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 ILL HIST. SUWl 
 
VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://archive.org/details/villageoncountylOOduga 
 
VILLAGE 
 OH THE CGXJHTY LINE 
 
 A HISTORY OF HINSDALE, ILLINOIS 
 
 HUGH G. DUGAN 
 
 PRIVATELY PRINTED 
 1949 
 
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
 
 THE LAKESIDE PRESS • R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY 
 
 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. AND CRAWFORDSVILLE. INDIANA 
 

 "k 
 
 
 
 Commemorating Ten Tears of 
 Friends of the Library 
 
 BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1949 
 
 Mr. G. L. Seaton, President Mr. R. H. Trenholme, Vice President 
 
 Mrs. Robert B. Ayres, Secretary Mr. Clifford C. Pratt, Treasurer 
 
 Mrs. Harold T. Moore Mr. Everett Addoms 
 
 Miss Irene Helland, Librarian 
 
 THE HISTORY COMMITTEE 
 Mr. Hugh G. Dugan, Chairman Miss Naidene Goy 
 
 Mrs. Felix Caruso Mrs. Gertrude Ketcham 
 
 Mr. Lester C. Childs Mrs. Chauncey T. Lamb 
 
 \ Mr. Otis R. Cushing Mr. Philip Williams 
 
 BOOK DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE 
 
 Mr. Ernest B. Johnson 
 and a large number of volunteer helpers. 
 
 To avoid the semblance of a textbook, and to minimize expense, this book contains no 
 detailed bibliography. The committee used care in determining its facts, and believes 
 all its sources to be reliable. Any evidence of mis-statement of fact will be gratefully 
 received, and readily acknowledged. 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 THROUGHOUT the past few months I have had an occasional 
 inquiry from Hugh Dugan about some phase or incident of 
 Hinsdale's early life. There is no topic upon which I would more 
 readily or agreeably discourse— dealing as it does with a period that in 
 retrospect has become more precious to me with the passing of each 
 succeeding year. Thus when I learned that his inquiries were part of a 
 material gathering prelude to the writing of a Hinsdale history under 
 the sponsorship of the Friends of the Library, my first reaction was one 
 of unmixed gratification that so worthy a project was being under- 
 taken, and by such an eminently constituted and well-qualified group. 
 Upon further reflection however, this initial enthusiasm gradually 
 gave way to skepticism and apprehension. The more I pondered the 
 matter, the more convinced I became that no one less than a Dickens 
 or a Hawthorne could produce a portrait of that beloved Hinsdale of 
 by-gone days, that would satisfy the critical and exacting demands 
 of all those who had had the great good fortune to have been a part of it. 
 Hence it was not long until I found myself hoping that the attempt 
 would be abandoned rather than carried through to what I feared 
 would be an inadequate and disappointing result. 
 
 But to convey these reservations to Mr. Dugan without appearing 
 unpardonably presumptuous, posed a problem that I shortly decided I 
 had neither the skill nor the temerity to undertake. And now that he 
 and his colleagues have all but completed their work and I have just 
 had the privilege of reading a final proof of the manuscript, how glad I 
 am that I so refrained. My misgivings are dispelled and though many 
 of the older natives could, like myself, cite countless experiences whose 
 inclusion might add flavor to the story, I feel confident they will agree 
 with me that a remarkable job has been done of recreating the Village 
 as we knew it in our youth as well, as recording its less familiar but 
 equally interesting earlier history back through the first settlers even 
 to the glacial age. 
 
 Hinsdale's more recent residents as well as those of the future may 
 find compensation from these pages only to the extent of their explora- 
 
 vii 
 
viii FOREWORD 
 
 tory interest in community background but to the "old timers" the 
 book should be an exciting adventure in reading and also a nostalgic 
 one. At least it was for me. 
 
 Venerable landmarks and institutions, most of them long since 
 gone, come alive again together with many all but forgotten names 
 and faces. A notable example is the old Garfield School before it was 
 enlarged, where a succession of tolerant and kindly teachers— bless 
 them all— accorded me twelve hectic but happy years of education, 
 beginning with kindergarten and ending with high school graduation. 
 Another fond memory that the book awakens is that of the water tower 
 on the school grounds that someone was always climbing to its precari- 
 ous one hundred and fifteen foot summit largely because it was un- 
 lawful to do so; likewise the skating at Beckwith's Pond and the more 
 extensive skating as well as the swimming and fishing and boating on 
 Salt Creek— particularly before its waters were contracted so greatly in 
 1916 with the breaking of the dam. Still others were the gay parties at 
 the Club; the coasting on the Garfield and the Sanitarium hills; the 
 hay-rides and the sleigh-rides; the morning paper routes traversed on 
 the run by high school athletes and incidentally, the medium through 
 which more than one young man, myself included, made his debut into 
 America's system of free enterprise; the Saturday afternoon football 
 and baseball games at the "end of Washington" where Hinsdale's 
 "Town Team" usually vanquished its visiting opponent; and finally, 
 the village rendezvous at any and all hours — Evernden's Drug Store 
 and its beloved proprietors, William Evernden and Nelson Webster. 
 
 How many more such recollections could be recounted — recollec- 
 tions of events and places all inextricably woven into the daily existence 
 of a community not yet so grown that its population wasn't individually 
 known each to the other and a newcomer seldom remained a stranger 
 more than overnight. 
 
 The particular period of which I reminisce was the decade just 
 before and after the turn of the century and even though the Village 
 had been chartered perhaps some twenty-five years previous, I believe 
 that the adults of that period— my parents who came to Hinsdale in 
 1 886 and their contemporaries— could properly be classified among the 
 pioneers of the community. At least they were the later pioneers. These 
 families included prominent Chicago business men who preferred the 
 country, particularly Hinsdale's wooded and hilly regions, to either 
 
FOREWORD ix 
 
 the city or the flat expanses of its more immediate surrounding sub- 
 urban areas. They were cultured as well as capable and the Hinsdale 
 that they encountered during its formative years and that developed 
 under their influence could hardly have resulted other than in a com- 
 munity of character, charm and distinction. They took over their rich 
 inheritance from the founders— the Robbins, the Stoughs, the Walkers, 
 the Ayres— they planted more trees; they paved the streets; they put in 
 the utilities; they established churches and schools— and most impor- 
 tant of all, they enacted ordinances to preserve Hinsdale as a superior 
 residential community. With land relatively low in cost their own 
 roomy houses were surrounded by ample grounds. Every home had its 
 vegetable garden and many had cherry and apple orchards in addition 
 to tennis courts and croquet grounds. And the Village abounded with 
 open fields for baseball, football or any other form of athletics. There 
 was in consequence, vastly more out of door living. 
 
 It was essentially a pedestrian community. Nearly everyone walked 
 to the train or to market or to school and thus individuals met fre- 
 quently if not daily. A community on foot is a gregarious community 
 and such was the Hinsdale of that day— a warm-hearted, sociable and 
 gracious one. 
 
 Differences in degree of material wealth existed, of course, then as 
 now. There were those who were always referred to as the "well to do" 
 and perhaps there was envy at times and small bitternesses here and 
 there. Yet there was very little class society. If someone was ill my 
 mother or some other mother faithfully visited that home with things 
 to eat. My father's diary frequently records an all-night vigil that he 
 would keep at the bedside of some sick friend. None of this was charity 
 —none condescension to ease the conscience— it was neighborliness. I 
 don't mean to imply that human kindliness doesn't abundantly exist in 
 our society today. There are undoubtedly many Hinsdaleans who pres- 
 ently are giving as much if not more of their time and energy to public 
 service than did those earlier ones of whom I write, but our welfare 
 efforts of today are largely supervisory and impersonal. They are per- 
 formed primarily as institutional officers or trustees whereas the minis- 
 trations of those days were direct and intimate. And as such, they were 
 symbolic of the compassion and simplicity and wholesomeness that 
 characterized the age. 
 
 Half a century has elapsed since those days— a half century that has 
 
x FOREWORD 
 
 brought probably as many changes as have ever occurred in a similar 
 period of history. Hinsdale is much larger— therefore less "homey." 
 The strange faces I see these mornings on the station platform far out- 
 number the familiar ones. But the character that the pioneers gave to 
 the community has changed but little. Its citizens of today impress me 
 as evaluating life much as did their predecessors— sharing their love of 
 country and believing staunchly as they did, in Christian living and in 
 the American principles of individual freedom and democratic 
 government. 
 
 I count myself as singularly fortunate to have lived in both eras— 
 to have had my entire life unfold in this beloved village. This book is 
 an authentic and for me a stirring story of its background— bridging 
 the span between those who made it and those who are keeping it. It 
 deserves an important place in every local library and all Hinsdaleans 
 —past, present and future— will be enduringly grateful to Mr. Dugan 
 and his collaborators for the prodigious effort and skill and vision that 
 its production so manifestly reflects. 
 
 Philip R. Clarke 
 February 3, 1949 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
 
 Many old-time residents who, through interviews and voluntary contributions 
 have furnished reminiscences, photographs, and other mementos of the past. 
 
 ESPECIALLY: 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Blackman 
 
 Mr. John G. Bohlander Jr. 
 
 Mr. Chester C. Bratten 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Philip R. Clarke 
 
 Mr. George Coffin 
 
 Mr. Arthur F. Collins 
 
 Mr. Alex L. Dawson 
 
 Mrs. Pearl Dunphy 
 
 Mrs L. M. Fee 
 
 Mr. Wade Fetzer 
 
 Mrs. Courtney D. Freeman 
 
 The late Mrs. Walter Field 
 
 The late Mrs. William Graue 
 
 Miss Bessie Hinckley 
 
 Mrs. Edward F. Hines 
 
 Mrs. William R. Jordan 
 
 Mr. Harry Larson 
 
 Mr. Frederick H. McElhone 
 
 Miss Emma Ostrum 
 
 Mr. Paul Richert 
 
 Mrs. Bruce E. Richie 
 
 Mr. Charles O. Ring 
 
 Mr. Agard Ross 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. George E. Ruchty 
 
 The late Mary E. Saunders 
 
 Miss Gertrude Van Liew 
 
 Miss Alice Warren 
 
 Data collected by Maud Wright Hiatt's Committee for Hinsdale's fiftieth 
 
 birthday celebration in 1923. 
 
 Gilpin Library of the Chicago Historical Society. 
 
 The Newberry Library. 
 
 The Merrill Printing Company. 
 
 The Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. 
 
 Corina Melder Collier, for drawing the pioneer map. 
 
 Mrs. Harold Dunton Mr. Walter M. Givler Mr. and Mrs. Ford Porter 
 
 Wheaton Naperville Warrenville 
 
 FOR TYPING THE MANUSCRIPT: 
 
 Mrs. Robert Sifferd 
 Mrs. Arthur Bethke Mrs. Ernest Root 
 
 Mrs. John Janak Mrs. Frank Skold 
 
 Miss Ruth Riggs Mrs. Fred Townsend 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Foreword ........ vii 
 
 Introduction xvii 
 
 chapter part one Background 
 
 I Land, Stream and Native .... 3 
 
 II White Pioneers 9 
 
 III Black Hawk's Threat ..... 17 
 
 IV Settlement Under Way ..... 29 
 
 part two The Village 
 
 V Brush Hill 45 
 
 VI Coming of the Railroad ..... 69 
 
 VII The Elegant Era 93 
 
 VIII From 1900 Onward 141 
 
 IX Symbols of a Good Society .... 158 
 
 X The Pivots of Village Life .... 167 
 
 Addenda . 187 
 
 Index 193 
 
PICTURES AND MAPS 
 
 Map of the Hinsdale Vicinity in Pioneer Times . . . Front endsheet 
 
 Shabbona, Chief of the Pottawattamies 28 
 
 The Horace Aldrich House 36 
 
 Scene Along the Illinois-Michigan Canal 38 
 
 Bull's Head Tavern 42 
 
 Jacob Fuller's House 47 
 
 School Appointment Certificate 50 
 
 John Coe's Tax Receipt 50 
 
 Castle Inn 52 
 
 Toll Gate House 53 
 
 Household Utensils, 1850 57 
 
 Farm House of Alfred L. Walker 58 
 
 Graue's Grist Mill 60 
 
 Class of 1889, Fullersburg School 66 
 
 Petition for the Railroad 1°>1 1 
 
 Locomotive of 1865 . .......... 75 
 
 The First Baptist Church 84 
 
 Railroad Timetable, 1868 87 
 
 Joel Tiffany's House 94 
 
 Interior of the Tiffany House 94 
 
 The Baker's Dozen ........... 102 
 
 Hinsdale Business District, 1883 ........ 105 
 
 First Graduating Class, Hinsdale High School ..... 107 
 
 Washington Street Crossing, 1883 ........ 108 
 
 Miss Blodgett's First Grade 110 
 
 Hinsdale "Old-Timers" 113 
 
 The Stone School House 116 
 
 Heineman Building, 1895 . . . . . . . . . 117 
 
 The Oldest Existing Dwelling ........ 122 
 
 Members of the G. A. R. on Mr. Allen's Porch . . . , . 124 
 
 Walnut Street, before It Was Paved 133 
 
 Program, Eighth Grade Graduating Exercises, 1893 . . . . 136 
 
 The Grant Street Hill 138 
 
 The Park Hotel 139 
 
 Map of Hinsdale, 1869 . Back endsheet 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 WHEN, at the request of Mrs. Paul Burt, a history committee of 
 the Friends of the Library was assembled, it was decided that we 
 could serve best by collecting information about Hinsdale's past so it 
 could be made available to all who cared to peruse it. Toward this end 
 a fairly large number of pamphlets, books, personal memoranda, and 
 pictures relating to the subject have been accumulated over many 
 months, and this book is mostly a compendium of those data. 
 
 The book makes no attempt to boost the town, or to eulogize any- 
 thing or any person. It carries no banner for a cause. Its only purpose 
 is to relate, as they happened, those events and circumstances which 
 seem especially pertinent to Hinsdale's origin and growth. It is our 
 hope that this has been done in readable form. 
 
 It has been the committee's desire to present as complete a story as 
 possible, but it soon became apparent that there would be restrictions 
 on the size of the book, owing to its limited circulation. So it was de- 
 cided at the outset to make it a story of Hinsdale the Village; a story 
 beginning with the reasons for its being here, and continuing on 
 through the stages of settlement, early, and mid-period growth, but 
 leaving off at the threshold of modern times; at that point where the 
 interests that are purely historical begin to fade. It seemed especially 
 desirable to record those happenings of bygone years that otherwise 
 might be lost to the memory, never to return. 
 
 This plan of procedure has served its practical purpose, that of 
 confining the history within the bounds of a single, medium-sized 
 volume, but it leaves much to be desired; for a great deal of informa- 
 tion, that is of interest concerning Hinsdale, has necessarily been 
 omitted. It has been impossible, for instance, to do justice to the 
 service records of those who took part in World War II. Perhaps some 
 day those records will be preserved in another Memorial War Review, 
 such as the one compiled after World War I. Similarly, it is sug- 
 gested that supplemental data might be prepared dealing with Hins- 
 dale organizations, proceedings of the Board of Trustees, or other 
 phases of village life that are worthy of more detailed treatment. 
 
 xvii 
 
xviii INTRODUCTION 
 
 Certainly some committee of the future should undertake a compi- 
 lation of the town's history following 1930, at about which year the 
 present story terminates. So many people have arrived in Hinsdale 
 since that year, people who have done much to make the village what it 
 is; and interesting events are occurring daily. Modern homes and 
 buildings would take their places among the illustrations. In view of 
 the possibility of such a future undertaking, the preliminary chapters 
 of the present book are somewhat more comprehensive than might be 
 called for by a single volume. 
 
 My parents moved to Hinsdale as recently as 1908, so this history 
 has not been written by a genuine old-timer. This shortcoming has 
 largely been ameliorated by the assistance that has been had in the 
 book's preparation. The writer is most grateful to members of the 
 history committee, and to others who helped furnish the data. 
 
