Abbott founded the Chicago Defender in 1905 with an initial investment of 25 cents, not knowing that it would turn out to be the most widely circulated Black newspaper in the country. It became known as "America's Black Newspaper," making Abbott one of the first self made African-American millionaires. The unique circumstances of the early 1900s paved the way for the Defender to become so successful. With tensions burning high because of WWI, Blacks were migrating from the South to the industrial centers of the north that were in desperate need of workers. Furthermore, the stories from the north were trickling down from former migrants to the South and giving people hope for a better future. Robert Abbott's&nbsp;stepfather John Sengstacke also wrote for the newspaper and it was his stories that helped encourage people to leave the South. Stepfather and stepson were a dynamite team;&nbsp;John would display pictures of Chicago in the paper&nbsp;and give plenty of space in the classifieds for&nbsp;housing, while Robert would write pieces about how awful a place the South was to live in in comparison to the north, a place of prosperity and justice. The Chicago Defender not only encouraged people to migrate north for a better life, but to fight for an even better lifestyle once they got there. The slogan of the paper was "American race prejudice must be destroyed". &nbsp;It served as an great example of what the paper was capable of and what the ideal experience of any American should be. The Chicago Defender actively promoted the northward migration of Black Southerner by not only reporting&nbsp;on the Great Migration, but also helping&nbsp;to bring it about. By 1916, the Defender circulation was at 50,000; by 1918, 125,000; and by the early 1920s, more than 200,000.

More Info

This historic house was home to Robert S. Abbott, the founder of the Chicago Defender, one of the largest African American newspapers in the country.  This home became a national landmark on Dec 8, 1976 and a city landmark on March 1, 2006. 

This property is privately owned. Visitors are welcome, but are asked to please respect the privacy of the owners.

Robert S. Abbott House

This tour starts at the DuSable Museum of African American History and works its way north to the Bronzeville neighborhood and Near South Side. The tour was organized with an emphasis on sites located in the Bronzeville neighborhood, with a few nearby sites such as the DuSable Museum added as options for those with time and transportation. If you enjoy this tour, please also consider a visit to other historical sites that are listed in Clio such as the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum.

<div>This museum, like the city of Chicago itself, is named in honor of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a Haitian of African and French descent, who in 1779 established the trading post and permanent settlement which would become known as Chicago.</div> The museum has over 15,000 pieces; including paintings, sculptures, prints, and historical memorabilia and also offers exhibits with artifacts on loan from individuals or institutions. The museum's permanent exhibits focus on art and Chicago history, such as one that focuses on the personal history of Harold Washington and another that looks at the experiences of African Americans in the military. There is also an exhibit that traces the experiences of people in African descent from slavery to freedom and another that looks at the culture and history of the African continent. The museum also sponsors lectures,&nbsp;&nbsp;musical performances, film festivals, and workshops with artists and educators.

The DuSable Museum of African American History is the first and oldest museum dedicated to the study and conservation of African American history, culture, and art. The museum was founded in 1961 by educator and art historian Dr. Margaret Burroughs and works to preserve and interpret the experiences and achievements of people of African descent. The museum's permanent collection includes thousands of documents and artifacts, including many that are related to the history of Chicago. Visitors can also see works of art and tour special exhibitions throughout the year. The museum also sponsors workshops and lectures.

The DuSable Museum of African American History

Oscar Stanton De Priest was born in March of 1871&nbsp;to former slaves Alexander and Mary De Priest in Florence, Alabama.&nbsp;His father was a farmer and&nbsp;his mother a part–time laundress. Later, the family moved to Kansas to escape the poor treatment and limited economic opportunities that African Americans faced in the South.&nbsp; Young Oscar attended&nbsp;elementary school in Salina&nbsp;before&nbsp;enrolling in business school at Salina Normal School, where he studied bookkeeping. The family again relocated to Chicago, where&nbsp;De Priest secured work as a&nbsp;house painter, plasterer, and decorator. De Priest saved money and paid attention to the rising value of real estate, later establishing&nbsp;his own business in real estate management. After&nbsp;started his management business, De Priest&nbsp;married Jessie Williams, a music teacher, in 1898. The pair&nbsp;had two sons, Laurence and Oscar Stanton, Jr.,&nbsp;though&nbsp;Laurence died in a drowning accident in his teen years.&nbsp; During the early 1900s,&nbsp;Chicago and&nbsp;other Northern cities were&nbsp;experiencing an influx of African American families. De Priest to recognized that this would not only lead to increased demand for real estate, but also create the need for strong leadership&nbsp;in the growing&nbsp;Black communities of Chicago.&nbsp;Initially, De&nbsp;Priest&nbsp;worked behind–the–scenes but later responded to the&nbsp;Republican Party's attempt to secure greater support among Black voters.&nbsp;By 1904, De Priest’s community popularity and political skill garnered him&nbsp;a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He served in this position for&nbsp;two terms, 1904 to 1908 but&nbsp;lost his&nbsp;third bid as commissioner. After losing the election, De Priest&nbsp;returned to real estate and soon established a reputation as one of the leading&nbsp;African American&nbsp;businessmen in Chicago. A blow to De Priest's pristine reputation came in 1915, when he was accused of accepting protection money, essentially bribes. He was later acquitted of the charges; however, it took a few years for his name to regain his former reputation.&nbsp; In 1928, De Priest once again ran for office, this time seeking the&nbsp;Congressional seat from the First District which had been&nbsp;occupied by the late&nbsp;Martin Madden. Although the area was solidly Republican in previous elections,&nbsp;De Priest secured only 48% of the vote. However, with several candidates in the field, De Priest defeated the Democratic candidate by&nbsp;a slim margin and became the first&nbsp;African American in Congress in three decades. Life in Washington, D.C. was difficult for De Priest. Not only did he find himself ostracized from many of his peers, some&nbsp;Congressmen refused to even have an office near his.&nbsp;Even a kind gesture could lead to backlash, such as the outrage that exploded among many whites when President&nbsp;Hoover's wife invited De Priest to&nbsp;the White House for afternoon tea. De Priest met this opposition head-on,&nbsp;declaring publicly he would be treated the same as his&nbsp;fellow congressmen. He was recorded having said that "[he'd]&nbsp;been elected to Congress the same way as any other member... [he was]&nbsp;going to have the rights of every other Congressman, no more, no less, if it's in the Congressional barber shop or at a White House tea." After Black students from Howard University were&nbsp;denied service at the House of Representatives&nbsp;cafeteria, De Priest launched an effort to require the Senate and House cafeterias to serve all citizens equally. Although some members of the Republican Party supported the measure, others were reluctant to speak out on the issue, allowing Southern&nbsp;Democrats to derail the measure.&nbsp; While in Congress, De&nbsp;Priest&nbsp;worked to improve the lives of African Americans by pushing for a comprehensive anti-lynching bill. Although this measure was also derailed by Southern opposition and Northern apathy, he did secure an anti-discrimination provision that opened jobs for African Americans in the&nbsp;Civilian Conservation Corps. He also led efforts&nbsp;to pass a bill that&nbsp;offered a&nbsp;$75 per month pension to former slaves over 75 years of age.&nbsp;De Priest also made an attempt&nbsp;lower the&nbsp;number of Congressional&nbsp;seats any state&nbsp;could hold if they worked to&nbsp;disenfranchise Black in their state. Like the anti-lynching bill, however, this bill was defeated and Southern states would continue to bar Black men and women from voting until the 1960s. De Priest was defeated in the election of&nbsp;1934 as many residents in his district came to embrace the&nbsp;New Deal. For the first time, the African American vote began to shift from the Republican Party as Northern Democrats began softening their opposition to civil rights while also supporting legislation that assisted those seeking employment in the midst of the Great Depression.&nbsp;De Priest returned to Chicago and&nbsp;served on the Chicago City Council while also maintaining his various business interests.&nbsp;He died in Chicago in May of 1951. &nbsp;

