The park district was formed in 1909 and in 1912 acquired the property of the late Benjamin Sanders , who was Blue Island 's first village president when the village incorporated in 1872 and served as the chairman of the building committee of the Cook County Board after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 . The property included Sanders ' home , which was remodeled into a field house and also provided living quarters for the park 's superintendent . Central Park eventually offered tennis courts , playground equipment , and the community 's first swimming pool . It was vacated by the park district in 1965 when St. Francis Hospital acquired the property for $ 325,000 . ( ) to build its east campus there
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Blue Island, Illinois