 H. G. D. 
 
 May 2, 1949 
 
VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
chapter i Land, Stream and Native 
 
 HINSDALE, ILLINOIS, lies within the Desplaines River Basin, 
 in which Salt Creek forms a tributary, as do Flagg Creek and 
 the two stems of the Du Page River to the west. The Desplaines origi- 
 nates in southeastern Wisconsin. Its confluence with the Kankakee 
 above Ottawa marks the beginning of the Illinois River. 
 
 During a past age, so many years ago that it is difficult to compre- 
 hend such a span of time, the area now designated as Du Page, Cook, 
 and their adjacent counties was submerged. A shallow sea extended 
 this far inland. Much of the bottom of this body of water became rock, 
 largely through the formation and deposition of marine fossils, and it 
 now comprises the belt of bedrock beneath the surface of our county. 
 The belt extends from New York state to points in Iowa, and the rock 
 has been called Niagara Limestone. It is the only massive rock found 
 in Du Page County. 
 
 For reasons that appear obscure in the reference works on the sub- 
 ject, the bottom of this inland sea, which covered the central part of 
 the continent, slowly emerged. The land thus formed became subject 
 to erosion, the accumulation of soil, and to the furrowing and billow- 
 ing action of glaciers that repeatedly visited the upper Middle West, 
 over eons of time, and through cycles of climatic changes. 
 
 Owing to their tendency to flow, as water flows, these mountains of 
 ice moved, down from the north, carrying much of the land surface 
 with them. Movements of earth have determined local topography, 
 and this, in turn, has influenced the economic and social trends of 
 particular areas. Climate, land formations, and the location of lakes 
 and water courses, formed by the past movements of ice and land 
 masses, have influenced the flow of commerce, and this has had much 
 to do with the location of towns and cities. 
 
 The glaciers brought to this district a heterogeneous mixture of 
 drift, or soil, much of which is stratified, representing the different 
 periods in which it was deposited. Stratified gravels and sands are 
 visible in artificially cut embankments at Lemont, Willow Springs, 
 and Joliet. Old strip mines near Joliet have yielded agate, jasper, and 
 
 3 
 
4 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 other semi-precious stones. The high banks of Salt Creek reveal no 
 layers of drift, but glacier-borne rocks and boulders are scattered along 
 both sides of the stream. 
 
 Along the line where the last glacier stopped in this district, about 
 25,000 years ago, it left a well defined ridge or moraine, roughly 
 parallel to the shore line of Lake Michigan and from five to thirty 
 miles inland, through northern Indiana, Illinois, and southern Wis- 
 consin. This ridge has been named the Valparaiso Moraine, because 
 of its prominence at Valparaiso, Indiana. Hinsdale is situated on the 
 lakeward border of this moraine. 
 
 We are told that the Great Lakes were formed by the glaciers, and 
 that after the last ice sheet had receded, Lake Michigan extended as 
 far west as La Grange. Its shore line at that time has remained as a 
 clearly defined but lesser ridge running north and south along the 
 eastern edge of La Grange. "Chicago Lake," as the older Lake Mich- 
 igan has been designated for geological reference, receded at progres- 
 sive intervals eastward to its present shore line, and the progressive 
 recedings have left other, smaller ridges or "beaches." There is the 
 Glenwood Beach which touches La Grange, the two Calumet Beaches, 
 and the "old" and the "new" Tolleston Beaches. These irregular 
 heights of land seem to converge in a general way, in the area between 
 Riverside and Summit. 
 
 While Chicago Lake was contracting, the Desplaines is said to have 
 emptied into the lake, possibly through a juncture with the Chicago 
 River. "The Desplaines seems to have had a free choice between a 
 course to the Mississippi or to the St. Lawrence. Its present course (to 
 the Illinois and the Mississippi) appears highly accidental." 
 
 The aberrations of that river seem to have been duplicated in a 
 way by two of its tributaries. Most Hinsdaleans are not aware of the 
 fact that the two small streams, Salt Creek and Flagg Creek have been 
 of interest to geologists, especially regarding the directions they have 
 taken, and why they do not join. Both streams occupy a north-south 
 depression within the eastern ridge of the moraine, but Salt Creek 
 makes an abrupt turn to the east, along Spring Road in the Forest Pre- 
 serve, and cuts through the eastern ridge to join the Desplaines, instead 
 of continuing to flow southward with Flagg Creek. (See map in front of 
 book.) A state geological survey, made in 1 909, devotes several para- 
 graphs to this unusual expression of nature. 
 
LAND, STREAM AND NATIVE 5 
 
 Originally, Salt Creek was known as the " Little Desplaines." 
 Later, during the era of hauling goods by wagon, when bridges over 
 streams were few, a wagon load of salt became mired in its muddy bed. 
 The wagon sank deeper, the salt melted, and so the stream got its name, 
 ''Salt Creek." The teamster was one John Reid, and his load of salt 
 was destined for Galena. Flagg Creek was named for Reuben Flagg, 
 an early settler at Walker's Grove, now called Plainfield. 
 
 Another geological survey says the glacial drift at Hinsdale is less 
 than 100 feet deep, and that the underlying limestone contains water- 
 bearing crevices, conditions that are favorable for a large water supply 
 at shallow depths. Untreated, the water is hard, made so by its content 
 of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates. 
 
 There were many natural springs in this vicinity. Western Springs, 
 the neighboring village to the east, derives its name from them, as 
 does Spring Road, north of Fullersburg. As the artesian water table of 
 the region has lowered, the springs have become less numerous, but 
 as late as 1862 a "gusher" spring was recorded, one which broke out 
 suddenly through the earth's crust. This occurred three miles north 
 of Fullersburg. The crater, formed by the eruption, was so large that 
 it was called Mammoth Spring. Salt Creek is partly spring fed, as 
 were some of the ponds that were found on the site of Hinsdale. 
 
 This village lies within a soil belt indicated on the maps as "fine 
 type clay and loam." It consists of these parts: decayed residue of orig- 
 inal rock layers, formed before the first ice sheet arrived, and weath- 
 ered material brought by the glaciers. With the addition of humus 
 formed by the decay of organic matter, the black prairie soil was 
 developed. Although, in spots, its clay content is high, it is especially 
 suited to the growth of corn, wheat, hay, and small grains, the vine 
 crops, potatoes, fruit and vegetables. Flowers of course should be 
 added, as all Hinsdaleans well know. Through many centuries this 
 vital substance accumulated, aged, and matured, to be ready for the 
 arrival of man, both red and white. 
 
 Mr. Charles S. Winslow in his Indians of The Chicago Region says 
 this area was first occupied by the Illinois tribe "as far back as history 
 records." As he points out, Lake Michigan, during the era of French 
 exploration, was called "Lake of the Illinois," and its later name 
 
6 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 "Michigan" was derived from the Metch-i-ga-mi branch of the Illinois 
 nation. The name "Illinois" in the Indian language means strong or 
 capable men. Both Father Marquette, during his short sojourn with 
 the tribe in 1673, and La Salle a few years later, according to the his- 
 torian Francis Parkman, were impressed by the uprightness, intelli- 
 gence, and friendliness of these Indians. 
 
 The principal village of the Illinois was situated on a large flat 
 tract of land on the north bank of the Illinois River just east of the 
 present town of Utica. It was there Marquette visited and preached 
 among them. It was also there that La Salle arrived in the autumn of 
 1680 and found the village deserted, the tribe being far away on its 
 annual hunt. This village too was the objective of various parties of 
 maurauding Iroquois from what is now New York state, one of which 
 Tonti, La Salle's faithful lieutenant, and his small party of French 
 attempted in vain to divert, a year or so later. 
 
 It was undoubtedly the Iroquois who eventually reduced the Illi- 
 nois to a minor position in the region. They made numerous forays 
 against the Illinois, the Fox, and the Winnebagoes, sometimes in the 
 middle of winter, and their audacity and cunning were always the 
 prelude to torture and inhumanities of various sorts, a kind of war- 
 fare with which the comparatively peaceful tribes of the Midwest 
 were unable to contend. This wearing down of the Illinois did not 
 come suddenly. It took a long time. After Pontiac's war of 1764 came 
 to a close, the remnants of the Illinois tribe were practically extermi- 
 nated by enemy tribes here in the west, on Starved Rock, near Ottawa, 
 and following this episode a few scattered members of the tribe were 
 seen living on the western side of the Mississippi. Thus one of the 
 best of the native groups, intellectually, gave way to superior physical 
 force. 
 
 After the Illinois, the Miami temporarily became influential in the 
 Chicago region. The Miami were originally an Algonkian tribe from 
 farther East. They had led the fight against northwestward expansion 
 of the white people following the American Revolution, defeating 
 our Generals Harmar and St. Clair. But they finally gave up the fight 
 after they were badly beaten by Anthony Wayne at Fallen Timbers, 
 in northwestern Ohio in 1794. 
 
 From then on, the Pottawattamie predominated around the foot 
 of Lake Michigan, with the Ottawas and Chippewas as their con- 
 
LAND, STREAM AND NATIVE 7 
 
 federates. Eventually, by treaty, most of these Chicago area natives 
 were removed beyond the Mississippi, in 1835, and the Indian influ- 
 ence in this neighborhood had vanished. 
 
 As far as the vicinity of Hinsdale is concerned, we know little of 
 the part it played in the lives of the Indians. An archeological map of 
 Chicago and vicinity drawn by Mr. Albert F. Scharf forty-nine years 
 ago for the Chicago Historical Society indicates an Indian signal sta- 
 tion on a hill in Proviso Township, in Cook County, a little east of 
 York Road, and gi/£ miles north of Fullersburg. He also shows three 
 Indian camps, one Indian village, a flint chipping station, and a small 
 mound along the banks of Salt Creek. These points are indicated as 
 lying north of the bend in the creek, except for one village located on 
 the north side of Ogden, east of York Road. (See map in front of 
 book.) The evidence on which Mr. Scharf based his conclusions con- 
 cerning the location of these Indian sites is not revealed, but there is 
 no reason for questioning the authenticity of his chart. The Indians 
 were nomads, and their villages were not permanent. It is well estab- 
 lished that the last one in this neighborhood was on ground that is 
 within, or near, the St. Francis Retreat, or Mays Lake property. It 
 was there during the years 1835-40. Also during that same period, a 
 few wigwams and huts were located in the area north of Salt Creek, 
 on both sides of York Road. 
 
 Indian relics of the neighborhood have been found mostly in the 
 Salt Creek areas. Arrow heads and other flint implements continue 
 to be uncovered in the vicinity of the creek. 
 
 Ogden Avenue and Plainfield Road are believed to have been 
 well worn trails before white people arrived here, so perhaps the na- 
 tives of many tribes passed by the site of Hinsdale. Local tradition im- 
 plies the existence of one or two former Indian trails traversing the 
 Fullersburg and Salt Creek area. The "Black Hawk trail" referred to 
 by old-time residents of Fullersburg, and which formerly could be 
 traced over the hill from which Brush Hill got its name, probably was 
 a part of the old southwest trail. When the trail was developed into a 
 road it was made to go around the hill instead of over it. Indians, 
 however, preferred to mount hills in their travels, in order to obtain 
 a view of the surroundings. They were ever alert and on guard. 
 Mr. T. E. Clark old-time resident of Fullersburg said: "The old 
 Indian trail to the Mississippi River was right in front of my house 
 
8 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 and ran directly across the Mays Lake property About 
 
 the year 1 860 some of the Indians from the west used to come on their 
 ponies to visit the graves of their forefathers along the Desplaines 
 River. Old settlers told me of seeing them occasionally." 
 
 Very likely, one or more of the secondary roads of the Salt Creek 
 area was formerly an Indian path, and one of these could have been 
 Spring Road. According to County records, Spring Road was one of 
 the first in this area to be surveyed, and early roads often followed 
 Indian trails. The natives could have needed that route along the 
 creek, the same as the pioneer farmers needed it, as a way of travel 
 between the hinterlands and the main East-West trail. Flowing 
 springs are found along Spring Road, and this further is suggestive of 
 
 an Indian path. 
 
 # # # 
 
 A pleasant, though rigorous, healthful climate; a rich soil; both 
 flat and rolling ground; forest and prairie; and an altogether favorable 
 location for enjoyable living, the pursuit of industrial progress, and of 
 happiness; that was the setting for Hinsdale's origin, growth, and pros- 
 perity. Only a brief three hundred years ago, amid the heavy quiet 
 that must have enshrouded this rolling countryside, broken only by 
 the raucus call of a crow or the eerie whine of a cougar, this setting 
 was in its primeval state. Eventually the paddle of a white man's canoe 
 made little whirlpools in the still, autumn waters of the Desplaines, 
 and this region began to stir from its long slumber. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 White Pioneers 
 
 LOUIS JOLIET and Father Jacques Marquette, after exploring the 
 J Mississippi, returned north by way of the Illinois River. At the 
 large village of the Illinois Indians, mentioned previously, the natives 
 told them of a short route by which they could return to Lake Mich- 
 igan. This was in the month of September, 1673. 
 
 After paddling up the Illinois to the Desplaines, they ascended the 
 latter stream, traversing the southeast corner of this township, to the 
 mouth of a small creek emptying into the Desplaines at a point about 
 midway between the present towns of Riverside and Summit. Pad- 
 dling eastward up this creek a distance of two miles, they found them- 
 selves on a muddy lake. Pushing on, they crossed the lake to its eastern 
 end, from where the party carried its canoes one and a half miles over 
 a stretch of prairie to another stream, which is now known as the west 
 fork of the south branch of the Chicago River. 
 
 The lay of the land which made this portage possible is most 
 unusual and has proved of far-reaching significance to Chicago and 
 to all of its suburbs. For it is there that a slight ridge, the old Tolleston 
 Beach, one of the shore-lines of the ancient Lake Michigan, forms a 
 low continental divide, which was the shortest land barrier to a com- 
 plete water route from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, with 
 all the water courses and their tributaries in between. On one side of 
 this ridge, rainfall flowed to the east; on the other to the west. At 
 times, following the summer rains or the spring freshets, the water 
 levels on both sides of the ridge would meet, enabling the crossing to 
 be made entirely by canoe or batteau. In the drier seasons a portage 
 was required, but at all times, until the railroads came, this was the 
 most direct route between Canada and the Mississippi Valley. 
 
 It was largely the importance attached to this avenue of commerce 
 that led the United States Government to build Fort Dearborn, at 
 the mouth of the Chicago River in 1804. For many centuries the 
 portage had been used by the natives in their travels and migrations. 
 For over a hundred years it was crossed by Indians and whites in the 
 fur trade, by both individual traders and representatives of large fur 
 
io VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 companies. During and after this time, the agriculturists made use of 
 the route. After the middle of the nineteenth century, better and 
 more direct forms of transportation outmoded the old portage, but its 
 place in history is legibly inscribed as the channel through which 
 Chicago's commerce first began to flow. 
 
 Had it not been for this shorter portage, the large center of popu- 
 lation known as Chicago probably would have begun its growth near 
 the longer portage between the St. Joseph and Kankakee Rivers, pos- 
 sibly at Michigan City, and Chicago now would be just another of the 
 small cities along the lake shore, with no suburbs of consequence. 
 Forts Miami and St. Joseph on the St. Joseph River in Michigan, and 
 Fort Dearborn at the mouth of the Chicago River, were all built to 
 guard portages. The portage has been called the "efficient" cause of 
 Chicago. 
 
 A part of Portage Creek, which connects the Desplaines with Mud 
 Lake and the portage, is still in its natural state, although in recent 
 years the surface of the land on both sides of it has been altered con- 
 siderably by bull-dozer and power shovel. A section of the creek that is 
 still in its primeval condition can easily be seen by driving east on 
 47th Street to Harlem Avenue. Turn south on Harlem. A little south 
 of the Santa Fe viaduct, on the west side of the road, there is an en- 
 trance to a small forest preserve. Within this entrance a broad lawn 
 leads south about two hundred yards to Portage Creek. The trees 
 along its banks have never been cut, and probably it now looks much 
 the same as it did to Marquette and Joliet 275 years ago. 
 
