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Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Berwyn Frank
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 22, 2010 03:25AM
I was bidding on this real photo postcard on e-bay this weekend but it went for $70.00 which was to much for me for an area that I really do not collect. The reason I was bidding on it was because of the painted advertising on the side of the building which was advertising Novak & Sebek Men's clothing store which was located in the heart of the Czech California Bohemian neighborhood at 22nd St (Cermak Rd.) & Cor. of Troy St. as it says on the bottom of the sign. I know the sign was painted before 1910 because of the old address numbering that is used.
Was there a Czech population in Willow Springs? I have not researched John Zenk yet but I wonder why a Chicago business in 1908-09 was advertising in a far away suburb way out in the sticks. Perhaps Zenk was related to one of the owners of the store? Do you Willow Springs guys know anything about Bohemians in Willow Springs way back then?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2010 03:27AM by Berwyn Frank.
Was there a Czech population in Willow Springs? I have not researched John Zenk yet but I wonder why a Chicago business in 1908-09 was advertising in a far away suburb way out in the sticks. Perhaps Zenk was related to one of the owners of the store? Do you Willow Springs guys know anything about Bohemians in Willow Springs way back then?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2010 03:27AM by Berwyn Frank.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Artista
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: March 22, 2010 10:39AM
Im wondering if that building in Willow Springs still stands. Great topic B'Frank
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2010 10:40AM by Artista.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2010 10:40AM by Artista.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
(---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 22, 2010 01:34PM
[b]That building sure doesen't look like Willow Springs.[/b]
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
adgorn
(---.dsl.emhril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: April 20, 2010 05:12PM
I found a 10/2/1897 Tribune article about a devastating fire in Willow Springs that lists John Zenk's business as saloon, blacksmith shop and livery stable. He suffered $7000 damage in the fire.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
tomcat630
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: April 22, 2010 12:52AM
One thing to realize is that the suburbs did not crop up overnight in 1950 as some city pursits like to think. Many towns date back to before Ft Dearborn. Willow Springs would be along Ogden or the SW Plank Rd. Also, the Burlington North train. Many towns served farmers and industry built along the train tracks or canals.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
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Date: April 22, 2010 10:25AM
Does anyone have the address to the building so we can look it up and see if it still exists?
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
davey7
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: May 12, 2010 05:34PM
The sign on the building seems to indicate Cermak and Ashland... But the dirt street says otherwise (were the wires originally in the street in Chicago switched to alleys at some point? Though I don't have an alley behind my place and the wires are out back anyways).
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Berwyn Frank
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: May 12, 2010 10:04PM
Davey, you need to read the first post closer. Here it is again.
"the painted advertising on the side of the building which was advertising Novak & Sebek Men's clothing store which was located in the heart of the Czech California Bohemian neighborhood at 22nd St (Cermak Rd.) & Cor. of Troy St. as it says on the bottom of the sign. I know the sign was painted before 1910 because of the old address numbering that is used."
The old numbering system was being used. I have a larger scan of the card and it definitely says 22nd St. Cor. Troy St. Also this building was DEFINITELY in Willow Springs. I saw another card a while back of the whole street that this building was on. You could see this building with the same sign on it. Unfortunately I do not know Willow Springs well enough to even remember what commercial street it could have been back circa 1909.
"the painted advertising on the side of the building which was advertising Novak & Sebek Men's clothing store which was located in the heart of the Czech California Bohemian neighborhood at 22nd St (Cermak Rd.) & Cor. of Troy St. as it says on the bottom of the sign. I know the sign was painted before 1910 because of the old address numbering that is used."
The old numbering system was being used. I have a larger scan of the card and it definitely says 22nd St. Cor. Troy St. Also this building was DEFINITELY in Willow Springs. I saw another card a while back of the whole street that this building was on. You could see this building with the same sign on it. Unfortunately I do not know Willow Springs well enough to even remember what commercial street it could have been back circa 1909.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
bwalsh
(---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: May 14, 2010 01:17AM
I took a look at that article from 1897 that adgorn mentioned above. It states that the fire had seized in buildings at Wentworth and Archer. Archer is and I believe always was the 'main' street in Willow Springs, but I don't know where Wentworth would have come in. The article also states that they razed a small one-story building to keep the fire from spreading to the town's hotel. The hotel was saved and I wonder if John Zenk took over that (and is that the building pictured above) after he lost his store in the fire? Or is this newly built after the fire?
