Community Corner
Geneva's Irish History, Curiously Enough, Includes 'The Patch'
Courtesy of the Geneva History Center, an interesting fun fact about Geneva's Irish immigrants.
There's more than a bit of old Ireland and an interesting etymological convergence of new media here in this fun fact, courtesy of the wonderful Margaret Selakovich and the .
Research shows that the Irish were one of the first immigrant groups to settle in Geneva. They arrived with the railroad in the early 1850s.
Many of the Irish did the incredibly difficult job of laying the track for the railroad. Others came to this area because they had worked on the Illinois and Michigan Canal (completed in 1848).
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At first, the Irish lived together in an area called "the patch" just south of the railroad tracks on the west side of the river. However, this was not for long as the property in this area was purchased for the Cole/Pope estate—now the Kane County Government Center.
The Irish then moved north of the railroad tracks, or along the west side of the river and south of State Street.
