Memories Announcements
"Grew Up in Park Forest" group formed on Facebook
We are on Facebook! Become a fan of "Park Forest Historical Society" and of "1950s Park Forest House Museum!" We have joined Facebook (like us!) and have a Facebook page for the museum (like our museum page!). (Active links are further down the page.) There is a Facebook group, "Grew up in Park Forest". It formerly had some wonderful memory streams going, but that changed with Facebook's new format. It is still a place to reconnect with people who grew up here. We still accept memoirs sent to us via email. We hope to get a "Park Forest Memories " group started sometime to capture those entries, but are looking at other social networking sites. If you are interested in helping with that, contact us. We have joined Facebook (like us!) and have a Facebook page for the museum (like our museum page!).
Remember to make a copy of your memory and submit it to us, too. And, you will notice, you can write a much longer memoir to be put on our website to share with people.
If you see a topic there and want to expand on it, please share it with us! Remember, many people are not on Facebook and don't read memories, there. We may know something about your question.
Have you tried to contact our email and not received an answer?
I think the absence of emails to us is a result of the Facebook page, BUT if you have tried and we have not answered your email, please try again and put something in the subject line to draw attention to the fact. I have gotten some legitimate messages but a fraction of what I formerly received. I receive a lot of spam messages. I worry that I am missing some that don't come through as legitimate.
Thanks to all of you who have been submitting memories!
I will be adding the memoirs and sending you emails to let you know that yours is online. Hopefully this will go smoothly. When you get your email, please be sure to notify friends and relatives to come look at our site.
Let us hear from YOU!!
If you are reading and enjoying these memories, (and I can tell that you are by the web statistics) send yours along. You do not need to add your contact information for the website. Please let us know what information you want to include. Your memory can be a few sentences or an essay. Our Memories stay up for years to come.
Exploring the Park Forest Area Farm History
Be sure to read our story on this year-long project with South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society. Our program on September 20 will be on this. Read more in News and Programs. Be sure to contact SSGHS or PFHS if you have any information on farms in the Park Forest area.
St. Irenaeus School
Do you have photos of St. Irenaeus School or your class photos from your time there? Please contact us through our link. The Class of 1959 recenetly had a reunion in Chicago and we discovered St. Irenaeus School history files at the church had inadvertently been thrown out. Please help us and St. I's reconstruct the files.
St. Anne's Catholic Church Sauk Trail and Westwood Drive
Did you or your family attend St. Anne's Catholic Church before St. Irenaeus was built? We have people looking for history and photographs of the church. Do you know what happened to the original building? The museum has a lovely painting of the church hanging in the bedroom, donated by Terry Ruehl who moved to PF in October 1948 and attended the church. Terry has since moved and passed on. If any of you can help reconstruct the history of St. Anne's please contact us.
Rich High Class of 1959 Tour
On June 13, 2009 thirty-nine or more people came through the museum on a special tour arranged by Jack and Becky Black. The reunion first went on a tour of Rich East High School, then came to the museum on a bus provided by the high school. Everyone enjoyed sharing memories of their years growing up in Park Forest.
We have since had tours for the Classes of 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1967.
Having a reunion? Be sure to book your tour of the museum as part of your activities!
1950s Museum in the News
The 1950s Museum is in GroupTour eMagazine, Spring 2013 issue, page 26. You can download the issue here.
The 1950s Museum was in the Chicago Tribune Metro section on Sunday February 3, 2008. We had a color photo and text on the front page and more photos and text on page 5. If you go to chicagotribune.com, put "1950s Museum" in the search box, and you can go to the article, but now you have to pay to read it there. If you Search the internet for "1950s Museum" the article should come up in another site where you can read it for free.
Garry's Memories of Park Forest
by Garry Klein Posted 5/9/05
My family moved to Park Forest in 1955 or 1956, shortly after my older sister was born. My grandfather lonaed my folks the down-payment and the rest was worked out with the GI Bill, as my father was a "between the wars" GI who was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood.
My older sister was born while my folks still lived in Chicago. I was the second of three children born at 410 Rutledge St.. My older sister, younger brother and I went to Illinois Elementary School. We lived next to an elderly couple whose last name was Harper who had a collie to whom we gave steak bones to. Across the street was the Roman family who had kids our age ( I remember their daddy was an FBI agent, which we thought was very cool).
My grandparents all lived in South Chicago and would visit us on Sundays. Occasionally we would go into the city to visit relatives. They would always complain that we lived so far away. My grandfather always had a silver dollar that we would compete to get from him. My grandmother would tell us how families used to live together but "thing change."
One memory I have of Park Forest was our house which was a split level with a builte in bar in the basement and thin stairways. I remember it as a fairly dark house because my Mom insisted on keeping the drapes closed to protect the living room furniture. I remember red berry shrubs in front of the house that invariably I would "pop" and get the juice all over myself and my clothes. I would catch holy heck for that!
The most vivid memory I have is the day that JFK was shot. My mom was ironing in the kitchen and I and my younger brother were eating lunch in front of the TV. I remember my Mom crying and my older sister coming from school early.
We shopped at Shoppers World and went to the McDonalds (when the building had the old candy-striped design). At the end of our block was a field that had black-eyed Susans and "ant plant" what we called Queen Anne's Lace because ants crawled on top of it when it rained.
We lived in Park Forest until 1967 when we moved to Highland Park. We were a nomadic generation that went where the opportunities took us.