Exploring Historical Neighborhoods of Chicago

Do you know what neighborhood you live in? You might know the name of it but do you really KNOW it? Chicago has rich a historical history and you don’t even need to go to a museum to enjoy it. You can visit many historical neighborhoods and imagine yourself there.

BlueIsland, IL is one of those neighborhoods with a great historical district.  I recommend going south of 127^th street before you reach Vermont to some beautiful houses. On Western Ave. there are historical buildings with many small businesses to wander through. My wife and I enjoyed our time walking and looking at the beautiful houses and shops. We talked about how it might have looked originally and how much it’s changed.

Along our route there were many houses with plaques that we stopped and read. Out of all of the beautiful houses we was the Charles Young House was by far our favorite. It was built in 1886 as a hotel. Blue Island used to be about a day’s travel for people heading to Chicago on foot. When we learned this we imaged that people would stay in this hotel for a night or two before they made their way north to Chicago. I would also recommend visiting the Robert Krueger House, built in 1913 and the Arthur Seyfarth House, built in 1929.

Walking and talking with my wife was a great experience. Not only did we feel more connected to each other but it was good exercise!  We got to meet other people out walking their dogs, going to the store, or other fellow explorers. I would highly recommend going out for a walk in a historical district to anyone who wants to get to know where we came from. Get out there before the winter comes!