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Joliet Remembers
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Joliet Remembers
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The city of Joliet has been in existence for over 150 years. The people who have lived here have created a history worthy of celebration.
Joliet Remembers, produced by the staff of the Joliet Public Library, is an online scrapbook. You will find links to images of headlines, stories, photos, and ads from the Joliet Herald-News and other sources. It is our hope that they will give you a small glimpse of what life was like in Joliet throughout the years, and show you what Jolietans read about local, national, and world events.
To see
images of stories, ads, postcards, and other memorabilia from a particular
decade, please click on that decade. Below the links for the decades, you will find links to a page of greeting cards from the 1900s and 1910s, and interviews of area residents.
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The 1900s
In the 1900s landmark public buildings, still in use today, were built, the east side of the city was flooded, and cars became common on city streets.
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The 1910s In the 1910s track elevation and Union Station were completed, the Titanic and Eastland sank, and millions of lives were lost due to World War I and the Spanish Flu epidemic.
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The
1920s
The 1920s saw women finally obtain the right to vote, a heroic flight across the Atlantic, a tragic stock market crash, and an ornate theater built.
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The 1930s The 1930s saw a lingering depression, the New Deal, the completion of the Joliet Airport and Illinois Waterway , the rise of Hitler, and the beginning of World War II.
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The 1940s
This decade began with a world war and ended with a new medium, television, coming into widespread use.
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The 1950s The 1950s saw a war in Korea, major construction projects in Joliet, the beginning of space exploration, and new ways to listen to music.
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The 1960s The 1960s saw a new City Hall and Courthouse in Joliet, a struggle for civil rights for African Americans, American GIs fighting to keep South Vietnam free, and humans landing on the moon.
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The 1970s The 1970s saw the end of the Vietnam War, the resignation of President Nixon, the election of Pope John Paul II, new buildings at Joliet Junior College, lines at gas stations, and the Louis Joliet mall built.
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The 1980s The 1980s saw the introduction of popular electronic devices, historic firsts for women, assassination attempts on a president and pope, the Joliet Public Library expanded, and the Rialto Theatre renovated. |
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The 1990s The 1990s saw the impeachment of a president, the launch of a space telescope, a tragic bombing in Oklahoma City, war in Kuwait, a tornado in Plainfield, gambling casinos come to Joliet, an expansion of the main library, and an opening of a library in Louis Joliet Mall.
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We invite you to take part in this project by allowing us to photograph objects and documents you may have that are associated with this city and place those images on this Website, so that other residents may view them. We also invite you to submit your stories of what life was like in Joliet in years past. If you have such an object, document, or story please contact Jack Tegel or Leslie Eggman at 815-740-2660.
GREETING CARDS
1900s and 1910s
Mary Anne Hartnett Collection
INTERVIEWS
Anita Clarice and George Richardson
| Robert Bentley | Audrey O'Brien |
| Betty Dubbs | Fannie Riley |
| Anne Halik | Eleanor Sabey |
| Helen Hare | Mary Tait |
Joliet Remembers was written and
produced by Jack Tegel, the late Roger Gambrel, and Leslie Eggman.
Images at the top of the page:
The top of the statue of
Louis Joliet.
The statue is located on the grounds
of the Joliet Public Library main library,
150 N. Ottawa.
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