With September coming to a close, there are just a few more days to celebrate National Library Card Sign-up Month. The monthly event got its start in 1987 by the American Library Association (ALA) as a way to spotlight the library card and the important role it can play in a child’s education. Now in its 35th year, National Library Card Sign-up Month marks a month-long push by the American Library Association to encourage users of all ages to visit their local library, sign up for a library card, and discover the myriad ways in which libraries enrich their local communities.
No matter a user’s background or circumstance, signing up for a library card provides patrons with critical access to technology tools, information resources, and local programming that can transform lives and strengthen communities. As part of the month’s festivities, the ALA held a promotion on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #LibrariesEmpower to find out firsthand how libraries can empower individuals as they pursue their dreams and passions. While the promotion is no longer active, users can explore the hashtag on social media and see the many services their local library may offer.
To commemorate National Library Card Sign-up Month at the Illinois Digital Heritage Hub, we’d like to highlight items that speak to the changing format of the library card itself. From paper slips to digital cards, how users access library resources evolves to keep pace with the current age. A similar shift may also be seen in the types of promotional materials organizations use in motivating patrons to walk through a library’s doors. These items reflect that no matter the decade, people rely on libraries to meet a variety of information needs, whether that’s finding specific scientific data or the most recent book by a favorite popular author. Enjoy the highlights below, and sign up for a library card today!
Free Public Library card. [n.d.] Quincy Public Library. Quincy Area Historic Photo Collection. Courtesy of the Quincy Public Library.
John A. Jones, Chicago Public Library Card, 1941. April 1, 1941. Newberry Library. Chicago and the Midwest. Courtesy of the Newberry Library.
Card, Library Photo. [n.d.] Orland Park Public Library. OPPL Archival Collection. Courtesy of the Orland Park Public Library.
Free -And it pays! circa 1918. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. American Library Association Archives Digital Collections. Courtesy of the American Library Association Archives.
Read! circa 1920. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. American Library Association Archives Digital Collections. Courtesy of the American Library Association Archives.
In 2002, the International Fund for Animal Welfare created International Cat Day, which is celebrated on August 8th. This day is dedicated to raising awareness for cats and educating the public on ways to help and protect them. Although different countries might have national celebrations for cats on other days, International Cat Day on August 8th is intended to be celebrated worldwide.
Ever since cats first began domesticating themselves in around 7500 BCE, humans have loved and celebrated them. In Ancient Egypt, they were praised for killing venomous snakes and protecting the Pharaoh, they were used as a representation for the sun god Ra in the Book of the Dead, and the goddess Bastet was often characterized as a cat. In Norse mythology, two grey cats fought alongside the goddess Freyja and pulled her chariot. For centuries, cats have been considered good luck in Russia, and many cats have continuously guarded the Winter Palace since the reign of Empress Elizabeth.
Anyone who has ever owned a cat – or, rather, has been owned by one – knows that cats are well aware of their venerated status in mythology and folklore, and expect that same level of worship today.
Finding images for this post was particularly fun for me, as I am a cat lover myself, and happily jump at any chance to celebrate them. Just like humans, there are images of cats sprinkled throughout history, both with and without the families they’ve chosen. Please enjoy these images of cats from the Oak Park Public Library, the Chicago History Museum, Lewis University, the Illinois State Museum, and the Newberry Library.
Marcelline, Madelaine, Ursula and Carol Hemingway with Wuzzy the cat, December 1919. December 29, 1919. Oak Park Public Library. The Early Years – Ernest and Marcelline Hemingway in Oak Park Collection. Courtesy of Oak Park Public Library and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. Cat and shadows on porch. Circa 1962. Photograph by Declan Haun. Chicago History Museum. Prints and Photographs Collection. Courtesy of Chicago History Museum. Anna Cheadle on a hammock with her cat. 1915. Lewis University. Bruce Cheadle Papers. Courtesy of Lewis University. Work from home companions. March 19, 2020. Photograph by M. Mahoney. Illinois State Museum. Illinois Stories – COVID-19. Courtesy of Illinois State Museum. Cat in cage, Railway Express Depot, Union Station, Chicago, May 1948. May 1948. Newberry Library. Daily Life Along the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Courtesy of Newberry Library.
