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Shorefront Legacy Center
2214 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201

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African Americans--Illinois--Evanston. (35)     x Shorefront Legacy Center (35)     x clear facets

Second Baptist Church Records

Second Baptist Church was the first African-American Baptist church formed in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1882, the church still functions today. The Second Baptist Church records span from 1875 to 2008. The Second Baptist Church records concern the social history of the church rather than the organizational.

Social and Civic Clubs and Organizations Collection

The Social and Civic Clubs and Organizations collection is comprised of files, compiled by Shorefront Legacy Center, documenting the history, events, and members of Illinois' North Shore, African-American clubs and organizations.

Lorraine Morton Papers

Lorraine Morton is known as an educator and the first African American Mayor in Evanston, Illinois. She worked with many non-for-profit groups to advocate for the education of Evanston residents. This collection spans from 1942-2011 and contains Morton’s personal and professional papers.

Obituary and Funeral Program Collection

The Obituary and Funeral Program collection is comprised of almost 1200 African American obituaries, funeral programs, funeral hymns, and thank you cards and letters from Evanston and the North Shore area. A database of the holdings is available onsite at Shorefront Legacy Center for use by researchers. The materials span from 1941 to 2012.

Norshore Twelve, Inc. Records

The Norshore Twelve, Inc., a social and civic club in Chicagoland's North Shore region, was formed in 1950 and remained active until 1981. The collection consists of newspaper clippings, artifacts, organizational material photographs documenting the activities of North Shore Twelve and the annual Norshore Debutante Cotillion.

Evanston Clarion Newspapers

The Evanston Clarion was a newspaper published in Evanston, Illinois from 1994 to 1999. It reported on community events, news, culture, arts, and sports. Each issue in this collection specifically contains an article on African-American history in Evanston, Illinois written by Morris E. (Dino) Robinson, Jr., prior to his founding of Shorefront Legacy Center in Evanston.

Foster School Reunion Collection

Foster School was a de facto segregated public school in Evanston, Illinois. Opened in 1905, Foster School began with a one hundred percent white student body and faculty, but demographics began to shift, and by 1945, it was nearly one hundred percent African-American. In 1976, the school was closed. The Foster School Reunion collection includes Reunion Committee meeting minutes, Foster

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Records

Founded in 1913 at Howard University and incorporated in 1930, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is a public-service fraternal organization dedicated to the promotion of academic excellence and human service, especially among the African-American community. The Evanston alumni chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority records are comprised of organizational material dating from 1972-2003 and include meeting minutes, reports and surveys, correspondence,

Pauline Williams Papers

Pauline Williams (1911-2005) was an African-American community leader who lived most of her life in Evanston, Illinois. She was an active member in a number of social and civic clubs and organizations in Evanston throughout her life. The Pauline Williams papers contain material related to her work with these organizations and her interest in African-American history. The collection spans from

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Evanston Chapter Records

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909, “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.” After the establishment of the national organization, smaller chapters were formed to provide a sense of community and belonging to the larger entity. Founded in 1928, the Evanston

Horace S. Graves, Jr. Papers

The Horace S. Graves, Jr. (1897-1981) papers are comprised of materials documenting Horace S. Graves, Jr., who was an African-American funeral director, real estate agent, and insurance salesman in Evanston, Illinois. He was an active member of several organizations including: Ebenezer A.M.E. Church, Norshore Twelve, Inc., and the American Legion. The collection material dates from 1923 to 1981 and focuses

Zeta Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Collection

The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the first intercollegiate, African-American fraternal organization for men, was formed at Cornell in 1906 to promote and defend African-American civil rights. The Zeta Xi Lambda chapter was formed in Evanston, Illinois in 1956. The Zeta Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Collection spans from 1942 to 1997 and contains information relating to

William H. Twiggs Collection

William H. Twiggs (1865-1960) was a African-American printer, civic leader, and barber in Evanston, Illinois. In 1889, he was involved with the publishing the Afro-American Budget, an early periodical for the African-American community. Spanning from 1905 to 1998, the collection contains original as well as photocopied materials relating to the life, work, and legacy of William H. Twiggs.