Oscar Stanton De Priest was a congressman from Chicago who would become the first African American elected to Congress from a northern state and the first Black Congressman elected in the 20th century. Although more than a dozen African Americans were elected to Congress following the Civil War, there were no Black members of Congress between 1901 and De Priest's election in 1929. De Priest started life in Alabama as the son of slaves, but soon moved to Kansas. He later moved to Illinois where he purchased this building and became involved in public life. A defender of Chicago's growing Black community, De Priest was elected to three terms in Congress during the era when the Republican Party was more progressive on issues of race and civil rights and many Democrats ran openly upon a platform of white supremacy. 

Oscar Stanton De Priest House

The Home of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, which is located a few miles from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Chicago IL, is believed to have been constructed and purchased by Dr. Williams around 1905. It was occupied by him until the mid 1920s. It is a Red, wooden house with a sloping gabled roof and large windows on the first and half story. Stretching the length of the entire front of the building, is a large porch. Its architectural style is considered "Queen Anne".&nbsp; Dr. Daniel Hale Williams is best known as one of the first African American surgeons. He is also credited to being one of the first person to successfully complete open heart surgery. Williams was born January 18, 1856; Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Before pursuing the medical field, William apprenticed as a barber, cobbler, and roustabout. Dr. Williams would eventually attended Chicago Medical School, graduating in 1883. He would then go on to work in various Medical institutions in Chicago during the years of 1884-1893 such as&nbsp;South Side Dispensary and physician for the Protestant Orphan Asylum. Williams would eventually go on to establish the first desegregated Hospital in America, Provident Hospital, which treated white and Black patients as well as trained and employed several African American nurses and doctors. He served as a surgeon at Provident Hospital from (1892–93, 1898–1912).&nbsp; Dr. Daniel Hale Williams most famous medical accomplishment was completing the earliest successful open heart surgeries. On&nbsp;&nbsp;July 9, 1893, Williams proceeded to operate on a stab victim, James Cornish. Cornish had received a wound in his thoracic cavity that had damaged an internal mammary artery and the pericardium surrounding his heart. Without the use of blood transfusions or of any modern operating or diagnostic technology, Dr. Williams successfully repaired both the pericardium and mammary artery. Weeks later, an additional minor surgery would be performed to drain fluid that had accumulated in Cornish's&nbsp;pleural cavity.&nbsp;James Cornish would go on to live several more decades. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams notable medical and professional accomplishments: <ul><li>Chicago Medical College – Graduate (1883)</li><li>South Side Dispensary, Chicago, IL - Surgeon
(1884–92)</li><li>Protestant Orphan Asylum - Physician(1884–93)</li><li>Provident Hospital – Founder (1891), Surgeon (1892–93,
1898–1912)</li><li>Freedmen’s Hospital, Washington, DC – Surgeon in
chief (1894-1898)</li><li>Cook County Hospital – Staff (1903-1909)</li><li>St. Luke’s Hospital – Staff (1912-1931)</li><li>Medical College, Nashville, Tenn. - professor of
clinical surgery (1899)</li><li>Illinois State Board of Health – member (1889–91)</li><li>American College of Surgeons – charter member
(1913)</li><li>American Board of Surgery - inductee (1913) </li></ul>

Found within Chicago’s South Side neighborhood is the former home of one of America's pioneering minds of medicine and a significant figure in African American history. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams is one of the first major African American surgeons and is considered the first American surgeon to perform open heart surgery on July 9, 1893. Williams lived in the house with his family from 1905/6-1929. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975.

Home of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams

In
1935 the Franklin Roosevelt administration established the Federal Art Project
as part of the Works Progress Administration. Its purpose was to alleviate the
plight of unemployed artists in the midst of the Great Depression, and to bring
culture and public art to new areas. Many artists were employed under the
project to create public murals, sculptures, and posters. The project also
funded the creation of over 100 community art centers around the country in
places deemed to be lacking in artistic culture. These centers provided artists
with a platform to exhibit their work, while also paying them to give art
lessons to the general public. By the time the Federal Art Project ended in
1943 it had employed as many as 10,000 artists, who produced hundreds of
thousands of works of art. 

In
1938 the Federal Art Project sought to open an art center in Chicago
specifically for the African American community. This was significant, as the
racism and segregation policies of the time prevented African American artists
from being able to exhibit their works in most galleries. The Federal Art
Project would provide money for the artists’ salaries, but the center had to
provide a location itself. A group of artists, spearheaded by Margaret
Burroughs and Eldzier Cortor, organized numerous fundraisers to purchase a
brownstone building on South Michigan Avenue in Bronzeville. The structure was
originally built as a luxurious Classic Revival style home for wealthy grain
merchant George A. Seaverns Jr. and his family in 1892; some sources erroneously
stated that the home belonged to White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, who in
actuality lived farther down the avenue. As the demographics of the
neighborhood shifted from wealthy white families to African Americans, the home
was converted into apartments. After the house was purchased for the art
center, the interior was redesigned by Hin Bredendieck and Nathan Lerner in the
New Bauhaus style. 

