The following is a listing of the Park Forest Local History Files that can be found in the Adult Services Department of the Park Forest Public Library.
SPECIAL NOTE: The Park Forest Local History File Cabinets have been brought back to the main floor of the library as of October 1, 2010. We thank the library staff for all the hard work they did to make this happen.
Check with the Park Forest Historical Society to see what material is at the Museum or at the Archive Office, in St. Mary's Catholic Church, 227 Monee Road, or for people we may be able to connect you to The Archive Office is open to the public Friday 10 a.m. to 12 noon, or by appointment. Contact PFHS.
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 contact us, or by leaving a message with our Archivist at 708-481-4252. Start your message on the phone; she really DOES screen calls.
All files start with PARK FOREST, then alphabetically by subjects, i.e. PARK FOREST--AIRPORTS. "Basement Files" are at the Archive Office, 227 Monee Road. Some new subject files have been added, which do not, yet, appear in the cards or in this list.
- 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
- 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
- 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 and unbound, circulating copies of transcripts are in the Reference Area of the Park Forest Public Library, or "Information Station". Masters at the Archive.]
- 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
- 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
- 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.]
- 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 are at the Archive Office, 227 Monee Road.
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. Twenty-seven of the transcripts are online in "Park Forest: An Illinois Planned Community."
April 20, 2006: rev. JN October 4, 2014