I'll be giving a presentation entitled, "The Postal History of Chicago's Northwest side: its history, neighborhoods, and post offices", at a meeting of the Illinois Postal History Society in May. It's free and open to the public.
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COMPEX 2014 postage stamp show
District 214 Fieldhouse
2121 S. Goebbert Rd.
Arlington Heights, IL
Abstract
As Chicago's early communications infrastructure grew along with its explosive population, United States Post Offices handled customers' social media and business needs. A system of marine, road, rail and eventually air transportation routes utilized by United States Post Office Department (USPOD, later USPS) facilitated the certainty, security and celerity of the mails. This presentation will discuss the postal history and historiography of Chicago’s Northwest side. The study of neighborhood post offices enhances understanding of neighborhood placenames from the early days of Chicago, the Chicago Fire of 1871, the annexations of 1893, throughout the 20th century and today.
keywords: Jefferson Park, Irving Park, Dunning, Montclare, Norwood Park, Cragin, Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, O’Hare Airport, Northwestern Railroad, Dickinson's Tavern, Portage Park
