graves of the founders of Rogers Park and other distinguished residents who have shaped the community we live in today. Calvary is the oldest cemetery for Catholics established by the Archdiocese of Chicago and is the final resting place of many prominent […]
Al Capone (1899-1947) Principal author: Homer Johnson. Tom Nall and Dona Vitale also contributed. Gangster Al Capone reportedly came to Chicago in 1920 from New York at the behest of John Torrio, who was also from the Brooklyn neighborhood where Capone was born. A decade earlier, Giaccomo “Diamond Jim” Colosimo, a leading vice and gambling […]
On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 tragically crashed near O’Hare Airport in what remains the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in the United States. Three siblings from a West Ridge family lost their parents. Kim Jockl, Melody Smith, and Jim Borchers tell the story of losing their parents in their book Safe […]
Sergio Oliva defected from Cuba, achieved international bodybuilding fame as “the Myth,” and served for decades as a Chicago police officer in the Rogers Park District where he lived.
The African immigrant and refugee community in Chicago is a small but vibrant community, and many of Chicago’s African newcomers live in Rogers Park and West Ridge. Join Fr. Paul Kalenzi, a Jesuit priest born in Uganda, raised in Kenya and currently serving as Director of Development for the Hekima University Project in Chicago as […]
2024 Annual Meeting will introduce the RPWRHS archive at the Northside Neighborhood History Center. Come to Sulzer Regional Library and get the scoop on this new way of sharing the historical materials RPWRHS has collected and preserved since 1975. Hear a report on 2023 and plans for the future.
Stop by the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society and all our neighbors for the 15th Annual Shop Jarvis Square celebration. Shop till you drop or come to enjoy the celebration. We’ll be hosting local artisans offering unique holiday gifts and we hope you’ll stop in to say hello.
A Living History Update from Alderperson Andre Vasquez. Since August 2022, Chicago has experienced a surge in forced migration. Over 19,500 asylum seekers have been bused from Texas to Chicago in order to stress the city’s status as a “Sanctuary City. Alderperson Andre Vasquez, Chair of the Chicago City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, will […]
As a thank you farewell to the neighborhood, Tawani Hospitality will host a public open house party before its two Rogers Park properties cease operation as event venues and vacation rentals at the end of the year. The Emil Bach House and the Lang House, both on Sheridan between Jarvis and Fargo, are beautiful pieces […]
Visit the graves of the founders of Rogers Park, and learn how their vision shaped the community we live in today.