Lake Forest-Lake Bluff History Museum

Lake Forester, September 14, 1923

The Sloan Repair Shop is circled in red on the 1926 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

Lake Forester, July 26, 1929

1929 Deerfield-Shields High School yearbook

Clifford and Mollie Sloan moved to Lake Forest between 1904 and 1910, residing in the community for nearly 30 years. Both born in Georgia, they were married in Chicago in 1904. Clifford M. Sloan Sr. (1881-1951) owned and operated a blacksmith and repair shop in town. The business was originally called “Lake Forest Wagon Works,” but as automobiles took over the streets, it transitioned to “Sloan’s Repair Works.” The repair shop provided car services to Lake Forest and the space for residents to store or sell their automobiles.

The repair shop was located on Bank Lane, between Deerpath and Illinois. Real estate transfers in the Lake Forester show that in 1918, Clifford Sloan “purchased a 50 foot lot on alley in rear of livery between Deerpath and Oak avenues from John Griffith for $3000.” This allow him to tear down his old shop and rebuild in tile and cement on a larger scale, with a flat above.

By 1930, Sloan’s Repair Shop had moved to 998 North Western Avenue. In the mid-to-late 1920s, the Black-owned homes and businesses in the Bank Lane and Illinois Road district were demolished and ended up relocating; around this time, the new Deerpath Inn was constructed in the neighborhood, as was the new Lake Forest National Bank.

In his oral history interview, Lake Forest resident Robert Bacon recalled that Mr. Sloan had the contract to take care of the horses at the Onwentsia Club, and was especially busy during big events like polo matches and the Lake Forest Horse Show. Clifford Sr. and his wife Mollie (1882-1935) had six children: Maybelle, Edna, Clifford Jr. (1910-1976), Ruth (1912-1978), Nellie, and Jeannette. The family prioritized education – Robert Bacon recalled Clifford Sr. as a “Tuskegee man” and his children went on to graduate high school and attend college. The Sloans were very involved in both school and community activities, and during their time at Deerfield-Shields High School, were featured several times in The Lake Forester for their achievements in athletics, academics, and the arts. Maybelle graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1922 and was voted “Most Bashful” and “Worst Grind” her senior year. Edna and Ruth graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1925 and 1929, respectively, while Clifford graduated in 1928. Clifford Jr. excelled in basketball, tennis, and track while his sister, Edna participated in orchestra.

Ruth received her B.A from Florida A&M University, a historically Black college, in 1934 and also attended the Art Institute of Chicago. She taught for some years in the art department at Florida A&M. The Sloan family moved to Evanston in 1934, shortly before Mollie died in 1935. Both Mollie and Clifford Sloan are buried at Lake Forest Cemetery.

Sloan’s Repair Shop and the Sloan Family