After so long spent in uncertainty and, for many of us, isolation, what better way to celebrate the summer than with kisses? July 6th marked International Kissing Day, also known as World Kiss Day. This is an occasion that originated in the United Kingdom, and was adopted around the world in the early 2000s. Although in general kisses tend to be associated with romance, we hope to highlight these intimate moments between a variety of people (and creatures) to show how love and closeness is available to anyone.
The people you see in these photos are not public figures. They are not famous. I was drawn to them for this reason – I liked that these images felt relatable, and that they all shared moments of genuine joy, love, and excitement captured in time. My hope is that when others see them, they too will feel those moments and remember that they’re not alone.
Here are a few images of kisses to make you feel that sense of togetherness this summer:
Kissing a Clown – ca. 1980-1989. Circa 1980-1989. University of St. Francis. Sharing Our Past, A Visual History. Courtesy of the University of St. Francis. Miner and daughter. Circa 1966-1976. Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Doc Horrell Photo Collection. Courtesy of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. School of Nursing Students. May 1, 2008. Illinois Wesleyan University. IWU Historical Collections. Courtesy of Illinois Wesleyan University.
In 1889, Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr co-founded Hull House on the West Side of Chicago. Based on the model of Toynbee Hall in the East End of London, Hull House was a secular settlement house, where middle-class women would volunteer their time to provide social and educational opportunities for working-class people, many of whom were newly-arrived European immigrants.
Aside from offering educational and artistic programs to the community, Hull House also offered medical care and social services. In fact, Hull House continued providing social services in multiple locations throughout Chicago up until 2012, even when the organization moved from its original location in the 1960s. Hull House became the model upon which other settlement houses were based, and influenced legislation on child labor laws, occupational health and safety provisions, education, immigration rights, and pension laws. Though most of the original complex was demolished in the mid-1960s for the construction of University of Illinois-Chicago, the Hull mansion still stands, and was designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark on June 23, 1965.
To celebrate the accomplishments and legacy of Hull House, the IDHH would like to share a few of our favorite related items from Eastern Illinois University and University of Illinois at Chicago:
Hull House, Chicago. June 1, 1915. Eastern Illinois University. Booth Library Postcard Collection. Courtesy of Eastern Illinois University. Two girls on the Hull-House playground. circa 1895. University of Illinois at Chicago. Seven Settlement Houses-Database of Photos. Courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago. Girl sketching on pad near Hull-House. circa 1920s. University of Illinois at Chicago. Seven Settlement Houses-Database of Photos. Courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago. Mothers and children in a Hull-House entranceway. circa 1920s-1930s. University of Illinois at Chicago. Seven Settlement Houses-Database of Photos. Courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago. Adult folk dancing class at Hull-House. circa 1950s. University of Illinois at Chicago. Seven Settlement Houses-Database of Photos. Courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago. Boys and girls waiting at the Hull-House. circa 1960. University of Illinois at Chicago. Seven Settlement Houses-Database of Photos. Courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago.
While perhaps now best known as an international distress signal, May Day’s origins as a festival to celebrate the coming of spring date back to as early as the 2nd century AD. From the Roman festival Floralia to the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night to the Celtic festival of Beltane, elements of modern-day May Day can be seen in the feasts, celebrations, and use of flowers as decorations and gifts that originated in those festivals. May Day is currently recognized as an official holiday in 66 countries, and has also been known as International Workers Day since the 19th century as a way of recognizing the 19th century labor movement for workers’ rights.
The most well-known May Day traditions, as observed in Europe and North America and featured in the third book of Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy Tacy series, are the crowning of the May Queen, the giving of May baskets, and the dance around the maypole. May Day traditions have fallen out of fashions in the recent decades, but here at the IDHH, we’ve chosen to highlight some of these past May Day celebrations from Western Illinois University, Knox College, the North Suburban Library District, the Towanda District Library, and the University of St. Francis to show how May Day traditions used to be celebrated.