 In 1920-23 Robert Knight and Lucius H. Zench, for the Chicago 
 Historical Society, made a painstaking investigation of the chronicles 
 and maps of various explorers and surveyors, from Marquette on down 
 through the 19th century, in order to locate the exact route of the 
 portage, and various points of historical interest in the vicinity. Their 
 findings were presented in a paper read before the Society in 1923, 
 and are now available in a book entitled The Location of the Chicago 
 Portage Route of the Seventeenth Century. 
 
 If any spot in "Chicagoland" can be called the first "community," 
 probably it is Lyons; or at any rate Lyons was born simultaneously 
 with Chicago. For Lyons was situated at "le portage," mentioned in 
 
WHITE PIONEERS 11 
 
 early French writings, not as a town or hamlet, but as a way-station, a 
 meeting place, where roads converged. Here was the western end of 
 the portage, and here also the main trails from the southwest came to- 
 gether, continuing on eastward into another well-traveled way to 
 Lake Michigan, known in later pioneer days as the Barry Point Road, 
 running diagonally from Lyons to Fort Dearborn, and now corre- 
 sponding roughly with Ogden Avenue in Chicago. It was at Lyons that 
 taverns and trading posts were later built. Indian chiefs gathered here 
 for their "pow-wows," among themselves and with the traders. We 
 can imagine that this also was a way-station, where travelers met; an 
 exchange point for news from distant places, such as political and 
 military news, and news about the prices of pelts, trapping grounds, 
 and the prevalence of game. 
 
 At Lyons a British military force encamped during the American 
 Revolution. In 1779 Charles de Verville, a French Canadian in the 
 English service, recruited a company of whites and Indians at 
 Mackinac for the purpose of harrying the American settlement at 
 Peoria. He camped at Lyons on the way down and possibly on his 
 return. 
 
 Origin of the name Lyons is unrecorded. The romantically in- 
 clined might like to connect it with the city in France of the same 
 name, but the early French always referred to the place as "le por- 
 tage." The Chicago Tribune of February 12, 1900 has this to say of 
 the community after white settlement of this area had begun: 
 
 "Lyons is the oldest suburb west of Chicago, so old in fact that all its first 
 settlers have long passed to their reward, and with them has gone memory of 
 the identity of the sponsor of the place, if it ever had one. Lyons it was in 1830 
 when the old Buckhorn Tavern was a noted hostelry on the stage road from 
 Fort Dearborn to Joliet, and Lyons it has persisted in being through all the 
 vicissitudes of time and expansion." 
 
 "David and Bernardus Laughton are known to have settled on the site in 1827 
 or 1828. Elijah Wentworth, who was Chicago's first letter carrier, bringing the 
 mails from Fort Wayne before there was any post office in Chicago, went to 
 Lyons in 1830 and kept, if he did not build, the Buckhorn Tavern." 
 
 This tavern was on the Plainfield Road, southeast of Hinsdale. 
 David Laughton had a trading post on the east bank of the Desplaines 
 a little south of the Chicago-Joliet highway bridge, and according to 
 S. S. Fuller, historian of Riverside, his brother, Bernardus, operated 
 
12 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 an inn on the same side of the river within the present boundaries of 
 Riverside. There is some doubt concerning the exact location of these 
 buildings, excepting David Laughton's trading post. A depression in 
 the ground still remains as evidence of its excavation, in the forest 
 preserve south of Lyons. As far as we know, these were the first, and the 
 nearest, buildings to be erected by white men within the vicinity of 
 Hinsdale. 
 
 •U. A'- Ji. 
 
 "a* *?v" "7r 
 
 Aside from Lyons, the towns in Cook County, before Du Page was 
 set apart, were Chicago, Naperville, Desplaines, Brush Hill, Warren- 
 ville, Keepataw, and Thornton, according to an early map. The area 
 now known as Du Page County is said to have passed through a series 
 of political alignments; to have been a part, in turn, of St. Clair, Madi- 
 son, Crawford, Clark, Pike, Fulton, Peoria, and Cook Counties, before 
 those counties were reduced in size. 
 
 Furthermore, Du Page County and Hinsdale came very close to 
 lying within the state of Wisconsin, instead of Illinois. When Wiscon- 
 sin was formed in 1805 its southern boundary passed westward from 
 the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Organization of the state of Illinois 
 in 1818 brought this boundary line into legal dispute, which finally 
 resulted in its movement farther north. The case of the state of Illinois 
 was based on the circumstance of Chicago serving as a juncture of 
 waterways; the Great Lakes to the north and east, and the Desplaines 
 and Illinois Rivers to the south, and with a new canal in this direction 
 in contemplation. This incident is further reflection of the significance 
 of the old Portage, and of Chicago's importance as a center of trans- 
 portation. 
 
 The year 1 830 is not so very long ago, and yet it was only then that 
 the land of this area began to be used for farming. Prior to 1 830 north- 
 ern Illinois was engaged solely in the fur trade. It was a hunting and 
 trapping ground, with some lead mining done on the side, around 
 Galena, in the northwest corner of the state. The fur trade, from its 
 beginning to its end, was big business. During the period of French 
 occupation it was administered from Quebec, through a system of 
 highly prized outposts, privileges, and concessions, among the most de- 
 sired sources of supply and markets. These were a frequent cause of 
 dispute and intrigue between the Jesuits of France and her empire 
 builders. 
 
WHITE PIONEERS 13 
 
 When the British influence spread westward, starting about 1760, 
 the Hudson Bay Company, the Northwest Fur Company and the 
 Mackinac Fur Company, all English controlled, for a brief span of 
 years took many pelts from our neighboring woods and ravines. Then 
 came John Jacob Astor with his American Fur Company. Astor was 
 instrumental in obtaining the passage of an act through Congress 
 which prohibited foreigners from engaging in the fur trade within the 
 United States, and this gave him a virtual monopoly. It is no figment 
 of the imagination to say that many a beaver, otter, and bear, trapped 
 along Salt and Flagg Creeks went toward the purchase of Astor real 
 estate in New York City. The transition from furs to farming was 
 not an abrupt one. Gurdon Hubbard, the well remembered pioneer 
 trader and Chicago business man, was hauling pelts to his warehouse 
 on the Chicago River when Du Page became a county in 1839, and 
 for several years thereafter. 
 
 Here, as in other parts of America, exploration and trade preceded 
 settlement. The early French crossed the southeast corner of Du Page 
 County many times in their journeys to and from the Chicago Portage, 
 as did hundreds and thousands of traders who followed them, through 
 the Portage, and over the early trails now known as Ogden Avenue, 
 the Plainfleld Road, and the old Joliet Road. Even La Salle, in his 
 notes, mentions a few traders and voyageurs he met in the Illinois 
 country who had preceded him to this region, men who passed through, 
 perhaps many times but left no record of their journeys. 
 
 Among these adventurous commercial travelers, but a man who 
 came long after La Salle, was one Du Pazhe now spelled and pro- 
 nounced "Du Page," a trapper and trader who set up his establishment 
 at the forks of the two branches of the river that bears his name, a few 
 miles south of Naperville, just over the present Will County line. We 
 know little of Du Page other than the facts of his having been here, and 
 of the county having been named for the river near which he settled. 
 He is said to have been an agent of the American Fur Company, giving 
 cutlery, gunpowder, trinkets, and cloth to the natives in trade for bear, 
 deer, beaver, and other pelts which were carried to Mackinac or St. 
 Louis for European destinations. Du Page's post, in 1800 consisted of 
 a number of buildings surrounded by a stockade, around which gath- 
 
14 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 ered the Kickapoo, the Pottawattamie, and the Fox, ready to make 
 their trades. Du Page, as most of the traders, was influential with the 
 Indians and they did not resent his presence. 
 
 With the homesteader, the agricultural settler, it was a different 
 story. Thirty years were to pass before the first venturesome farmers 
 began to erect their cabins along the Du Page, the Desplaines, and on 
 Salt and Flagg Creeks. A massacre occurred at Fort Dearborn in 1812 
 and the Indians remained hostile toward permanent settlers. A hand- 
 ful of prisoners who had survived the Fort Dearborn fight had been 
 brought out to Indian villages along the Fox. English and French 
 trappers, the "Sauganash," and the Couriers du bois, were still free to 
 come and go, as they always had been, but the homesteader was not 
 wanted, and he was slow to arrive. Around Fort Dearborn a hamlet 
 began taking shape, and mention has been made of the accommoda- 
 tions for travelers at Lyons and along the trail to Ottawa. West of Lyons 
 and throughout what is now Du Page County, there was no inhabitant 
 of whom there is a record until the year 1 829. 
 
 In that year Bailey Hobson, looking for a new home, came to the 
 Du Page River district from North Carolina, on horse-back. He chose 
 a plot of land along the southern reaches of the Du Page River, and a 
 year or two later brought his family there. In 1831 Joseph Naper came 
 from Ohio by boat through the Great Lakes. Where the city now bear- 
 ing his name has grown, he built a cabin and a trading house. His 
 brother John followed soon after. Hawley, Blodgett, King, Strong, 
 Murray, Butterfield, Stewart, Landon, Sweet, Rogers, and Paine are 
 among the names of those who arrived in this neighborhood within 
 weeks or months after Bailey Hobson, and who formed the first com- 
 munity of settlers within the present boundaries of Du Page County. 
 This was known as Naper's settlement, but it was a part of the County 
 of Cook, and it soon fell within the political designation of "Scott's 
 General Precinct, Flagg Creek District, Cook County, Illinois." # 
 
 Mrs. John H. Kinzie, wife of the well known trader of early Chi- 
 cago, in her book Wau-Bun, meaning "the early day," has left a picture 
 of this countryside as it was in the winter of 1 830. She and a small party 
 were just completing a journey from Detroit through the lakes to 
 
 * Some local historians, and the pioneer map in the front of the book, indicate Lisle as being 
 the "oldest town" in Du Page County. This is because most of the first arrivals built their 
 cabins within what is now Lisle Township. In the early 1830's, however, that area was con- 
 sidered as being a part of Naper's settlement. 
 
WHITE PIONEERS 15 
 
 Wisconsin; down the Fox River to a point south of Aurora, and from 
 there across country to Chicago by horse-back. Here, let Mrs. Kinzie 
 tell of this last lap of her trip: 
 
 "A long reach of prairie extended from Piche's to the Du Page, between two 
 forks of which, Mr. Dogherty, our new acquaintance, told us we should find 
 the dwelling of a Mr. Hawley, who would give us a comfortable dinner. 
 
 "The weather was intensely cold; the wind, sweeping over the wide prairie, 
 with nothing to break its force chilled our very hearts. I beat my feet against 
 the saddle to restore the circulation when they became benumbed with the cold 
 
 . Not a house nor a wigwam, not even a clump of trees as a shelter, 
 
 offered itself for many a weary mile. At length we reached the west fork of 
 the Du Page. It was frozen, but not sufficiently to bear the horses. Our only 
 recourse was to cut a way for them through the ice. (The Du Page ordinarily 
 is a shallow stream but its depth varies considerably.) It was a work of time, for 
 the ice had frozen to several inches thickness during the last bitter night. Plante 
 went first with an ax, and cut as far as he could reach, then mounted one of 
 the hardy little ponies, and with some difficulty broke the ice before him until 
 he had opened a passage to the opposite shore. 
 
 "How the poor animals shivered as they were reined in among the floating 
 ice! And we, who sat waiting in the piercing wind were not much better off. 
 Probably Brunet was of the same opinion: for with his usual perversity he 
 plunged in immediately after Plante, and stood shaking and quaking behind 
 him, every now and then looking around him as much as to say, 'I've got 
 ahead of you this time.' We were all across at last, and spurred on our horses, 
 until we reached Hawleys, a large commodious dwelling, near the east fork 
 of the river. 
 
 "The good woman welcomed us kindly, and soon made us warm and com- 
 fortable. We felt as if we were in a civilized land once more. She proceeded 
 immediately to prepare dinner for us; and we watched her with eager eyes, as 
 she took down a huge ham from the rafters, out of which she cut innumerable 
 slices, then broke a dozen or more of fine fresh eggs into a pan, in readiness for 
 frying— then mixed a Johnnie cake, and placed it against a board in front of 
 the fire to bake. It seemed to me that even with the aid of this fine bright fire, 
 the dinner took an unconscionable time to cook; but cooked it was, at last, 
 and truly might the good woman stare at the travellers' appetites we had 
 brought with us. She did not know what short commons we had been on 
 for the last two days. 
 
 "We found, upon inquiry, that we could, by pushing on, reach Lawton's 
 place on the Aux Plaines (Desplaines) that night. We should then be within 
 twelve miles of Chicago. Of course we made no unnecessary delay, but set off as 
 soon after dinner as possible. 
 
 "It was almost dark when we reached Lawton's. The Aux Plaines was frozen, 
 and the house was on the other side. By loud shouting we brought out a 
 man from the building, and he succeeded in cutting the ice, and bringing a 
 canoe over to us; but not until it had become difficult to distinguish objects 
 in the darkness. 
 
 "A very comfortable house was Lawton's, after we did reach it— carpeted, 
 and with a warm stove— in fact, quite in civilized style. Mr. Weeks, the man 
 
16 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 who brought us across, was the major-domo, during the temporary absence of 
 Mr. Lawton. 
 
 "Mrs. Lawton was a young woman, and not ill-looking. She complained 
 bitterly of the lowliness of her condition, and having been 'brought out there 
 into the woods; which was a thing she had not expected when she came from 
 the east.' We did not ask her with what expectations she had come to a wild 
 unsettled country; but we tried to comfort her with the assurance that things 
 would grow better in a few years. 
 
 "We could hardly realize, on rising the following morning, that only twelve 
 miles of prairie intervened between us and Chicago le Desire, as I could not 
 but name it." 
 
 The house in which the party stopped for dinner was the home of 
 Pierce Hawley, one of the earliest arrivals in this area. It must have 
 been located near the east branch of the Du Page River, on the west 
 bank, and roughly east by north of Oswego. "Lawton's" place, on the 
 Desplaines, where the party spent the night, was the tavern of Bern- 
 ardus Laughton, trader and innkeeper, who, with his brother David, 
 was mentioned previously. They had formerly conducted a trading 
 post at Hardscrabble, the pioneer name of a district near the forks of 
 the south branch of the Chicago River. It is probable that the furnish- 
 ings of the establishment in which the Kinzie party spent the night, 
 including ''carpets and a warm stove" were unusual for the frontier of 
 that period. 
 
 Although the gathering of homesteaders around Naper's settle- 
 ment was the first in the area to be denominated politically, undoubt- 
 edly there were many other persons who had arrived during or prior 
 to 1831. In those frontier days when the fundamental requirements of 
 existence occupied so much thought and energy, and before county 
 governments were functioning, the keeping of statistics was altogether 
 secondary. With so much desirable land between the Desplaines and 
 Naper's settlement, it is likely that a dozen or more settlers, such as 
 Thomas Covell, mentioned by Harley Mitchell in his Early Chicago, 
 had chosen scattered sites in the Salt Creek-Flagg Creek area at aboul 
 the same time, registered with no precinct and with no record of their 
 arrival having been kept. 
 
chapter in Black Hawk's Threat 
 
 IN 1 83 1 rumblings along the Rock River were heard in Cook County; 
 and it wasn't thunder. A year later the western part of the county 
 was to be touched by war. 
 
 Black Hawk, sometimes called Black Sparrow, was a chief of the 
 Sac, or Sauk, tribe having its principal village and lands on the Rock 
 River, near its confluence with the Mississippi. He had fought with the 
 British in 1812, and rose to his position of authority with the Sauks 
 largely through his ability as a warrier. 
 
