Andersonville in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Andersonville School
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 4, 2023
1. Andersonville School Marker
On this site stood the Andersonville School in the northeastern corner of the sub-division called Andersonville. Here in 1857 arrangements were made for the township's first election.
Chicago's Charter Jubilee
Authenticated by Chicago Historical Society
Erected 1937 by Chicago's Charter Jubilee.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Government & Politics • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Chicago's Charter Jubilee series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.
Location. 41° 58.566′ N, 87° 40.111′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Andersonville. Marker is at the intersection of Foster Avenue (U.S. 41) and Clark Street on Foster Avenue. The marker faces Foster Avenue near the entrance to La Colombe Coffee Roasters. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5158 North Clark Street, Chicago IL 60640, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Andersonville (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Boniface Union Soldiers Monument (approx. 0.3 miles away); Essanay Studios (approx. 0.3 miles away); First Telephone System
this page online
More about this marker. This plaque is one of 78 placed throughout the city by Chicago’s Charter Jubilee in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Chicago’s city charter. A seal of the City of Chicago is at the bottom of the marker.
Regarding Andersonville School. Andersonville School was a four-room schoolhouse named after its location in the largely Swedish settlement north of Chicago, which today is the name of one of the city's most vibrant neighborhoods. This intersection was, at the time of its settlement, where 59th Street (now Foster) met Green Bay Road (now Clark), a trail that followed an ancient Native American route in connecting Fort Dearborn in Chicago with Fort Howard in Green Bay, Wisconsin, about 210 miles north.
Andersonville School was replaced by Trumbull School, a short distance north of here, in 1908 and
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 4, 2023
2. Site of Andersonville School (5158 N. Clark, Chicago)
The Andersonville School Marker is just to the right of the building's corner, at Clark and Foster.
Also see . . . Andersonville and Edgewater. Excerpt from the Edgewater Historical Society:
At least one thing is beyond dispute, and that is that the Clark Street commercial district was named Andersonville in the early 1960s by some of the merchants along the street to give their district a distinct flair by capitalizing on the Swedish heritage of the area. A June 20, 1969, Chicago Tribune article by Mary Daniels gives the credit for the naming to Dr. Grant Johnson, who got the idea from the name of the old school that once stood at the southwest corner of Clark and Foster. A bronze plaque on the building that replaced the school commemorates that school and the Lake View township organizing meeting that was held there in 1857. The plaque was placed there in 1937 by Chicago’s Charter Jubilee Committee as part of a celebration and commemoration of the centennial of Chicago’s obtaining a city charter. The name of the school on the plaque is Andersonville, and it is undoubtedly the plaque rather than any historical knowledge on Dr. Johnson’s part that led him to use the name for the commercial district (see figure 1). It is interesting to speculate on the course of local history in the last 50 plus years had the plaque not been affixed.(Submitted on November 5, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 4, 2023
3. Andersonville neighborhood sign
The building with the Andersonville School Marker is in the background on the left; the photo is taken from Clark Street facing north.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 65 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 5, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
