Students Discover Their History Buried in Illinois Town

Life in a community of freed slaves is mapped and documented by young descendents.

1 minute read

July 19, 2006, 1:00 PM PDT

By maryereynolds


Located about 60 miles south of Chicago, Hopkins Park's 800 residents are mainly African-American; many are descendants of the founders.

"It was supposed to be a place where African-Americans could use their farming skills and build a life after slavery. But the village was never able to flourish."

Early settlers faced the challenge of dirt that wouldn't grow anything, according to Chap Kusimba, a curator of anthropology for the Field Museum. "This was an undisturbed African-American community where they could live as they pleased," Kusimba explains. "At the turn of the century, every black person must have known there was a place where black people could live and run their own lives."

The Field Museum project teaches Hopkins Park middle-school students how to research history using archeological techniques. It's the museum's first archeological project using children to do research.

Friday, July 14, 2006 in The Chicago Tribune

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A pencil rendering of Foundry Park, which shows skyscrapers and public green spaces.

Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment

The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.

October 23, 2026 - Chicago Sun Times

A yellow, two-story building named Ferns with two American flags.

This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way

Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”

October 22, 2026 - Boston Globe

A rendering of the proposed facility. Trees are made slightly translucent so a large, rectangular cement building can be seen

Feds to more closely scrutinize proposed Amtrak facility’s environmental impact

The Federal Railroad Administration had initially said the facility qualified for a less extensive environmental review.

4 hours ago - Block Club Chicago

A crowd of people walking down a street in Boston

Boston is hard to build housing in: its chief of planning wants to keep it that way

Chief of Planning Kairos Shen said she would not make changes to Boston’s affordability requirements for new housing, which critics say have slowed down development.

5 hours ago - Boston Herald

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

6 hours ago - Grist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.