River Forest in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Frances E. Willard

Photographed by Sean Flynn

1. Frances E. Willard Marker

Inscription. "For God and home and every land"
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: Education • Religion & Religious Structures. 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. It 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

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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.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

Frances E. Willard Marker and Harlem School image. Click for full size.

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.

of this marker: River Forest Village Presidents (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); River Forest Fire Chiefs (about 400 feet away); 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 (approx. 0.3 miles away); William H. Hatch House (approx. 0.3 miles away); Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in River Forest.

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

Harlem School today image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, July 26, 2023

3. Harlem School today

The Harlem School building and adjoining modern Lincoln School, viewed from the west.

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

Frances E. Willard (1839-1898) image. Click for full size.

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.

Park and Oak Park. Her first was in 1860 (immediately after graduating from North Western Female College in Evanston, Illinois) when she taught at a small frame schoolhouse that stood on Lake Street, likely not far from this site. A year later she returned to teach in Harlem's red brick schoolhouse, also on Lake Street. Her brother Oliver also later taught at the school. The building today remains standing as the administration building for River Forest District 90. It is attached to the modern building that houses River Forest's Lincoln Elementary School.

While teaching at Harlem School, Willard stayed with the family of David C. Thatcher, a successful Chicago businessman who purchased 640 acres

Additional building markers image. Click for full size.

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.

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.

Harlem School image. Click for full size.

Percy H. Sloan; Courtesy of Newberry Library, circa 1925

6. Harlem School

An early 20th century photo of Harlem School. The building today houses administrative offices for River Forest schools and is connected to a modern building housing Lincoln School.

David C. Thatcher home image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, July 26, 2023

7. 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.

Washington School facade and District 90 plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, July 26, 2023

8. 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 September 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 825 times since then and 66 times this year. Last updated on August 1, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 29, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 6. submitted on September 30, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 7. submitted on July 29, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 8. submitted on August 7, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.