THE CHICAGO HISTORY JOURNAL

A Bit of Pre-Fire Chicago in the Burbs

December 9, 2011

The Pre-Fire Cook County Courthouse and Chicago City Hall in Elmhurst, IL

Stereo Card of the Cook County Courthouse ruins after the October 1871 Fire,

Urns are just visible at the top of the building

By Ray Johnson

Only a piece of the building exists, but if you want to be able to touch a piece of pre-fire Chicago history you only have to travel to Wilder Park in the lovely near west suburb of Elmhurst. One of the decorative , stone, urn-like finials or capstones that adorned the top of the east and west wings of the combined Cook County Courthouse and Chicago City Hall now sits at the southwest corner of the park.

Pre-Fire history of the Cook County Courthouse and Chicago City Hall.

The first court house was erected in 1835 at the southwest corner of N. Clark and W. Randolph Streets and was only a single story with a basement. The second court house was built at the northwest corner of N. Clark and W. Washington Streets in 1848. The building was designed by famed architect John M. Van Osdel and was also only a single story. In 1853 the first combined Court House and City Hall was built on the same block and was also designed by Van Osdel. This building started out two stories high and a third story was added in 1858. The original cost of the two story building was $110,000 and the walls were faced with grey marble taken from the Lockport, New York quarries. Two additional wings (east and west sides) were added to the building after the civil war and the bell at the top of the court house is the one that sounded the alarm during the Great Fire until the building itself was consumed. The capstone that exists at Wilder Park was from one of the two wings.

Making its way from the ruins of the Great Chicago Fire to the quiet unincorporated area of Elmhurst, IL

Wilder Mansion or Seth Wadhams’ “White Birch” alongside Wilder Park

In 1869, just two years before the Chicago Fire, the small unincorporated village of “Cottage Hill” changed its name to Elmhurst. One year prior to that, an ice manufacturer by the name of Seth Wadhams moved into the area and bought a farm called “Burnham’s Lot”. He built a house on the farm and named it “White Birch”. In fact it was Wadhams and a gentleman by the name of Jedediah Lathrop along with several others that are credited with planting a large number of elm trees along Cottage Hill Road which is what gave Elmhurst its name. “White Birch” went through several owners, the last being T.E. Wilder (1855-1919) , a manufacturer of leather goods, who donated the north half of the estate to the city in 1920 with the stipulation that a public library be created. “White Birch” did serve as the public library of Elmhurst but is now called “The Wilder Mansion” and is owned by the Elmhurst Park District.

It was the original builder of “White Birch”, Seth Wadhams, who was the wealthy souvenir hunter who arranged for two of the capstones from the Cook County Courthouse to be removed from the post-fire ruins and brought to his estate.

One of those capstones now sits at the southwest corner of Wilder Park very near The Wilder Mansion or Seth Wadham’s “White Birch”. It is adorned with a simple marker that was placed there by the Elmhurst Bicentennial Commission and the Martha Ibbetson Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It reads simply, “Elmhurst Landmark 1870, Urn-Adorned Cook County Court House before Chicago Fire of 1871”

Capstone with marker at Wilder Park, Elmhurst, IL

Sources:

Tallmadge, Thomas Eddy, Architecture in Old Chicago, Chicago: University of Chicago, 1941.

Elmhurst Historical Museum, Elmhurst: Origin of Names, Streets, Schools, Parks, and Landmarks, Elmhurst: Elmhurst Historical Museum, 1980.

Randall, Frank A., History of the Development of Building Construction in Chicago, Champaign, University of Illinois Press, 1999.

Photo Credits:

Ruins after the great fire of Oct. 1871, Chicago - Courthouse : Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA (Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-57059)

Ray Johnson is a former criminal investigator with the West Chicago Police Department and is a life-long fan of Chicago history, legends and folklore. He currently runs a genealogical and historic research business at http://www.historycop.com and has lectured and taught classes on conducting historical research. He is currently the Chicago Area Representative for the Association of Professional Genealogists. His passion for the legends, folklore and haunts of the Windy City prompted him to write a book on the subject which was published in July 2011 by Schiffer Publishing Limited and is entitled, “Chicago’s Haunt Detective”. He maintains a web presence for the ghostly side of Chicago history at http://www.hauntdetective.com and can also be reached on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntDetective

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HauntDetective

Email: hauntdetective@gmail.com

Next Article: Artifacts from Chicago history, including the Whitechapel Club and famed Pump Room, at an Indian Head Park Restaurant

Isaac Woolf and The Newsboys: A Thanksgiving Tradition

November 24, 2011

Isaac Woolf knew how to celebrate Thanksgiving. For twenty-five years Woolf, president of Woolf's Clothing House ("the store with a horseshoe over the door and the Palmer House across the way")hosted a Thanksgiving "Newsboys' Dinner." In 1882, when Woolf began the yearly tradition, 100 "ragged and hungry little guests" were served. By 1905, the year before Woolf unexpectedly died at the age of 54, over 10,000 of Chicago's hungry poor were enjoying the feast.

