Help save history in your community by recording the stories of long-time residents, collecting and preserving historic photographs, and sketching and writing about significant local landmarks.

"I thought it was interesting to learn that people would park their car when they went to work and when they came back their car was covered with soot from the steel mill." --student quote

Spoken History: Philip Murray Grade 3

Philip Murray students learned about the J & L Steel Mill, once on East Carson Street and the source of employment for generations of South Side families. Here are a few comments from their "Spoken History" interviews.

“Our teacher said the steel mill didn't stop at night, and it kept going on all day long. And I learned from that.”

“The most interesting thing was when our teacher told us about the steel mill. It made so much dirt in the air that it would make so many houses dirty that they had to be cleaned every day.”

“The most interesting part about the steel mill is that it always made the air and the environment smell dirty and gross. The mill also made black and gray smoke everywhere.”

“My picture is about the steel mill on the South Side. How the mill works and the big smokestacks, and back when there were no cars and you would have to pay to cross the bridge, and mostly the trolley would take you places.”

“It is important to learn about people's historical experiences or memories because then you can tell the history about the South Side to your children.”

“It is important to learn about people's historical experiences or memories because it can help you learn more about today. Also it can help you learn about how life today came to be.”

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