Month: October 2017

As you approach Waldheim cemetery in Forest Park, the winds begin to howl and the leaves rustle and blow.  It is just now approaching dusk in this infamous cemetery. As you approach the entrance gate, you think you hear voices of men chanting, but the sounds are so soft that you struggle to hear. You wonder if they are others’ voices or really just your own. Just then you see a large old sign that reads, ‘Warning: Enter at your Own Risk (Of Death).’ You don’t heed the sign, because the voices continue to whine, and it’s your name they’re calling in pain.

You don’t know why you came. You don’t live in Chicago, but in a suburb, and you’ve never heard of Waldheim Cemetery until you studied the Haymarket Riot.

Now, as you slowly walk, the air is getting very cold, like ice. It is just the start of May, that now feels like the coldest November day. Your fingers start to ache, then burn with frostbite…or is it actually rigor mortis setting in? You know you are alone in this place, yet you sense the presence of others. 

Now you’ve walked, it seems for hours, maybe even days. You’re no longer in the cemetery, but what appears to be a city walkway. Yes, you look up and the street sign says Des Plaines, and Randolph Street ahead.

By now it is twilight and there is not a light except for streetlights and the eerie glow of what looks to be a small statue or memorial. You try to walk closer to the statue but you’re pushed back and thrown down by a supernatural force stronger than you. You gather up all your strength and crawl to the foot of the statue. There are four men, their images a blur. The first man asks you to listen to his voice and the words he says. He says, “It is so lonely out here, for all these years I have spoken, yet no one has heard a sound. My name is Spies and all I wanted was freedom for myself and my fellow man.” Upon hearing his cold voice uttering these words your ears begin to ring, becoming louder and louder until it is like a train running through your head, a train that will not stop, for it is a never ending track….a track into eternity. The piercing sound continues and you feel as though your ears are going to pop and your head explode. Now all you hear is him crying out, “I died, and for that I didn’t care, because to live without freedom and justice, that I couldn’t bear.”

Then, the next man says, “ I am Parsons, and I am drowned in fear. I have not been in contact with a living soul for this century as a whole.” Within seconds he  reaches out to grab your hand, forcing you to jump back without a moment’s haste. Within seconds he has your hand. At first his hand is warm and gentle, then his flesh starts to burn against yours.  He strokes your arm and repeats the refrain…“Come walk with me so I won’t walk alone, accompany me on the long walk home. I ask not that you save my soul, for it’s the price I paid for trying to make the world whole.” Now your flesh is burnt and full of scars, and you can’t go very far. You stumble and fall. From the last two men you must escape, for you cannot take it anymore. Still, they look at you with their piercing, yet sorrowful eyes. Their eyes see right through to your very soul. Their pain becomes your own.

Daylight begins to break and you rush to leave this cold and tormented place with aching ears and burnt out flesh. The trail of tears you shed marks your way back home to your comfy bed and away from the living dead. Maybe it was all inside your head.

On November 11, 1887, the prisoners were brought out to the hangman’s platform. Albert Parsons, August Spies, George Engel, and Adolph Fischer stood before the crowd with hoods covering their faces. And then Spies spoke: “The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today.” The trapdoor opened.

When this building first opened in May 1985 it was called the State of Illinois Center. In 1993 it was renamed in honor of former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson. It was designed by architect Helmut Jahn and is located in downtown Chicago and spans an entire city block bordered by Randolph, Lake, Clark and Lasalle streets and the building is 1.2 million square feet. It definitely has a unique architectural style and has been described as both outrageous and beautiful. It has 17 floors and an open interior middle with an atrium where you can see all the floors. This open floor plan was supposed to symbolize open government. The building was not designed with practicality in mind, as can be seen when summer indoor temperatures have reached 90 degrees and winter temperatures are bitterly cold. I’ve personally experienced being rained on while eating in the food court area! In front of the Thompson Center (in the plaza) is a sculpture called “Monument With Standing Beast” by Jean Dubuffet.

Tenants of the building include State of Illinois offices and facilities including a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) facility as well as stores and businesses such as Walgreen’s and Supercuts. The building is also a transportation hub, with access to the Clark/Lake “L” station where numerous train lines stop. The Chicago Pedway is also accessible from the building. And best of all, there is a really nice food court on the main level of the building, with restaurants such as Ronny’s Steakhouse, M Burger, Panda, Arby’s, Sbarro, Marcello’s, New Orleans Kitchen and many more. I recently tried Marcello’s and it was excellent! It’s a take-out buffet and deli. They give you a container that you can fill with any items from their buffet (as much as you can fit in there) for $9.99. This building is definitely worth visiting!

           

           

We were out shopping at an antique mall the other day and I found some great Old Chicago postcards. I couldn’t resist them! I hope you enjoy them too.

Top left to right:

Grand Central Station, State Street at Night, Humboldt Park, Chicago Temple Building, Lincoln Park, Garfield Park (2)

 

 

In Chicago, October 8, 1871 started out like any other Fall day, but turned into a day in Chicago history that could never be forgotten. It was the day the Great Chicago Fire started. It started around 9 p.m. on October 8th and burnt through the morning of October 10, 1871. Approximately 300 people died and thousands of buildings were destroyed with damage estimates at about $200 million. Approximately 100,000 residents were left homeless. This was a third of Chicago’s population which at the time was 300,000. It devastated the downtown area  and headed up toward the North side almost to Fullerton. The South side suffered some damages, but the West side was mostly intact. It burnt approximately 3.3 miles. It started at the general vicinity of 137 DeKoven Street on the Southwest side. It was long rumored that the fire was started by Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicking over a lantern. That has since been disputed and likely isn’t true. The fire has also been blamed on a meteor shower (which is also unlikely). The fire most likely started due to extremely dry weather conditions and extreme heat and winds; as well as the fact that most buildings, streets and sidewalks were made of wood and there were many lumberyards in the area. Fires occurred at this time in three other nearby areas: Peshtigo WI; Holland MI; and Urbana IL.