 A disagreement arose between the Indians and Whites concerning 
 the site of the Sac village, which culminated in the tribe being ejected 
 and removed to the west bank of the Mississippi, where it remained for 
 several months. During this time Black Hawk made plans for recaptur- 
 ing title to his home territory and for regaining other rights which he 
 believed due his people. 
 
 It is generally conceded that he wanted to avoid open conflict if his 
 purposes could have been realized through conference with the white 
 authorities, but failing in this he was ready to fight, in which event he 
 looked for support from other tribes. His strength in fighting men, 
 among the Sacs alone, was not formidable enough to win in a long 
 struggle, but if reinforced by the comparatively large population of 
 Pottawattamie of the Chicago region, their confederates the Chip- 
 pewa, and by the Fox and the Winnebagoes, a full scale conflict, 
 during which scores of isolated settlers would have been killed, could 
 easily have resulted. The settlers were scattered, out-numbered, and 
 inferior in armaments to the Indians, who had become well equipped 
 with small arms over the years. 
 
 So Black Hawk counted heavily upon support from the other na- 
 tives. (He had been assured of these increments to his forces by a sly 
 old Indian named and known among the tribes as the "prophet," who 
 lived at the place now called Prophetstown.) No doubt the rank and 
 file of these neighboring tribes, having nursed their real and fancied 
 grievances against the whites over many decades, were eager to fall 
 in line. It was not a pleasant outlook for the settlers along Flagg Creek. 
 
 17 
 
18 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 At this point in our story there enters a character who appears to 
 be unique in the annals of the American frontier, an Indian Chief 
 named Shabbonee, or Shabbona, as he was called by the whites. A 
 number of years after the Black Hawk uprising, General Lewis Cass 
 introduced this chief to President Van Buren, in Washington, with 
 these remarks: 
 
 "Shabbona is the greatest red man of the West; he has always been 
 a friend of the whites, and saved many of their lives during the Black 
 Hawk War." 
 
 Born in 1775 on the Kankakee River, the son of an Ottawa who 
 had fought under Pontiac, Shabbona joined the Pottawattamie tribe, 
 became a chief, and was closely allied with the famous Tecumseh, until 
 the latter's death at the battle of the Thames in 1813. From then on, 
 Shabbona displayed traits of character most uncommon for an Indian. 
 He visioned the day when the whites would be supreme in the land 
 and he saw the futility of resistance to white expansion. He urged his 
 tribesmen, for their own good, to adopt the same view. Thus as moni- 
 tor, as well as commander in chief, he was the leader and spokesman 
 for all the Indians of the Chicago region, at the time these events were 
 taking place. 
 
 It was in this spirit that he had argued with Big Foot at Lake 
 Geneva to dissuade that chief from war in 1827. Big Foot was so in- 
 censed, he threatened Shabbona's life and drove him from the village. 
 Five years afterward, and again in the role of conciliator, Shabbona 
 called his chiefs together. 
 
 Early in the month of May 1832, when, according to the frontier 
 "grapevine," war appeared imminent, the Pottawattamies held a meet- 
 ing on the banks of the Desplaines for the purpose of deciding on the 
 stand the tribe should take in the event of hostilities. Although the 
 exact place of this meeting is not given by historians, probably it was 
 held at Lyons because so many trails converged there. It was attended 
 by Shabbona, chief of the Pottawattamies, by Billy Caldwell and Alex- 
 ander Robinson, two half-breed chiefs of the same tribe whose names 
 are mentioned frequently in the history of this region, and by the wife 
 of David Laughton who was a Pottawattamie squaw. 
 
 A full report of this council would be of considerable interest now, 
 but like so many happenings of the past, a mere statement of the fact 
 of the occurrence is nearly all we have. Nehemiah Matson, an Illinois 
 
BLACK HAWK'S THREAT 19 
 
 historian, says that "after some deliberation it was decided to remain 
 at peace. But many of these Indians had ill feeling toward the settlers 
 and were ready to raise the tomahawk as soon as the Sacs and Foxes 
 commenced hostilities." Mrs. Laughton is reported to have remarked 
 to some of those standing by that some of her people were with Black 
 Hawk and would begin to raid the settlements as soon as he gave 
 the word. 
 
 While this meeting on the Desplaines was in progress, the first 
 move of the uprising was taking form. Out on the west bank of the 
 Mississippi, Black Hawk was gathering his followers, his warriors and 
 their families around him, to lead them back to their homeland on 
 the Rock River, and to re-establish themselves on their former lands, 
 peaceably, or by force. When his band landed on the east bank of the 
 Mississippi, the alarm quickly spread. Governor Reynolds decided 
 the regular army contingents in the state, under Brigadier General 
 Henry Atkinson, were insufficient to cope with the situation, and 
 quickly called for volunteers. Black Hawk did not stop at his former 
 village. At the head of his band he marched on, up the Rock. At 
 Dixon's Ferry (now Dixon, Illinois) the Indians crossed the river, 
 and camped a few miles beyond. 
 
 By happenstance, Major Isaiah Stillman, with 240 volunteer 
 militia, out on a reconnoitering expedition, was likewise encamped 
 in the same vicinity, at White Rock Grove, in Ogle County. Black 
 Hawk became aware of his enemy's proximity, but he was not intent 
 on a fight if battle could be avoided. Instead, he sent three envoys of 
 peace toward Stillman's camp. These messengers, while on their way, 
 and carrying a flag of truce, met a platoon of Stillman's soldiers, who 
 were either extremely "green," drunk, or both. The soldiers opened 
 fire, killing two of these emissaries of peace. 
 
 This incident infuriated the Indian Chief. He ordered an immedi- 
 ate attack on the white force, and in the running fight which followed, 
 Stillman's battalion was practically annihilated. The Black Hawk War 
 had started. 
 
 News of this event spread rapidly throughout the frontier. Perhaps 
 the first to hear it were the other Indian tribes and their leaders. In the 
 jabbering native dialect it must have traveled quickly from campfire 
 to village, through the woods and over the prairies. The news reached 
 Fort Dearborn, and it was heard at the scattered settlements, including 
 
20 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 those along the Du Page and the Desplaines. According to one writer, 
 "The story of Stillman's defeat inaugurated a reign of terror between 
 the Illinois and Wisconsin Rivers, and great consternation throughout 
 the entire West." Probably the Indian victory had given the settle- 
 ments an exaggerated impression of Black Hawk's immediate numbers 
 and strength; but if his anticipated allies were to join him, as many 
 thought they would, the consternation was well founded. 
 
 Events of the next few days did nothing to allay the general appre- 
 hension. On Indian Creek, a stream which empties into the Fox River 
 about ten miles above its mouth, forty-five miles south-west of Hins- 
 dale, fifteen members of three families were slaughtered in that 
 fiendish, exuberant spirit of barbarity of which the American Indian 
 was so adept. Rifle, tomahawk, hatchet, and club were used in this 
 attack. After the victims fell they were hacked and butchered. Some 
 were strung up by their ankles to trees or cabin roofs. Two daughters 
 of one of the families, Hazel and Rachel Hall, were taken captive and 
 carried away to a Winnebago village in Wisconsin, where several 
 months later they were ransomed and returned to their friends. A few 
 Pottawattamie were with the Sauks in this massacre at Indian Creek. 
 
 Reverend Hawley, a brother of Pierce Hawley, at whose house Mrs. 
 Kinzie's party had stopped, was tortured and murdered by roaming 
 Indians, not far from the Hawley home. A mile or two from Plainfield 
 Adam Payne was dragged from his horse and beheaded. Possibly there 
 were other, similar depredations near by that have gone unrecorded. 
 
 (Interestingly enough, the name of Girty appeared on the Illinois 
 frontier of these times. During the earlier Indian wars, in Kentucky 
 and Ohio, the name of Simon Girty, the renegade American who 
 helped the British incite the Indians against the settlements, was a 
 household word used by parents to keep their children quiet at night. 
 According to Matson, a Mike Girty was similarly active among the 
 natives of this region during the initial phase of the Sauk uprising. He 
 is said to have been present at the torture of Reverend Hawley, but to 
 have been a friend of Adam Payne. Unfortunately, Mike was with a 
 group of Indians who found Mr. Payne's head a few days after it had 
 been removed, south of Plainfield.) 
 
 Black Hawk was not sure of Shabbona, but he thought the latter's 
 sub-alterns, together with the general war-like sentiment that per- 
 meated the tribes, would win him over. Then too, he of course was 
 
BLACK HAWK'S THREAT 21 
 
 encouraged in this belief by his recent victory. At the first opportunity, 
 he sought and obtained a council with Shabbona. 
 
 Never since then has Illinois seen a meeting such as this one that 
 took place at Paw Paw Grove, near the head of Indian Creek. Accord- 
 ing to P. A. Armstrong, one of the chroniclers of the uprising, ''Black 
 Hawk, mounted upon his favorite milk-white pony, clad in the red 
 coat and epaulets of a colonel of British cavalry, with ponderous sword 
 and belt, came trooping into the Pottawattamie village, followed by 
 Neapope, Pashepaho, and other Sauk chiefs, at the head of the entire 
 band of braves and warriors, accompanied by the beating of tom-toms 
 and the singing of their war songs." On the other side of the council 
 circle, the chief of the Pottawattamie sat with his lieutenants Wau- 
 ponsee, Shemenon, Shaata, and Meaumese. 
 
 Shabbona flatly told Black Hawk that his people would not join in 
 the fight against the whites, "because the palefaces will raise an army 
 whose numbers are like the leaves on the trees" against which the 
 Indians no longer could contend. And this was the decision, not of a 
 pacifist, but of a shrewd and calculating warrior; the one who had taken 
 over command at the Battle of the Thames, after Tecumseh had 
 fallen. Shabbona could not speak for the Fox or the Winnebago, but 
 the Pottawattamie, the Ottawa, and the Chippewa would not join 
 in the uprising. And needless to relate, from that time on, Shabbona 
 and Black Hawk were implacable enemies. 
 
 There still was danger that malcontents among the Pottawattamie 
 would attack the settlers, if they had not already done so. In view of this 
 possibility and of the uncertainty of the next move on the part of the 
 Sauks, Shabbona, his two sons, and two or three of his lieutenants set 
 out on their ponies to warn the settlers of their danger. Up the ravines, 
 across the prairie, and to the cabins fringing the woods and along the 
 streams rode these Mid- Western Paul Reveres. They called at Ottawa, 
 at Holderman's, Hollenbeck's, and Walker's Groves; at the Big Woods 
 settlement (Aurora), at Naper's settlement, and as far east as the 
 Desplaines and Fort Dearborn. Shabbona's pony gave out, and he 
 obtained another from a settler, but finally the mission was accom- 
 plished. 
 
 Immediately, volunteer companies were formed; one under Joseph 
 Naper, called the Du Page Company, and another was recruited at 
 Fort Dearborn. General Atkinson ordered a company stationed at 
 
22 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Joliet to proceed to Naper's settlement, to build a fort there. It was 
 called Fort Paine, in honor of the captain of that company. A few miles 
 south of there, at Walker's Grove, a rough stockade was thrown up 
 around the cabin of one Reverend Beggs, and Beggs became the name 
 of this "fort." 
 
 The women, children, and the elderly at Naper's and at Walker's 
 settlements were transferred to the fort at Chicago, and according to 
 one historian some of them were almost intercepted, near the site of 
 Hinsdale. Out where the old Plainfield Road crosses Flagg Creek, 
 about a mile and a half southeast of the village, the land reaches to 
 considerable heights on both sides of the tiny stream. Thick woods and 
 underbrush at the bottom of that vale would make it an excellent spot 
 for an ambush. According to the legend, it was there, where the trail 
 crosses the creek, that a band of Indians lay in wait for the refugees from 
 Fort Beggs. When, however, the Indians saw the settlers approach 
 under military escort, they decided not to attack, and not to reveal their 
 presence. 
 
 While Fort Paine was under construction, two young soldiers of the 
 Joliet company, named Brown and Buckley, were sent with a wagon 
 to Sweet's Grove near by for a load of shingles. As they approached 
 their destination, Buckley jumped off the wagon to make an opening 
 in a rail fence through which the wagon could pass. At that moment 
 Brown was killed by three rifle balls fired from a nearby thicket. Buck- 
 ley ran back to the fort for aid. When the soldiers arrived at the scene 
 of the shooting, they found Brown's body, but the two horses were 
 missing. A stone in the Naperville cemetery now marks the grave of 
 young Brown. 
 
 An intermixture of tragic and amusing events took place in this 
 neighborhood during that spring and early summer of 1832. In the 
 midst of planting their crops, the farmers had to choose between aban- 
 donment of their lands, or remaining and running the risk of massacre. 
 They were faced with both the imminence and the doubtfulness of 
 war. Dispatch riders frequently passed between Fort Dearborn and 
 points to the west, carrying warnings, pleas, and other messages. 
 
 Those days in this neighborhood are clearly pictured by Mrs. 
 Caroline Strong, wife of Robert Strong, a member of the Naper 
 settlement, in a letter she wrote to her sister back East. Her letter 
 follows: 
 
BLACK HAWK'S THREAT 23 
 
 „, , , 7 ., Fort Paine, July 12th, 1832 
 
 My dear Venilea, J ; 
 
 Our box which our kind friends in Ogden sent us was brought to this place 
 last Monday. It came safe and uninjured. We were very glad of & thankful for 
 the contents; they are very dear on account of their being sent to us such a 
 distance by very dear friends. We were disappointed to see so few letters. We 
 think it a pity so good an opportunity was not better improved. I did indeed 
 laugh on seeing some particular things which you in your extreme kindness 
 & thoughtfulness provided for me. I assure you I have no present use for them 
 but I will keep them a while *k if they continue to be useless to me I will give 
 them to some of my richer neighbors. You know strange things happen some- 
 times & I am not sure but you may want such before I do. I expect before I 
 see you (if I ever have that pleasure) you will be as (word illegible) as (word 
 gone) light can make you. I hope you will make a good choice and not be 
 disappointed or deceived. I hope you will be as happy and contented as I am, 
 then I will be satisfied. Married or not do come to see me. You who are con- 
 stantly surrounded by intimate friends, can have no idea how I (who have seen 
 but one for more than a year) do long to see you. 
 
 I was glad to hear that you continued to have protracted meetings and that 
 exertions are making for the conversion of sinners. O, that a faithful devoted 
 missionary would come into this dark corner of the earth! I wish this for my 
 own sake and for the sake of the wicked wretches around me. You cannot 
 imagine how sin and iniquity doth abound here. It is enough to make one 
 shudder to see how the Sabbath is spent here, particularly by the soldiers 
 stationed here (to whom we have given about one hundred tracts this week) . 
 Surely here the "Harvest is great but the labourers few". Here is a wide field 
 for some missionary to labour in. 'Tis true there are preachers here, but they 
 are not the right kind. A man who would do good here must be one who is 
 willing, for Christ's sake, to deny himself many of the comforts of life, the 
 pleasures of society, meekly and cheerfully to submit to the derision and scoffs 
 of a mocking multitude. We want just such a man as Mr. Sedgewick here. It 
 is thought that if there is not a Protestant church formed at Chicago very soon 
 there will be a Roman Catholic one. There are some good people here & some 
 very bad ones. 
 
