CEGU

Most Chicagoans know of the Chicago World’s Fairs in 1893 (World’s Columbian Exposition) and 1933–1934 (Century of Progress). However, few are aware of the just as involved, albeit more localized, exposition in “Southtown.” Officially called the “Greater Englewood Trade Exposition,” this exposition was first held in 1926 as an event designed to both entertain Southsiders and to tout the economic progress that Englewood had made in the previous decade.

The Englewood Business Men’s Association

The Association provided generous funding to improve city conditions, even taking the initiative themselves to enact changes typically sponsored by the municipal government. The “lighting, cleaning and sprinkling of [Englewood was] done with funds contributed by this enterprising association.”² Many of these men, dubbed the “old merchants,” had set up businesses in the middle-to-late 1800s, and thus had major familial and economic ties to the land. Some were even Freemasons, and actively participated in Masonic life.³ The prominent men of Englewood established important ties through Masonic life, and frequently held meetings at the South Side Masonic Temple in Englewood. The group also established a Kiwanis Club, a group dedicated to carrying out service projects around the neighborhood, and a War Service Committee that would assist young men called for active duty.⁴

The Englewood Business Men’s Association was thus not only an economic enterprise, but a collective effort to usher Englewood into prominence. By 1924, there were about 500 men in the EBMA.⁵ These men sought not only to make a profit, but also to actively ameliorate the conditions of the neighborhood. This renewed investment into Englewood drove forward the idea of hosting a trade exposition, an idea that would come to fruition only a couple of years later.

The goals of the Englewood Business Men Association were stated as follows:

1. To encourage improvement in business methods and advance business interests in the community.

2. To promote legislation that will be beneficial to its members and to Englewood.

3. To encourage improvement in community interests.

4. To increase the friendship and encourage cooperation by the citizens of Englewood and its members.⁶

Planning the Exposition

The other major event, the popularity contest, was similar to a beauty pageant. The young women who would receive the most votes would be crowned the “Queen of the Exposition,” as well as win two round trips to Hollywood. This was a grand event for the women of Englewood, given that Georgia Hale, an Englewood resident who had won the “Miss Illinois” beauty contest, had gone on to become a silent movie star in Hollywood, notably working with Charlie Chaplin.⁹ The prospect of “making it” in Hollywood was very real for these young women. Each woman also served as a representative of the place they worked: the Englewood Economist noted that the first entry in the contest was a young woman named Hannah R. Flynn, who worked at Chicago City Bank, and was deemed to have “a host of friends in Southtown who are expected to back her.”¹⁰ The Economist itself also endorsed Flynn for the contest.

The Englewood Business Men’s Association assigned members to plan the exposition. Edward H. Doughtery was appointed chairman of the Exposition committee. From the beginning, the event was believed to be a major success. The EBMA called it “the most successful affair of its kind ever attempted in Southtown.”¹¹ Some even compared the exposition to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They had no idea how correct they would be, as by April 22nd, organizers considered adding extra space to satisfy the demand for spots by all the local businesses.

By April 23rd, free admission tickets were available in Englewood shops. In early May, the Southtown Economist announced that their radio station, WBCN, would provide coverage of the entire exposition. WBCN built a special glass studio on the terrain, in order to avoid the chaos of the event, while still obtaining a clear picture of it. They reported the locations of where babies could be registered for the baby contest and a list of places where residents could obtain tickets. By May 7th, almost all booths were sold out. Many were astonished that such a large event would take place in what was considered “one of the busiest intersections in Chicago.”¹² The event was expected to be the “greatest event ever staged in [the] community.”¹³

The Greater Englewood Trade Exposition

The baby contest saw a total of 2,700 babies enter. Vanece Nelson, of the Nelson family, ultimately won first prize. The beauty competition saw a close contest between Flynn and another young woman named Ruth Brown. Though Flynn was seen as a favorite from the get-go, Brown had personal connections with the previous Miss Illinois Georgia Hale, having been both classmates and friends with her in high school. Ultimately, Hannah Flynn won first place and Brown took second. Both, however, were invited to a party hosted by Hale. It is unclear if Flynn’s trip to Hollywood actually took place, but she was unable to reach the level of Hale’s stardom.

Looking Towards the Future

This story of entertainment and amusement in the Englewood neighborhood might be a little surprising to Chicagoans today. Though the demographics and the story of the neighborhood have changed over the century, it is equally as important to tell the jovial story of then as the more morose story of today. Only by doing this can people find the “real” history of Englewood and the South Side, one of fun and enjoyment, but also one of endurance in spite of hard times. We must be willing to tell this story, this complete story, to both the generations of today and of tomorrow.