It’s hard to fathom that the area of Chatham was once a place so swampy that it was referred to as 'Mud Lake,' but such was the case. The land was mostly used for hunting and some farming was done to the west, but all in all, Chatham’s beginnings were rather boggy and uninviting to residents for many years.

Things started to take a turn for the better in the 1860s and ‘70s when railroad tracks were laid nearby. Industrial plants and factories that manufactured tacks, barbed-wire, scales, watches, and furniture began popping up alongside the new train route. Employment opportunities were plenty. As innovative drainage programs made the marshy territory more livable, Italian stonemasons began to build houses in the neighborhood in the 1880s. In addition to immigrants from Italy, the newly established Chatham community saw an influx of Hungarians and Irish, who came to the area mainly to work on nearby railroad construction sites. By the year 1889, Chatham was welcomed into Chicago’s ever-expanding city limits.

In the 1920s, the population of Chatham began to rise. Property value also increased due to strict codes and standards set by the community that required homeowners to care for their individual lots and maintain their houses. More and more European immigrants and Chicagoans from other vicinities moved into the area, tripling the number of inhabitants by the time the 1930s rolled around. A decade later, another population spurt hit the neighborhood, this time provoking commercial development, and bunches of shops opened up along Cottage Grove Avenue.

In the 1950s, African American families began to take up residence in Chatham, the start of a transition that would quickly make African Americans the majority. While other south side Chicago neighborhoods struggled with this shift in demographic makeup, Chatham did not. Existing churches opened their doors to the new neighbors and the Chatham-Avalon Park Community Council was formed to help promote bonding among residents. Since then, African Americans have come to comprise 99 percent of the population in Chatham neighborhood.

African American residents were drawn to Chatham due to its middle-class nature, stability, and property standards. Throughout the years, and to this day, neighborhood locals have successfully maintained these traditions, continuing to prosper as internationally recognized companies flock to the area to set up shop. Hugely successful businesses were opened in the area, like Johnson Products, Seaway National Bank, and the Independence Bank of Chicago. These have been a few of the most prestigious African American owned companies in the country, all concentrated in the small confines of Chatham. Most recently, commercial property development has expanded, benefiting this south side community by bringing well-known retail to the area and popular restaurants that frequently draw folks from all over Chicago.

Parks

While Chatham has been built up with a respectable amount of commercial and residential development, the neighborhood is not for lack of sufficient recreational parks that give residents a spot or two to enjoy open green spaces and get a breath of fresh air once in a while.

The largest of Chatham’s public parks occupies a full neighborhood block in the southern half of the community and has been there since 1961. Nat King Cole Park (361 E 85th St, 312-747-6063) offers a running track and a spray pool as well as a club for area teens. As you may have guessed, the park was named after the singer/musician Nat King Cole, and it officially took on the title six years after the commons was established. Little Natty had roots in Chatham, having grown up in the area – not far from where the current park stands. His father was also a pastor in a neighborhood church. In later years, Cole would go on to earn 28 gold records during his career and be the first African American to host a television show on a major network. Sounds like grounds for a park-naming to us!

Also located on the Chatham’s south side, Brown Memorial Park (634 E 86th St, 312-747-6063) is a very small plot of recreational space, but still has a baseball diamond and tennis courts available for the neighborhood’s sports enthusiasts. Brown Memorial was constructed in 1967 as a tribute to local firefighter Sidney Brown, who was the first African American Chicago firefighter to die in the line of duty after he entered a burning building in the attempt to save three children. One man’s bravery was the genesis of this Chatham neighborhood park, and to this day, if you visit the site for a little vigorous activity and outdoor fun, we swear a sense of Sidney’s spirit still lingers in the air.