Southeast Chicago Historical Museum
The
Southeast Chicago Historical Museum (SECHM),
officially named the James P. Fitzgibbons Memorial Museum, is dedicated to
collecting materials and preserving the histories of the Chicago communities
of South Chicago, East Side, South Deering, and Hegewisch. The Museum is
housed in the Calumet Park Field House at 9801 S. Avenue G in the city of
Chicago.
The
collection includes most of the materials collected during the NEH funded
Southeast Chicago Historical Project. This project studied the history of
Chicago's Southeast Side in the early 1980's. The Museum has also
accumulated a rich collection of historical materials from the donations of
community residents as well as projects and exhibits which have been
prepared by area students. The Museum collections are particularly strong in
materials related to the steel industry on the southeast side of Chicago and
labor history. The Museum also has a rich collection of photographs and
other materials related to the commerce, industry, schools, churches,
families, and social and ethnic organizations of the area. The Southeast
Chicago Historical Museum is maintained by the Southeast Chicago Historical
Society (originally named the East Side Historical Society).
The
Industrial Heritage Archives include over one thousand images from the
collections of the SECHM. These images focus on industries in the Calumet
region other than Pullman and Acme / Interlake Steel. These industries
include several major steel mills including U. S. Steel, Wisconsin Steel,
Republic Steel, Youngstown Steel and Pressed Steel. Materials from other
area industries such as General Mills, the State Line Generating Station,
and local shipyards are also included. Labor activities, especially the
Memorial Day Massacre of 1937, related to these industries and items from
local millgate communities including South Chicago, South Deering, the East
Side and Hegewisch are also included. The project gives us an opportunity to
highlight materials in our collections that have not previously been well
publicized as well as making these materials accessible to the public
on-line without having to come to our museum during our very limited public
hours.
Materials from the Southeast Chicago Historical Museum in the Industrial
Heritage Archives are organized into the following subjects:
|
Southeast Communities |
Steel Mills |
Other Industries |
Labor History |
Transportation |
| East
Side |
Acme
Steel |
Chicago Steel & Wire |
USWA
Local 65 |
Bridges |
|
Hegewisch |
Pressed Steel |
Ford
Motor Company |
USWA
Local 1033 |
Shipyards |
| South
Chicago |
Republic Steel |
General Mills |
Memorial Day Massacre |
Railroads |
| South
Deering |
U. S.
Steel |
Great
Lakes Dredge & Dock |
Progressive Steel Workers Uniion |
Waterways |
| Street
Scenes |
Wisconsin Steel |
Shipyards |
|
|
| |
Youngstown Steel |
State
Line Generating Station |
|
|
| |
|
Valley
Mould & Iron |
|
|
|