 I suppose by now you hear much said of the present affliction of this State. 
 How eagerly must you search for and listen to all the news concerning us! 
 How your affectionate heart must beat with anxious and tender solicitude for 
 the fate of your far off R. 8c C. who are really in the midst of trouble! I tell you 
 I am tired of war times & war fare Sc I guess you would be too if you had to 
 live as I do. For four days after we came to this place we had to live entirely 
 out of doors 'tho we were permitted to sleep under shelter. Since then we have 
 had a comfortable house. There are 2 small rooms & six families to occupy 
 them. There are twenty-two children. There are five or six crying, two or three 
 scolding almost constantly besides all the rest of the confusion naturally ex- 
 pected in such a place as this. And here I am in a crazy chamber (in the midst 
 of this confusion) sitting on my feet, with my paper on a chair, scribbling to 
 you. I tell you this, not as troubles but to let you see how pleasantly I am situ- 
 ated! We stayed at Chicago nearly four weeks when thinking we should be as 
 safe at home as there we ventured to return. A day or two after we got home 
 
24 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 General Atkinson sent forty of his men, commanded by Captain Paine, to 
 build a fort 8c to remain at this place which is four miles from our house. 
 The day after they arrived here one of their men was killed by hostile Indians. 
 The wretches after scalping him escaped with a span of horses. They had 
 lurked about the place a number of days watching the road. We passed within 
 a few rods of them on our return from Chicago. If we had had horses we should 
 probably have lost our lives as these animals seem to be their first object. 
 Where they find two or three men alone with horses they are sure to kill the 
 men and take the horses. Where there is no danger of discovery they mangle 
 them in the most horrid manner. Some were found, their heads in one place 
 and bodies in another. Some with their eyes picked out 8c noses cut off. One 
 man's body was cut to pieces, his entrails taken out and wound around his 
 neck. One's heart was taken out 8c cut and chewed to pieces. But our unworthy 
 lives are still spared, our Heavenly Father has delivered us from dangers seen 
 and unseen whilst our neighbors (literally speaking) have fallen victims to 
 the blood thirsty savages. Two months ago we were quietly pursuing our 
 labours, thought not of danger or interruption, especially from such a quarter. 
 But what a contrast! What before was peace 8c prosperity was suddenly re- 
 versed into scenes of fear, distress 8c poverty. Homes were deserted, farms left 
 uncultivated, large droves of cattle left to range unmolested their boundless 
 fields. Now, people are just beginning to creep out of their hives 8c tremblingly 
 take a peep at their old homes which I assure you do not look as though they 
 had ever been inhabited by human beings. Some houses where the unfortunate 
 owners were providentially permitted previously to escape, were visited by 
 Indians 8c everything destroyed. It was not carried off or burned but left in 
 the house to aggravate and distress the now destitute owners. Good furniture, 
 iron ware, crockery smashed to atoms, clothing and bedding torn and cut to 
 pieces. Murdered cats, dogs 8c hogs lay about the house. Other houses with 
 their contents were burned. I never before realized the uncertainty of life so 
 much as at present. Never before did I feel the importance of living every day 
 as though it were our last to be so spent. I never felt so little desire to accumu- 
 late worldly riches as at present. I look abroad upon the earth covered with all 
 that is lovely 8c inviting to the eye. It looks mournfully pleasant but emptiness 
 8c vanity fear 8c danger seem to be inscribed upon everything I behold. In imagi- 
 nation I visit all parts of the earth. I find war, pestilence, famine or discord of 
 some kind raging throughout the whole of this sin abounding world. I cast my 
 thoughts upward where there is such infinity of bliss, such abounding never 
 ending happiness awaiting those who live as they ought to 8c then I wonder 
 why poor shortsighted mortal / am anxious to have her days lengthened out. 
 Yet, there is one tie, one strong tie which binds me to earth. There is one, a 
 frail worm like myself for whom & with whom I would wish to live still longer. 
 Here is human nature! With this desire would a mere nothing in the shape of 
 a man wish to hurry his Maker, counteract His Own Almighty Plans 8c stoop 
 to the gratification of his desires 8c wishes? O, pray for me all my praying friends 
 that I may be enabled to say from the heart "My Father, Thy Will be Done." 
 If I am not deceived I feel that it is good to be in the hands of the Lord— I 
 feel sweet confidence in commending myself to him. I wish to put all my trust 
 in him. 
 
BLACK HAWK'S THREAT 25 
 
 It is thought there is little or no danger about here at present. The two 
 young ladies who were taken prisoners by the Sac Indians were ransomed by 
 the Winnebagoes & assisted by them in getting to their uncles. Their parents, 
 brothers 8c sisters fell victim to the tomahawk & scalping knife. The young 
 ladies said they were well treated. A young Indian Chief was calculating to 
 marry one of them as soon as the war was over. 
 
 Tell your Ma that since she has sent me some "certain small furniture" I 
 would like to have her remember a promise she used to make to me when 
 I took care of her children in her absence. If she remembers it she had better 
 select one or two of the best nurses out of the family 8c send them along. I 
 would be willing to make her think it was time to fulfill her promise if I knew 
 that would bring any of you here. Tell F. I thank her for her letter. I will 
 answer it in a year or two if I have an opportunity to send it. I must bid you 
 good bye 8c say a few words to Fidelia in answer to her diverting letter. Write 
 again 8c do not forget your sincere friend & sister 
 
 Caroline Strong 
 
 On the margin of the letter, is a post script written by Robert 
 Strong: 
 
 "P.S. Gen. Scott is expected to march with his troops, in the course of a day 
 or two from C. against the Indians. His soldiers are recovering of the cholera. 
 Two steamboats have arrived loaded with troops." 
 
 Mrs. Strong, like Mrs. Kinzie, was better schooled than most of the 
 pioneer folk of their times and her letter is the only one found in 
 Chicago or vicinity giving a first hand personal impression of those 
 days along the Du Page. 
 
 President Andrew Jackson evidently considered the Black Hawk 
 uprising sufficiently serious to warrant the services of one of his best 
 commanders, for in the early summer of 1832 he ordered General 
 Winfield Scott, with a suitable force, to the scene of hostilities. The 
 contingent came West by steamboat, an innovation in that day, though 
 the boats carried sail as auxiliary power. While on their journey 
 through the lakes, an unexpected and violent attack of the Asiatic 
 cholera broke out among the troops. This was a new disease in Amer- 
 ica, which had filtered down from Canada, where it first appeared. 
 While contending with this epidemic, the force landed at Chicago, on 
 
 July 9- 
 
 In regard to this sojourn into the West, Winfield Scott, the hero of 
 Lundy's Lane, Queenstown, and later one of the commanders of our 
 
26 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 expedition into Mexico, makes the following remarks in his memoirs: 
 "In 1832, Indian hostilities of some magnitude broke out against the 
 then frontier settlements of the upper Mississippi. Brigadier Gen- 
 eral Atkinson, a dear friend of the autobiographer collected such 
 
 forces as were at hand— regulars under Colonel Taylor, with a much 
 greater number of Illinois volunteers— and marched against Black 
 Hawk and his - - Sacs and Foxes, who were supported, not only by the 
 sympathies, but material secret aid, of their neighbors the Winnebago 
 tribe. As the example of Black Hawk was likely to become infectious 
 among many other Indians in that quarter— Sioux, etc., Scott, who 
 commanded at the time in the eastern half of the United States, was 
 ordered to the northwest, with a respectable number of regulars." He 
 goes on to tell of the cholera, the landing at Chicago, and of subsequent 
 events. 
 
 The troops, considerably reduced by disease, soon were moved to 
 an encampment on the Desplaines at the site of Riverside, for convales- 
 cence, and with orders to proceed northwestward as soon as the men 
 were able to travel. Scott, with three members of his staff, immediately 
 proceeded in two wagons over the road we call Ogden Avenue. They 
 arrived at Fort Paine (Naperville) by sun-down. While spending the 
 night there Scott wrote a letter, of which this is an excerpt: "I am 
 hastening via Dixon's Ferry and Galena to Prairie du Chien, or, with 
 three officers, to join Brig. Gen. Atkinson. Colonel Eustis and all the 
 well men will follow nearly in my route in three or four days. The 
 cholera had, on my leaving Chicago this morning, nearly subsided." 
 (Note the trip from Chicago to Naperville, with doubtless a stop at 
 the encampment on the Desplaines River, was made in one day.) 
 
 When the main body of troops was able to move, it marched north- 
 ward on the east side of the Desplaines to a point corresponding with 
 present-day Maywood. There it forded the river and took a trail 
 through Wayne and on to Beloit, Wisconsin. A few young farmers in 
 the Du Page district served as teamsters for Scott's force. One of these 
 was Robert N. Murray, who, fifty years later was Judge of Du Page 
 County. 
 
 Over the years we have heard the legend in Hinsdale of "Scott's 
 army passing through Fullersburg," and possibly some of it did pass 
 this way on the return journey after Black Hawk was defeated; but the 
 force did not return as a unit. As often happens after military opera- 
 
BLACK HAWK'S THREAT 27 
 
 tions, Scott's army came back in disconnected groups. In fact, a few of 
 the soldiers who retained their health did not return at all. They 
 decided to settle in Wisconsin or in Illinois. 
 
 Those families from the Desplaines valley who went to Fort Dear- 
 born for protection had a disagreeable time of it. The Fort was so 
 crowded that most of them camped out, in the vicinity. The Clybourns, 
 a pioneer Chicago family, and others, furnished the refugees with food 
 while they were there, but as time went on, the refugees began return- 
 ing to their settlements, especially when Scott's troops arrived with 
 the cholera. 
 
 The question might be asked: "How did General Scott know, in 
 those days before the telegraph, what the situation was out on the fron- 
 tier, and what direction he should take in pursuit of the enemy?" The 
 answer is found in a small group of fleet-footed scouts who surveyed 
 the field for the General, way beyond the Fox River, and returned to 
 headquarters before the army began to move. 
 
 The news they brought was most reassuring. Black Hawk's band 
 was in full retreat, and was in fact crossing the Wisconsin border, with 
 Generals Dodge and Henry in pursuit, at the time Scott's force began 
 its march. On August 2nd at the battle of Bad Axe in southern Wiscon- 
 sin, which almost degenerated into a massacre, the last serious obstacle 
 to white settlement in the Middle West was voided. 
 
 Thus the Black Hawk uprising, for this neighborhood, was a threat 
 rather than a war. The conflict is remembered for the turmoil it caused, 
 and for certain participants who were, or later became, prominent. 
 Aside from Winfield Scott and Henry Atkinson, there were these 
 among the Federal troops and volunteer militia: Abraham Lincoln, 
 Jefferson Davis, Zachary Taylor, Robert Anderson, and Henry Dodge. 
 A resident of Brush Hill, (later called Fullersburg, and now a part of 
 Hinsdale) was a member of Joe Naper's volunteer Du Page Company. 
 His name was Sherman King. A relative of General Scott now lives in 
 Hinsdale, in the person of Mrs. Willis L. Blackman. 
 
 Before leaving that episode, which had its bearing upon the history 
 of this locality, there is one tribute that cannot be over-looked, a 
 recognition of the services of the Indian Shabbona.* Let the tribute 
 be given by Gurdon Hubbard, one who knew him well: " — From my 
 
 * But for him, Black Hawk's threat could have been a stark reality, especially for those in 
 this neighborhood where the Pottawattamie dwelt in such large numbers. 
 
28 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 first acquaintance with him, which began in the fall of 1818, to his 
 death, I was impressed with the nobleness of his character. He was ever 
 a friend to the white settlers, and should be held by them and their 
 descendants in grateful remembrance." 
 
 Chicago Historical Society Photo 
 
 He kept trouble away from Robert Strong, Thomas Covell, 
 and their neighbors. 
 
 Evidently the photographer thought it appropriate for Shabbona to be holding 
 a bow and arrow, a weapon his generation had discarded. 
 
chapter iv Settlement Under Way 
 
 To this new land, like a new sun 
 They came in days now long since gone 
 And like the silver spears of light 
 That drive the sable hosts of Night 
 They ushered in Du Page's dawn. 
 
 —From Ode to Old Settlers of Du Page County 
 
 AS MIGHT BE EXPECTED, the close of the Black Hawk up- 
 L rising heralded a flow of migration to Cook County, including 
 as it then did, Du Page, Will, and Lake counties. The danger had gone, 
 the land was fertile, climate agreeable, and Chicago was just beginning 
 to give indication of its commercial potentialities. An inviting land 
 finally was opened to eager immigrants. 
 
 At first the newcomers arrived mostly from other states, largely 
 from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, in the 
 order given. Soon, this interstate migration was supplemented by those 
 coming from foreign lands. The foremost countries from which they 
 came were Germany, England, France, Ireland, British America, 
 Sweden and Norway, Switzerland, Scotland, and Denmark. 
 
 The first settlers to be recorded in Downers Grove Township, the 
 township in which Hinsdale is situated, were, according to Richmond's 
 History of Du Page County, Pierce and Stephen Downer, a Mr. Wells, 
 a Mr. Cooley, and Horace Aldrich. In addition, there was John J. 
 Monell, "a land speculator and settler" who purchased from the Gov- 
 ernment in 1830 the original tract that now comprises most of Claren- 
 don Hills. 
 
 With a rapid increase in population from this time forward, the 
 economy of the area, its centers of population, and its political align- 
 ments began to take form. Soon after Naperville, the settlements of 
 Warrenville, Brush Hill (Fullersburg), Downers Grove, Winfield, 
 Du Page Center (Glen Ellyn), Babcock's Grove (Lombard), Addison, 
 Cass, Cottage Hill (Elmhurst), and Bloomingdale, in the approximate 
 order of their settlement, came into being. Then Itasca, Western 
 Springs, Hinsdale, Roselle, Clarendon Hills, and Bensenville started 
 to grow. Each little community had its reason for being there, these 
 
 29 
 
30 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 reasons relating to fertility of the soil, attractiveness of the surround- 
 ings, or transportation facilities. Proximity to transportation in most 
 instances, however, was the locus casus of nearly all these towns. Brush 
 Hill and Naperville were on the southwest highway. Bloomingdale and 
 Addison found the northwest highway convenient. Elmhurst, Lom- 
 bard, and Glen Ellyn grew up on the old St. Charles Road. When the 
 railroads were built, the four lines, now running suburban trains 
 through the county, roughly paralleled old highways, serving villages 
 already established, and brought new towns into being along the rails. 
 
 For many years the first settlers to arrive here, and throughout 
 northern Illinois, were plagued with troubles concerning the claims to 
 their land. Most of the land had not been surveyed before the home- 
 steader arrived and the survey at the time of making claim often was 
 crude and inaccurate. So many a family found, after having lived on the 
 property for a year or two, that its claim overlapped the claim of an- 
 other, or vice-versa. This state of affairs was further aggravated by the 
 presence of numerous speculators or "land sharks" throughout the 
 frontier. Claim protection societies were organized in the county in 
 order that their members might protect themselves in their claims 
 until the Government surveys were completed. The foremost of these 
 was the Big Woods Claim Society. These groups did much to bring 
 order out of chaos in the matter of title to the surrounding land. 
 
 Later, a county agricultural society was formed, "to promote a 
 friendly intercourse among the citizens, as well as improvement and 
 enterprise in the cultivation of the soil, the raising of stock, and the 
 manufacture of useful farming and household utensils." This organi- 
 zation sponsored county fairs, the first two of which were held at 
 Naperville, the third at Wheaton. Its minute book now rests in a glass 
 case in the Wheaton Court House. 
 
 The first arrivals built their cabins along the fringes of the woods, 
 and near a stream too, wherever such combined advantages could be 
 found. Timber was useful as fuel, for fence building, furniture, and 
 many other purposes. The sinking of wells was not easily accomplished 
 during those early years, and water was needed for both the household 
 and the live stock. Prairie land was the least wanted, but it too was 
 claimed, after the more desirable sites had been occupied. The first 
 settlers in this county were representative of the typical American 
 pioneer; honest, hard working, close to the soil. The frontier for many 
 
SETTLEMENT UNDER WAY 31 
 
 years was rugged, unpoliced, and lonesome, but not entirely devoid of 
 amusements and community events. 
 
