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Lake Forest College Sesquicentennial sparks program of historical insight
Join the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society for a panel discussion to examine how some of the earliest local institutions impacted the way Lake Forest developed. This program will mark the beginning of the 150th anniversary year of Lake Forest College. Panelists will comment on the heritage of Lake Forest College, Lake Forest Academy, the First Presbyterian Church and the City of Lake Forest. What are the unique qualities about the culture of Lake Forest that can be traced to these early institutions of learning and religion? What architectural and landscape features do we owe to our early heritage? The beginnings of the City of Lake Forest and Lake Forest College are intertwined and the history of one cannot be discussed without the history of the other. This panel will present a fresh and innovative way to look at our past.
The program will take place on Wednesday January 24, 2007. Refreshments will be served beginning at 7:00 PM and the panel will convene at 7:30 PM. The program takes place at the Gorton Community Center, 400 East Illinois, Lake Forest. The program is free, however, reservations are requested by calling 847-234-5253.
Panelists include:
•Janice C. Hack, Executive Director, Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society
•Christine Chakoian, First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest
•Francis C. Farwell II, former Mayor, City of Lake Forest
•Rita MacAyeal, Archivist, Lake Forest Academy
•Rosemary E. Cowler, Hotchkiss Professor of English Emerita, Lake Forest College
•James F. Herber, President, Lake Forest Preservation Foundation
The discussion will be moderated by Robert R. Kiely, Jr., City Manager of the City of Lake Forest.
For more information, please call the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society at 847-234-5253 or visit www.lflbhistory.org. View the full schedule of Sesquicentennial events.
History of City Linked to the College
In the mid 1850s, a group of Presbyterians came to what is now Lake Forest looking for a place to found a community centered on an educational mission. They established the Lake Forest Association in 1856 to purchase land in preparation for three institutions of learning: a university, a preparatory academy for young men and a female seminary.
Although there were clusters of farms and homes in the area as early as 1835, the founding of Lake Forest College changed the landscape dramatically. The original plat of the City of Lake Forest was completed in 1857, in direct response to plans for the Presbyterian schools near the lake. The Lake Forest plan, platted in 1857 by Almerin Hotchkiss reflected the idea of a city in a park. The streets were laid out in an organic manner that takes into account such natural features as ravines and bluffs, instead of forcing the street plan into a formal gridiron plan.
The panel will review the unique aspects of Lake Forest and how these are rooted in the history and heritage of these early institutions.
History of the Pane Institutions
Lind University (the forerunner of Lake Forest College) and Lake Forest Academy were founded in 1857. The Young Ladies’ Seminary at Ferry Hall, later simplified to Ferry Hall School was founded in 1869. Ferry Hall merged with Lake Forest Academy in 1974.
The City of Lake Forest was officially chartered in 1861, four years after the founding of Lind University. The City slowly incorporated land west of the original plat, including the community of Everett. It now encompasses over 17 square miles.
After meeting informally for a couple of years, the First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1859. The first church building was erected in 1862. From the very beginning, education was an integral part of the life of the church community. In addition to Church elders and trustees, faculty from Lake Forest College taught in the Sunday school.
The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society was formed in 1974 by a group of civic minded residents to preserve the history of the communities of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. A museum was established in 1999 to house the research archives, library and expanding artifact collection. The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society’s mission to make local history a vital force in community life is carried out through exhibits, programs and an award-winning research program.
The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation was chartered in 1976 to address the concerns of several residents that Lake Forest’s historic visual character was threatened. Among the many successes that the organization has spearheaded, are the renovation of the Lake Forest Train Station across from Market Square and the restoration of the Walden-Bluff’s Edge Bridge. The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation protects the historic character of Lake Forest through education, advocacy and funding of projects.
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The program will take place on Wednesday January 24, 2007. Refreshments will be served beginning at 7:00 PM and the panel will convene at 7:30 PM. The program takes place at the Gorton Community Center, 400 East Illinois, Lake Forest. The program is free, however, reservations are requested by calling 847-234-5253.
Panelists include:
•Janice C. Hack, Executive Director, Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society
•Christine Chakoian, First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest
•Francis C. Farwell II, former Mayor, City of Lake Forest
•Rita MacAyeal, Archivist, Lake Forest Academy
•Rosemary E. Cowler, Hotchkiss Professor of English Emerita, Lake Forest College
•James F. Herber, President, Lake Forest Preservation Foundation
The discussion will be moderated by Robert R. Kiely, Jr., City Manager of the City of Lake Forest.
For more information, please call the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society at 847-234-5253 or visit www.lflbhistory.org. View the full schedule of Sesquicentennial events.
History of City Linked to the College
In the mid 1850s, a group of Presbyterians came to what is now Lake Forest looking for a place to found a community centered on an educational mission. They established the Lake Forest Association in 1856 to purchase land in preparation for three institutions of learning: a university, a preparatory academy for young men and a female seminary.
Although there were clusters of farms and homes in the area as early as 1835, the founding of Lake Forest College changed the landscape dramatically. The original plat of the City of Lake Forest was completed in 1857, in direct response to plans for the Presbyterian schools near the lake. The Lake Forest plan, platted in 1857 by Almerin Hotchkiss reflected the idea of a city in a park. The streets were laid out in an organic manner that takes into account such natural features as ravines and bluffs, instead of forcing the street plan into a formal gridiron plan.
The panel will review the unique aspects of Lake Forest and how these are rooted in the history and heritage of these early institutions.
History of the Pane Institutions
Lind University (the forerunner of Lake Forest College) and Lake Forest Academy were founded in 1857. The Young Ladies’ Seminary at Ferry Hall, later simplified to Ferry Hall School was founded in 1869. Ferry Hall merged with Lake Forest Academy in 1974.
The City of Lake Forest was officially chartered in 1861, four years after the founding of Lind University. The City slowly incorporated land west of the original plat, including the community of Everett. It now encompasses over 17 square miles.
After meeting informally for a couple of years, the First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1859. The first church building was erected in 1862. From the very beginning, education was an integral part of the life of the church community. In addition to Church elders and trustees, faculty from Lake Forest College taught in the Sunday school.
The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society was formed in 1974 by a group of civic minded residents to preserve the history of the communities of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. A museum was established in 1999 to house the research archives, library and expanding artifact collection. The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society’s mission to make local history a vital force in community life is carried out through exhibits, programs and an award-winning research program.
The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation was chartered in 1976 to address the concerns of several residents that Lake Forest’s historic visual character was threatened. Among the many successes that the organization has spearheaded, are the renovation of the Lake Forest Train Station across from Market Square and the restoration of the Walden-Bluff’s Edge Bridge. The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation protects the historic character of Lake Forest through education, advocacy and funding of projects.
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