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Local Landmarks & Heritage

  • Carter G. Woodson Regional Library
  • Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection
  • Major Taylor Trail
  • 95th/Dan Ryan CTA Red Line Station

Neighborhood History

Washington Heights was settled in the late 19th century at the intersection of two railroad lines, incorporated as a village in 1874, and named for the heights that are now part of neighboring Beverly Hills. The village was annexed to Chicago in 1890, and for most of the 20th century the neighborhood was home to Irish, German, and Swedish families before becoming predominantly African American following the postwar era.

The neighborhood is home to the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, opened in 1975 and named for the historian who proposed what became Black History Month, housing the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection, the largest African American history collection in the Midwest. The Major Taylor Trail, a six-mile bike path named for the pioneering Black bicycle racer, also runs through the community.

For anyone who has browsed the Harsh Collection's shelves or ridden the Major Taylor Trail, MY-NHD's Washington Heights tee is a way to carry that history with you.

MY-NHD

Washington Heights - Chicago - Unisex Cotton Tee

Washington Heights - Chicago - Unisex Cotton Tee

Regular price $29.95 CAD
Regular price Sale price $29.95 CAD
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Washington Heights grew where two railroad lines met, incorporated as a village in 1874 and joined Chicago in 1890. Its landmarks include the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, which opened in 1975, and the Major Taylor Trail bike path.

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