May Day Celebration WIU May 1907. circa 1910-1912. WIU Libraries Archives & Special Collections. Digital Image Collection. Courtesy of Western Illinois University.May Day celebration. 1920. Knox College Special Collections and Archives. Harold Way Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Knox College.Harlem Consolidated School May Festival dance, 1922. 1922. North Suburban Library District. North Suburban Library District Local History Collection. Courtesy of North Suburban Library District.Photograph of May Day Festival at Towanda School around 1939. circa 1939. Towanda District Library & Towanda Area Historical Society. Towanda District Library – Towanda Area Historical Collection. Courtesy of Towanda District Library & Towanda Area Historical Society.May Day at St. Francis – 1952. 1952. University of St. Francis. Sharing Our Past, A Visual History. Courtesy of University of St. Francis.
Jazz is a uniquely American music genre that originated in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jazz music has roots in blues and ragtime, and has undergone many evolutions over the years, from New Orleans jazz in the 1910s, to big band swing in the 1930s and 1940s, to jazz-rock fusion in the 1960s and 1970s, to smooth jazz in the 1980s. One of the key characteristics of jazz music is improvisation, and jazz music places importance on the collaboration of the performers, with no song being played exactly the same way twice.
Jazz as a genre was pioneered by musicians like Scott Joplin, Bessie Smith, and Jelly Roll Morton. Performers like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington helped to solidify the sound of big band swing. The evolution of Jazz-rock fusion was led by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, and Frank Zappa. Smooth jazz slowed the genre down, and featured artists such as Sade, Anita Baker, Al Jarreau, and Grover Washington, Jr.
Here at the IDHH, we recognize the month of April as Jazz Appreciation Month. To celebrate the genre, we are featuring collections from Illinois Wesleyan University, the Chicago History Museum, Knox College, Western Illinois University, and Benedictine University. These collections highlight jazz performers and performances from Illinois. Here are a few of our favorite images from the collections:
School of Music, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Marathon. ca. March 1980. Illinois Wesleyan University. IWU Historical Collections. Courtesy of Illinois Wesleyan University.Jazz with junk. 1959. Photograph by Clarence W. Hines. Chicago History Museum. Photographs and Prints Collection. Courtesy of Chicago History Museum.Jazz Band. [n. d.] Knox College Special Collections and Archives. Struggle and Progress-African Americans in Knox County, Illinois. Courtesy of Knox College.002827.JPG Jazz Band. [n. d.] Western Illinois University. Digital Image Collection. Courtesy of Western Illinois University.4th Hi Jazz Band, ‘21. 1921. Benedictine University. John Jochman Album. Courtesy of Benedictine University.
Since its founding by Clara Barton on May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross has provided services to American armed forces and their families, as well as disaster relief around the world. While they have adapted to meet the changing needs of the people they serve, they have remained true to their mission of serving people in need.
In 1943, President Roosevelt was the first to proclaim March as American Red Cross Month. Since then, issuing this proclamation has become an annual tradition, where presidents designate March as the month to honor American Red Cross volunteers. March 24 also marks the seventh annual American Red Cross Giving Day, during which the American Red Cross encourages communities to come together and donate to help the American Red Cross provide essential relief to those affected by disasters.
In honor of American Red Cross Giving Day, the IDHH has collected a few of our favorite images featuring American Red Cross volunteers from our contributors at the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County, the McLean County Museum of History, and the Graham Hospital School of Nursing:
Red Cross Ditty Bag Project. September 12, 1969. Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. Fort Sheridan. Courtesy of Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County.Red Cross Blood Drive. January 20, 1975. Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. Fort Sheridan. Courtesy of Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County.Red Cross Nurses’ aide. January 21, 1943. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection, 1940-1945. Courtesy of McLean County Museum of History.Red Cross. September 26, 1941. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection, 1940-1945. Courtesy of McLean County Museum of History.196-.1.14 Fulton County Red Cross nurses Lois Watts. circa 1960s. Graham Hospital School of Nursing. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Courtesy of Graham Hospital School of Nursing.194-.1.1 Red Cross Volunteers. circa 1940s. Graham Hospital School of Nursing. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Courtesy of Graham Hospital School of Nursing.
