About the Museum
Vision
The Packingtown Museum provides a unique opportunity to connect Chicago’s industrial past to its future and inform contemporary conversations about labor, immigration, food production, community development and the economy.
The South Side of Chicago’s role in the development of industrialization – of food, in particular – transformed the region and is globally significant. The story of the development of the Union Stock Yard and Packingtown, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the people who live and work here includes chapters on organized labor, the role of immigration in fueling the growth of the city and its economy, and the changing relationship between people, machines, and food. All of these historical themes are relevant to the political and social dynamics of Chicago and the United States today. Through a better understanding of and appreciation for this 150-year history, we can be more engaged and thoughtful participants in the present and future that is unfolding here in Back of the Yards.
Team
The Packingtown Museum is curated by Dominic Pacyga, professor emeritus of history at Columbia College and author of the books Slaughterhouse, Chicago: A Biography, and several other books concerning local history. Initial planning was spearheaded by a volunteer organizing committee including John Edel, Ivan Guzman, Alaina Harkness, Jacob Kaplan, Carolee Kokola, Mayra Lopez-Zuniga, Dominic Pacyga, Daniel Pogorzelski, Erica Ruggiero and Jackie Wiese. The museum space at The Plant is provided by Bubbly Dynamics LLC.
Without your support, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Thank you.
Kathryn Tokarz Roberts
Roland Kulla
Mick Souder
Karen Faulkner
Bill Savage
Diane Haleas
Rima Lunin Schultz
Neli Pagano
Lisa Oppenheim
Kris & Nick Grzyb
Graham and Rosemary Peck
Katharine Hamerton & Constantine Megaridis
Steven Corey & Alexandra Filindra
NA Pritz & KM Slomski
Dean Pinos
Meghan Thomas
George & Kathy Jasinski
The Jackroller's granddaughter
Carol Yamamoto
Dr. MZ
Theresa Hemmer
Jim Walker
Bobbi Zabel
Erik Newman
T. Pacyga
Regina Bowgierd & John Kulczycki
Daniel Pogorzelski
James B Dombrowski
Rigoberto & Angela Lopez
My Kind of Town
Jacob Strom
John Donmoyer
Joseph Miceli
Fred and Martha Ash
Elise Zelechowski & Tony Bezsylko
Margaret Garrity
Cynthia Leung
Kenzie Cameron & Steve Dickerson
Patrick Byrne
Kombuchade
Kelley Hanada
Joe Millham
Tom & Anne Kamykowski
WIK
Williams-Clark Family
Jackie Wiese
John Lankford
Claire Schuster
Elizabeth Quinlan
Jeff Jarosz
Katie O'Dea
Candi Huber
Lindsey LaPointe
The Hilt-Diels
Tom & Marge Fashing
Marc Alan Parsons
AG Willis
Isaac Doppelt
Leah Handel
Rebecca Bohrman
Karin Lerer-Blakolmer
Eva Penar
Stacy & Lauren Peters-Pratt
Anthony Casimir Alfaro
Joe, Vanessa & Emmy Seliga
Scott Wozencraft
SmithGroup
Bob Weissbourd
Donna Norkus
D & S McManus
Rebecca
Roy & Kathy Waller
Roy & Marge Lancor
Leo Smith
Elena Smith
Cristin McCurdy
Beatrice Pacyga
Walter Nugent
Sandra M. Colbert
Kathleen Alaimo
Barbara M. Posadas
Michael & Suzanne Caplan
Linda Barnes
Bob Deppen / Insulated Panel Co
Alec Weege
Annette J. Knitter
Erika M Schmidt
Megan McGlynn Scanlon
Peter Hedin
Ryan Green
Carolee Kokola
Drew Huening
Jerry Paluch
Bates
Kim Werst
Mike Donaghue
Harry Meyer
Elaine Enarson
Jack Metzgar
In Honor Of Brendan Scanlon
Thomas Jablonsky
Eric Allix Rogers
Ann & John Keating
Kathy Kean
Noah Vaughn
Damiane Nickles
Claire Feinberg
John Edel
Grace Kim
George Pitsoulakis
Katie Boom
Hildingsson Oshlyansky family
Alaina Harkness & Ryan Wilson
JGBLOOM
Mark Edel
Eric Pearson
Margaret Maloney
Stephen J Navarre
Matt Bergstrom
Vicki Capalbo
Richard & Victoria Wronski
Chad Broughton
Robert Pacyga
Bobby Kennedy
Deborah Mercer
Cheryl Johnson-Odim
Lana Merrill
Christina Schmidt
Kris & Anne Lucius
Vanessa Smith
Scott Kroll
Matt Avery
Kellie O'Connell
Abby Lundrigan
Dori Darras
Joe Germuska
Laura & Daniel Klitgaard
Keefer Dunn
Jason R Williams PhD
Adam Hallihan
Carolynne Kent
Lucas Daniel
W. Sterner & M. Browning
Michelle Nickerson
Robert Slayton
Margaret Hicks
David Gerber
Phil & Gwen Nyden
John Gieger
Victoria Matranga
Just John
Jonathan Pereira
Kassie Hinrichsen
Roger Biles
Timothy Mennel
Susana and Robin Croke
Joseph Gustaitis
Will Guzzardi
Michaelene & Phillip Battaglia
Melody Kokola
Jerry & Joan Dworkin
Deborah & Paul Doppelt
Stockyards Brick
David August Skoog
Kate Goyer
… and several dozen anonymous supporters.
Thank you.
Special thanks to Lewis Purdy for website design and support, and to the entire Bubbly Dynamics team for their incredible efforts on the space and the exhibits, programs and promotion, and all their other behind-the-scenes work.