Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois

Geobox Township
name = Hyde Park Township
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category = Former Township


image_size =
image_caption = Paul Cornell founded Hyde Park


flag_size =
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country = United States
state = Illinois
region = Cook
region_type = County
district =
area_imperial =
area_land_imperial =
area_water_imperial =
area_water_percentage =
area_water_percentage_round = 2
area_round = 1
location =
lat_d = 41
lat_m = 47
lat_s = 39
lat_NS = N
long_d = 87
long_m = 35
long_s = 38
long_EW = W
elevation_imperial = 591
elevation_round = 1
population_as_of = 1889
population = 85000
population_density_imperial =
population_density_round =
established_type = Organized
established = 1861
established1_type = Disbanded
established1 = 1889
mayor =
leader_type =
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code =
postal_code_type =
area_code =
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code2 =
free_type =
free =
free1_type =
free1 =


map_size =
map_caption =
map1 = Illinois Locator Map.png map1_size =
map1_caption = Location of Hyde Park Township in Illinois
map1_locator = Illinois
map2 =
map2_caption =
website = :"Hyde Park Township redirects here."Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois is a former civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1861 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of Chicago.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/621.html|accessdate=2007-07-19|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Keating, Ann Durkin|title=Hyde Park Township] Its borders are Pershing Road (formerly 39th Street) on the north, State Street on the west, Lake Michigan and the Indiana state line on the east, and 138th Street and the Calumet River on the south (see map in footnote).cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3716.html|accessdate=2007-07-18|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Keating, Ann Durkin|title=Annexations and Additions to the City of Chicago ] This region comprised most of what are now known as the South Side of Chicago including the entirety of the following community areas (See map at left): Hyde Park (41), Kenwood (39), Woodlawn (42), South Shore (43), South Chicago (46), East Side (52), Hegewisch (55), Avalon Park (45), Calumet Heights (48), South Deering (51), Burnside (47), Pullman (50), and Riverdale (54) as well as the Southern part of Oakland (36) and the eastern parts of Grand Boulevard (38), Washington Park(40), Greater Grand Crossing (69), Chatham (44), Roseland (49), and West Pullman (53).

During its brief history it developed from unpopulated wildlife to a largely developed residential, commercial and resort community. However, due to infrastructure limitations, legislative incentives and the lure of better municipal services it, along with numerous adjoining townships, agreed to be annexed into the city of Chicago, creating the largest city in the United States at that time.

History

The township was founded by Paul Cornell, who paid for a topographical survey of the lakefront south of the city in 1852.Pacyga, Dominic A., Chicago Journal, "Hyde Park - from the 1830s to the beginning of Urban Renewal," pp. 5-7, November 25, 1981.] In 1853, following the advice of Senator Stephen Douglas, he bought convert|300|acre|km2|2| of speculative property between 51st Street and 55th Street and set about developing the first Chicago railroad suburb.cite web|url=http://www.graveyards.com/IL/Cook/oakwoods/cornell.html|accessdate=2007-04-11|title=Graveyards of Chicago Oak Woods Cemetery|publisher=Hucke, Matt|date=2002] Sawyers, June Skinner, "Chicago Portraits", "Paul Cornell", pp. 56-7, Loyola University Press, 1991, ISBN 0-8294-0701-4.] This area was mi to km|7|precision=2|wiki=yes south of the mouth of the Chicago River and mi to km|6|precision=2 south of downtown Chicago. In the 1850s, Chicago was still a walkable urban area well contained within a mi to km|2|precision=2 radius of the center.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/323.html|accessdate=2007-07-19|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Conzen, Michael P.|title=Commuting] He selected the name Hyde Park to associate the area with the elite high class neighborhoods of New York and London. [cite web|url=http://www.chipublib.org/008subject/012special/hyde.html|accessdate=2007-04-11|publisher=Chicago Public Library|title=Hyde Park Community Collection] By 1855 he began acquiring large land tracts, which he would subdivide into lots for sale in the 1870s.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/547.html|accessdate=2007-07-19|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Best, Wallace|title=Greater Grand Crossing]

In 1837, The City of Chicago incorporated, and by the 1870s the surrounding townships had followed suit. After 1850, Cook County was divided into basic governmental entities, [cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/410044.html|title=Townships: Townships After 1850|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|accessdate=2007-10-23] which were designated as townships as a result of the new Illinois Constitution.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2484.html|accessdate=2007-07-18|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Keating, Ann Durkin|title=Townships] The Illinois's permissive incorporation law empowered any community of 300 resident citizens to petition the Illinois legislature for incorporation as a municipality under a municipal charter with more extensive powers to provide services and tax local residents.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/534.html|accessdate=2007-07-19|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Teaford, Jon C.|title=Government, Suburban] Hyde Park Township was created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1861 within Cook County.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/531.html|accessdate=2007-07-19|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Orum, Anthony|title=Governing the Metropolis] This empowered the township to better govern the provision of services to its increasingly suburban residents.

Following the June 29, 1889 elections, [cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/53.html|title=Annexation|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|accessdate=2008-09-08|date=2005|author=Cain, Louis P.] several suburban townships voted to be annexed to the city, which offered better services, such as improved water supply, sewerage, and fire and police protection. Hyde Park Township, however, had installed new waterworks in 1883 just north of 87th Street. Nonetheless, the majority of voters in 1889 supported annexation perhaps because of the city’s water system for fire prevention. or because of the belief that township government had become too unwieldy. After the 1889 annexation Chicago was able to leverage efficiencies as the largest United States city in area and second largest in population.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/53.html|accessdate=2007-07-18|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Cain, Louis P.|title=Annexations]

The township has no current governmental structure or functions, other than being used by the [http://www.cookcountyassessor.com Cook County Assessor's office] for taxation valuation and record keeping purposes.cite web|url=http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/ccao/active/inthenews01.asp?ID=139|accessdate=2007-07-18|date=2006-09-01|publisher=Cook County Assessor's Office|title=Reassessment Notices for Hyde Park Township Mailed] The Hyde Park Historical Society also offers middle school and high school awards with eligibility based on the historical boundaries. [cite web|url=http://www.hydeparkhistory.org/contest/|accessdate=2007-07-20|date=2005|publisher=Hyde Park Historical Society|title=2005 Hyde Park Historical Society Neighborhood History Awards]

When first created the township had only 350 residents. The creation of the Union Stock Yards in 1865 changed the evolutionary path of Hyde Park and the neighboring Lake Township, which became the industrial center while Hyde Park became the middle class enclave. The population of the township grew from 3,600 in 1870 to 15,700 ten years later.Louise Carroll Wade, Chicago's Pride: The Stockyards, Packingtown, and Environs in the Nineteenth Century (University of Illinois Press; 1st Pbk. Ed edition, 2002), p. 148] By 1889 the population had reached 85,000.

Hyde Park was the site of the Columbian Exposition of 1893. It is the location of the University of Chicago (founded in 1891).

Notes

References

*Keating, Ann Durkin. Building Chicago: Suburban Developers and the Creation of a Divided Metropolis. 1988.
*Miller, Donald L. "City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America" pp. 282-284; 292.