River Forest in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Frances E. Willard
Photographed By Sean Flynn
1. Frances E. Willard Marker
In memory of
Frances E. Willard
who taught in this school in 1861
Erected 1929 by Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.
Location. 41° 53.312′ N, 87° 49.148′ W. Marker is in River Forest, Illinois, in Cook County. Marker is on Lake Street east of Park Avenue, on the right when traveling west. This marker is on the right side of the doorway at the front of the old schoolhouse, which faces Lake Street and is now the home of the River Forest District 90 administration. It is next to a parking lot that is accessible by Park Avenue to the west of the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7776 Lake Street, River Forest IL 60305, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. River Forest Fire Chiefs (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); River Forest Police Chiefs (about 400 feet away); River Forest 9/11 Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); River Forest Memorial to the Great Wars (approx. ¼ mile away); The River Forest Tennis Club
this page online
More about this marker. There are two more markers to the left of the doorway, one by the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest denoting the building's 1859 date, and another identifying it as the District 90 administration building. The grounds near the entrance include a historic facade from River Forest's old Washington Elementary, a District 90 marker erected by a local eagle scout, a bench dedicated to a former school superintendent and a small statue of a young female student. The original schoolhouse is today attached to a modern building housing Lincoln Elementary School.
Regarding Frances E. Willard. Frances Willard, the educator, women's suffragist and temperance reformer, completed two stints at the start of her career teaching at Harlem School, named after the community west of Chicago that comprised what today are parts of River Forest, Forest Park and Oak Park.
Photographed By Sean Flynn
2. Frances E. Willard Marker and Harlem School
The Willard marker is to the right of the front door. On the left are markers from the local historical society, denoting the erection of the building in 1859, and another identifying it as the location of the local school district administration building.
While teaching at Harlem School, Willard stayed with the family of David C. Thatcher, a successful Chicago businessman who purchased 640 acres in the 1850s near the Desplaines River, and whose house originally sat about a half-mile west of the school on Lake Street. While living there, Willard struck up a lifelong friendship with the Thatchers’ daughter Clara, who herself became a prominent temperance reformer and later in her life helped establish the new village of River Forest as a dry community.
Frances Willard is honored with one of Illinois' two statues in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. The Women's Christian Temperance Union of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest dedicated this plaque on November 27, 1929.
Photographed By Sean Flynn, July 26, 2023
3. Harlem School today
The Harlem School building and adjoining modern Lincoln School, viewed from the west.
Library of Congress
4. Frances E. Willard (1839-1898)
Frances Willard, the educator, women's suffragist and temperance movement leader, spent two separate stints as a teacher at Harlem School, in what today is River Forest. She is one of two people honored by the state of Illinois with a statue in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.
Photographed By Sean Flynn, July 26, 2023
5. Additional building markers
Two markers adorn the wall of the school to the left of the doorway. The bottom of the two identifies the building as the home of the District 90 administration offices. The top marker, posted by the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, denotes the building's 1859 erection.
Photographed By Sean Flynn, July 26, 2023
6. David C. Thatcher home
Frances Willard lived with the family of David C. Thatcher, who lived about a half-mile west along what is today Lake Street. The house is still in existence today at 511 Edgewood Place in River Forest, where it was moved a few hundred yards from its original location around 1910.
Photographed By Sean Flynn, July 26, 2023
7. Washington School facade and District 90 plaque
Near the front of the school building are a piece of the facade from River Forest's old Washington Elementary School, which was dedicated in its current location in May of 2017, and a marker dedicated to School District 90, erected in 2021.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 84 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on August 1, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 29, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 7. submitted on August 7, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
