Historical Collection, Chicago State University

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This collection includes A History of Chicago State University, Historical Photographs, Yearbooks, and Progressive Education Items

About Chicago State History

Chicago State University was founded as the Cook County Normal School in 1867. Dedicated to the training of elementary and secondary school teachers, the institution became a renowned center of progressive education under the leadership of its second principal, Francis W. Parker. By the 1920s, European immigrants were taking advantage of the expanded curriculum and free tuition. In the 1950s, substantial numbers of African-Americans began attending, as their parents continued to migrate to Chicago from the South. By the time the normal school had evolved into a comprehensive state university in 1971, African-Americans made up the majority of the student body. Thus Chicago State has been a steady witness of the major demographic and ethnic changes experienced by Chicago's south side over the past 140 years.

A History, Chicago State University, 1867-1979

A History, Chicago State University, 1867–1979

Seal of Chicago Normal College This is the official history of Chicago State University. Part I was written by Edmund W. Kearney, a Professor of History, in 1969. The section on the 1970s was written by E. Maynard Moore, an Assistant Vice President at CSU, and appeared in 1979. This is an authoritative account of the first 110 years of the university’s existence.

Buildings and Memorabilia

Historical Photographs

Library Reading Room in the Dome Building These items from CSU’s Historical Photographs collection showcase buildings, events, and individuals associated with the early years of the school’s history, when it was known as Cook County Normal School (1867-1897), Chicago Normal School (1897-1913), and Chicago Normal College (1913-1938).

Emblem, The Yearbooks 1910–1997

1984 Emblem Emblem was Chicago State’s yearbook, produced regularly from 1910 until 1997. Some years it carried alternative titles, such as The Seniorian (1932), The Graduate (1978), and Reflections (1979-1984).

The Progressive Education Collection

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Book Cover: School Days in The Fifties Books from our Progressive Education collection are featured here, and include titles by some of the leading figures in CSU's early history. Included are works by Francis Wayland Parker, the "father of progressive education", whose innovative ideas fundamentally reshaped the American system of public schooling. Also represented are other important figures in CSU's evolution such as Arnold Tomkins, Ella Flagg Young, and William Giffin.