Memories of Jeffrey Manor?? (Chicago, Highland Park: for sale, foreclosures, low crime)

[gomexico]

Deleted by author, because of a mistake on the boundaries of the neighborhood.

[Don Struber]

How nostalgic this is ! We lived at 2119 east 98th place from '53-70. I left in January '68 bound for the USN. I imagine many guys from the class of '67 served. Unfortunately I did not stay in touch . What wonderful memories all of u brought back 2 me. I remember riding our bikes and trying 2 get lost. Smoking cigarettes in the PRAIRIE, and thinking we were cool ! There r satellite web sites were I have viewed our old block. The houses and streets look smaller; the trees bigger. Wonderful neighborhood 2 grow up in. Haven't encountered anything like it since, and never will.

Thanks for the memories !

[Cat Markcella Rabin]

Hi everyone!
I'm Cat Rabin. Once was Mark Rabin. Anyone out there from those times?
We were playing our musical instruments way back then and I still am today! Now you remember me?

[FormerChicagoGuy]

Hello. I joined this site so that I could make this post.

My parents lived at 2522 East 97th Place (immediately west of Hoxie Ave), probably starting sometime in late 1944. My father had been in Papua New Guinea photographing the war as a LIFE magazine photographer. While there he received a draft notice and rather than accept General Douglas MacArthur’s offer to be his staff photographer (which would have voided the draft notice), he returned to Illinois in early 1944.

He reported to Great Lakes, but after three months was discharged in August 1944, when it was confirmed that he had malaria, which had been contracted during the war. I assume that they moved to 97th Place shortly afterwards. (My dad’s family had lived in Hyde Park since 1928 and he attended the University of Chicago. His brother lived in the other half of the duplex and it is possible that it was he who found that the rentals were available.)

I lived in the duplex at 2522 from birth in April 1945 (born at Lying-In Hospital on the U of C campus) until September 1946, when my parents moved to Brookfield. (The 3 bedroom 1 bath two story brick house they bought in Brookfield cost about $12,500; my dad bought it with cash saved from his salary while he was in the South Pacific during the war.)

My mother referred to the area as “Slag Flats”; I never heard her use “Jeffrey Manor”. Early baby photos of me were taken in the open space immediately to the west of 2522 (which, according to maps and the Chicago Park District, is now called “Bradley Park”).

Several times my mother mentioned a tragedy in the area when they lived there. She said all of the houses (she never used the term “duplex” even though that is what the residences are) looked the same and one night a man came home drunk and tried to get into the wrong house. The resident shot and killed him, presumably because he thought a break-in was being attempted.

I was able to take my father to the “cul-de-sac (a California term–don’t recall hearing it in Illinois) at 97th Place in 2006 or 2007. We talked to a black man who lived there who said his family owned the residence.

There is nothing more that I can add, but thought you might find it interesting to hear from a very early resident of the area. I left Chicagoland for San Diego in 1973 and have not had to deal with snow and cold weather since then.

[treemoni]

[SLIM100]

I sure hate that I missed this thread. JM is alive. We have our share of deviants but you know what it not as bad as some places. For the most part neighbors try to keep up their property and help each other out.

[lxtanimojo]

Hi was thinking about relocating back to Chicag area and found a home on 99th and Oglesby ...They say that is Jeffrey Manor not familiair with the area ... I know Chicago has become Murder Capital please someone tell me is this a safe neighborhood to raise my gandkids we are coming from Minnesota ... I would like a currentresident of this neighborhood no past history I need to know the present of this community ... Thank you

[70s girl]

I moved to Jeffery Manor in 1969 went to Burham Elementary School, Luella School and Bowen High School. In 1969 the neighborhood consisted of White, Spanish, and Black. We didn't have any racial issues that I know of. Even though me and my sister spend most of our time playing on the front porch because my mother wouldn't let us rip and run up and down the streets but she did let us ride our bikes around the block. most of our friends came to the porch to play with us. The only time we were able to leave the
porch was when we went to school or the store.

[ChiTown8207]

I lived and attended school in The Manor. I lived on 99th & Hoxie until my family moved to 91st & Colfax, which is in South C and the next neighborhood over. I would walk to school (O.L.G.H.) every day from South C and would spend most of my time hanging with friends & classmates who still lived in The Manor. I played baseball at Southeast Little League which had its Senior Field on 103rd by the Prairie. It's funny because I spent so much of my time there that most people thought that I still lived on 99th & Hoxie. When I lived and attended school there (1974 to 1984), it was still a great place to raise a family. Yes, we had gang violence that would occasionally flare up, but the community as a whole was safe. There weren't different factions of the GD's waging war against one another. You could still go hoop or play in any park (Bensley, Merrill, Luella, Trumbull) in the Manor without fear of being killed by stray bullets. It was a different time and life seemed so much simpler. I couldn't imagine living there now. As matter of fact, I couldn't imagine living in Chicago at all. I'm 45 years old and haven't lived in Chicago since my early 20's. I go back home to visit frequently, but I can't see raising my family in a city plagued by gun violence.

[Runuova]

Originally Posted by ChiTown8207

I lived and attended school in The Manor. I lived on 99th & Hoxie until my family moved to 91st & Colfax, which is in South C and the next neighborhood over. I would walk to school (O.L.G.H.) every day from South C and would spend most of my time hanging with friends & classmates who still lived in The Manor. I played baseball at Southeast Little League which had its Senior Field on 103rd by the Prairie. It's funny because I spent so much of my time there that most people thought that I still lived on 99th & Hoxie. When I lived and attended school there (1974 to 1984), it was still a great place to raise a family. Yes, we had gang violence that would occasionally flare up, but the community as a whole was safe. There weren't different factions of the GD's waging war against one another. You could still go hoop or play in any park (Bensley, Merrill, Luella, Trumbull) in the Manor without fear of being killed by stray bullets. It was a different time and life seemed so much simpler. I couldn't imagine living there now. As matter of fact, I couldn't imagine living in Chicago at all. I'm 45 years old and haven't lived in Chicago since my early 20's. I go back home to visit frequently, but I can't see raising my family in a city plagued by gun violence.

Chicago was more dangerous when you were a kid versus now. Check the number of homicides over the past few decades and you will see that the only thing that has increased is media coverage.