LIST OF PARK FOREST LOCAL HISTORY FILES IN THE ADULT SERVICES

DEPARTMENT
PARK FOREST PUBLIC LIBRARY
400 Lakewood Blvd
Park Forest, IL 60466
708-748-3731, ask for Adult Services staff

We recommend that researchers call ahead to make an appointment with

appropriate staff. Some questions will require the help of the Park Forest Historical
Society researchers. For searches over 30 minutes, the Park Forest Historical
Society reserves the right to charge research fees.
For additional information on what is available on a subject, the Park Forest
Historical Society welcomes your questions at parkforesthistory1@yahoo.com,
or by leaving a message with our archivist at 708-481-4252.

All files start with PARK FOREST, then alphabetically by subjects, i.e. PARK
FOREST--AIRPORTS:

Airports
All America City, 1953
All America City, 1988
All America City, 1997
American on the Move – Exhibit
American Community Builders
--with subdivisions for biographies on partners, specifically,
--Klutznick, Philip M.
--Manilow, Nathan
American Dance Center
Analysis in Wonderland
Anchor HMO
Anniversaries specific folders on different anniversaries of the Village, by date.
Aqua Center
Architecture
Art
Art Center
ATT Comcast
Aunt Martha’s
Authors
Autumn in the Park
Bank Calumet
Bank of Park Forest
Beacon City (see Indian Wood Country Club)
Beautification Committee
Bicycle Race
Big Snow, (January 26, 1967)
Biography see also files by subject like Schools, and Park Forest—Officials and
Employees.
Biography- Cunningham, Bernard G.
Biography--Hodes, Art
Biography-- Portraits
Biography--Upshaw, Dawn
Board of Jewish Education
Boards and Commissions
Building Department
Bulletin (Newsletters)
Burnham Award, (June 21, 200?)
Cable Television
Cafaro Company (Shopping Centers)
Census
Chamber of Commerce
Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce
Chronicle of an American-Suburb (see Documentary files)
Churches
Citizen of the Month
City Planning
City Association
Civil Defense
Clocktower (Park Forest Historical Society also owns a video of the demolition
and photographs of the Clocktower)
Clubs see Park Forest--Organizations
College see Park Forest College
Comcast
Commerce see Industries, see Stores
Commission on Human Relations
Committee for Municipal Incorporation
Committee for Non-Partisan Local Government
Community Arts Council
Community Children’s Theater
Community Council
Controversy
Co-Op (see Park Forest Newsletters)
Cooperative Nursery School
Cooperatives
Cooperatives- Area A, Area B, J
Cox Cable Communications
Crimes
Criterium (Bicycle Race)
Cunningham, Bernard G., 1922-96
Description- Tours

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Directories
Documentary Films
Downtown Park Forest (see Shopping Center, Downtown Park Forest)
Dogwood School Fire, Nov. 25, 1990
Drama
Early Years 1948 by Carroll F. Sweet (See American Community Builders)
Eastgate
Elections (see Officials and Employees/Politics and Govt.)
Elizabeth Ludemann Center
Enbridge Energy Partners
Environment Conservation Commission
Ethnic Groups
Farmers Market
Fire Department
First Star Bank
Floods
Folks on Spokes (Cycling Club History)
Freedom Hall
Friends of the Park Forest Public Library
Gangs
Garden Club
Gilmore, James see Documentary Files
Governor’s Home Town Award
Governor’s State University
Hands Across America
Health Council
Health Department
Historical Society
History - Pre 1940’s
History--1940’s
History--1950’s
History--1960’s
History--1970’s
History--1990’s
History--2000’s
(History in Oversize Packets boxes in Reference Workroom)
Home Tour and Remodeling Fair
Hospitals
House Museum
Housing
Illinois Philharmonic
Illinois Theatre Center
Incorporation (see History 1970’s)? Park Forest incorporated February 1, 1949
Indian Community Center

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Indian Wood Country Club
Industries
Integration
Jones Intercable
Labor Day Fest – 1990-1991
Landscaping
League of Women Voters
Library Association, Inc. see Park Forest Library Association, Inc.
Lions International
Maps
Marshall Fields
McClellan, Larry, (Time Frame Newspaper Column)
Memoirs
Meteor
Mrs. Park Forest
Murders
Name [Stories relating how the name of the Village was chosen]
Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park
News (Newspaper published from 1953-55) Park Forest News
Newsletters – Contact (Village of Park Forest employees’ newsletter. Early issues
also contain Manager’s Reports. Contact issues are in the Archive which is in
storage in April 2007)
News Releases
Nixon Rally, (October 25, 1956)
Nixon Rally, (October 29, 1960)
Nursery School [Park Forest Co-Operative Nursery School]
Officials and Employees [News, biographical articles and obituaries.]
Officials and Employees—Directories [Official lists of Park Forest employees and
officials, such as lists of the Village Presidents and their dates of service, and of
Village Trustees and their dates of service]
Old Plank Road
One Day in Park Forest 5-23-91 (Issue of the Star, 5/23 kept in Oversize Packet
at 1950s Park Forest House Museum)
Oral History [File on the OH! Park Forest Oral History project 1980-1981]
Oral History [Bound transcripts are in the Reference Area. Unbound transcripts
are at the 1950s House Museum, 4-16-07.]
Organizations
PADS
Pankatron [Kiwanis Pancake Day pancake-making machine]
Park Forest: An Illinois Planned Community
Park Forest Children’s Choirs
Park Forest Community Development Corp.
Park Forest Co-operative Nursery School see Nursery School
Park Forest Family League