The
South Side Community Art Center was formally dedicated in a ceremony
broadcasted on CBS Radio and presided over by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on
May 7, 1941. It was one of only a few WPA-funded art centers for African
Americans, the others being opened in Florida and New York. The center was open
to people of all races, but focused specifically on African Americans who
otherwise lacked the opportunity to share their art. It offered free classes in
music, theater, poetry, creative writing, and various forms of art. Over the
years the center introduced a number of noteworthy artists such as Charles
White, George Neal, Bernard Goss, Margaret Burroughs, Archibald Motley, Eldzier
Cortor, and Gordon Parks. In 1943 the government ended all funding for the art
projects, and South Side was forced to keep fundraising to remain in operation.
The center nearly closed in the 1960s due to financial troubles, but was resuscitated
by the introduction of an annual art auction, which continues to this day. 

Today
the South Side Community Art Center continues to serve the area’s artistic needs,
hosting programs and classes, as well as displaying art exhibits. It has a
collection of over 400 works of art spanning more than seven decades. &nbsp;In November 2017 the center was designated a “National
Treasure” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Recently it has been
undergoing renovation and restoration efforts, such as replacing the aging HVAC
system and making the building more handicap-accessible.

The South Side Community Art Center is an African American community art center and museum in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. It was established in 1940 with funding from the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project, a Depression-era program aimed at providing employment to artists. Of the more than one hundred community art centers created by the program, South Side remains the only one still in operation in its original building. Today the community art center, supported by donations, offers a variety of art classes, and provides a platform for local African Americans to exhibit their artwork. It has been designated both a Chicago Landmark and a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is a member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance.

South Side Community Art Center

The third South Side Park in Chicago, Illinois was the longest running venue of the South Side Park. A baseball field and home to many teams throughout its time but it was the first home of the Chicago American Giants. They were a team in the Negro National League and coached by the man who organized the league, Rube Foster.Rube Foster played baseball before his decision to start the NNL. He was a star pitcher and paved the way for many African American players. He experienced racism and discrimination because of who he was. Foster was able to overcome these circumstances and became a very prominent and remembered man in baseball.The Chicago American Giants won many league championships at the start of the NNL. Whether it was because Foster was their coach will be a mystery. They were a talented team, however, and the fact that Foster was their coach only made them better. In many ways, the Negro National League was a way for African American to play the game they loved. It was a stepping stone for many athletes and proved to be a huge part of baseball history.South Side Park III along with many other ballparks is considered very historic for the fact that it was home to a team in the Negro Leagues. Without places like this these teams could have never become successful, and without Rube Foster the inclusion of African Americans in Major League Baseball could have had a different past than it does today.The Chicago American Giants, South Side Park, and Rube Foster are all remembered together and celebrated in unison. Foster, the Father of the Negro Leagues, inspired many to break the barrier and do the unthinkable. In 1981 Foster was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He will forever remain an important part of the Negro Leagues and baseball in general. South Side Park, though the stadiums have long been demolished, will&nbsp;always be the home of the Chicago American Giants.

The Negro National League was created by Rube Foster in 1920. He decided that with this new league he would attempt to make a team his own and be the coach. The third South Side Park in Chicago, Illinois would become the home of the Chicago American Giants. Their team would find success with Foster and be remembered in history.

South Side Park III-Home of the Chicago American Giants (1900-1940)

George Williams
and 11 friends started &nbsp;to organize the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA),
a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking escape from the
hazards of life on the streets in the city of London, England in 1844.&nbsp; A man named Thomas Sullivan created the first
YMCA in the Old South Church in Boston, MA in 1851. 

The
Wabash YMCA was a major social and educational center in the "Black
Metropolis", the center of Chicago’s African American culture in the early
1900s. Funds for its construction came from Julius Rosenwald, chairman of Sears,
Roebuck and Company, who was known for his support of YMCA's throughout the
country.&nbsp;The Black Metropolis district thrived through the 1920s, but
competition from white-owned businesses and the effects of the Great Depression
led to the closure of many Black owned businesses. Declining membership due to
businesses and residents moving out of the area resulted in the buildings
deterioration and closing in 1981. However, in the late 1990s a nine-million
dollar renovation project was undertaken to return the building to its rightful
condition. They offer fall, winter, spring, and summer programs for the YMCA for
all age groups now.

After its completion in 1913 this YMCA became a center for the assistance of newly arrived Southerners. They offered things like educational training, job training, and housing programs. The YMCA was being used by all classes and colors in the beginning. 

Wabash Avenue YMCA

After erecting the Overton Hygienic Building, Anthony Overton commisioned his second building next door that housed the offices of the Chicago Bee, an African American newspaper he founded in 1921. Ironically, after completion of the Bee building in 1931, he was forced to consolidate his assets and move out of his first building and share occupancy with the Bee Building after the Great Depression collapsed his Douglass National Bank, located in the Hygienic Building. Overton founded the newspaper for civic and racial improvement and development and to promote Black business. This a bold financial move on his part, especially&nbsp;erecting such an elaborate structure on State Street (the Wall Street and Broadway to Chicago's Black community)&nbsp;during that time, which served as&nbsp;a show of confidence in the Black Metropolis. Although the Bee went out of business in 1946 and&nbsp;never took off like Anthony had hoped (as his paper had to compete with&nbsp;The Defender, the largest African American owned newspaper in the country), it is noted for its 20 years of&nbsp;existence being staffed entirely by women.

Located in the Black Metropolis Bronzeville District of Chicago, the Bee Building was home to The Chicago Bee, a newspaper that served the city's African American community from 1926-1946.  Recently, the building was adapted for reuse as a branch of the Chicago Public Library, and after a 2.7 million dollar renovation, the Bee Building became a full service library.

