Evolution of a Neighborhood

Sophie’s Memoir

By Rosanne Gulisano

I blog about snippets and snapshots of the memoirs and life stories of everyday folks attending my Lifestories workshops. I have changed the names, but the stories are the real thing, from the plain and simple to the sinister and dangerous. Enjoy!

Evolution of a Neighborhood

Sophie was born in Hegewisch, a unique east side Chicago neighborhood which has a small town, community atmosphere. When Sophie lived there, the neighborhood was mostly made up of Polish immigrants and their succeeding generations.

Sophie was reluctant to write her stories at first, thinking she was being “boastful,” but her story is one of the rich history of a gritty, industrial neighborhood and the families and working people who lived there. Sophie lived in her family home for 70 years before moving into a senior apartment house to be closer to her grown children. She was born in that Hegewisch bungalow, went to school in the neighborhood, eventually married and the two generations lived together. Three children came along and were raised in the sturdy brick bungalow as well.

This was the heyday of the Chicago steel industry. Almost everyone in the area either worked for the mills or worked for a business supported by the mill workers. The air was thick with the noise of a heavy duty industry, as well as the haze of filthy air. Everyone had a good job. Work was plentiful, union contracts assured that the steelworkers made a good living. Multi-generations of families signed on at the mills right out of high school. The alderman fielded constant complaints about the noise and dust.

Over time, the air became cleaner and the noise abated. The steel industry was grinding to a halt and the mills eventually shut down forever, forcing Hegewisch to reinvent itself. The alderman wryly joked that the complaints about noise and pollution were replaced by complaints of unemployment. Yet the neighbors remained close and united.

Sophie was married by this time and had her three children. She cared for them and kept house during the day, but went to night school several evenings each week. It took her eight years to get a college degree, majoring in English. She got a good job downtown as an editor for a trade publication and was the major breadwinner for the family for 20 years. She is a widow now, still turning out great writing—now the stories are about her life!