The cache is NOT at the listed coordinates. However, once at the
coordinates, simply walk 330 feet south to find the cache. And be
sure to enjoy the beauty of Chicago's oldest house.
History of the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House
5622-24 N. Newark Ave.
Mark Noble was a noted early Chicago pioneer. He was a
founder
of Chicago's first Methodist Church, helped avert a famine
after
the Blackhawk Wars by butchering cattle and once lived in
John
Kinzie's cabin. In 1833, Mark and Margaret Noble claimed more
than
150 acres in the area and built the first frame house in the
township on the top of Union Ridge, a glacial moraine and once
the
shoreline of Lake Michigan. The home is the oldest existing home
in
Chicago.
Thomas Seymour, a prominent member of Chicago's Board of
Trade,
bought the house and land in 1868. He and his wife Louisa built
the
Italianate addition in 1868 to accommodate their large family
and
servants. Mr. Seymour raised cattle and cultivated an orchard
of
apple and cherry trees and a vineyard. Seymour joined the
Norwood
Land and Building Association in its efforts to build a
moral,
healthy and beautifully landscaped suburban village. This led
to
the purchase of six farms and the founding of both the Township
and
Village of Norwood Park in 1874. Mr. Seymour served as president
of
the Village for 14 years. When he died in 1916, the property
was
sold. The house and the land south to the far side of the
Kennedy
Expressway were sold as one of the subdivided units.
Charlotte Allen Crippen purchased the property for her
family
and her business, the L.B. Allen Co. Dramatist Charlotte Allen
had
met her husband, concert pianist Stuart Crippen Sr., on the
Chatauqua circuit. The civic-minded Crippen family sponsored
community theater and musical productions, founded the local
Little
League program, and the Norwood Park Baptist Church and
raised
$750,000 for a World War II hospital plane named "The Spirit
of
Norwood Park."
Initially, the Crippens' home was only a summer residence
without plumbing or electricity. With these additions, they made
it
their permanent residence. During the Depression, the house
was
divided into two residences and occupied by their two sons,
Paul
and Stuart, Jr. and their families. When the Kennedy Expressway
was
built the L.B. Allen Co. was forced to move and the land was
sold.
Agnes Crippen, widow of Stuart Jr., and her children,
Nancy
Crippen Michener and Stuart C. Crippen, sold the house and
the
remaining 1.7 acres of land to the Norwood Park Historical
Society
on December 31, 1987. The Noble Seymour Crippen House was
designated a City of Chicago Historical Landmark on May 11,
1988
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on
August
11, 2000.
The Norwood Park Historical Society has transformed the
house
into a multipurpose community center. It contains an
historical
museum, which focuses on Chicago’s far northwest side and
has
a growing collection of historical artifacts and research
materials. The house was featured in the movie “The
Babe,” starring John Goodman. Thanks to State Senator
Walter
Dudycz and State Representative Ralph Capparelli, the Society
received grants from the State of Illinois, which enabled the
Society to launch a whole house restoration and make
landscaping
improvements, in cooperation with the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency. The goal was to restore the house to its
early
20th century appearance.
Both the exterior and interior of the house underwent changes
to
turn back the clock. Several modernizations, such as central
air-conditioning and a handicapped accessible restroom, were
added
to make the building more useable. The current project
involves
landscape improvements. These include eliminating diseased,
distressed or invasive trees and shrubs, planting new trees,
relocating the recycling area, installing a new fence along
the
south and west property lines, brick walkways, parking lot
edging
and the construction of a “pull-out” at the top of
the
hill which will allow for two-way traffic in the driveway.
Electrical power was extended to various exterior locations and
a
sprinkler system is under construction.
As anyone who has restored an old house knows there are
many
unknowns at the beginning of the project, many surprises along
the
way, and cost overruns everywhere. The restoration of the
Noble-Seymour-Crippen House was no exception. Although the
generous
grants allowed the Society to accelerate the restoration
schedule
by many years, the costs exceeded them. The Norwood Park
Historical
Society continues to need your assistance and support to
complete
the restoration and to continue providing programs, research
opportunities and preserving our neighborhood’s history
forgenerations to come.