Chicago Bee Building

Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an African-American woman who achieved nationwide attention as leader of the anti-lynching crusade. Ida started her life in Mississippi after the&nbsp;Civil War, attended&nbsp;Rust College and later taught school in Memphis, Tennessee. She also became involved (co-owned)&nbsp;in a Memphis newspaper known as&nbsp;Free Speech.&nbsp;When three&nbsp;Black store owners were&nbsp;lynched in 1892, Wells responded by penning an article in her&nbsp;paper that attacked the evils of lynching, as well as&nbsp;&nbsp;encouraging the Black residents of Memphis to move westward.&nbsp;As a result, a mob destroyed her office and threatened to kill her if she refused to leave town. She moved to Chicago, where she continued to research, write, and fight against lynchings in the South.&nbsp;&nbsp;Although she moved to Chicago's Southside, she never stopped traveling to the south to visit sites where lynchings occurred. She eventually published, in 1895, The Red Record, the nation's&nbsp;first documented statistical report on lynching.In addition to her writing, she actively spoke out against lynchings&nbsp;&nbsp;through formal and informal speeches. Indeed, Wells even traveled to Great Britain to promote her activism against lynchings.&nbsp; Later, she became an integral figure in the creation of the&nbsp;National Afro-American Council and as a leader within the&nbsp;Anti-Lynching Bureau. She also helped found the&nbsp;National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).&nbsp; The house, still owned privately, is where&nbsp;Wells lived with her husband,&nbsp;&nbsp;African-American rights advocate Ferdinand Barnett. Together, they&nbsp;published the Chicago&nbsp;Conservator and were leaders within Chicago's strong African-American community that later led to the creation of the&nbsp;Chicago Defender.&nbsp; It is fitting that her residence now exists on King Drive, which demonstrates the connection to African-American culture on Chicago's South Side, as well as the continued movement against racism from Ida Wells to Martin Luther King. It should also be known that despite Wells's efforts and activism, the U.S.&nbsp;Congress never passed anti-lynching legislation, which made it necessary for African-American activism to continue,&nbsp;culminating&nbsp;in the work of King.&nbsp;

Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was a civil rights advocate, journalist, and suffragist. She lived in this house from 1919 to 1929. Arguably, her most famous incident occurred in 1884 when Wells refused to sit in a segregated car on a train in Tennessee. She was forcibly removed and, after some time, was able to file a successful lawsuit in a lower court. However,the Tennessee Supreme Court saw fit to reverse this decision. Following her termination in 1891 after openly criticizing Memphis' Black schools, Wells turned to journalism full time. She became editor and co-owner of the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight and used it as a platform to advocate. She documented lynchings all across the country and raised awareness. Angered by her direct challenges to white &quot;superiority&quot;, white Tennesseeans destroyed her press offices. Because of this she moved north and published Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases. She wasnt quite able to get an anti-lynching legislation passed, but it is because of her that the larger scale Black movement was made possible.  After settling in Chicago, she founded the Negro Fellowship League for Black men, the first kindergarten for Black children and the first suffrage club for Black women. She is credited with successfully integrating the U.S suffrage movement when she refused to walk with the other Black women in the back of the 1913 Washington parade. Instead of walking in the back with the others, she was able to infiltrate the ranks of her white Illinois peers once the march had began.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett House

The 8th Regiment of the National Guard became the first unit commanded by African Americans, and it was assigned into federal duty during World War I on August 3, 1917, under the command of Franklin A. Denison, On December, 1, 1917, while participating in the war campaign, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 370th Infantry and assigned to the 185th Infantry Brigade, which was assigned to the 93rd Division (Provisional) on 5 Jan, 1918.1 &nbsp;The monument not only recognizes that accomplishment, but serves as a physical reminder of the increasingly influential African American populace of Chicago's south side during the post-WWI era. The "Fighting Eighth" received acclaim for being the regiment that finally pushed German forces from France's Aisne-Marne region prior to the 1918 Armistice. &nbsp;As a result, the 370th Infantry Regiment (renamed during WWI) was awarded 71 War Crosses with special citations for valor and merit and 21 Distinguished Service Crosses. The regiment's commander, General Jones, was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for valor in battle.2 <div>The African American community that turned Chicago's south side Bronzeville neighborhood into a "Black Metropolis," a thriving African-American community. As such, it was that community that began petitioning for the erection of a proper memorial denoting the valor of the "Fighting Eighth." However, by the mid 1920s, strong resistance to a proposed monument prevented its erection; the South Park Commission maintained that there was no space available for the monument. As was often the case, the famous, influential African-American newspaper, the&nbsp;Chicago Defender began actively promoting a "vote no" campaign against the commission board, urging Blacks to defeat any project backed by the South Park Commission until the 8th regiment was recognized -- and it worked. The finished piece&nbsp;was dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1927 in an elaborate public ceremony. In 1936, a Black doughboy was added to the &nbsp;top of the monument.3 It can also be argued that the monument speaks more to increasing influence of Black Americans in Chicago during the early 20th century than it does the 8th &nbsp;Regiment. The Great Migration into Chicago gained tremendous momentum during World War I as European immigration nearly ceased and jobs opened up in cities such as Chicago. The push of Southern racism and segregation (and a belief it was better in the North) further helped push Southern Black Americans to Chicago with hopes of finding work and a better life.4&nbsp; Tens of thousands of Black Southern Americans migrated to Chicago and began to form neighborhoods -- some very large -- that were almost exclusively Black, including where the monument is located. An entire culture of jazz and blues clubs formed, restaurants with southern cooking emerged, and the aforementioned&nbsp;Chicago Defender&nbsp;newspaper grew increasingly influential. As such, Chicago's south side was not only a "Black neighborhood," but almost 98% Black and hugely influential in broader city politics, notably as the overall population began to decline, which some argue is part of the "white flight" where whites fled the city for the burbs as a result of the influx of Black Americans. The monument exists in the heart of that region, and notes how Chicago's population, notably African Americans, had begun to dominate the southern portions.&nbsp;5 </div><div>The 8th Regiment was the first African American regiment to&nbsp;receive&nbsp;its own&nbsp;armory when the War Department completed its armory&nbsp;building in 1915.&nbsp;The armory is located at&nbsp;3533 S. Giles St.and is now home to a prep school The armory was vacant for many decades before undergoing a nearly $20 million&nbsp;renovation.&nbsp; </div>

This monument was created by sculptor Leonard Crunelle in 1927. Located at Martin Luther King Drive and 35th Street in the neighborhood known as Bronzeville, the Victory Monument honors the men of the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard. This African American regiment is known for driving German forces from the Aisne-Marne region prior to the Armistice that ended the war on November 11, 1918.

