Maple Park: Joys that Jabbed; Pains that Stabbed -- Gathered Treasures of Black Life in the 60s Paperback – December 15, 2025

Who would have believed in today’s unsettling concern about neighborhood safety that Mayberry, a mythical kind-hearted small town alive in vintage television viewing, actually exists in the left ventricle of the Chicago inner city?Well it does. It’s called Maple Park.And who would have believed that the TV Huxtable family: professional hard working African American parents with children who grew up to be successful and productive, were anything but great role modeling entertainment?But it wasn’t. It was the life experience of many who were raised and nurtured by like parents in Maple Park. Neighborhood involvement and two parent families were the norm. ‘We had great block parties; the neighbors were like a big family.’Such is the general sentiment of many of the former residents of Maple Park, the beautiful homeowners neighborhood that was constructed to meet the demands of a growing African American population during the Great Migration taking place in many of nation’s northern cities from 1940-1970.Fulfilling the hallmark of the American Dream, homeownership, the Maple Park Development Company, Inc., broke ground in August of 1961 on the far western boundary of West Pullman. The area is bordered by 115th Street on the north, 119th Street on the south, Ashland Avenue on the west and Halsted Street on the east.Each home had its own personal style and construction: The Ambassador', Attaché, Diplomat, Secretary, Senator, Statesman, and President. Each block designed and interspersed with creative individuality.Maple Park is one of the first African American homeowners’ neighborhoods built from the ground up on the south side of Chicago. Urban Legend has it that Maple Park was constructed with the blessing of Chicago Mayor, ‘The Boss’ Richard J. Daley, to offset housing discrimination issues. The current residents and the children who grew up in Maple Park describe life there as a ‘suburban experience’ in the heart of the inner city.Many reminisce the great times of a generation ago where crime was minimal, children could safely ride their bikes and play in the streets, and neighbors knew each other intimately sharing in the raising of the children. Read more