 The year 1835 saw a mass exodus of the Indians from this area. By 
 treaty, and by persuasion in one form or another, the Pottawattamie 
 and their tribal associates agreed to leave this part of Illinois for lands 
 beyond the Mississippi. On the appointed day, they gathered in large 
 numbers in the vicinity of Lyons. There Colonel J. B. F. Russell met 
 with Chiefs Caldwell, Robinson, and La Fromborse to make final ar- 
 rangements for the journey. The long procession passed through Brush 
 Hill, and after several days, the new home at Council Bluffs, Iowa, was 
 reached. It is interesting to note that these tribes later were removed 
 from there to Kansas where they prospered better than most Indians do 
 on the reservations. Shabbona eventually returned to his grove near 
 Ottawa, and Alexander Robinson to his farm on the Desplaines. 
 
 Preoccupation with settlement, the establishment of farms, means 
 of transportation and markets for their produce probably was the cause 
 of a delayed interest in politics and political subdivisions on the part of 
 Du Page and Salt Creek settlers, but as the population increased, these 
 additional precincts were formed: 
 
 NAPERVILLE DEERFIELD DU PAGE 
 
 WEBSTER WASHINGTON BIG WOODS 
 
 ORANGE 
 
 The area of Brush Hill fell within the Washington Precinct. 
 
 It was at about this time, before 1 840, that the proposal arose of 
 separating this area from Cook and of creating a new county. But there 
 was opposition to the move, in one of the local Precincts at least, as 
 indicated in the following story found in the Daily Chicago American 
 of December 5, 1835: 
 
 "A meeting of the citizens of Cook County, convened at the house of Capt. 
 Joseph Naper on the 21st. day of Nov. 1835, for the purpose of considering and 
 acting upon the proposed erection of a new county, to be composed in part 
 from a portion of the territory to be taken from this. Capt. Joseph Naper 
 was called to the chair, and William Smith and George W. Lard, chosen as 
 Secretaries. The object of the meeting having been stated from the chair, it 
 
 was 
 
 Resolved, that a committee of three be appointed by the chairman, to pre- 
 sent to the meeting, resolutions expressive of their sense of the proposed divi- 
 sion of the County of Cook— when Nathan Allen Jr., Stephen J. Scott, and 
 William Smith, were appointed such committee. 
 
32 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The committee, by their chairman, reported the following preamble and 
 resolutions, which were adopted unanimously, 
 
 Whereas, a new attempt is now making to divide the County of Cook, with 
 the view to the erection of a new county, by which the interests and conveni- 
 ence of many of the good citizens of our said County would be seriously and 
 injuriously affected: and whereas the period has not yet arrived, when the im- 
 portant business sites are sufficiently developed to designate the permanent 
 location of the public buildings required by such new organization: and 
 whereas most of us are but planted upon the soil, and upon unsurveyed lands, 
 very illy prepared to contribute beyond the current expenses of our families: 
 and whereas, the public interest does not, in our judgment, in any sense require 
 any new seat of justice in this section of our State, nor any new corps of public 
 officers to administer our laws, or fatten upon our property: and whereas, we 
 are so connected with our present seat of justice by the common and necessary 
 business relations of life, as materially to mitigate the inconveniences and lessen 
 the expenses incident to the discharge of public duties in infant communities: 
 and whereas we cannot but view* this renewed attempt to divide our territory, 
 and draw us away from our chosen and convenient channels for the trans- 
 action of public business, to places unconnected to us by any natural or im- 
 portant business relations, to be premature, and prompted by a spirit of self- 
 ishness, alike regardless of the public good or general convenience. Therefore 
 Resolved, That we firmly and unyieldingly oppose said project by every lawful 
 and honorable weapon in our power. 
 
 Resolved, that we will protest against the passage of any law setting off any 
 part of Cook County, as at present impolitic and uncalled for. 
 
 Resolved, that we recommend to our fellow citizens of the different precincts, 
 to express their views upon the subject before us. 
 
 Resolved that the proceedings of this meeting be published in both the 
 
 newspapers printed in Chicago." 
 
 Joseph Naper, Chairman 
 
 W. Smith ) c , . 
 _, TAT T V Secretaries 
 G. W. Lard^ 
 
 Editorially, the Chicago American pronounced the conclusion 
 drawn at the meeting as being "just and satisfactory." The necessity 
 of dividing Cook County was deemed not yet to exist, and it was 
 thought that Cook County, undivided, would have a stronger repre- 
 sentation in the Legislature. 
 
 About a year after this protest meeting at Naperville, the Demo- 
 cratic party of Cook County held its first convention. The location of 
 this gathering, remembered as the Flagg Creek Convention, was on 
 the Plainfield Road, near Flagg Creek, at the combined tavern and 
 post office operated by Joseph Vial. It was not far from another tavern, 
 the one owned by Elijah Wentworth, brother of Chicago's first mayor. 
 Delegates came on horseback and in wagons from all over the vast 
 
SETTLEMENT UNDER WAY 33 
 
 territory then comprising Cook County. The taverns could not have 
 held them all, so it must have been partly a camp meeting. This event 
 serves as evidence that there was quite a settlement to the southeast of 
 us at that time. The settlement later gave rise to the Lyonsville Church, 
 still to be seen at the juncture of Wolf and Joliet Roads. Descendants 
 of Joseph Vial now reside in La Grange. 
 
 Although there was local sentiment, as well as sentiment in 
 Chicago, toward retention of the status quo, as far as county boundaries 
 were concerned, we know that four years later, in 1839, Du Page 
 County finally was set apart as a separate political entity. The reason 
 for this rather quick change of opinion is not clear unless it merely 
 reflected the growth of the region, which was more rapid than had been 
 expected. Whatever the cause, the local people did change their minds, 
 and the petition for division was granted by the Legislature. The 
 Chicago America?! of May 8, of that year published the result of the first 
 county election, and had this to say editorially concerning the new 
 division: 
 
 "We sincerely hope that the new county will learn somewhat wholesome les- 
 sons from its mother Cook, and shun its follies, while it emulates (if any it can 
 find) its virtues, let it avoid if possible, its debts and embarrassments; let it 
 strive to keep its orders in good credit and at par. The law which creates it, 
 secures a good fitting out for public buildings. Under the management of faith- 
 ful and intelligent commissioners, we wish it all desirable prosperity." 
 
 The first county election soon followed, and the political parties 
 which presented their candidates to the voters were the Whig Party 
 and the Loco-Foco Party. The offices voted upon were those of Sheriff, 
 County Commissioners (6), Clerk of the Court, Treasurer, Probate 
 Justice, Surveyor, and Coroner. The Whigs were completely vic- 
 torious, carrying the majority for every office. The term "Loco-Foco" 
 was applied to what later became the Democratic Party, or, initially to 
 members of that party. The name had its origin in New York. The 
 Whigs were the forerunners of the Republicans. 
 
 News from the surrounding counties was given considerable prom- 
 inence in the Chicago newspapers of those days. Then, there was not so 
 much difference in size between Chicago and other towns, and the tele- 
 graph had not arrived to bring news quickly from more distant places. 
 
 Another event in the lives of the pioneers was the "general" wolf 
 hunt, participated in by large numbers of people. Richmond, in his 
 
34 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 history of the county, quotes an early citizen of Downers Grove, giving 
 a description of a hunt which occurred during the 1 840's. Parts of the 
 description follow: 
 
 "Until within a few years this part of the country was infested with wolves, 
 which were a source of great annoyance to the whole community. The farmers, 
 however, were the principal sufferers by their depredations; for sometimes 
 whole flocks were destroyed and scattered by them in a single night. To rid 
 the country of these mischievous animals it was the custom for all who were 
 able to 'bear arms', to rally once every year for a wolf hunt, which was usually 
 a scene of much amusement, and oftentimes of most intense excitement. These 
 expeditions were conducted in various ways. The general hunt, which was 
 perhaps the most common, was conducted upon the following plan: 
 
 "Notice of the time of starting, the extent of country to be traveled over, 
 and the place of meeting, which was usually at the common center of the circle 
 of territory to be traversed, was first given to all the participants in the hunt. 
 At an early hour on the morning of the day appointed the hunters assembled 
 and chose a captain for each company, whose duty it was to station members 
 of the company at short intervals on the circumference of the circle alluded 
 to, and then the game was completely surrounded. At a given time the line 
 of hunters began their march, and when they had approached near enough 
 to the center to close in and form a solid line, they halted and remained sta- 
 tionary, while the captains advanced with their sharpshooters to ascertain 
 whether any game had been surrounded." 
 
 We are told that as many as sixty wolves were known to have been 
 ensnared in this way during a day's hunt. Unfortunately, deer too were 
 often among them, and usually were shot, along with the wolves. These 
 hunts were conducted on foot or on horse-back. 
 
 No American custom has its roots more thoroughly entwined in our 
 history and tradition than is found in the Fourth of July celebration; 
 and no American locality has observed this day more faithfully or more 
 appropriately than our immediate neighborhood from pioneer times 
 to the present. 
 
 The celebrations were different in the earlier period. Fireworks, as 
 we know them, were not manufactured; addresses broadcast over the 
 air were a long distance off; parades, with decorated floats were con- 
 fined to only a few of the larger cities. There were no carnivals with 
 booths and amusement devices. But the frontier Fourth of July was 
 none-the-less an institution for the people who engaged in it, and they 
 gave up the greater part of the day for the observance, because it often 
 involved a journey of several miles to the farm of some neighbor where 
 the celebration was held. Invitations were issued to relatives and 
 
SETTLEMENT UNDER WAY 35 
 
 friends. Speeches were prepared; and so was a large home-cooked 
 dinner, to be eaten out of doors. 
 
 Mr. Horace Aldrich, one of the earliest settlers in this township 
 held such a celebration at his farm house out on Ogden Avenue in the 
 year 1839, and it was reported in the Chicago American on July 19 of 
 that year. This newspaper account is given here almost in full because 
 in its quaint way, it paints such a clear picture of the Fourth celebra- 
 tions of that era: 
 
 FOURTH OF JULY 
 DU PAGE COUNTY CELEBRATION 
 
 "A numerous company of ladies and gentlemen assembled on the 4th of July, 
 at the house of Horace Aldrich to celebrate that eventful day; and although 
 the notice given was short, the number attending, their smiling faces, the 
 spirited ceremonies, and the cheer of our host, left nothing to be desired. 
 
 The company walked in procession to a neighboring grove, where the com- 
 mittee had made arrangements for their reception. The Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence was read, in a style peculiarly fitting that important document, by 
 John W. Walker, Judge of Probate. The oration was delivered by James C. 
 Hatch, Esq., in which he enforced the propriety of commemorating the 'Glori- 
 ous Fourth' by pointing out the lessons it should teach, the advantage gained, 
 and by contrasting and showing our celebration of that day to proceed from 
 causes and principles, to which the celebrations of the most enlightened na- 
 tions, ancient or modern, ought not be compared. 
 
 The ceremonies being completed, the company returned in the same order 
 and sat down in the garden to a dinner, the excellence of which was acknowl- 
 edged by the ample justice done by all to the abundance of good things pro- 
 duced. S. M. Skinner, Esq., was President, and N. B. Moreton Vice-President. 
 The following toasts, among others, were proposed. 
 
 REGULAR TOASTS 
 
 1. The day we celebrate— Consecrated by the noble daring of gallant hearts, 
 in defense of Freedom, Home, and Country, may it ever be observed 
 3 cheers. 
 
 2. The fifty-six Signers of the Declaration of Independence— The heaviest 
 fifty-six the world ever saw; the whole strength of Great Britain could 
 not move them. 6 cheers. 
 
 3. Washington the father of his country. 
 
 4. The President of the United States. 
 
 5. The Congress of the United States. 
 
 6. The heroes of the Revolution. 
 
 7. Our Country. 
 
 8. The State of Illinois. 
 
36 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 9. The Internal Improvements. The vessel of State, though a staunch bark, 
 and emulous to outstrip some of her elder sisters, has evidently more sail 
 than ballast; let her reef, her top-sail and gib- keep her main-sail to the 
 wind trim ship- have a good hand at the wheel, and there is nothing to 
 fear; she will steer between the Scylla and Charybdis. 6 cheers. 
 
 10. The Northeastern Boundary Question— May Queen Victoria not under- 
 take to jump Uncle Sam's claim till she is out of debt. (This referred 
 to the state of Maine's boundary dispute) . 
 
 1 1 . The Press. 
 
 12. The County of Du Page— Divided in politics, subdivided by interest; may 
 she add virtue to patriotism, subtract envy from interest, multiply unity 
 of sentiment by a desire for the public good, and reduce the whole to 
 practice; the result will be peace and prosperity. 6 cheers. 
 
 13. The Fair America. 
 
 The Chicago newspaper reported each of the foregoing toasts in 
 full. Only enough of them have been quoted here to indicate the 
 nature of the celebration. 
 
 Judging from the general tone of this gathering and from the 
 known population of the county in 1839, friends must have been in- 
 vited from far and wide. Can we not picture the scene as the celebration 
 came to an end: as the sun went down and the shadows lengthened, the 
 
 Chester C. Bratten Photo 
 
 The Horace Aldrich house as it appears today. 
 "A numerous company of ladies and gentlemen assembled on the Fourth of July." 
 
SETTLEMENT UNDER WAY 37 
 
 guests bid good-bye, walked out to a neighboring grove where they had 
 hitched their horses; mounted, or climbed back into their wagons, and 
 were off for home, to arise early the following morning. 
 
 See page 36 for a picture of Horace Aldrich's house as it looks today. 
 It is situated on the north side of Ogden Avenue four miles west of 
 York Road. 
 
 Throughout the history of the Chicago region there was a continu- 
 ous need of more and better transportation. From 1 835 onward, the 
 westward migration of new settlers was a continuous procession. They 
 came, they departed, and many remained. In Chicago, during thirty or 
 forty years of the middle 1800's, the Post Office handled such a large 
 volume of mail for transients, that the newspapers were called upon to 
 publish long lists of persons passing through, or who had not yet settled 
 down, for whom letters had arrived at the Post Office. There were 
 "ladies' lists" and "gentlemen's lists," and these continued until after 
 the Civil War. 
 
 This influx of new people meant growth— of towns, farms, factories, 
 and all phases of life. This expansion had to be served by the transport 
 of people and goods from one place to another. 
 
 Steamboats were introduced on the Great Lakes and the navigable 
 rivers in the 1 830's, but aside from these natural water courses Chicago 
 had poor transportation in all directions. The first major attempt 
 toward the betterment of transportation facilities was the Illinois- 
 Michigan Canal. In 1816 a treaty between the United States and the 
 Indians had ceded a strip of land twenty miles wide, running diago- 
 nally from the southern end of Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. 
 This tract was set out for the purpose of digging a canal to connect the 
 lake with the river, thus improving upon the natural Chicago portage. 
 The canal was begun in 1835, completed in 1848, and served until 
 1910, during which time it had a useful and romantic existence, carry- 
 ing a great deal of traffic from the south branch of the Chicago River to 
 the Illinois River at LaSalle. 
 
 During those years, the call of the canal-boatman to his mules, and 
 the crack of his long whip were familiar sounds in Willow Springs, 
 Summit, and Lemont. Business reached its peak in 1865, when 275 
 barges were in operation. Several travelers of the period, some of them 
 
3» 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Chicago Historical Society Photo 
 
 Scene along the Illinois— Michigan Canal in the 1880's. 
 Travelers of the period have left written accounts of their trips along this waterway. 
 
 from distant lands, have left written accounts of their trips on this 
 water-way. 
 
 The dry bed of the canal is still there, also the tow-paths, and 
 some of the locks along the way. The canal company's office building 
 still can be seen at Lockport. As far back as 1673 Louis Joliet had 
 envisioned this canal, cutting across the portage, and some of the 
 great-grandparents of present-day Hinsdaleans helped to make it pos- 
 sible by investing in the company's shares. Although the State Legis- 
 lature attempted to protect those investments by prohibiting the early, 
 paralleling railroads from carrying goods at rates lower than those 
 charged by the canal boats, the canal was doomed to a slow demise. The 
 rails, and another canal; the present Sanitary 8c Ship Canal, dug and 
 maintained by the Government, put it out of business. 
 