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Park Forest News (Newspaper published from 1953-1955.)
Park Forest History Packet [A teacher’s packet made up in the fall of 1998.]
Park Forest Library Association, Inc. [The organization which led to the PFPL]
Park Forest Municipal Heliport
Park Forest Plan Commission
Park Forest Playhouse
Park Forest Public Library Bond Issue 1955
Park Forest Public Library Referendum 1970, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1989 (Separate
files for each year.)
Park Forest Public Library Special Election
Park Forest Realty Company
Park Forest Reporter (Newspaper) Includes articles on the paper.
The collection includes microfilm of the Reporter and hard copy. Hard
copy of the newspaper may be viewed only under special circumstances.
Park Forest Singers (also, Audiotapes .. added to Archive 12-9-87)
Park Forest South Development Co.
Park Forest South, (Illinois)--Map
Park Forest Symphony Orchestra
Park Forest—The Early Years, 1946-1956 by Carroll F. Sweet see folder in
American Community Builders for draft pages and selected passages.
For the published version see the card catalog.
Park Forester (Village of Park Forest Newsletter) holdings, misc.
Park Foresters (Newsletters)
Park Foresters (Website)
Park Forest Photographs
Park Forest Photography (Bernard Klein Collection Finding Aid and description)
Park Forest Running and Pancake Club
Pilgrim Real Estate
Pipeline
Pizzazz
Poet Laureate Award
Poetry
Police
Politics and Government
Postcards
Public Action to Deliver Shelter see PADS
Public Works [Information on Village of Park Forest Public Works Dept.]
Randall, Gregory
RAP – 2000
Realty Company, see Park Forest Realty Company
Recreation and Parks
Recreation and Parks--Facilities Planning
Recycling
Refuse and Refuse Disposal

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Religion
Rentals [Materials on the rental townhouses in Park Forest.]
Reports and Surveys [Most of the Reports and Surveys are in the Archive and
are in remote storage in April 2007.]
Restaurants
Rich Township, (Illinois)
Running and Pancake Club see Park Forest Running and Pancake Club
Scenic 10-mile Run
Schools:
- District 162
- District 162- Newsletters
- District 163
- District 163- Newsletters
- District 201-U
- Rich Township High Schools
- - History
- - 50th Anniversary
- - Dist. 227 Connection, etc.
- Rich Township High Schools- Rich East
- - Alumni News
- - Rocket Report
- - School Report Cards, etc.
Sears Homes
Sears Tower Exhibit
Sewage
Shopping Centers
Shopping Centers--Cafaro Company
Shopping Centers--The Centre
Shopping Centers—Downtown Park Forest
Shopping Centers--Norwood Square
Slides
Social Life and Customs
South Metropolitan Regional Leadership Center
South Suburban Food Co-Op
South Suburban Pads
South Suburban Special Recreation Association
Special Election, 5-11-1957
Sports
Star Newspapers
Stores
Storms
Strategic Plan 1991
Streets [Includes origin of Park Forest street names, including who Medal of
Honor streets are named for.]

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Streets- Orchard Drive
Synagogues
Tent Meeting, (November 27, 1948)
Theaters
Third Airport (see Airport)
Thorn Creek Nature Center
Tornadoes
Tours see Park Forest—Description and Tours
Transit Systems
Trees
University Park, (Illinois)
Veterans
Village Hall
Village of Park Forest--Officials and Employees see Park Forest—Officials and
Employees and Park Forest—Officials and Employees—Directories.
Water Supply
Wetlands Reclamation Project
Women
Women’s Conference
Y-Me

Also included in the metal card file on top of the Local History File Cabinets:

Oversize Mounted Photographs of Park Forest--A card file indexing

oversize mounted photographs which were used in the Sears Tower Exhibit
ca. 1979 or 1980. The mounted photographs in remote storage, but the
society has several as negatives.
Oral History Transcripts Index—A card file index of the Oral History
Transcripts listed under Narrators’ names. This card file was created in
1980-81 when the transcripts were done.

April 20, 2006: rev. JN January 12, 2008