"Up Yonder in Buena Park” - an in-depth history of Chicago’s Buena Park

Experience the remarkable history of Chicago’s Buena Park with longtime resident and historian Scott Vermillion as your guide. This online presentation takes its title, “Up Yonder in Buena Park,” from the opening line of Eugene Field’s poem The Delectable Ballad of the Waller Lot, which helped immortalize the neighborhood in verse.

The story begins with the Waller estate known as Buena, which gave the neighborhood its name, and follows the evolution of Buena Park through the people, architecture, landmarks, and events that shaped its character over time. While traces of that past remain in the Prairie-style homes along Chicago’s landmark Hutchinson Street District, Scott will take you beyond them to uncover hidden gems and little-known stories largely lost to time.