Building a community from the ground up is no easy task, especially if you’re in the second grade, but based on what I saw recently at the Tinley Park Historical Society, nearly 100 students from Fulton Elementary School were eager to dig in.
As part of a history unit, the students spent some time in the society’s museums to see the photographs and artifacts that document our village from its earliest days.
The students learned the concept of community by seeing how our original town was laid out in the early 1800s and how it developed from there. They learned what types of businesses were in the village and how those served the citizens’ needs. In those early days, businesses like blacksmiths, grain mills, farm implement companies and general merchandise stores were what people needed. Early photographs helped the children see how farmland was all the eye could see. As more settlers arrived, particularly during the early 1850s when the Rock Island railroad was built through town, more types of businesses were needed. Churches, schools, hotels, saloons and social gathering spots appeared to accommodate a growing community.
The students were assigned to build replicas of some of these earliest and most historic structures.
I spoke with Linda Gall, a teacher at Fulton for 32 years and the leader of the history project. “Having a historical society of this caliber in our community is a wonderful asset,” she said. “Being able to touch the artifacts from early residents and businesses makes history real for the students. History comes alive in here, and the students get a clearer understanding of how Tinley Park began. They also have the best reference material possible for the kids to use in creating their landmark models.”
The students marveled at a particular photograph of Bartels windmill in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. In front of the windmill, people can be seen working the wheat crop. In particular is a small 10-year-old boy atop a horse pulling a large piece of farm equipment. That little boy is none other than Bert Fulton, the very man that their school is named after. If you live in Tinley Park you’ll find that same photo on the windshield of your car, as it is our current vehicle sticker image.
The students continued their “concept of community” lesson by learning how a modern community is developed with help from Tinley Park’s building commission and public works department.
The students learned how a town is laid out and the reasoning behind it. They then were assigned to design their own town from the ground up, deciding where houses, businesses, streets and recreational areas should be located. They also were to create the rules for their town and design a town seal.
“The town that the students build takes them several weeks and covers many aspects of the concept of community,” said Gall. “The layouts are large and the kids work very hard on them. We invite everyone to come and see the completed project at our open house on Thursday, June 4th from 5 to 7 p.m.
Fulton school is located at 6601 W 171st St. in Tinley Park.
The Tinley Park Historical Society is celebrating its 40th year of bringing history alive to residents and visitors of all ages. It is no small task to collect, preserve, document and display the enormous amount of artifacts, photographs and documents that have been collected over those 40 years. Dedicated volunteers have been responsible for every aspect of the society since its inception in 1975.
The society originally developed out of the village’s bicentennial commission and found its permanent home in the Zion Landmark Church in 1977. The church museum and schoolhouse are a veritable treasure trove of our local history. The museums feature many special displays and host a variety of events for the community throughout the year. Among the most popular are the “Day at the Schoolhouse” held each year, where children are invited to attend an authentic experience where they learn, play and eat much as you would around 1900 in a typical one room schoolhouse.
Another popular event is Settlers Day. This event gives the community a chance to see what life was like in our area from the late 1800s to the early 1900s with re-enactments, demonstrations and presentations given by society and community volunteers. The Old Zion Lutheran Church was built in 1884 and is known today as the Landmark wedding chapel. It is a lovely setting with its stained glass windows and historic old world charm and can be rented for weddings, baptisms, memorials or other occasions.
If you have artifacts, photographs or other materials you would like to donate, or if you’re interested in volunteering a few hours, your contributions would be most appreciated. The Tinley Park Historical Society is located at 6727 W. 174th St. For event information and more call (708) 429-4210 or visit the Tinley Park Historical Society on Facebook.
The Historical Society is really for everyone. History is a living, ongoing process that we all take part in. What’s your story?
Julie Dekker is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.
