Join us Sunday, February 22, 2026, 2:30 p.m. in Park Forest Village Board Meeting Room, 350 Victory Drive, for a presentation by Dr. Larry A. McClellan, author and scholar on the Underground Railroad. This program is free and open to the general public.

Dr. Larry McClellan is presenting his ongoing studies of the Underground Railroad and freedom seekers who passed through Northern Illinois and Indiana en route to Canada.

Dr. McClellan began his early studies in Illinois and then extended his research to Northwest Indiana. Recently, he has extended his research to the South Bend region.

A nationally recognized scholar on the subject, from right in our own backyard, he has written several books, The Underground Railroad South of Chicago, 2019; To the River, 2019; and Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois, 2023; and numerous other publications. Copies of his book will be available for sale at our program.

His research resulted in Crete being named to the National Park Service Network to Freedom register of the Underground Railroad. The McCoy Farmstead site along Sauk Trail, just east of Western Avenue, is also a verified site, which we hope will be included at a later date, as the McCoy’s worked with the Congregational Church in Crete. For the time being, the national support of the Network to Freedom is suspended. Governor Pritzker and the State of Illinois have initiated support of the project with the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission.

In 1970, McClellan completed his doctoral studies at the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. He previously studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles and the University of Ghana in West Africa. Also in 1970, McClellan helped to start Governors State University, south of Chicago, where he taught for 30 years. He is an emeritus Professor of Sociology and Community Studies.

Date: February 22, 2026
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Park Forest Village Board Meeting Room, 350 Victory Drive, Park Forest, IL

Contact: Jane Nicoll, 708-481-4252

New Home Found; Underground Railroad Feb. 22; Hall of Fame 2026.

Park Forest Hall of Fame Nominations Being Accepted

Park Forest Hall of Fame nominations are being accepted through December 31, 2025. The official form, which must accompany nominations, is available on the Park Forest Historical Society’s website, parkforesthistory.org. Nominations may be mailed to Park Forest Historical Society, 227 Monee Road, or can be sent via email on the website. Information is with Jane Nicoll, 708-481-4252.

This year, we are also accepting nominations submitted completely online, at the following link: 2026 Hall of Fame Nomination Form.

You can also download a paper PDF of the form HERE and mail it in, if you choose.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, persons nominated must have made substantial, beneficial, and consistent contributions to the life and well-being of Park Forest over a considerable span of time. Nominees may now live elsewhere or be deceased. Individuals or couples may be nominated. The person making the nomination does not have to live in Park Forest or be a member of the society. Persons may only make one nomination each year.

Separate sheets indicating why the person is being nominated, and in convincing and thorough detail, describing the nominee’s qualifications and contributions which fit the criteria, must be attached to the required nomination form. A list of those already in the Hall of Fame is on the website.

Inductees will be chosen by the Park Forest Historical Society and announced early in 2026. The induction ceremony will be held at Freedom Hall on March 29, 2026.

This will be the 33rd induction and the 32nd Annual Induction Ceremony.

The Park Forest Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Park Forest Historical Society, began in 1989 with the induction of Philip M. Klutznick. In 1994, it became an annual event. Hall of Fame inductees are listed on the society’s website at https://parkforesthistory.org/hall-of-fame.html. Hall of Fame plaques showing the names of the members are currently on display at the 1950s Park Forest House Museum. The museum is open on Wednesday and Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m., through January 3, 2026, in the former St. Mary’s Catholic School, 227 Monee Road, Park Forest, Illinois.

NEWS FROM Park Forest Historical Society
Contact Jane Nicoll
Phone: 708-481-4252
For Immediate Release