By Nuha Abdessalam
Villager Contributor
Twenty women gathered in each other’s homes to form the Garden Club of Morgan Park in 1926. A century later, the club has grown to about 110 members.
Over the years, members have cared for neighborhood parks, sent thousands of bouquets to hospital patients and encouraged Victory Gardens during World War II. Today, they continue that tradition of community service by maintaining the gardens at the Beverly Arts Center and hosting educational programs.
“It’s really an opportunity, I think, for everyone in our club and the community to look back 100 years ago and what life was like then,” Garden Club President Gael Mennecke said.
The club was founded during a time when families were settling into homes with large yards, gardening was becoming increasingly popular and garden clubs were forming throughout Illinois.
That history became the focus of this year’s programming after club member PJ Pistek dug through decades of meeting minutes and archival records at the Ridge Historical Society while researching the club’s centennial.
The records describe the Garden Club of Morgan Park as a “working club,” and Pistek’s research found plenty of evidence to support that description. Members weren’t just tending to their own gardens. They were helping shape the neighborhood around them.
According to records preserved by the Ridge Historical Society, members stepped in to care for the triangular neighborhood parks after Morgan Park became part of Chicago and funding for their upkeep disappeared. Money raised through flower shows purchased trees and grass seed as members took on the work of maintaining the public spaces themselves.
“It’s been kind of in the fabric of the community,” Pistek said.
The archives also show members sending flowers, fruit, jams and other donations by Rock Island train to hospitals and charitable organizations beginning in the 1930s. In 1941 alone, the club sent 2,162 bouquets to patients. During World War II, members also encouraged residents to plant Victory Gardens by offering to help plow garden plots.
One of the discoveries that surprised Mennecke most was just how active the club had been during its early decades.
“I’m thinking we’re hot stuff,” she said with a laugh. “Then I found out our garden club was very active. They did field trips, they participated in exhibits, they won awards. It made me think, even though I’m so proud of where our club is, we can be even better.”
While many traditions have continued, the club has evolved.
Today, members maintain the gardens at the Beverly Arts Center, host public educational programs and organize an annual garden walk. This year, the club also started “Our Club Cares,” a program that helps members who can’t tend their gardens for a while because of illness or injury.
“We’re going to help our members out,” Mennecke said. “Our willingness to help our members help one another. I’m very excited about that.”
For Pistek, one of the club’s biggest strengths is not just what members learn about gardening, but the friendships they make along the way.
“I’ve met people in the neighborhood that I never would have known,” she said. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount about horticulture, conservation and gardening tips from people who garden in the same area with the same type of soil.”
The centennial has inspired members to revisit the club’s history throughout the year. Programs have explored life in the 1920s, this year’s garden walk showed homes with styles that were popular when the club began and members will visit Morton Arboretum, just like they did in 1932.
After researching nearly a century of records, Pistek found plenty of surprises, but she said one thing has remained the same.
“It takes everybody to make the neighborhood beautiful for everybody to enjoy.”
