Calumet City Historical Society marks 50-year milestone

Calumet City residents had a little more to love on Valentine’s Day in 1975 – that’s the day the Calumet City Historical Society was legally incorporated.

When he was just 19, co-founder Joseph Plovich approached librarian Lorraine Gates about forming a company. The November 12, 1974 meeting to establish a historical society attracted 40 people and was guided in part by members of the nearby Hammond Historical Society. Two months later, the Calumet City company became official.

“The first exhibit was photos and items with the town’s name on them,” said Plovich, who continues to serve on the board and regularly attends meetings even though he has since moved to Palatine.

The 1973 Thornton Fractional North High School graduate said the “sense of community” is his favorite thing about the company. “We have formal meetings, but they’re still colleagues. It’s a community.”

Plovich said the organization’s mission is to “preserve the history of Calumet City, but in a more vibrant way.” Part of that is including everyday objects in his collection, like a dental chair and other artifacts. “It lets people see what the past was like.”

Society President Mike Wolski, a Calumet City resident and member for about 20 years, said the society’s collection has been built up gradually, with some exhibits at area businesses and buildings.

“At first they had a few cabinets in the library and had a few displays in the library and in the lobby of a (Federal Public Savings and Loan Association) bank until the library built in 1951 closed in 1986,” he said.

That’s when the city gave the building to the company. “They received permission to move into this building and have been there ever since,” he said.

Wolski, who has a background in historic preservation and loves local history, said the society has grown slowly, especially over the past five years, and has just over 200 registered members.

“It’s definitely a mix,” is how he describes the members. “Many older residents have lived there for a long time, some once lived there and would like to come back. Not every town has a society, so other people come because they like our history programs.”

“That’s why our society is more vibrant. It’s not a wealthy town, but we have our history,” Plovich said, adding that it has the most members of a historical society in the Calumet area and is growing. “We have a lot of volunteers who do things. »

The society offers monthly programs, which include a members meeting and meet-and-greets before someone gives a talk on the story. “This format has kind of become a success,” Wolski said. “We average about 40 people per meeting. All meetings and programs are open to the public.”

Company hours vary depending on the season. It is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays in January; from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month from February to April and from June to November; from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays in May; and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays in December.

All of its programs in 2025 contributed to celebrating its 50th anniversary. “All of them covered a highlight of something the company has done over the past 50 years, including its founding, hosting a Heritage Day and installing a historical marker for the LIncoln train in 2008,” Wolski said.

Last year, the company celebrated the 100th anniversary of Calumet City’s name.

“We have archives with records about the town of Calumet and when the village was first formed as the village of West Hammond in 1893, it then became the town of West Hammond in 1912 and then the town of Calumet City in 1924. And our programming is a mix of local history, regional history and general history,” Wolski explained.

Part of its mission is to help save historic buildings. “We saved the second library, built in 1951. When that library moved in 1986, (the city) first created a cultural center, but then the society ended up using the whole building and was able to save it. It’s our home base and the city was very supportive in giving us the building.”

Wolski said it’s important to remember the past. “I think it tells the story of how parts of the city got here as we see them today and the work that people have done to build the city in each generation.”

Historic buildings include St. Andrew Catholic Church, which dates back to 1891 and is now called Jesus Shepherd of Souls Catholic Parish. Another hotel is the City Hall, which dates back to 1924. “In the 1990s, they restored it and the City Hall does a good job preserving it and using it,” he shared. “The grounds at Memorial Park are from 1924 and they restored that years ago as well.”

Another significant building that was saved was the Heritage Log Cabin, which was discovered by a few members after it had been used as a garage covered in siding intended for demolition. “They asked the owner if they could take it or move it. It was taken apart and put back together, and it turns out the Schrum family, one of the founding families in the 1860s, had actually lived in this cabin,” Wolski said.

He said his favorite artifact is the 1935 post office exhibit, which includes an employee window and slots for sorting mail. “They did a really good job when they demolished the post office in 1986…the members saved parts of the building and the post office window, and it’s really cool to see how they did it,” he said. “The postmaster was very supportive of the demolition of the building and allowed members of the society to take possession of parts of the building.”

People, especially younger people, might be surprised by at least one aspect of Calumet City’s past.

“A lot of older people will remember all the taverns, especially on State Street, that no longer exist today. It was a reputation that was erased over the past generation,” Wolski said. “I remember they were still there in the 1990s, but then…the city felt it was finally time to get rid of them. There were (former) mayors who wanted to close the doors and get rid of them, but they still survived.”

Plovich said company officials recently learned a surprising fact. “Someone who knows her told us that the founder of Crate & Barrel is from Calumet City – Carole Brown Sega, class of 1956 at Thornton Fractional North. They traveled and she wanted to bring goods into the city.”

Another notable resident is Mike Tomczak, former quarterback for the Chicago Bears and other NFL teams.

Plovich said the most important part of society – and the city – is its people. “They are part of history and they share what happened. It’s not just about books and photos.”

Unfortunately, the oldest member of the company, who was still quite active, passed away earlier this year. “Dorothy Polus came to most of the meetings and was 101 when she died,” Wolski said. “She was the oldest member, having joined the group in 1976.”

The town of Calumet was shaped by its location. Being “a borderline community” right next to Indiana has affected the city, which Plovich called “Hammond’s junior partner,” thanks to that city’s huge hospital and department store downtown. We have our different neighborhoods, with the Polish Quarter on the south side in the 1950s, the Gold Coast… where the city has really grown is to the west in the Torrence Park area,” he said.

“Calumet City has been going through some changes. I feel like people are going to rediscover it as a good place to live. It has a good housing stock,” Plovich said. “It could be a rediscovery of the city.”

Even though the society is growing, new members are welcome. Annual membership costs $15 for individuals 18 and older, $20 for households with two other adults in the same home, and $25 for organizations and businesses. Fees include a newsletter. Visit calcityhistory@aol.com or call 708-832-9390 or 773-814-4520.

Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.