Historical artifacts only have meaning because of the stories we tell through and about them.

In the past, Southeast Chicago was part of one of the largest steel-producing regions in the world. Residents donated objects that were meaningful to them about the history of this area, offering a window onto the shared past of a diverse community.

 

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What kinds of stories emerge from the items donated to the Southeast Chicago Historical Museum? Choose one of four separate storytelling journeys. Each weaves together artifacts, oral histories, contemporary video, and online storytelling techniques. Go at your own pace. Each full journey takes about 30 minutes.

- Mexican-American Journeys explores the history of one immigrant group among many that came to work in the steel mills.

- The Memorial Day Massacre tells the disturbing story of 10 strikers killed at Republic Steel in 1937 as they tried to unionize.

- The Closing of the Mills uses home movies made by steelworkers in the 1980s and 90s to explore what steel mill work was like and why the loss of jobs was so devastating for the region.

- Wetlands to Waste explores the environmental history of Southeast Chicago, the health effects of industrial pollution and landfills, and environmental activism after the steel mills closed.

We see these stories as launching points for new conversations about the nature of work, environment, community, and what it means to be an American. Our hope is that they can help build connections across generations, groups, and geographic regions, and that together we can work on reimagining our collective future.