 The growth of farms in number and productivity, and the growth 
 of centers of population, was accompanied by further extension of 
 roads for wagons and coaches, and a rapid increase in the number of 
 those vehicles. This, in turn, called for taverns and hotels. One of the 
 most colorful phases of life in early Chicagoland, and one which 
 
SETTLEMENT UNDER WAY 39 
 
 touched the immediate neighborhood of Hinsdale, was the era of the 
 stage coach. Hinsdale is situated between two of the best traveled 
 routes over which those cumbersome vehicles lurched from Chicago 
 to Galena and to Ottawa. 
 
 Prior to 1831 the old southwest highways, Ogden and Plainfield 
 Roads were in their "natural" state, having been beaten down through 
 the centuries by the passage of Indian and trapper. For travel by foot, 
 they probably presented an agreeable surface, but the coming of 
 wheeled vehicles brought ruts and mud holes. 
 
 At a meeting of the first court of the newly organized Cook County, 
 in 1 830, a resolution was adopted for improving the road leading from 
 Chicago to Plainfield, and of Ogden Avenue as far west as the Des- 
 plaines River. These are the first recorded instances of road improve- 
 ment in this region, but the work consisted mostly of straightening and 
 widening, without much betterment of the surface. During all the 
 years before the Civil War, the highways of this district were rough, 
 muddy, and dusty, and often treacherous, especially at those points 
 where inadequate bridges were thrown across the streams. Little skill 
 went into their construction and they were quite unsafe, especially 
 at night. 
 
 The first stage coach line from Chicago to the southwest is said to 
 have been opened by Dr. John L. Temple. In 1834 his line ran to St. 
 Louis, using the Plainfield Road for the first leg of the journey. The 
 next line to pass through here, or at any rate the first to advertise a 
 regular service, after 1834, was a line operated by John D. Winters. 
 The following advertisement was inserted by him in the Chicago 
 Morning Democrat, Sept. 11, 1841 : 
 
 STAGE LINE 
 
 CHICAGO TO GALENA 
 
 VIA DIXON'S FERRY 
 
 FARE THROUGH TO GALENA $5 
 
 Leaves Chicago 
 
 Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday 
 
 at 4 O'clock a.m. via 
 
 Brush Hill, Downers Grove 
 
 Naperville and Aurora. 
 
 Mr. Winter's line had only a brief tenure, because it was soon super- 
 seded by the line of Frink and Bingham, later known as Frink and 
 
40 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Walker. This firm operated stages over both of the southwest highways 
 and within a few years had obtained Government contracts for carrying 
 the mails throughout several of the mid-western states. The company 
 was highly regarded for its service under the trying conditions then 
 existing on the frontier highways. According to its advertisements, $12 
 became the charge between Chicago and Galena. 
 
 Judging from everything we read about the roads of those days, 
 and traveling accommodations in general, the chief impression to be 
 gained is how bad they were. These included crowded coaches, deep 
 depressions in the roads filled with mud, highwaymen, delays, dirty 
 taverns, poor food, and long periods of waiting between connections. 
 
 Milo Quaife in his Chicago Highways, Old and Neiv makes these 
 observations concerning early travel by stage: "The traveler who em- 
 barked upon an extended journey by stage committed himself to a 
 venture whose outcome no man could foresee." In the taverns there 
 was little privacy, the beds were likely to have been slept in by various 
 guests and without a change of sheets, before the traveller arrived. 
 Flies and insects shared the accommodations. "If a generalization may 
 be attempted," says Mr. Quaife, "it would be that the food served in 
 pioneer taverns was abundant as to quantity; commonly, however, 
 there was little variety in the menu, and both quality and manner of 
 service left much to be desired. Charles Cleaver, a prominent citizen 
 of Chicago, who came West in 1833, records that the staple bill of 
 fare of the typical tavern was bread, butter, potatoes, and fried pork, 
 but variations, both seasonable and otherwise were occasionally en- 
 countered." The traveler who could spend the night at a private home 
 was fortunate, even though the home were only a cabin. All the early 
 taverns were not uncomfortable, of course. Then, as now, each place 
 was operated according to the attitude and ideas of its proprietor. But 
 the general run of stopping places on the stage routes were below par, 
 even for those times when modern conveniences were unknown. 
 
 Taverns of those days, in this neighborhood, were the Laughton's, 
 previously mentioned, the Buckhorn and Vial establishments on the 
 Plainfield Road, Castle Inn and the Grand Pacific at Brush Hill, the 
 Tremont operated by Thomas Andrews in Downers Grove, Mark 
 Beaubien's Toll Gate Inn, a few miles east of Naperville, the Pre- 
 emption House in Naperville, Grave's Tavern in Lisle Township, and 
 Mong's Tavern in Elmhurst. 
 
SETTLEMENT UNDER WAY 41 
 
 "Engineers," continues Mr. Quaife, "were scarce in the western 
 country, and the early bridges were rude structures, oftentimes of 
 wonderful architecture. Some were known as 'shaking bridges,' others 
 as 'floating bridges.' One of the latter type spanned the Desplaines on 
 the Chicago-Elgin road in the early forties. It was composed of planks, 
 laid down on stringers which floated in the water." When wagons 
 passed over this bridge it sank beneath the surface and rested on the 
 bottom of the river, there preventing the wagon wheels from sinking 
 into the soft bed of the stream. But the planks often came loose and 
 floated away, increasing the difficulties for the next team of horses, or 
 oxen. 
 
 In 1857 a pi ece °f nostalgic fiction appeared in the Chicago Maga- 
 zine, which has long since discontinued publication, describing an 
 easterner's journey by stage from Chicago to Ottawa in the 1840's, and 
 revealing incidentally something of the story writing style of those 
 days: ". . . He left in the night in one of John Frink's stages, on the 
 route toward Ottawa; to say road at that time would be trenching on 
 the veritableness of history. He paid his fare to the good Mr. Stowell, 
 the stage agent, and while he looked into his face and saw his honest 
 good nature standing out, he felt as if the light of Massachusetts had 
 fallen upon him. The old coach had much of a home look about it; it 
 seemed the very same thing, the red body and green stripes, that twice 
 a week came down over the hill, rolling and pitching like a ship on the 
 waves, down by the old homestead (back east) .... Daylight sprang 
 upon him and revealed to him the bright green of the prairies, twenty 
 miles south-west of Chicago 
 
 The carriage and delivery of mail, and express packages, during the 
 stage coach era is a most fascinating subject, one that could make up a 
 book of its own. In the newly settled districts, letters were taken to the 
 main centers along the highways by stage. From there they were carried 
 by men on horseback to the more remote settlements. To obtain these 
 letter carriers the Post Office Department inserted in the newspapers 
 long lists, in fine print, under the heading: proposals for carrying 
 the mail, between different points. Persons desiring the work would 
 then put in bids for the various routes that were open. 
 
 The transportation of boxes, chests, and packages was accomplished 
 by no established system or service until express companies such as 
 Adams and Wells Fargo came into being. Even then, the sizes and 
 
42 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 weights of the packages carried were closely limited, and many were 
 the hazards and uncertainties of delivery. 
 
 Roads were a serious problem in the 1830's and 40's, as attested by 
 the various discussions and complaints on the subject that appear in the 
 Chicago newspapers of the period. 
 
 "So far as our experience has extended," says one paper, "we have 
 never seen worse roads than that to Barry's Point and five miles west to 
 Doty's on the Naperville Road. (This was approximately Ogden 
 Avenue as far west as Riverside.) In an enterprising community like 
 ours, such obstacles to commerce and inland trade ought to be re- 
 moved. ... If the Commissioners of this county will not do it, let them 
 authorize the city to make the road. But in all events let the road be 
 made." It was the deplorable condition of the city approaches to the 
 southwest highway that accounts for Ogden Avenue, both in and be- 
 yond Chicago, having been the first road to be covered with wooden 
 planks. 
 
 The idea of building plank roads came from Canada where many 
 
 Chicago Historical Society Photo 
 
 Bull's Head Tavern was the eastern terminus of the southwestern plank road, which 
 extended to Brush Hill on the west. The building was located at Ogden Avenue and 
 Madison Street in Chicago. Later, it was moved to the corner of Ogden and Harrison, 
 
 where it stood until ipio. 
 
SETTLEMENT UNDER WAY 43 
 
 stretches of marsh land had been made passable by this means, and 
 after it was introduced to the United States the idea spread rapidly. 
 The Southwest Plank Road, as it came to be known, extended from 
 Bull's Head Tavern at the corner of Ogden and Madison Street in 
 Chicago, to Brush Hill (Fullersburg) reaching the latter point in 
 1850. It was a one lane road, eight feet wide, made of planks three 
 inches thick placed crosswise on parallel log stringers which were 
 embedded in the ground. 
 
 It naturally followed that this first plank highway, which ended at 
 the Cook County boundary line, would be extended on to the west. So 
 we find that in 1847 Morris Sleight of Naperville was authorized by 
 the "Commissioners Court" of Du Page County to "establish a plank 
 causeway from Naperville to the east and west lines of said county, 20 
 feet wide to connect with a plank causeway to be built in Cook County, 
 the following schedule of prices to be charged for use of the plank 
 road": 
 
 Carriage, cart, or buggy (one horse) . . . 25^ 
 
 Carriage and two horses 37 l A$ 
 
 Horse 10^ 
 
 Head of cattle 4^ 
 
 Hog 3<f 
 
 Sheep 3^ 
 
 These fees were collected at toll gates. 
 
 The southwest plank road was built and maintained as a private 
 stock enterprise and was such an immediate financial success that five 
 other plank roads were soon under construction leading in as many 
 directions from the city. Good transportation between Chicago and 
 points West, for a few years at least, was assured. 
 
 Better roads were a commercial necessity, quite aside from any 
 consideration of the traveler's comfort. Produce from the farms, mines, 
 and timberlands had to be taken to the towns and cities. There was no 
 way of doing this except by wagon, and these vehicles became ex- 
 tremely numerous, especially on the main roads, before 1855. The 
 towns of this neighborhood were not known as "suburbs" in those days. 
 This district was out in the country, and farming was the principal 
 occupation. 
 
 A Mr. Hunt of Naperville, who remembered the plank road from 
 there to Chicago wrote, some years ago— 
 
44 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 "Yes, we thought that we had a good thing when we got the plank road. 
 Our town was always crowded with farmers on their way to Chicago. They 
 came from miles around. This was the only good road into the city. The string 
 of teams never ended. It was like the belt of a great pulley, with its sheaves at 
 Chicago and Naperville, the full wagons going up on the right, the empty 
 coming back on the left (the drivers vice versa) . In the busiest seasons the 
 wagons had to keep their places as exactly as a rope. If a kink got in the line 
 anywhere, the whole machine was stopped." 
 
 This most celebrated of the plank roads, the "Southwestern," was 
 so called from Chicago to Fullersburg. From there to Naperville it was 
 the "Oswego" plank road. It ended at Naperville and was never ex- 
 tended to Oswego, but extensions were completed to Warrenville and 
 to St. Charles. For about ten years the plank road boosted traffic be- 
 tween Naperville and Chicago. It was just a day's journey between the 
 two places, and Brush Hill was a convenient stopping point, about 
 mid-way. 
 
 Deacon Horatio N. Field, an ancestor of the Walter Fields of Hins- 
 dale traveled through Brush Hill on the plank road many times from 
 Galesburg. When Knox College was being built there, wagon owners 
 were asked to go to Chicago for loads of brick for the college buildings. 
 Horatio Field offered his services and "many a trip was made over the 
 plank road with a load of brick to help erect the new college." 
 
 A notice in the Chicago Journal February 5, 1 850 said: "The whole 
 amount of stock of the Naperville and Oswego Plank Road has been 
 taken." This venture was, for a while so popular, and so many of Naper- 
 ville's leading citizens had stock in the enterprise, that Naperville 
 refused to allow the Chicago and Galena Union Railroad to build 
 through their town. So when the plank roads deteriorated, Naperville 
 was isolated for a time, until the building of the Chicago Burlington 
 and Quincy. 
 
 The plank roads did not last, for obvious physical reasons. They 
 wore out, and periodical replacement of the planks was found less 
 economical than the surfacing of the roads by other means. Rock 
 crushers were coming into use. And there was a good deal of talk about 
 a new means of transportation that was meeting with considerable 
 success in South Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsyl- 
 vania. It was called the "rail road." 
 
chapter v Brush Hill (Fullersburg) 
 
 CLASSICAL POEMS have been written about such commonplace 
 transitory objects as a daisy, or a butterfly; and enduring passages 
 of prose retain for posterity an autumn landscape, or the sound of a 
 running brook. Brush Hill, too, is such an object. Not for its accom- 
 plishments, not for its affluence or grandeur, will it be remembered, 
 but just because it was a picturesque little hamlet with a character so 
 representative of early America. That is reason enough for a place in 
 history. 
 
 It was settled by sturdy homesteaders from the east who first built 
 their cabins on prairie and timberland surrounding the site of the 
 village that was to grow there. Then a tavern was built, to lodge the 
 newcomers until they could make up their minds where to stake their 
 claims, and the transients who decided to move on, in hope of finding 
 a more likely spot. After a while the tavern keeper was made Postmaster 
 to handle letters to and from the neighboring settlers. Gradually there 
 was felt the need of a store, a church, a blacksmith, a shoemaker, a 
 doctor, a carpenter, and the town came into being. Yes, there were 
 thousands of Brush Hills throughout the length and breadth of our 
 land. 
 
 But there are some features of its history that are unique in this 
 hamlet: for one, various notable persons passed this way even before 
 Chicago was large enough to boast of many such of her own, for the 
 community straddles one of the ancient southwest highways, the origin 
 and beginnings of which go back so far as to be unrecorded. For cen- 
 turies perhaps, this road was traversed by leading Indian chiefs, their 
 squaws, warriors, and couriers, from the first habitation down to 1835 
 when most of the Indians of the region were removed. There were the 
 chiefs Checagou during the French era, and later such Indian notables 
 as Keokuk, Black Partridge of Fort Dearborn massacre fame; Wanata 
 "the charger," grand chief of all the Sioux; Mahaska, chief of the 
 Ioways; Red Wing, Big Foot, and Black Hawk, principal enemies of 
 our first settlers, and many others who came out of the West to the foot 
 of the big lake. 
 
 45 
 
46 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Three small armies, and other military detachments, marched past 
 the site on which Brush Hill grew. In 1730 there was De Villiers, with 
 50 Frenchmen and 500 Indians on their way to battle with the Fox at 
 Maramech, near Piano, 35 miles west of here. During the Revolution, 
 Charles de Verville and his band marched from Lyons to Peoria over 
 the Ogden or the Plainfield Road. The Black Hawk uprising saw 
 several of the locally recruited companies pass and re-pass the site. 
 Winfield Scott and members of his staff drove through. Some say he 
 named the place, but this probably never will be known for sure. The 
 prairie schooners of countless Forty-Niners and others, whose deeds 
 now are inscribed across the histories of the far West, passed here too. 
 
 There were statesmen and soldiers who used the road, between 
 Chicago and western points, during both war and peace: Lincoln, dur- 
 ing his residence in Springfield, and before the Illinois Central Rail- 
 road reached there; Stephen Douglas, Zachary Taylor, during his 
 Mid- Western army service, also Albert Sydney Johnston, and Henry 
 Dodge; Ulysses Grant, while he was a resident of Galena, and Governor 
 Lewis Cass of Michigan very likely were among those who passed 
 through on Ogden Avenue at one time or another, before the rails 
 came. So the main road through Fullersburg is a well-worn street over 
 whose dirt, plank, macadam, and concrete, in their turn, have traveled 
 many of the great, the near great, a host of the unknown, and un- 
 doubtedly many a frontier reprobate. 
 
