Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—June 7, 2012. The 1950s Park Forest House Museum, 141 Forest Blvd, in Park Forest Illinois, is ready for summer visitors. The museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays10:30 to 3:30; or for small groups by appointment. Donation is Adults $5: children 12 and under free with a paying adult. Group tours may be subject to special pricing. Tours are free for those purchasing a Marshall Field’s Park Forest Store brick at 1 for $15; 2 for $25. Convenient street parking is available just outside the front door. The museum is operated by the Park Forest Historical Society and sponsored by Andrew Brown of Central Park Townhomes.
This summer the museum is featuring a small display on the early years of the Aquacenter swimming pool complex, once the largest in the state ofIllinois. The transcript of an oral history on the Aquacenter is in the living room, illustrated with photos of the original layout. On display in the china cabinet are original badges from the “Badge Pool.” Youngsters used to have to prove they could swim the length of that pool to earn the badge to pin on their swimsuits.
The 1950sPark ForestHouseMuseumis in an original rental townhome furnished as it might have been from 1948-1953, the first five years ofPark Forest. It is one of 3010 rental units built by American Community Builders between October 1947 to October 1949, in the village which was the first fully-planned post-World War II suburb.
The Village, now known asAmerica’s Original GI Town, was planned for and marketed to returning World War II veterans and their families, and provided much-needed housing.
Visitors enjoy toys, dolls, books for children and adults, records, clothing, and household furnishings from the late 1940s and early 1950s. Early rental brochures, copies of leases, and articles written aboutPark Forestare available. Tour guides tell the story of howPark Forestwas started, what it was like to move to a brand new community, and talk about social and fashion trends of the period. Visitors may open drawers and closets while exploring the museum. One room representsForestBoulevardSchool, the first school inPark Forestwhich was built in a converted 8-unit row of townhomes in 1949.
The Park Forest Historical Society invites people to “Step Back into the 1950s With Us,” and enjoy a staycation by visiting this gem in their midst. Information, driving directions, and email contacts are available on the society’s website at www.parkforethistory.org. Information on volunteering with the society is also on the site.