Ferris wheel at the Midway Plaisance. 1893. Chicago History Museum. Prints and Photographs Collection.
It’s pretty well known amongst Chicago History Buffs that the Ferris Wheel debuted on the Midway Plaisance during the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The Ferris Wheel, brainchild of Galesburg-born George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., was the result of architect Daniel Burnham’s challenge to build something to rival Paris’ Eiffel Tower, built as the centerpiece of 1889’s Exposition Universelle, celebrating the centennial of the French Revolution. On this day in history, October 16th 1892, the Ferris Wheel was given the go-ahead for its inclusion in the Columbian Exposition.
Portrait of George Washington Gale Ferris. c. 1893. Chicago History Museum. Prints and Photographs Collection.
“Make no little plans” Burnham said to a group of architects and engineers at dinner. While eating at Chicago chop house with the same group of architects and engineers Ferris hit on the idea; “I remember remarking that I would build a wheel, a monster. I got some paper and began to sketch it out. I fixed the size, determined the construction, the number of cars we would run, the number of people it would hold, what we would charge, the plan of stopping six times in the first revolution and loading, and then making a complete turn-in short, before the dinner was over I had sketched almost the entire detail” Ferris recalled in an interview.
Worker climbing Ferris Wheel spokes. 1893. Chicago History Museum. Prints and Photographs Collection.
Ferris wheel at the World’s Columbian World Fair. 1893. Chicago History Museum. Prints and Photographs Collection. Photograph by J. Maul.
There were wooden wheels that had toured carnival circuits, patented designs even, but steel was a considerable upgrade and had the same modernist industrial touch as the Eiffel tower’s steel beams. Ferris, working out of Pittsburgh was known as an engineer experimenting in steel- to make a steel structure like this- that moved,- and transport the 100,000 parts of it a third of the way across the country for reassembly, was a significant challenge. At the time of its creation the 71 ton axel was the largest single piece of steel in the world.
Happy September Y’all. We’re seeing our first 40 degree nights in Central Illinois, and apples are beginning to be harvested. Around Champaign-Urbana, where I’m writing from, hail storms in August significantly damaged the apple crop. One farmer who I talk to at the farmers’ market had ployed to market her hail-damaged apples as “speckled apples”, but this week looked disappointed with just a few lumpy apples.
Here’s two of my favorite pictures in the IDHH from McLean County Museum of History of the over 6,000 taken by Pantagraph photographer Frank Bill in the 1930’s and 1940’s:
Girls Pick Apple Bumper Crop. 1942. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1940-1945). Photograph by Frank Bill.
Apple Blossoms. 1939. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1930-1939). Photograph by Frank Bill.
“Main Street of America”, Route 66 is probably the most well known road in America. It’s been featured hundreds of times in American literature and film, from symbolizing escape and grief in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath to the backdrop of Radiator Springs just off Route 66 but forgotten after ‘the Mother Road’ (another Steinbeck reference) was bypassed by Interstate 40.
Scoop- Aerial Views. 1941. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1940-1945). Photograph by Frank Bill.
From Illinois, or perhaps most of the country, Route 66 always looks westward- showing the horizon of the spiritual architecture of Americana. This westerly orientation makes sense, when it opened in 1926 as part of the U.S. Highway System, Route 66 began in Chicago and ran diagonally across the state, like a 300 mile asphalt vein through The Prairie State. You can virtually drive the entirety of “Old U.S. Route 66” in about 3 hours on Google Maps’ street view, but you wouldn’t get the full story of Route 66 before it was largely replaced by the speedier and beefier Interstate 55. Items from our contributors at Towanda Area Public Library, Illinois State Library, Illinois State University, and McLean County Museum of History, capture the spirit of Illinoisan Route 66 as it was in the 1940’s.
Like most roads, Route 66 repurposed other roads and trails, laying a new physical and administrative infrastructure on top of historic passages and routes far preceding car culture. In the earliest part of the 20th century, people traveled between Chicago and Saint Louis on the “Pontiac Trail ”- a native trail, turned unpaved stagecoach byway that travelled southwest through Springfield and the St. Louis area. By 1915 it became IL-4, and ran parallel to Chicago Alton Railroad.
