Community Corner
Saw It on eBay: Five Images of How Joliet Once Was...
Can you envision any of these places as they once looked?
Sometimes it takes a lot of imagination to remember that Joliet was not always the sprawling suburban mecca that we call home today.
It was, in fact, a fairly self-contained place, with a thriving downtown where people shopped, went for entertainment and had guests stay, and boasted a reputation as a "prison town," which gave it a certain mystique for people who knew nothing else of the place.
Check out these five postcard images we found on eBay and see if you can't picture what it used to be like. Click on the highlighted link if you want to see more or make a bid/purchase.
1. The Hotel Louis Joliet, a "modern commercial and tourist hotel" boasting "three air-conditioned restaurants and cocktail bar, also garage in connection." It's still downtown at 22 E. Clinton St., but is now a low-income apartment building.
2. Joliet High School, now known as Joliet Central High School at 201 E. Jefferson St. I had no idea the name of the high school was once spelled out across the rooftop.
3. Chicago Street, as it appeared in 1907.
4. "Electric Park" in Joliet, according to the seller. I have no idea where this would have been but judging how close the water is, flooding probably would have been a regular occurrence.
5. The Illinois State Penitentiary, which would later be known as Joliet Correctional Center.
Check out these five postcard images we found on eBay and see if you can't picture what it used to be like. Click on the highlighted link if you want to see more or make a bid/purchase.
1. The Hotel Louis Joliet, a "modern commercial and tourist hotel" boasting "three air-conditioned restaurants and cocktail bar, also garage in connection." It's still downtown at 22 E. Clinton St., but is now a low-income apartment building.
2. Joliet High School, now known as Joliet Central High School at 201 E. Jefferson St. I had no idea the name of the high school was once spelled out across the rooftop.
3. Chicago Street, as it appeared in 1907.
4. "Electric Park" in Joliet, according to the seller. I have no idea where this would have been but judging how close the water is, flooding probably would have been a regular occurrence.
5. The Illinois State Penitentiary, which would later be known as Joliet Correctional Center.
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