Victory Monument

The
building was originally constructed in 1909. The building was once a small
automobile garage. The garage was later remold and converted into the Sunset
Cafe with a small stage, a dance floor, and multiple tables and seats for customers.
&nbsp;It was opened by Edward Fox and Sam Rifas on August 3rd, 1921. A few
years later, the building was remolded once more on 1937. The Sunset Cafe was
then renamed the Grand Terrance Cafe. 

&nbsp;

The Sunset Cafe
attracted many Jazz legends. Not only did it brought legends to Chicago in the
1920s, it helped launch their careers. Jazz violinist Carroll Dickerson brought
many jazz celebrities such as Bix Beiderbecke, Benny Goodman, and Gene Krupa.
Jazz legend Louis Armstrong was also an important figure to the venue. He
attempted to join the cafe’s band under the leadership of Sammy Stewart.
However, he was rejected due to the color of his skin. It was until April 1926
that he secure a spot when Carroll Dickerson retain leadership. Eventually Louis
Armstrong became the band leader of the cafe until his return to New York in
1929. 

&nbsp;

The Sunset Cafe was a
Black-and-tan establishment. While many jazz establishments were segregated,
venues such as the Sunset allowed entry to both white and Black Americans were
they could interact, socialize, communicate, and engaged in other social
relations within the perimeter of the cafe. However, due to its high prices, the
Sunset Cafe exclude many South Siders. While both Black and white musicians
performed on stage, many of the customers` were white. 

&nbsp;

The Sunset Cafe held
significant value to the infamous Al Capone. Joe Glaser’s mother was the
original owner of the building until her passing. She leased the building to
Edward Fox and Sam Rifas, who were direct employees of Al Capone. After both
Louis Armstrong and Joe Glaser left to New York, Edward Fox became the sole
manager of both the cafe and the band under the leadership of Earl Hines. Al
Capone himself owned 25 percent of the sunset Cafe.&nbsp; Since the Cafe was located within gangland
properties, it was that connection that allowed the Sunset Cafe to remain open
during the Great Depression, unlike many other jazz clubs. 

&nbsp;

During Prohibition, The
Sunset Cafe was no exception to constant raids. Jazz celebrities such Earl
Hines were placed in police wagons and constantly taken to police stations. On
November 5, 1927, the Sunset Cafe was shut down after a raid by federal agents.
While integrated dancing was common in Black-and-tan establishments, the building
was selling bootleg whiskey. Fortunately, the Sunset Cafe was immediately
reopen.

&nbsp;

The Sunset Cafe closed
down in 1940. It became the distract office of Congressman William L, Dawson.
In 1970, the building became an Ace Hardware store. The building became an
official Chicago Landmark in September 9, 1998. The original murals were kept
within the building’s office, until it closed in late 2017. Most recently, the
building was converted into an Urban Boutique. The new establishment has kept
the original stage art. Due to its status as a Chicago landmark, the building
won’t be torn down anytime soon. The owners have also confirmed that the stage art is open for all to see.


The Sunset Cafe was one of Chicago’s famous Black-and-tan establishments. Located in Chicago, Illinois at E 35th St and Calumet Ave, the venue brought many Jazz legends including Louis Armstrong. The Cafe launched many careers. It has impacted Chicago’s history of jazz in its 30 years of operation. It is one of the last reaming jazz clubs of the 1920s in all of Chicago. The Sunset Cafe is highly recognized in the earliest forms of U.S jazz history. 


The Sunset Cafe

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio on June 27, 1872. His parents, former slaves from Kentucky, separated a few years after his birth. While living with his mother in Dayton, he attended the city’s Central High School. Despite being the only African American in his class, Dunbar nevertheless found acceptance and participated in the school’s debate and literary societies, in addition to serving as the editor of the school newspaper. During his high school years, he also published poems in the Dayton Herald and edited the Dayton Tattler, a short-lived daily African American newspaper published by classmate Orville Wright.  Financially unable to attend college after graduating from high school in 1891, Dunbar found work as an elevator operator. The following year, one of his former teachers invited him to recite some of his poetry at a meeting of the Western Association of Writers in Dayton. At the gathering, Dunbar befriended James Norton Matthews, who later wrote a letter to an Illinois newspaper praising the work of the young African American poet. Soon after, newspapers across the country reprinted Matthews’s letter. The letter eventually caught the eye of poet James Whitcomb Riley, who read some of Dunbar’s work and then wrote a letter of encouragement to the young poet. Heartened by the support of Matthews and Riley, Dunbar self-published his first collection of poetry, Oak and Ivy (1893). To cover the costs of publication, Dunbar sold copies of the volume for $1 to the people who rode his elevator.  Later that same year, Dunbar moved to Chicago with the hope of finding work at the World’s Columbian Exposition. There, he met an elderly Frederick Douglass. The prominent abolitionist and civil rights activist not only found Dunbar a job as a clerk, but also arranged for him to recite some of his poetry at the fair. After the conclusion of the World’s Columbian Exposition, newspapers and magazines across the country, including the New York Times, published Dunbar’s work. In 1895, he published his second collection of verse, Majors and Minors, which earned a positive review from novelist and critic William Dean Howells in Harper’s Weekly. Howells’s praise garnered Dunbar national and international fame. In 1897, he completed a six-month tour of England, during which he recited his poetry to large gatherings.  After returning to the United States later that same year, Dunbar accepted a position as a clerk at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and married writer Alice Ruth Moore. Both his tenure at the Library of Congress and his marriage to Moore did not last long. Blaming book dust for the onset of health problems, Dunbar left his position in 1898 to devote himself entirely to his writing. This led to a massive outpouring of work, including a collection of short stories, Folks from Dixie (1898), a novel, The Uncalled (1898), and two collections of poems, Lyrics of the Hearthside (1899) and Poems of Cabin and Field (1899). In 1902, Dunbar separated from his wife after only a few years of marriage. After which, he suffered a nervous breakdown and battled a case of pneumonia.  Despite poor health, which plagued him throughout the remainder of his life, Dunbar continued to write. He published two collections of poems in 1903, Lyrics of Love and Laughter and Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow, and another, Howdy, Howdy, Howdy, two years later. Together, the volumes cemented Dunbar’s position as the leading African American poet in the country. As his health further deteriorated, he moved back to his mother’s residence in Dayton. There, he died on February 9, 1906 at the age of thirty-three. More than a century after Dunbar’s death, as part of an effort to renovate the city’s Dunbar Park, the Chicago Park District and the Paul Laurence Dunbar Advisory Council proposed that a monument be erected in the park to honor the trailblazing African American poet. To this end, they invited local artists to submit design proposals, and in 2012 selected the entry submitted by sculptor Debra Hand. Unveiled two years later, the monument consists of a six-foot-tall bronze statue of Dunbar on a simple Black marble pedestal. The sculpture depicts him standing, reciting a poem. He holds an open copy of Oak and Ivy in his right hand, while his left makes a gesture. The monument stands in a plaza that includes a knee-wall into which are inscribed stanzas from Dunbar’s poems.

