Timuel Black Jr. speaking, 1990sTimuel Black Jr. speaking, 1990s (Source: Harsh Research Collection, Timuel D. Black Jr. Papers, Photo 700)
Opening day at Chicago Public Library’s George Cleveland Hall Branch on January 22, 1932. Branch head, Vivian Harsh, is pictured center (black blouse).Chicago Public Library, George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives, photograph 079.
John Sengstacke, standing, and Robert Abbott, circa 1935Abbott’s nephew, John H. Sengstacke, took over the Defender after the death of his uncle in 1940. He went on to establish the Michigan Chronicle and other news publications. He also founded what is now called the National Newspaper Publishers Association. (Source: Abbott-Sengstacke Family Papers, Box 27, Photo 2086, Harsh Research Collection, Chicago Public Library)
Jacob’s Ladder by Richard Hunt.Jacob’s Ladder by Richard Hunt. Located in the reading room of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection.
Abbott-Sengstacke Family PapersBoxes from Abbott-Sengstacke Family Papers
Did you know October is American Archives Month? To celebrate, we’re spotlighting the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at Chicago Public Library. The Harsh Research Collection is the largest collection of its kind in the Midwest. Each year, researchers from across the city and the world visit the archive, housed at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, to access rich collections documenting the Black experience across Chicago and Illinois. Ever wonder what they’re looking at? Here are the 3 manuscript collections researched the most often in 2023 at the Harsh Research Collection:
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- Timuel D. Black, Jr. Papers – Timuel Black was a prominent historian, author, human rights activist and expert on Chicago’s African American history. During the 1960s, he was president of the Negro American Labor Council, Chicago Chapter and organizer of Chicago participation in the 1963 March on Washington. Some items from the collection are available online.
- George Cleveland Hall Branch Library Archives – Chicago Public Library celebrated its 150th birthday this year, so it’s no surprise that researchers wanted to know more about the history of the legendary Hall Branch. The branch was opened in 1932 under Ms. Vivian G. Harsh herself and was well-known for being a community meeting place for some of the greatest artists, poets, writers, and thinkers of the Chicago Renaissance (Richard Wright, Arna Bontemps, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks to name a few) as well as the birthplace of what would become the Harsh Research Collection. Some items from the collection are available online.
- Robert S. Abbott - John Sengstacke Family Papers – As the story goes, Robert S. Abbott founded theChicago Defender in 1905 at his landlady’s kitchen table. His nephew John H. Sengstacke took over the family’s newspapers upon Abbott’s death in 1940. The Defender grew to national readership, playing an important role in the Great Migration, as well as chronicling Black Chicago throughout the decades. Learn more about this trailblazing family in their family’s papers.
ICYMI: Chicago Public Library received a grant in 2023 to make even more Black history materials available.
Planning a visit? You can make an appointment to view our collections at www.chipublib.org/visitarchives. We can’t wait to see what you discover.
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