Blue Island Historical Society

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Blue Island Historical Society

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Become a member today or join our e-mail list for event updates! https://bihistoricalsociety.org Become a member! Download form at http://bit.ly/BIHSMembership
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Located in the 134-year-old BIHS/Albee House at 13018 Maple Avenue, BIHS sponsors events and presentations throughout the year.

10/25/2026

Thanks to Suzie Castillo Lúcio for sharing these photos of yesterday's Mt. Greenwood Cemetery Tour! The weather was perfect, and it was so much fun sharing the stories of some of Blue Island's founding families.

10/24/2026

Thanks to Daily Southtown reporter Elaina Tittel for yesterday's article on Blue Island's newest mural:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/10/23/blue-island-mural-depicts-citys-connection-to-pullman-strikes/

We're so proud to have been a part of this project, and couldn't be happier with artist Ricardo Gonzalez's work!

A mural by Ricardo Gonzalez in Blue Island transformed a wall into at 200-foot wide piece of art depicting the 1894 Pullman strike.

10/24/2026

Our tour of Mt. Greenwood Cemetery is today at 2! Tickets are available at the gate or online: https://blue-island-historical-society.square.site/events

WHEN: TODAY! Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Mount Greenwood Cemetery, 2900 W 111th Street, Chicago, IL

10/21/2026

Learn about some of the Blue Islanders interred at Mt. Greenwood Cemetery this Saturday! Our Cemetery Tour starts at 2 p.m. - tickets are available at the event or online: https://blue-island-historical-society.square.site/events

10/20/2026

We couldn't be happier with how this mural turned out! Thanks so much to the artist, Ricardo Gonzalez, for being so easy to work with and doing a great job, and to the City of Blue Island for allowing us to be a part of this project.

10/19/2026

Thanks to our guests, raffle donors, and volunteers who made yesterday’s sold-out Halloween Tea such a blast! And thanks to our Board Chairman, Leo Castillo, for grabbing some pictures of the setup shortly before everyone arrived.

10/16/2026

Join us at 5 p.m. today for the dedication of the City of Blue Island's newest mural! A source for a few of the mural's scenes were photos taken by Blue Islander Ferdinand Schapper - they were included in his book, Southern Cook County and History of Blue Island Before the Civil War, and can be seen below. The book was donated by Schapper to the Chicago Historical Society in 1917, where it remains today.

10/14/2026

The dedication of Blue Island's newest mural is this Friday at 5 p.m.!

Join Mayor Fred Bilotto, elected officials, artist Ricardo Gonzalez, and community leaders for a dedication ceremony at the Rock Island Metra Station at Vermont Street and Irving Avenue.

The mural was made possible thanks to a partnership between the City of Blue Island, Blue Island Historical Society, Blue Island Arts Alliance, and Blue Island Area Chamber of Commerce. It portrays the unrest that took place in Blue Island during the Pullman Strike of 1894, when workers and local citizens rallied in support of the labor movement. The events in Blue Island and communities across the country helped shape federal labor policies and contributed to the early establishment and growth of labor unions.

Come help us celebrate this new piece of public art and learn more about the important role Blue Island played in this pivotal moment in American history.

10/06/2026

Check out these great resources on our website to research the history of your family, your home, and so much more about Blue Island!

The Blue Island Historical Society brings together those people interested in history, especially in the history of Blue Island and neighboring communities. The Society works to discover and collect any material that helps to establish or illustrate the history of the area; its exploration, settleme...

Address

13018 Maple Avenue
Blue Island, IL
60406

Telephone

(708) 371-8546

Website

https://bihistoricalsociety.org/

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