Archaeological Site Tour: Oak Forest Heritage Preserve

Join an archaeological site tour of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve led by professional archaeologist Dr. Rochelle Lurie!

The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve is perhaps best known as containing the third Cook County Poor Farm (or the Oak Forest Hospital), operating from 1911 to 1953. The Oak Forest Hospital complex still contains many of the original buildings designed in 1908 by the Chicago firm of Holabird and Roche. Foundations of razed structures are still visible, and the layout of the original complex remains essentially the same as well. The tour will include visits to two cemetery areas, one containing over 90,000 burials, the animal husbandry area, and farmlands and institution recreation areas that were all part of the Poor Farm complex.

Additionally, archaeological survey and historical research have uncovered and documented a large Native American village site, aptly called the Oak Forest site (circa A.D. 1600-1620), as well as many additional smaller prehistoric camp sites occupied as early as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. The tour will highlight the natural features of the landscape that made this area attractive to Native American settlement and how the current landscape protects these sites.