1956-1957 Illinois: Official Highway Map. 1956. Illinois State Library. Illinois State Highway Maps Collection.
The relationship between railroad and road was hot in Illinois. Railroads connected metropolitan areas, small farm towns along the railroads. Towns grew and farmers needed roads to ship their crop. Dirt roads weren’t enough, the roads of Illinois in 1910 were hardly better than the Illinois roads of 1818 according to historian David Wrone. The compact prairie sod was all too vulnerable to the elements; quick to become deep mud that a horse drawing cargo had difficulty picking its way through, and according to Donald Tingley, prompted “automobile pioneers [to store] their machines in the barn until spring. In the summer the mud turned into dust almost as deep.” Motorists, farmers, bankers and cyclists alike began organizing, building associations and committees that sought to advocate for better roads, and investigate solutions. The Tice Road Law of 1913 provided state assistance on roadside improvement for any county which was willing to build and maintain their roads. The Illinois Highway Department integrated a system to connect towns through highways. Illinois’ road story received another push in 1916 when the Federal Aid Road Act was passed, granting Illinois roughly three million dollars between 1917 and 1922.
The newness of these paved roads were politically advantageous for Illinois. Minimal construction meant that the route could open to traffic almost immediately in 1926. The flatness of Route 66 made it a popular truck route. The trucking industry stimulated the local economies it drove through, with small outposts of hotels, restaurants and diners, filling stations, roadside attractions to attract attention for money traveling through.
Photograph of Fern’s Cafe. 1954. Towanda District Library. Towanda Area Historical Collection.
Photograph of Fern’s Café customers in 1954. Towanda District Library. Towanda Area Historical Collection.
With the outbreak of World War II, the highway’s importance exploded as a road for military convoys and equipment transportation. Much of the original pavement was still in service but in poor condition from heavy truck traffic. The Federal Highway Defense Act sought to modernize the highway system, make repairs where needed, and establish a strategic highway network in preparation for war.
The Federal Highway Defence changed the roads dramatically. Two-lane highways became four-lanes. Route 66’s past as a long vein of county, windy, country roads, had been central to its character. Landmarks were named after it’s most dangerous parts. Illinois newspapers counted pile-ups, injuries, deaths of travellers. So-called “Dead Man’s Curve” in Towanda– a slim sharp curve, was especially treacherous for speeding drivers from Chicago who misjudged the sharpness they’d have to navigate. New portions circumvented these dangerous parts like these.
Photograph of Construction of northbound lanes on Route 66. 1954. Towanda District Library. Towanda Area Historical Collection.
When car and tourism culture took off in the 1950’s the kitschy infrastructure had been well established with its legacy of trucking, and the roads were now safe enough to travel with your family in tow.
Rusk Haven Motel on Route 66, Bloomington, Illinois. C. 1950. Illinois State University. Ken-Way Studio Archive.Brandtville Cafe with man in phone booth, Bloomington, Illinois. 1955. Illinois State University. Ken-Way Studio Archive.
So, what did the impact of the interstate highway system have on its predecessors? Even while Route 66 was booming with roadside traffic and tourism in mid-1950’s, planning to make it obsolete was already in legislation. The improvements that had been made in the 1940’s to create a strategic highway network of small roads were left in the dust of Eisenhower’s vision for the Interstate Highway System. Inspired by the Reichschautobahn system, Eisenhower saw a fast and safe highway, as critical for economic growth defense, if it was ever needed.
1957. Parts of Route 66 were already being chosen for sections of I-55, I-74, or I-190. Route 66 was travelled less and less, left in increasingly worse disrepair- from over-use and then neglect. The mother road was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System on June 27, 1985. Community efforts have since surged attempting to preserve the highway’s particularity and celebrate it’s off-beat culture that lined rural America for three decades. Cities in Illinois began to register stretches of the route under the Register of Historic Places, citing both the engineering and cultural significance that preceded the interstate and knitted together rural communities alongside the road.
Gas station men on Route 66. 1942. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1940-1945). Photograph by Leonore Campbell.Highway 1.1944. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1940-1945). Photograph by Stan Windhorn.