Like just about everyone else in Chicago, Isaac Woolf came from somewhere else. He was born in London, England on January 3, 1853, but when Isaac was quite young, his father brought the family to America. They first settled in Lafayette, Indiana but it was difficult going and the family struggled. Isaac wanted to help so he landed his first job - as a newsboy. He had other jobs, but never forgot his studies. He was even able to eventually attend business college. There were several years in Cincinatti learning the clothing business before he came to Chicago where in 1880 Isaac, along with his brothers Edward, Benjamin and Harry - opened their own store on Madison Street. Ten years later the store on State Street and Monroe was launched.

But, Isaac Woolf never forgot his roots and the newsboys' dinner became his favorite philanthropic effort. It cost him about $5000 a year for the turkey and all the trimmings that went with it, but Woolf considered it money well spent. The Chicago Tribune described the November 27, 1895 event (click on for readable image):

There is no question that Isaac Woolf was a good man, but he was also a businessman. Every year the newsboys' Thanksgiving dinner was featured in his clothing ads:

On October 22, 1906, Isaac Woolf was found dead in his home at 3431 Michigan Avenue. He was buried in Rosehill Cemetery. Of the funeral service the Chicago Tribune noted that, "It is probable that newsboys will turn out in large numbers."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from THE CHICAGO HISTORY JOURNAL!

On Chicago: Isaac Woolf and his Thanksgiving Day Guests

November 22, 2011

To the adult American citizen Thanksgiving day means a festival memorial of our early fathers, and their courageous battle against the hardships of a new country.

To the Chicago newsboy it means just one thing—Isaac Woolf's turkey dinner, where every one of the thousands of "newsies" can eat his fill, and carry a drum stick away as a souvenir. Isaac Woolf has earned his own immortality. He will live as long as a Chicago newsboy is alive to tell, in future years, his children and grandchildren of that great yearly feast, prepared by the kindhearted philanthropist, to which every hungry ragged little urchin yelling papers was most cordially invited. And many of these newsboys will tell this story about their own wide hearths in their own homes of stone or brick, to children enjoying all the luxuries of wealth and high station. For very often it happens that the right material is in these little street arabs for the making of men, — men the nation is more than proud to claim.

Isaac Woolf, millionaire merchant prince of Chicago, whose pleasure it is every Thanksgiving day to invite all the Chicago newsboys to dine with him, was once a London newsboy, harking his papers morning and night, in good and bad weather, selling to gentlemen and coachmen, to ladies and servant girls, quick to see the prospective customer, quick to reach him first, that the pennies he should carry home might be sufficient to keep hunger and cold from his two younger brothers. A poor little cold, wet, homeless, uncared for child, making his way in the world in the only way he knew, trying his best to keep alive, governed by that sense of self preservation which controls even the motherless babes. Little did he dream of the future his energy was to earn for him.

He early showed a desire to better his condition. When still a small child he came to America, and took up his old business—the only one he knew, the selling of papers.

He was a cheery little chap, but there were times when he looked wistfully toward the comfortable side of life and wished with the wistful longing of childhood, for some of life's joys. Thanksgiving Day he felt most forlorn,—when every one feasted and was merry. He watched the people shopping.he saw wagon loads of turkeys carted to homes, and sometimes he peeped in at windows and saw happy families sitting about heavily laden tables, and oh, how he did want some of the turkey and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie! Only a boy can do full justice to a real old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner, and this boy had never had one in his life.

Year followed year, and finally he went to Chicago. Here he quit the newspaper business and went into a largeclothing store. From that day he entered the store, it was a steady climb, promotion following promotion, until he came to be considered the most valuable employee in the house. The firm branched out and opened up astore on the West side of the city with Isaac Woolf as manager. Here he became so popular and his individuality was such a potent factor in the firm's success that he decided a share in the business was due him. His request, however, was met with flat refusal. And then it was that Isaac Woolf showed of what kind of material he was made. He withdrew from the concern to which he had given such valuable service and opened up a store of his own across the street. His customers of years, who had known him but not his employers, now flocked to the new store, and in a short time he had all the trade, putting the other store completely out of business. He started on borrowed capital buthis fine management, and his personal popularity brought him such rapid returns that he soon owned the entire store, without i cent of debt. From this beginning his rise to wealth and high position among Chicago's most substantial business men, was a matter of rapid growth, of which the opening of his present large store on State street was the climax.