The Heritage Collection

The Heritage was the official publication of the African History and Culture Club in Evanston, Illinois. Established in 1998 by four members of the African History and Culture Club, it was published bi-monthly as the club's official publication from 1998 to 2000. The collection consists of a full three-year run and is arranged chronologically by publication date.

Wayne D. Watson Dissertation Files

In 1972, Chicago native Wayne D. Watson (1945- ) earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. While there he studied the history of the local African American experience through conducting oral histories and gathering copies of primary material. The Wayne D. Watson Dissertation Files are comprised of research files pertaining to Dr. Watson's research conducted between 1969 and

Evanston Sentinel Publications

The Evanston Sentinel is a free newspaper published and edited by Bennett Johnson. Published monthly, it focuses on national and local politics, Evanston community news and events. The collection contains a near-complete run of the publication's issues from 2000 to 2012.

Norshore Music Collection

The Norshore music collection includes music by Evanston, Illinois musicians who recorded music from 1947-2009. The music collection consists of commercially successful artists, such as Patti Drew, as well as local up and coming artists, such a MC Longshot (a.k.a. Chad Helsup). The music includes a variety of genres.

Mount Zion Baptist Church Records

In 1892, a group of fourteen Second Baptist Church congregates broke from their church and formed Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Evanston, Illinois. In 1894, Mt. Zion Baptist Church was officially organized and founded. The Mt. Zion Baptist Church records document the organizational and social history of the church, focusing especially on the Reverend John F. Norwood years (1985-2004).

North Shore Illinois Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Collection

The Links, Incorporated is an African American professional women's organization founded in 1946 with chapters throughout the United States. The North Shore Illinois Chapter of the Links, Inc. was established in 1972, encompassing members in Chicago's suburban northern and northwest suburbs. The collection was assembled by Shorefront Legacy Center with the majority of the collection coming from North Shore Links

Ebenezer A.M.E Church Records

The Ebenezer A.M.E. Church was the first African-American church established in Evanston, Illinois. The collection includes meeting minutes, publications, newspapers clippings, reports, ledgers, photographs, and audio-visual recordings. Although not complete, the collection is especially strong in holdings documenting the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Gospel Choir.

Henry Butler Collection

Henry Butler (1860-1957) was an African American businessman who lived most of his life in Evanston, Illinois. From 1891 to 1912 he ran the Butler Livery, a livery and teaming business. In 1912, Butler switched to automobiles and ran a fleet of taxis until his retirement in 1922. The Henry Butler collection consists of photocopied material gathered together by Shorefront

Berniece Ball Perry Papers

Berniece Ball Perry (1915-1995) was an African-American women's labor leader who lived and worked in Evanston, Illinois. She was an active member of a number of social and civic clubs and organizations and worked to ensure fair treatment of African-Americans in the workplace. The Berniece Ball Perry papers span from 1922 to 1997 and cover Perry's personal and professional life's

Evanston Community Development Corporation Records

The Evanston Community Development Corporation was founded in July 1975. It worked to foster and coordinate community rehabilitation of residential and commercial areas, eliminate deteriorating sections of the city's African-American community, and engender economic development in the city of Evanston, Illinois. The Evanston Community Development Corporation disbanded in the 1990s. The collection covers the organizational history including meetings, proposals, resolutions,

Shorefront Legacy Center Publications Collection

Shorefront Legacy Center began as a response to a lack of documentation concerning the African-American experience in and around Evanston, Illinois's North Shore. Shorefront seeks to promote, preserve, educate, and offer and outlet for research of local African-American history. As part of this mission, the Center has produced, and continues to produce, several publications related to its efforts. The collection

Evanston-Area Lifestyle Publications Collection

The Evanston-area Lifestyle Publications collection is comprised of issues of local interest magazines, Exposure and What's Happening. Published monthly, these publications report on community happenings, local activities, music, church, and business news.