This monument commemorates celebrated African American poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906). A native of Ohio, he became one of the first Black poets to gain national and international recognition in American history. More than a century after Dunbar’s death, as part of an effort to renovate the city’s Dunbar Park, the Chicago Park District and the Paul Laurence Dunbar Advisory Council proposed that a monument be erected in the park to honor the poet. To this end, they invited local artists to submit design proposals, and in 2012 selected the entry submitted by sculptor Debra Hand. Unveiled two years later, the monument consists of a six-foot-tall bronze statue of Dunbar on a simple Black marble pedestal. The sculpture depicts him standing, reciting a poem. He holds an open copy of Oak and Ivy in his right hand, while his left makes a gesture. The monument stands in a plaza that includes a knee-wall into which are inscribed stanzas from Dunbar’s poems.

Paul Laurence Dunbar Monument

In a location that once was deemed the Black Metropolis - the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, it now has King Drive traveling through it. The Black-American culture is celebrated today in that region, and President Obama hailed from that region. However, before all that, it was the site of Camp Douglas, home to nearly 40,000 Union troops that trained for war, as well as a Confederate Prison where multitudes suffered and died due to poor conditions and treatment..&nbsp; HIstorian&nbsp;Theodore J. Karamanski notes on the&nbsp;Encyclopedia&nbsp;of Chicago: <blockquote> Founded in the fall of 1861 as a training camp and staging center for Union forces, Camp&nbsp;Douglas&nbsp;was named after Stephen A. Douglas, whose property south of the city provided its site. In 1862 the camp was hastily adapted to serve as a prison for rebel soldiers captured by Ulysses S. Grant at Fort Donelson. Due to occasional prisoner exchanges during the first two years of the&nbsp;Civil War, the number of prisoners in the camp fluctuated, although for a time it was the largest military prison in the North. By the end of the war a total of 26,060 men had been incarcerated there. Escapes were frequent from the camp, but only the abortive November 1864 “Chicago Conspiracy” roused broad concern. Federal informants foiled an ill-conceived attempt by local&nbsp;antiwar&nbsp;activists and die-hard prisoners to disrupt the 1864 election with a mass prison break. Like all Civil War prisons, Camp Douglas had a high mortality rate: one prisoner in seven died in Chicago. Poor sanitation, hastily constructed buildings, and harsh weather conditions were to blame. In June 1862 a U.S. Sanitary Commission agent decried the camp's “foul sinks,” “unventilated and crowded barracks,” and “soil reeking with miasmatic accretions” as “enough to drive a sanitarian to despair.” By the end of the war more than 4,000 rebels had died in the camp. </blockquote>Douglas was one of the first major&nbsp;speculators in Chicago and a huge proponent of both a northern route to the Transcontinental Railroad, as well as its route into Chicago, He made&nbsp;substantial investments 160 acres near 31st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue on Chicago's south side. Senator Douglas was also significant in securing&nbsp;Chicago's place as the northern terminus of the Illinois Central Railroad; The Illinois Central traveled through his south-side Chicago property.1&nbsp;<div>Chicago's burgeoning railroad presence, and its location far north of the front, made it ideal for a training camp and, later, a prison. Eight railroads crisscrossed the region and into Chicago, allowing for easy movement of troops and goods -- both necessary for training troops and harboring prisoners (although most were not treated well). &nbsp;One line, in particular, made Camp Douglas a prime spot for growing as a prison --&nbsp;the Illinois Central Railroad. It was, at the time, the longest railroad in the world .It started in Cairo, IL, a location General Grant used as a staging area for Union troops and carrying out missions. The railway ended in Chicago, thus, when&nbsp;prisoners arrived to Cairo&nbsp;they were easily shipped to Chicago.2 The Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation,&nbsp;aided&nbsp;by&nbsp;DePaul University,&nbsp;have performed seven archaeological digs in the area of Camp Douglas between 2012 and 2016. Numerous&nbsp;findings&nbsp;have arisen, including building, tools, military artifacts -- an abundance of evidence that&nbsp;demonstrates the existence of the camp --&nbsp;the largest military installation in Illinois during the Civil War.3 &nbsp; The archaeological investigations are also looking for hints of the Bronzeville/Black&nbsp;Metropolis&nbsp;days that highlighted&nbsp;the region during the 20th century. &nbsp;To Wit: The area has a rich, deep history.4&nbsp; In the end, the area is dotted with dig sites, most of it to uncover Chicago's urban infancy. With St. Louis and Cincinnati close to the front, Chicago grew as city most easy to stage troops, process meat -- "hog butcher to the world," started here, and more. The railroads arrived with the help of Stephan A. Douglas and those trains brought in troops and prisoners. They also helped Blacks migrated from the south in later years, which brought in the Blues culture still celebrated today in Chicago. The development of the Black Metropolis made it popular for leaders like Martin Luther King to arrive, hence one of the roads traversing the region today is named after the deceased civil rights leader.&nbsp;&nbsp;In one area, a ton of U.S cultural history exists, starting with a spot where the country dealt with its most divisive time in history.&nbsp; </div>

Camp Douglas was located between 31st Street, 33rd Place, Cottage Grove Ave and Giles Ave on the near-south side of Chicago. The camp operated between 1861 and 1865 receiving and training nearly 40,000 Union soldiers, including African American troops. From 1862 through 1865 the camp also served as a prison camp housing nearly 30,000 Confederate prisoners. Archaeological digs are underway and discovering many of the old structures. 