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
adgorn
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Date: May 14, 2010 10:08AM
From:
http://www.township.com/lemont/Historical/PixPages/DowntownPixs/Downtown11.htm
"Wentworth Street is the southern end of the current Willow Springs Road."
So Wentworth & Archer today is Willow Springs & Archer.
http://www.township.com/lemont/Historical/PixPages/DowntownPixs/Downtown11.htm
"Wentworth Street is the southern end of the current Willow Springs Road."
So Wentworth & Archer today is Willow Springs & Archer.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
davey7
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: May 20, 2010 01:01PM
I still suspect that the postcard is of a building on Cermak - it's just too similar to the other buildings there.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
shekaago
(---.49.171.244.swcp.com)
Date: May 20, 2010 10:04PM
BFrank --- Found an obscure article with brief mention of Zenk's Hotel in Willow Springs. It's on page one, third column of the link below.
[url=http://www.partiesatbonnies.com/newsarticles/PagesfromDec-Jan%2005%20print.pdf%20Only%20in%20America.pdf]Zenk Hotel and Tavern[/url]
[url=http://www.partiesatbonnies.com/newsarticles/PagesfromDec-Jan%2005%20print.pdf%20Only%20in%20America.pdf]Zenk Hotel and Tavern[/url]
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
bwalsh
(---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: May 21, 2010 06:09PM
I just drove down Archer through Willow Springs this morning and really took note of the buildings. Actually I drive that way frequently but don't really "look" at the buildings. I only noticed one business type building that appears to be at all old and that one is located on the NE corner of Archer and Charleton. There are still some homes that are older and the Billiard Club and Hardware Store, but everything else has been demolished and rebuilt at least within the last 30 or so years. I do remember the controversy when they decided to tear down the old buildings at the NE corner of Archer and Willow Springs Rd some 35 or more years ago. In the early '70s, that was the route we took to get to Willow Ice Chalet to go ice skating and I always loved looking at the old buildings - reminded me of some old western town.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Berwyn Frank
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: May 21, 2010 08:50PM
Davey, the building is [b]NOT[/b] on Cermak.
Thank's Sheekago and Bwalsh.
I have a friend who is unwinding this mystery for me once and for all. I will let you know what she finds out.
Thank's Sheekago and Bwalsh.
I have a friend who is unwinding this mystery for me once and for all. I will let you know what she finds out.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
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Date: May 24, 2010 10:49PM
I think it's settled according to that article the building was in Willow Springs and the advertising on it's side is for a shop on cermak road.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Bruce
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 13, 2011 01:35AM
That is a great image! Sorry for being so late to find this post. John Zenk was a German. That building was built after the 1897 fire. It was also the last to stand on the N/E corner of Archer and Willow Springs road. However, the front of the building seen here was removed when the new WSR bridge was put in and Archer was widened. The business was later known as Ziarco's Ice Cream (or the one half of it was anyway) . The building was torn down for the real estate office for those new condos over there on that corner about 10 years ago. As for Czech's in Willow - There were a few I suppose, but most of the old timers were Irish, German, English (East Coast settler families), and a bit later Lithuanians. There are a number of Bohemians out there too.
Bruce
Bruce
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Berwyn Frank
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 13, 2011 03:34AM
Thanks for the info Bruce!
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Bruce
(---.dsl.emhril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 13, 2011 04:19PM
It just dawned on me that the reason you would see an advertisement for a place on Cermak so far away from Willow Springs Road and Archer is because the C&J car had a stop in front of the building next door.
Bruce
Bruce
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
chevyliddle
(---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: February 14, 2011 07:11AM
I think there are people confusing Willow Springs with Western Springs. Willow Springs is no where near Ogden Ave. and is probably situated around Archer Ave. between Willow Spring Rd. and Wolf Rd. Willow Springs was the home of "Santa Fe Speedway". Advertised as the largest clay track in the world.....probably the only one. It was 1/4 mile oval.
Re: Bohemians/Czech's in Willow Springs 100 years ago?
Posted by:
Bruce
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: February 14, 2011 12:20PM
Hi,
The image is from Willow Springs. The ad on the side of the building shows 22nd St. The concern was how did an ad for a business so far away on 22nd St. end up on a building in Willow Springs. I guess the initial discussions were to verify if the building was actually in Willow Springs - I think. :)
The image is from Willow Springs. The ad on the side of the building shows 22nd St. The concern was how did an ad for a business so far away on 22nd St. end up on a building in Willow Springs. I guess the initial discussions were to verify if the building was actually in Willow Springs - I think. :)
