At the time this cache was placed, it was at an unmarked but important Chicago historical site. Thankfully, there is a memorial now (spring 2008)on the lawn in front of you. To the left is a rather non-descript public school. This building is located on the spot where the Catholic elementary school Our Lady of the Angels once stood. You will also see the original church, which still bears the name. It was here that, on December 1st 1958, the school burned, killing 92 children and three nuns and injured 85 more. This horrible tragedy led to new, effective fire codes for school buildings around the country, saving countless hundreds or thousands of lives and injuries.
This cache is part memorial to those who died, dedication to the injured, and tribute to the heros who valiantly tried to rescue the children.
When the fire happened, it was a neighborhood of mostly Italian and Irish immigrants. Within months of the fire many people of the comminity found it impossible to live in the shadow of the terrible tragedy the neighborhood had suffered and moved away. The face of the neighborhood began to change and coupled with other socialogical changes that took place during the sixties the close-knit community of families could not survive.
Today, the neighborhood is dicey. Some might find it scary. But, I urge you to read the beautifully researched and written book for which this cache is named, "To Sleep with the Angels", by David Cowan and John Kuenster, and see if you can avoid coming to this spot and saying a little prayer.
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Congratulations to Genius Loci, and Katguy for the FTF!