Camp Douglas

In Chicago during the year 1919, tensions between races were heavily building throughout the city. The tensions were a result of the mass migration of African Americans from the South, to Northern industrialized cities during World War I. These migrations resulted in the positions previously held by whites in factories and other employers being replaced by the Blacks who had migrated to the cities. When World War I was over, white veterans were returning to their places of previous employment only to see their positions taken by African Americans.

Racial tensions already existed at this point, and the murder of Eugene Williams sparked some of the worst race riots in United States history. The segregation of the beach along Lake Michigan between 25th and 29th streets was unofficial which meant that there was nothing physically dividing the Black beach from the white beach. While Eugene Williams was swimming, he accidentally crossed this unofficial boundary, and a group of white men began throwing stones at him. Williams attempted to swim away from his attackers but between their stones and his inability to swim he was unable to reach safety and drowned.&nbsp;After his lifeless body washed to the shore of the 29th Street Beach, his mother and a group of African Americans went to the 29th Street Beach. Whites interpreted the arrival of African Americans on the white-only beach as a sign of aggression and spread wild rumors about an inevitable war of the races. In response to these rumors, whites attacked Black homes, churches, and even began attacking any person of color in the city.&nbsp;

The riots began when the white men responsible were not arrested even though there were many eyewitnesses who could testify of their guilt. During these riots, whites and Blacks brutally beat and murdered each other which ended with 23 Blacks and 15 whites dead. Around 500 other Blacks and whites were also injured, with the majority of those people being Black. A large amount of property was also destroyed which resulted in over 1,000 Black families being homeless.

These events also lead to riots occurring in many other places around the United States including Washington, D.C., Nebraska, Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The aftermath of these riots included talks of formal segregation of neighborhoods and workplaces. The most beneficial impact would be the beginning of changes regarding race relations in Chicago.&nbsp;

This small plaque along Chicago's Lakefront Trail shares the tragic story of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot and the event that sparked one of the worst episodes of racial violence in the Red Summer of 1919. The marker is near the place where Eugene Williams, an African American teenager, was stoned to death by white men while he and friends were swimming in Lake Michigan on July 27th, 1919. Williams and his friends were enjoying a day at the 25th Street Beach, which was reserved for African Americans when their raft drifted towards the 29th Street Beach which was reserved for whites. While Williams' friends abandoned the raft and swam to the safety of the 25th Street Beach, Williams, who could not swim, was at the mercy of white beachgoers. 

The summer of 1919 had been marked by high racial tension as white residents unleashed anger and resentment at the growing Black population that was part of the Great Migration. Near this location on that fateful July afternoon, several white young men who had been influenced by expressions of racism decided to join the attack against African Americans by throwing stones at Eugene Williams. Similar to the protests by adult whites against Black Americans for entering "their" city, these youth attacked Williams for entering "their" beach.  This event sparked a wave of violent riots throughout the city that resulted in the deaths of 23 African Americans and 15 whites. There were at least 500 serious injuries and millions of dollars of property damage as 1,000 Black families were left homeless as a result of arsonists. 

The Murder of Eugene Williams and the 1919 Chicago Race Riot Marker

Up until 1910 90% of the African American population lived in the southern part of America, this was also a time when racism and prejudices was still very relevant in the United States mainly in the South. Once African Americans were freed from slavery they were looking for somewhere to migrate to where they can start a new life. African Americans began to move to the North and the West, The popular landing spots for the North were Chicago and Milwaukee.  Starting in 1916, and in response to demand for laborers in Northern factories in the years before and after World War I, the Great Migration was one of the largest demographic changes and mass movements in American history. In a few short years, tens of thousands of African Americans started to arrive in Northern cities where they found work if not always housing and opportunities for equality. The result was the rapid expansion of Black communities in the North while the South lost close to 50% of the African American population within a 10 year span. The migration continued at a slower pace and then accelerated again during World War II and continues through the 1950s and 1960s. Chicago was the preferred destination for many Southern migrants, partly as a result of the work of editor Robert S. Abbott of the Chicago Defender. This Black newspaper campaigned against Jim Crow laws and urged Black families in the South to come to Chicago and other Northern cities. As a result, Chicago and other cities were viewed as a sort of promised land because as stories of job opportunities circulated among Southern sharecroppers. The prospect of a job that paid cash, instead of being dependent of contracts that only provided "profit sharing" and were subject to creative accounting practices by white planters, as well as the prospect of avoiding some of the worst aspects of life in the South was appealing. As a result, millions left the South in search of economic opportunities and basic freedoms they did not receive in the South.  Once in Chicago, Black people mostly moved to the West and South Side of the city. In 1919, a lack of housing opportunities and racial tensions between white and Black residents exploded into violence and many Black families were attacked. However, most Black residents remained in the city and the Black communities of Chicago continued to grow, as did the African American influence in many neighborhoods and the city as a whole. Far from being a land of promise, the situation in Chicago was tense but still represented a better life for many. Segregation was rampant, and even if there were not signs that formalized Jim Crow practices, the city was racially divided and Black residents in the mid-20th century were made to know where they were and were not welcome. The construction of the Dan Ryan was designed in part to create a dividing line and urban housing developments shaped the design of neighborhoods such as Englewood, West Garfield Park, and Auburn Gresham. These neighborhoods remain home to mostly Black residents as a legacy of decisions made by urban planners, banks, and real estate agents.

Dedicated in 1994, this monument was designed by Alison Saar and celebrates the thousands of African Americans who arrived in Chicago during the Great Migration of the 20th Century. The statue shows an African American traveler facing the North in representation of the mass migration of people of color who left the South and arrived in Chicago and other Northern cities in the months leading up to World War I. This migration pattern accelerated through the war years and continued throughout the 1920s and beyond.

