Key Accomplishments in 2007

Calumet Heritage Partnership

To identify, preserve and reclaim the natural, historical and recreational heritage

of the Calumet region of Illinois and Indiana

13300 S. Baltimore, Chicago, Illinois 60633      (773) 646-0436      www.calumetheritage.org

Key Accomplishments in 2007

 

  1. Hosted Annual Calumet Heritage Conference, October 13, 2007, at Chicago State University
  • Keynote speech by Dr. Sharon Ann Holt, Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities, Rutgers University-Camden, “The Next Day, and the Next: Doing History After Demolition”
  • Presentation by Dr. Leon Fink and Jeff Helgeson, University of Illinois-Chicago and the Chicago Center for Working-Class Studies, “Extending the Labor Trail to the Calumet Region”
  • Presentation by Dr. Mark Bouman, Chicago State University and Marian Byrnes, Calumet Heritage Partnership, “Beyond the Coke Plant: New Developments on the Acme Steel Museum Project”
  • Tour of Pullman Factory Building, Pullman State Historic Site, led by Dr. Jane Eva Baxter, DePaul University
  • Numerous poster and displays
  1. Successfully unveiled Industrial Heritage Archives of the Calumet Region website (http://www.pullman-museum.org/ihaccr/) in November
  • A partnership between CHP, Pullman State Historic Site, and Southeast Chicago Historical Museum made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant of the Illinois State Library
  • CHP’s portion of the archives represents hundreds of hours of volunteer labor in retrieving the documents and photographs from former Acme facilities, especially the former Coke Plant, securing them at the Pullman site, cataloguing them, and researching the “story” behind each document posted to the site (ie. Provenance, date, photographer, context and setting, other technical information).

III.             Developed Calumet Industrial Heritage Project on a firm footing

  • Memorandum of Understanding with Pullman State Historic Site creates Calumet Industrial Heritage Project
  • Developed a Statement of Purpose and Scope of Collections
  • Developed a Collections Policy
  • Accepted two large donated artifacts and moved them to the Pullman Factory site:
    • i. Small Bell from former Acme Blast Furnace
    • ii.      Ingot Mould Pattern from Mittal Steel Indiana Harbor West
  1. Improved communications
  • Revitalized content and look of www.calumetheritage.org (Dr. Mike Longan, Valparaiso University, Webmaster)
  • Monthly newsletters, conference information, photos, press releases, and important CHP policies now posted to website

Mark Bouman, President, CHP

January, 2008