When the sun of prosperity began to shine on Isaac Woolf, he did not forget that there was a world upon which the same sun did not shine in any noticeable degree. He celebrated his first real Thanksgiving day by inviting one hundred and twenty little west side newsboys to dine with him.

He has kept up the practice each year, until now, the guests number 10,000, but if there were 50,000 it would be all the same to Isaac Woolf.

There is used at one of these annual feasts: 520 turkeys, 10 barrels of mashed potatoes, 25 barrels of apples, 4 barrels of cranberry sauce, 1,500 gallons of milk, 2,000 loaves of bread, 50 boxes of grapes, 250 bunches of bananas, 25 boxes of oranges, 20,000 cakes, 1,800 pies.

Isaac Woolf deserves every penny he possesses. His liberality is not confined merely to newsboys. Every employee, every business man who has dealings with him, is ready to pronounce him the most genial, liberal, kind hearted, just and generous of men, as totally unsecured by hardship and denial, as he is unspoiled by wealth and position.

Image courtesy of the Oregon State Library.

By Anne Shannon Monroe (1877-1942)

Common-Sense, November, 1904

Chicago's First Thanksgiving

November 21, 2011

The recurrence of Thanksgiving Day recalls to the mind of an "old settler" the first day set aside in Chicago for the formal giving of thanks.

It was November 25, 1841, just forty years ago, when the population was five thousand, seven hundred and fifty-two. Why the inhabitants of this city had not previously expressed their gratitude to God for blessings bestowed, the old settler was unable to tell; but he knew that in the fore part of November, 1841, some of the religious people circulated a petition asking Mayor Sherman to set aside a day for thanksgiving.

The document was submitted to the city council and November 22, on motion of Alderman Ira Miltamore, who represented the first ward, his honor was directed to grant the prayer. Accordingly, he issued the following proclamation (published in the American of November 23, 1841), which is chiefly interesting on account of the change that lapse of time has brought about with reference to the notice of observance:

PROCLAMATION BY THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

Whereas, in accordance with the petition of several good citizens, it hath been unanimously resolved, by the common council of the city of Chicago, that the mayor appoint Thursday, the 25th day of November inst., as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.

And whereas it has pleased Almighty God to crown the outgoing year with the abundance of His Providence, and to have continued to the people of our city, as well as of our state and nation, those dispensations of His Goodness, whereby the anticipations of seedtime and the golden promises of an unusually prosperous harvest have been realized and gathered in; and as the Pilgrim fathers, in the wilderness, set apart days of fasting and prayer, in honor of the Divine Goodness in supplying them with the means of subsistence, but more particularly for the freedom they enjoyed in the exercise of every social and religious privilege, so the hearts of their descendants must feel a deeper gratitude that the blessings secured by the toil of their ancestors have descended to them, and that every returning year brings with it additional assurances that the fabric, founded in their wisdom and example, is now adequate to perpetuate similar blessings to their children.

Now, therefore, in view of our many blessings, and in pursuance of the resolution aforesaid, I do hereby appoint and set apart Thursday, the 25th inst., as a day of public thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God.

Given under my hand and the seal of the city, this 23d day of November, Anno Domini, One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Forty-one.

Francis C. Sherman, (Attest) Mayor. Thomas Hoyne, Clerk.

A TRADITION.

There is a tradition that a Thanksgiving Day had been previously observed pretty generally throughout Illinois. During Governor [Joseph] Duncan's administration (1834-38) a proclamation signed by him was circulated, calling upon the people to was attending read it from the pulpit. Nearly everybody kept the day, however, only a few being aware that the document was bogus. Peter Borin, who preached in a Methodist church, was the only minister in Chicago who did not fall into the trap which was set, according to the story, by "Long" John Wentworth. As stated, however, November 25, 1841, was the first Thanksgiving Day generally observed in Chicago. Since that time the day has been regarded as a holiday by the ungodly and kept religiously by the Christians.

FROM:

Chicago: Its History and Its Builders by Josiah Seymour Currey, 1912

Photo Credit: Executive House Thanksgiving Menu, 1961. Chuckman's Nostalgia and Memorabilia