Monument to the Great Northern Migration 

For nearly five decades, the Chicago Defender served as one of the strongest voices for African Americans, much of that time when Jim Crow laws, racially restricted covenant real-estate practices, and military segregation were prevalent in the U.S.&nbsp;It's 1950s -2005 Michigan Ave. home sits on the northern side of the Bronzeville&nbsp;neighborhood and the southern end of the historic Motor Row district, much of which is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.Located on the South Side, this building was designed in 1936 by Prairie School architect Philip Maher as the headquarters for the&nbsp;Illinois Automobile Club. Maher designed the building using a&nbsp;Spanish Mission style motif.&nbsp;However, in the middle of the 20th century, the building was resigned, allowing for use of&nbsp;Art Deco details, which can still be seen today.1 The building, designed to host an&nbsp;exclusive club for &nbsp;automobile owners, was one of the last buildings constructed in Motor Row as part of the automobile industry.&nbsp;Its Olympic-size swimming pool was later filled in to make room for the Chicago Defender's&nbsp;printing presses once the&nbsp;newspaper acquired the building in the 1950s. The lobby and ornamentation remains intact.&nbsp;2 <blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><h3>About the Chicago Defender</h3></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote> <div>The Chicago Defender grew to fame prior to moving to the Motor Row district by its attempts to communicate with President&nbsp;Franklin Roosevelt (FDR)&nbsp;during World War II.&nbsp;&nbsp;FDR held an average of 84 presidential news conferences a year — far more than most presidents -- but refused to meet with African American papers until his final years. In doing so, he&nbsp;avoided answering questions about an issue that greatly angered&nbsp;African Americans -- military segregation during WWII, including separating plasma in the blood bank. Hence, the government sanctioned racism on some level.3 However, as noted in the New York Times in January of 2016:&nbsp; <blockquote>&nbsp;As the former Chicago Defender editor and reporter Ethan Michaeli shows in his extraordinary history, “The Defender,” the Negro press barons attacked military segregation with a zeal that set Roosevelt’s teeth on edge. The Negro press&nbsp;warned Black men against Navy recruiters who would promise them training as radiomen, technicians or mechanics — then put them to work serving food to white men. It made its readers understand that Black men and women in uniform were treated worse in Southern towns than German prisoners of war and sometimes went hungry on troop trains because segregationists declined to feed them. It focused unflinchingly on the fistfights and gun battles that erupted between Blacks and whites on military bases. And it reiterated the truth that no doubt cut Roosevelt the most deeply: His government’s insistence on racial separation was of a piece with the “master race” theory put in play by Hitler in Europe.4</blockquote></div><div> Robert S. Abbott, who came north as part of the Great Migration -- the movement of Blacks from the South to the North during the 20th century, helped create The Defender.&nbsp;Abbott's set out on a mission to destroy racial prejudice. The paper fought&nbsp;against racial, economic, and social discrimination, and wrote gut-wrenching stories about lynchings, rape, and mob violence. In addition to its hard-hitting stories, the&nbsp;Chicago Defender&nbsp;also contributed greatly to serving its African Americans as a cultural voice. The high level of journalism allowed for writing that included&nbsp;columnns and editorials, society news, culture, and local politics.&nbsp;5 </div><div>By 1940, with WWII near, &nbsp;Abbott died and his nephew John H. Sengstacke succeeded him. AfricanAmericans by that point had become much more politically savvy and understood how to work the ballot boxes. Sengstacke successfully arranged to have several Black papers unite as one voice as a means of avoiding governmental pressure to shutdown. That idea manifested itself in the form of&nbsp;the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association. Together, they wrote pieces on the parallels of fighting Nazism abroad and racism at home, known as the "Double V" campaign (double victory).6 When Sengstacke traveled to Washington&nbsp;&nbsp;to meet with Attorney General Francis, he was threatened with being shutdown. However, Sengstacke noted that the papers had done nothing illegal because they had urged African Americans to support the war. Moreover, he dared the Attorney General to shutdown the papers. The tone and strength forced a reverse of positions. Fearing riots, the Black papers suddenly found opportunities to interview federal officials, including meeting with FDR -- finally -- in 1944, the year before FDR died. In 1949, President Truman ended military segregation, and helped change national views on government-based racism -- although it certainly took some time.7&nbsp;&nbsp; The paper continued to thrive throughout the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s and into the 1970s, but as the 20th century waned, so did the power of the&nbsp;Chicago Defender&nbsp;and African-American papers, in general.&nbsp; </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>

The Chicago Defender called 2400 S. Michigan its home from the late 1950s to 2005. Prior to that, for a more than twenty years, the building served as the headquarters of the Illinois Automobile Club, located in the historic Motor Row district of Chicago. In addition to this building, Fifty-five sites within the Motor Row District of Chicago's South Michigan Ave. are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Once housing 116 auto showrooms, the area later became a recording mecca -- tied to Chicago blues, and also the home of the Chicago Defender.  

Chicago Defender Building - Chicago Motor Row District

The church supported more than fifty members by 1848, including many ex-slaves. The group played an active role in the city's abolition movement. After Congress passed the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, the congregation vowed to risk their own lives to protect and give refuge to slaves. Quinn Chapel became a significant point on the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe locations that helped slaves escape the South and find new homes in free Northern states or Canada. After the war, the church continued its activism, intent on helping African Americans. In 1893, abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke to around 1,500 members at the church on the significance of Haiti, a predominantly black nation whose slaves led a revolt that resulted in the nation's independence. The church has also helped its local Black community, including founding and aiding institutions such as the Elam Home, the Wabash Avenue Y.M.C.A., Moseley Playground, and Provident Hospital, the nation's first hospital owned by African Americans.By the twentieth century, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. was a significant part of Chicago's African American Bronzeville neighborhood. The church continues to thrive in the twenty-first century and exists as an integral part of the local Black community.

Quinn Chapel A.M.E (African Methodist Episcopal Church) is Chicago's oldest black congregation, first meeting in a private home as a non-denominational prayer group in 1844. Indeed, the group first met only one year after the incorporation of Chicago. The church played an integral role in the abolitionist movement leading up to and during the Civil War. The 1871 Great Chicago Fire destroyed the group's first church building (circa 1853). However, the congregation survived, using temporary locations for more than twenty years; they constructed a new chapel (the now-historic structure) in 1892. Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., President Barack Obama, Mayor Richard M. Daley, Susan B. Anthony, and a host of notables have spoken at Quinn Chapel A.M.E.

Bronzeville and African American History of Chicago Tour

Robert S. Abbott House

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information