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History · Melrose Park

A history of Melrose Park,
then and now

Postcards, papers and photographs of Melrose Park from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

18old images & papers
0recent photos
From Melrose Park’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, in 1882 residents of a then-unincorporated portion of Proviso Township voted to establish their own municipality—called simply "Melrose" until 11 years later, in 1893, when the "Park" was added and population in the area began to steadily increase. The first Italian-Americans arrived in 1888.

On March 28, 1920, the F4 Palm Sunday tornado cut a 328-foot-wide (100 m) path over 1,094 yards (1,000 m) through the village and killed ten people. It destroyed the Sacred Heart Church and attached convent.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1920Melrose Park tornado damge, March 28, 1920Commons
1930s17 items · Melrose Park (near Chicago), Ill.; C …LOC
1940–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish Melrose Park’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewMelrose Park tornado damge, March…, 1920: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from Melrose ParkWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Melrose Park.Meet them →
By decade

Melrose Park, decade by decade

1920s1 item
Melrose Park tornado damge, March 28, 1920CommonsMelrose Park tornado damge, March 28, 19201920
1930s17 items
Melrose Park (near Chicago), Ill.; C & NW RR [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad]; Roy Nelin, a box packer in the …LOCMelrose Park (near Chicago), Ill.; C & NW RR [i.e. Chicago …1939Melrose Park (near Chicago), Ill; C & NW RR [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad]; L. Logan, of West Chicago, boile…LOCMelrose Park (near Chicago), Ill; C & NW RR [i.e. Chicago a…1939Melrose Park (near Chicago), Ill, C&NWRR [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad]. William London has been a railroad …LOCMelrose Park (near Chicago), Ill, C&NWRR [i.e. Chicago and …1939C&NWRR [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad], towerman R.W. Mayberry of Elmhurst, Ill., at the Proviso yard. He ope…LOCC&NWRR [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad], towerman …1939Looking toward the Chicago and Northwestern [i.e. North Western] railroad classification yard. The trestle runs from th…LOCLooking toward the Chicago and Northwestern [i.e. North Wes…1939Truck trailers loading and unloading at C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad's] Proviso yard, Chicago, …LOCTruck trailers loading and unloading at C & NW RR's [i.e. C…1939A train (or "cut") being pushed out of a receiving yard toward the hump. A brakeman rides each train to signal the engi…LOCA train (or "cut") being pushed out of a receiving yard tow…1939View of a classification yard at C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad's] Proviso yard, Chicago, IllLOCView of a classification yard at C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago …1939A train being pushed over the hump at the Proviso yard, C & NW RR., Chicago, IllLOCA train being pushed over the hump at the Proviso yard, C &…1939Train going over the hump at the C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad's] Proviso yard, Chicago, IllLOCTrain going over the hump at the C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago …1939Tracks leading into the freight house at Proviso yard. This is said to be the largest covered freight house in the worl…LOCTracks leading into the freight house at Proviso yard. This…1939Repair tracks of the Chicago and Northwestern [i.e. North Western] R.RLOCRepair tracks of the Chicago and Northwestern [i.e. North W…1939General view of the hump, Chicago and Northwestern [i.e. North Western] railroad classification yard, Chicago, IllLOCGeneral view of the hump, Chicago and Northwestern [i.e. No…1939Work goes on 24 hours a day at C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad's] Proviso yard, Chicago, IllLOCWork goes on 24 hours a day at C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago an…1939The yardmaster's office at the receiving yard, North Proviso(?), C & NW RR, Chicago, IllLOCThe yardmaster's office at the receiving yard, North Provis…1939A general view of a classification yard at C & NW RR's Proviso yard, Chicago, IllLOCA general view of a classification yard at C & NW RR's Prov…1939View in a departure yard at C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago and North Western railroad's] Proviso (?) yard at twilight, Chica…LOCView in a departure yard at C & NW RR's [i.e. Chicago and N…1939
1940s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Melrose Park tornado damge, March 28, 1920 (1920) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Stone Park📜 Bellwood📜 Maywood📜 River Grove

From Wikimedia Commons (1) and the Library of Congress (17). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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