Cook County Archives

🎉Today in History: Cook County Founded!🎉 On January 15, 1831, Cook County was officially established by the State of Illinois. The images shown is from Laws of Illinois (1831) and a map showing the county’s original boundaries. Happy Birthday, Cook County!🎂 pic.twitter.com/C4kxbBt0QI

📷 Construction of the Grit Building at the O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) on September 10, 1926. 🗓️ Save the Date of May 2 for the O’Brien WRP Open House and Tours ⬇️ mwrd.org/events/mwrd-op… 🖥️ Join our virtual tour on April 14 ⬇️ mwrd.org/education/tour…

Historical Photo of the Day: A view from a point north of the construction site for a bridge at Canal Street on May 29, 1902, looking south at bridge construction materials and activity. Learn about the work of the #MWRD on our YouTube channel 📽⬇️ youtu.be/__yXMrBYek4

You can read more about Dr. Curtis’s work here

🎉 Happy Birthday, Dr. Austin Maurice Curtis (January 15, 1868 - July 14, 1939)! 🎉 Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Curtis was the first intern at Provident Hospital (1891) and the first African American surgeon on staff at Cook County Hospital (1896).

📚 Her legacy lives on and you can explore the Agnes Lattimer Papers at the Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History & Literature. #BlackHistory #WomenInMedicine #CookCountyHistory #Archives

Dr. Lattimer had this to say about her career: “I was able to impact all of the medical and surgical services by introducing a ‘Philosophy of Caring’ for the patients which emphasized focusing on competence and compassion in the delivery of medical care.” cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/bio…

In 1986, Agnes D. Lattimer made history as the first Black woman medical director of a major American hospital, leading Cook County Hospital.

📃Read full journal here: cook-county.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&…

Today in Cook County History 🏥 On December 18, 2001, Cook County Hospital was officially renamed John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. This ordinance from the Cook County Board Journal documents the decision honoring Stroger’s legacy and leadership in public health.

Today in Cook County history: on Oct. 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire broke out in the O’Leary family’s barn and raged for two days. The flames destroyed 17,000 buildings, left about 100,000 residents homeless, and caused damages equal to billions today. 📸: Newberry Library

Today in Cook County History: 🎉 Congratulations to the Village of Westchester, IL on 100 years! Since its 1925 incorporation, Westchester has flourished with unique architecture, strong infrastructure & transit that connected the community. Photo Credit: fhproject.org

The day after President John F. Kennedy is assassinated, the @CookCountyBoard assembled for a Special Meeting in memoriam. These were Journal of Proceedings for that meeting. @JFKLibrary @cookcountygov @CookCoArchives #JFK

Mayor-elect @Brandon4Chicago attended the first @FPDCC Board Meeting since the election. The District presented him with a farewell resolution. Happy to greet him for the first time since Election Night @ToniPreckwinkle @CookCountyBoard @cookcountygov

Good morning and Happy Birthday to our @cookcountygov County Seat, @chicago A view from our great staycation venue! #Chicago

Come on State of Illinois! Cook County just adopted a banger of a new flag & you can surely do a new flag too!

Totally Agree, obviously!

🗳️ We love mayoral elections so much, Chicago, that we’re getting two this year. 🗳️ But how much do you really know about how we’ve chosen our city’s leader for almost the past two centuries? chicagotribune.com/history/ct-vin…

It’s #WomensHistoryMonth2023 in @cookcountygov spotlighting women who provided leadership to Cook County throughout our history. Banners here were from 2021 and, in just two years, many more women have joined County leadership. All the new faces soon, but first, a look back.

The first Black Canadian licensed Medical Doctor was Anderson Ruffin Abbott and has a link to @CookCtyHealth. He would serve as a surgeon in the Union Army. In 1894, became surgeon-in-chief at Provident Hospital and medical supt from 1896-97. #BlackHistoryMonth