Chicago Our Kind of Town

In the late 1850s, Woodlawn was a square mile of prairies, woods, muddy roads and marshes with a population of half a dozen families. Woodlawn's first inhabitant was James Wadsworth. Early life in Woodlawn was hard and strenuous and the greatest family necessities were lanterns and rubber boots. There was no gas, no water, no sewer system, no sidewalks, no telephones, no mail delivery and neighbors usually lived a block or two away. The only transportation was the Illinois Central Railroad and the station was a dilapidated single room shanty.

By 1886, Woodlawn had grown to include three groceries, two coal offices, a barbershop, two paint stores, one hardware store, a drug store, one express delivery, a school, a church, a post office and a volunteer fire brigade. The original Woodlawn school house was replaced by the Wadsworth School at Sixty-fourth and University. The land for the school had been donated by James Wadsworth.

The World's Columbian Exposition was held in 1893, in Jackson Park. This led to an increase in property values, and as a result the population increased from almost two thousand to twenty thousand residents. By 1920, Woodlawn was a thriving part of the city. Sixty-third Street was a mile of successful businesses. The schools were some of the largest and best in the city, and the number of churches had grown to fourteen. Woodlawn had two hospitals, two banks, a new library and a new post office. Good transportation and many fine apartment buildings made Woodlawn a desirable place to have a business and to live.