Fortunately, most of Chicago’s physical infrastructure and transportation systems remained intact and reconstruction efforts began quickly. Many of the world’s first skyscrapers were built in Chicago at this time. By 1890 the population of Chicago had grown to 1 million and the city was a major economic and transportation hub.

And fittingly enough, today the Chicago Fire Department Training Academy is located at 137 DeKoven Street.

Chicago Worker’s Cottages were built all over the city from the late 19th through early 20th centuries. They were built of wood or masonry and were meant to provide affordable housing for the influx of blue collar factory workers in Chicago during the industrial revolution. Many of the workers were immigrants from Poland, Germany, Ireland, etc. They typically earned low wages and needed affordable housing. There were different styles of Worker’s Cottages, but they were mostly small single family homes with 2-3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom (or no bathrooms in the 1800s!), a walk-in pantry and closet, kitchen, front room/living room, porch and raised full basement (we called an English basement). I grew up in a Chicago Worker’s Cottage at 3137 N. Drake on the Northwest side of Chicago in the Avondale neighborhood. See the photo below.

Growing up there, I didn’t know it was a Worker’s Cottage. We just referred to it as a frame house. At the time, I didn’t really like the house, because some of my friends lived in nicer houses that were all fixed up. My Dad did some improvements to the house, such as new aluminum siding and paneling in the basement, but I fealt it needed much more. It was nothing like the Lincoln Square greystone my cousins lived in or the brick bungalos or two story homes my friends lived in. I sold the house when I got married and we moved to the suburbs. Now, I wish we hadn’t sold it. Even if we didn’t live there, we could have rented it out.

I just learned last week that the house I grew up in was considered a Worker’s Cottage (a term I never heard before). I read about it on Twitter from a post by www.chicagopatterns.com and Gabriel X. Michael.

If I still owned my old Worker’s Cottage (built in 1902), I would have it restored and renovated and value it as the precious jewel that it is. Below are photos of some other “precious jewels” that are still standing. Many Worker’s Cottages are being demolished to make room for new modern houses or skyscrapers. Also, shown is a sign advertising Worker’s Cottages for sale.

Reminiscing is nice, but you need to know how to come back to reality too. What I mean is, as we get older we reminisce a lot and it’s important to reminisce. But it’s also important to know what is going on around you in the present. I understand some people may have a hard time doing this, if they have alzheimers or dementia for example. They are in a different situation and I won’t be discussing them here. I’m talking about normal aging and having difficulty focusing, and what we can do to manage it. I think keeping a calendar helps, because you’ll know what day it is and what appointments you have. Having routines is important too. You don’t have to do the same exact routine everyday, but having some structure helps. And most importantly, I think we need to stay engaged as we age. That’s why it’s good that Senior Centers, Senior Residences and Nursing homes have activities such as games, group discussions, festivals and formal dinner functions. Interracting with others at these functions helps seniors stay engaged and focused while having fun at the same time!

Having some control is good. It’s good to have self-control; control of your life; and control over your emotions. It’s even okay to have some control over others, such as children, spouses and co-workers (if you’re a manager).  Such control is needed to give others direction and guidance when needed. But, then we must ask the question, “how much is too much control over others”? Some people have an obsessive need to control others. We’ve all heard the term “control freak”. According to the Wikipedia definition, a control freak is someone who has antisocial personality disorder and because of a lack of empathy cons and manipulates others. It can also be their own fears that drive their need to control the actions of others. They may be afraid that bad things will happen to them if things get out of control or they may be afraid their own imperfections will become known. So, instead of controlling their own behavior they try to control the behavior of others; then they won’t have to change. This obsessive need to control others’ actions can turn into bullying. At work it turns into managers micromanaging their employees. Bullying is the use of force or threats to dominate and intimidate others. It is frequently done by young people to others that seem weaker than them (those that are easier to intimidate). Of course bullying can occur in any relationship. The “bully” is just like the “control freak”. They both try to change others instead of changing themselves. It’s very difficult (if not impossible) to change the behavior of a bully or control freak, but there are some things you can try. First, try ignoring the hurtful behavior. If that doesn’t work, try confronting the bully/control freak and ask them to stop the behavior. Lastly, if all else fails, try to distance yourself from the bully/control freak. If you can’t distance yourself, because you have to see them at school or work, then report their behavior to someone in authority that can try to get them to stop the behavior.

A disaster or emergency situation can happen at any time, and usually there is little or no warning. But it’s important to know there are steps you can take to protect you and your family in an emergency. Whether it’s a fire, hurricane, tornado, flood, active shooter or earthquake, etc., you can take steps to be prepared. It’s important to have a plan for different types of emergencies. It doesn’t have to be a highly detailed and complex plan. It should be a basic plan that is easy to understand and follow. Some people don’t develop a plan because they think it’ll be too difficult. It won’t be difficult if you keep it simple. You should discuss and develop the plan with your family, so you all know what to do, where to go and what your roles are. Communication is one of the most important elements in an emergency. It can be the difference between life and death. You should put the plan in writing, making sure you have the resources to carry out your plan and practice it with your family before a real emergency occurs.

We hope disaster never strikes, but if it does, it helps to know there are things we can do to mitigate some of the damages to lives and property. Please go to www.Ready.gov for guidance on how to prepare for different types of disasters. The website is very user friendly and teaches you how to be informed, plan ahead and take action to be prepared for specific types of emergencies.