 This also was the birthplace of Loie Fuller, a dancer of interna- 
 tional reputation. It was the site of a grist mill which served the farmers 
 over a wide area for many years. And it is now a part of Hinsdale. 
 
 We do not know who was the first man to settle on farm land 
 adjacent to the town, or who was the first to occupy a lot on the town 
 site. Elisha Fish could have been the first, or Jesse Atwater, John Tal- 
 madge, Orente Grant, or John Rieder; it makes no great difference, 
 but we do know that these were the first five to settle on or near the site 
 of Brush Hill. Probably the next was Sherman King who moved there 
 from Naperville, and who had been a member of Joe Naper's mounted 
 volunteer company in the Black Hawk War. Soon afterward, the 
 Fullers and the Torodes arrived. Orente Grant very likely was the first 
 to set out a lot and build within the town, because it was he who erected 
 Castle Inn, the first hotel, and this occurred before the town was 
 platted. The others established farms near by, mostly north along Salt 
 
BRUSH HILL 
 
 47 
 
 Photo lent by Mrs. Pearl Dumphy 
 
 Jacob, the father of all the Fullers, built his house west of Spring Road, 
 north of Thirty-First Street. 
 
 Creek. There probably were no dwellings within the present village 
 boundaries when Castle Inn was built. There were no surveyors 
 around as yet, so these people, and many of those to follow, simply drew 
 the boundary lines of their property between certain designated trees 
 or rocks. Mostly the land was "preempted"; that is, it was settled on 
 with the intention of establishing exact boundaries later. Legally, this 
 was permitted. 
 
 Benjamin Fuller, one of those many progressive young men of New 
 York State who was able to anticipate Horace Greeley's well known 
 piece of advice, came West, riding a horse, in the year 1834, seeking a 
 likely spot to make his home. This survey led him to Brush Hill, with 
 which place he was so well pleased that he went home for other mem- 
 bers of his family. He convinced his wife, Olive, his father, Jacob 
 Fuller, his mother, and his five brothers and six sisters, of the attrac- 
 tions of this locality, so they all packed up and moved, sight unseen, but 
 with utmost confidence in Benjamin's judgment. Time has shown their 
 confidence to have been well placed. 
 
 Three of the daughters came overland with the family by wagon, 
 
48 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 the other three girls preferring a steamboat through the lakes. These 
 new boats in those days were popularly known as "propellers," and it 
 took the girls six weeks to reach Chicago from Buffalo by this novel 
 means of travel. Mr. and Mrs. George E. Ruchty, from whom most of 
 these facts have been gathered, do not know how much time was oc- 
 cupied in the overland journey, but most of the pioneer treks by wagon 
 from eastern states took well over a month. After completing the final 
 lap through the swamps west of Chicago, they finally reached high 
 ground in what is now York Township where they settled, in 1 835, on 
 land that Jacob purchased from the Government. This land comprised 
 most of the area afterward known as Natoma Farm. 
 
 The sons of Jacob and Candace Fuller were Benjamin, Morell, 
 Ruben, Lewis, George, and David. The daughters were Mary, Louise, 
 Tammy, Ann, Harriet, and Katherine. Mary, the third daughter soon 
 became the first school teacher, the first in this vicinity in fact. She went 
 by foot from the house of one pupil to that of the next, always accom- 
 panied by two large dogs, Pedro and Nero, for protection against the 
 wolves that often roamed through the high prairie grass that grew in 
 the fields at that time. Mary married Barto Van Velzer, who came here 
 from New York State. He purchased land that is now the Mays Lake 
 property, helped in laying out the plank road, and became toll-gate 
 keeper at Brush Hill. Barto and Mary had ten children, and their house 
 is still standing where the toll gate spanned the highway, east of Cass 
 Street (York Road). See page 53. 
 
 Benjamin Fuller platted the original town, and purchased land on 
 both sides of the main highway. Morell served as drum major in the 
 Civil War, and all of the sons and daughters became good citizens of 
 the growing village. Their numbers increased until many of the people 
 in the town were either a Fuller or a relative, and so it has been through 
 the years. 
 
 Following the earliest settlers of the Salt Creek area, there came the 
 Thurstons in 1837, tne Goes in '39, Marvin Fox in '50, the Wagners in 
 '55, and John Hemshell in '59. "The folk tales of the 1830's and '4o's 
 mention few women, but undoubtedly there were women, who were 
 mostly busy with the family chores . . . ." All of the Pottawattamie 
 Indians did not leave with the main body of the tribe when it was 
 removed from this region, and some of them lingered on the north 
 bank of the creek, both east and west of York Road, at the time the 
 
BRUSH HILL 49 
 
 neighborhood was being settled. ''They were good and kindly neigh- 
 bors, and the children of the Indians and those of the white people 
 played together. Benjamin Fuller showed the Indians how to shoe 
 their horses." It is said that the Indians, as an expression of their grati- 
 tude, presented his son with a pony. Mrs. Levi Pease, an early arrival, 
 remembered seeing Indians in their canoes on Salt Creek. 
 
 The late Mrs. Harvey Brookins, daughter of Morell Fuller, in her 
 notes alludes to this small community of Indians and tells of her father 
 having had Indian playmates as a child. Among the Brookins family 
 antiques are a deer gun, candle mold, spoon mold, and harvesting 
 cradle, brought to Brush Hill by her grandparents when they came 
 West. 
 
 The first school house in Brush Hill, according to Mrs. Brookins, 
 was built by Lieutenant King in the early 1850's. The Hinsdale Public 
 Library's historical collection contains several of the original papers 
 pertaining to the building and the administration of this school, among 
 them being minutes of the school director's meetings, cost accounts 
 relating to construction, and a check-sheet which records the attend- 
 ance of each student throughout the year. 
 
 These papers recall the names of many Brush Hill residents of that 
 period. Among them are: Richards, Bedell, Parker, Mclnder, Sackett, 
 Carpenter, Couch, Porter, Cable, Hanson, Huchins, Pitts, Sucher, 
 Winchop, Sutherland, Ketcham, Kinyon, Avery. 
 
 Just before the opening of the school, the directors invited the 
 School Commissioner of Du Page County to come over for an inspec- 
 tion and to give them a talk. The Commissioner replied as follows: 
 
 Naperville Dec. 6, 1853 
 To G. M. Fox, M. D. 
 My Dear Sir: 
 
 In compliance with your request I will endeavor to be at Brush 
 Hill on Friday the 16th inst. to address the people of your neighbor- 
 hood in your new school house. The meeting I suppose will be in the 
 evening, somewhere from six to seven o'clock. If the weather shall be 
 stormy you will not expect me. 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 H. Brown 
 
 On Page 50 the certificate appointing Miss Caroline Bates as the 
 teacher is reproduced. 
 

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BRUSH HILL 51 
 
 How did these early farmers around Brush Hill live? They brought 
 with them a good heritage from their New England or German an- 
 cestors, a few hand tools, utensils, and small pieces of furniture. 
 Fertile land was easy to obtain for a comparatively low price. There 
 was plenty of game in the woods, also crab apples, berries, and fish 
 in the creek. Clothing was more of a problem; also certain required 
 manufactured articles were scarce, but taxes were low, and farm life 
 was healthful. 
 
 Here, as elsewhere on the frontier, currency was not plentiful so 
 farmers did much bartering, with labor, goods, and produce. Certain 
 manufacturing of a crude sort, mostly in the form of wagons, small 
 implements, and shoes, took place in settlements such as Brush Hill. 
 These articles were used or consumed near the place of their manufac- 
 ture. After 1845 ^ became increasingly easy to obtain manufactured 
 goods in Chicago, only a day's journey, one way, weather and road 
 permitting. Salt, tea, and coffee also were purchased there; that is, until 
 John Coe and others opened their general stores. 
 
 The Du Page Historian, a publication of the Du Page County His- 
 torical Society, gives us these glimpses of life on the early local farm: 
 
 "The first cabins were constructed of logs fitted closely together and mortised 
 
 with mud Nails were scarce so wooden pegs were used instead. The 
 
 stone fireplace .... was used for both cooking and heating, except in warm 
 weather when much of the cooking was done out of doors. Candles afforded the 
 only illumination. Flint and steel were used to start the fire. (Matches, patented 
 in this country by Alonzo Philips in 1836, were long a luxury) . 
 
 "Hospitality was warm, and the traveler was given the best in the house 
 and invited to stay as long as he liked. The newcomer was given assistance if 
 he needed it, his hosts helping him to build his cabin and even donating live 
 stock if he had none. Only one rule the new settler might not transgress and 
 remain popular with his fellows. He must not criticize the new country, com- 
 plain of its disadvantages, or talk of the superiority of the place from which 
 he had come. 
 
 "Every blacksmith with an inventive turn of mind was tinkering with plows. 
 Sometimes mold boards of cast iron were tried on the plows by way of improve- 
 ment. (The Oliver plow, the first factory-made plow in the United States, was 
 not manufactured until 1855) . 
 
 "Livestock was allowed to wander freely over the fields. Hogs fed themselves 
 on roots and acorns. Cows strayed for miles on the open prairie and were 
 identified by the tones of bells placed around their necks. The settlers had to 
 fence in their crops to keep the animals out." Rail fence, ditches, sod embank- 
 ments, and osage hedge were used for this purpose. Barbed wire was invented 
 much later. 
 
52 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Chester C. Bratten Photo 
 
 Castle Inn as it appears today. 
 
 A tavern was built, to lodge the newcomers until they could 
 stake their claims." 
 
 These families had some time for reading, around their candles or 
 lamps in the evening, especially in the winter. The newspaper was the 
 chief dispenser of news, and probably, then as now, newspapers from 
 Chicago, though often a day or two late, were the dailies read by Brush 
 Hill citizens. Eventually there were a few county papers, such as the 
 Naperville Observer and the Lockport Courier, but these were con- 
 fined mostly to the towns in which they were printed. 
 
 Chicago newspapers of the 1 850^ and 6o's had larger pages than the 
 papers of today, though not so many, and the type was smaller. They 
 carried many special dispatches "by telegraph" from distant places and 
 much space was given to happenings of a general nature throughout 
 the world. Advertisements were mostly small and very numerous. 
 Many of them extolled the virtues of remedies of one kind or another 
 such as: 
 
 BUCHAN'S HUNGARIAN BALSAM OF LIFE 
 The great English remedy for colds, coughs, 
 asthma, and consumption. 
 
 (1846) 
 
BRUSH HILL 53 
 
 Or, from a paper of an earlier period: 
 
 Dr. L. B. Crane 's Vegetable Ointment for the 
 prairie itch. 
 
 (1839) 
 
 In the same year a state lottery, called "a brilliant scheme" was ad- 
 vertised. This was authorized by the legislature to raise money for the 
 purpose of draining swamp lands. 
 
 In 1 864 C. H. De Forrest was notifying the public of his hoop skirt 
 manufactory and sales room at 84 Lake Street in the city. 
 
 Nor was the press of that day lacking in bits of wit and w T isdom. 
 In issues of 1854 these are found: 
 
 No man can avoid his own company, 
 so he had best make it as good as 
 possible. 
 
 Spell murder backwards 
 and you have its cause. 
 
 For entertainment in the city there were announcements of the 
 Lyceum, the Athenaeum, and exhibits such as Napoleons Funeral, 
 
 ■ ■■■■■. -■■ 
 
 Toll Gate House was built during the 1840' 's. 
 
54 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 shown in the evening at the City Hall, besides The Sea of Ice and other 
 performances at McVicker's Theatre, and at the Coliseum on Clark 
 Street. 
 
 And if you would like a sample of pioneer food, here is a recipe 
 for corn bread that appeared in The Chicago Democrat August 3, 1 842 : 
 
 "Take corn meal, a sufficient quantity to make a stiff batter with 3 pints of sour 
 milk; 3 eggs well beaten; 2 oz. of shortening; 1 gill of beet molases; a little salt 
 and saleratus; grease pan well and bake quick." 
 
 The Brush Hill folks had neighbors at Cass, Lyonsville, and Sum- 
 mit to the south, Pierce Downer's settlement to the west, Lyons on the 
 east, and Addison up north. In those days the people of these surround- 
 ing towns were looked upon as close neighbors. A wagon trail that is 
 now York Road led north to Addison, another now called the County 
 Line Road, led south to the Plainfield and Joliet Roads. Cass usually 
 was reached over the southern extension of what is now Garfield Street, 
 or over the route of the present Highway No. 83. Ogden led east to 
 Lyons and Chicago, while Downer's Grove was reached by another set 
 of wagon tracks, which later became the road cutting through the 
 course of the Hinsdale Golf Club. 
 
 The main east- west road through Brush Hill was improved some as 
 early as the 1 840's, and it became known as a "turnpike" with toll gates 
 at intervals to help defray the cost of improvement. These toll gates 
 lingered on through the era of the plank road bubble. 
 
 Before the building of the Graue grist mill, on the south bank of 
 Salt Creek at York Road, Mr. Torode erected a saw mill on practically 
 the same site as early as 1845. The house opposite the present mill, on 
 the north side of the creek, is said to have been constructed of lumber 
 sawed there. (A recent remodeling of the building, now a tavern, re- 
 vealed the original timbers of black oak) . The Torodes built a house 
 in 1842, using stone from a nearby quarry bound with mortar made 
 of native clay and straw. In that same quarry many youngsters have 
 gone swimming during the past seventy-five years. In 1 844 John S. Coe 
 opened his blacksmith shop, using an anvil he had hauled all the way 
 from his former home in the East. Later he operated a general store. 
 
 A second tavern was built, this one on the north side of the road, 
 a little east of the Cass Street intersection. It became known as the 
 Grand Pacific, and later, as Fullersburg Tavern. There was also a 
 corral for transient live stock in town over night while being driven 
 
BRUSH HILL 55 
 
 to the city. The fact of two taverns being required in such a small 
 town is ample evidence of the density of the horse-drawn, and oxen- 
 drawn traffic that must have passed through. At one time John F. 
 Ruchty, father of Mr. George E. Ruchty operated both of these inns. 
 
 As far as we have been able to determine, Brush Hill "just grew" 
 from this time forward. People came through continuously, the flow 
 of traffic being mostly westward for a number of years, and every so 
 often a man or a man and his family, would pull up at one of the inns 
 in his prairie schooner and "anchor" for a while, then settle down on 
 a piece of land. Prior to 1855, especially after the plank road was con- 
 structed, the travel through Brush Hill was heavy, both to and from 
 the city. But for this it would have been a quiet little town indeed, 
 with the only other sounds coming from the blacksmith shop, a few 
 boys, girls, roosters, and dogs. The population in 1855 was 200. 
 
 It must have been less than that in 1839. That was the year in 
 which Du Page County was formed. In that year also, a political con- 
 vention was held in the county, at which a "Committee of Vigilance" 
 was appointed for each of the precincts, and to serve on this committee 
 for their precinct, these men were appointed from Brush Hill: Levi C. 
 Aldrich, William Fuller, Sherman King, and J. G. Yorrick. 
 
 The Chicago newspaper in which this announcement was found 
 gives no hint of the purpose of the "committee of vigilance," nor do 
 either of the two histories of the County. The committees could have 
 been appointed for police protection, but in as much as they emanated 
 from a political party, perhaps we are safe in assuming that they were 
 the pioneer counterpart of the modern "ward heeler." 
 
 Here is another of the rare items of news about Brush Hill found in 
 Chicago papers of the day. This one appears in an issue of August 13, 
 
 1847: 
 
 "A man died at Brush Hill, in Du Page Co., on Saturday night last. He had 
 left Chicago that day, arrived at Brush Hill in the evening and put up at a 
 tavern for the night. Being unwell he got some medicine of a doctor that lived 
 there, and died during the night. On Sunday he was boxed up and buried in 
 a pasture. The people there do not know his name, or where he belonged. The 
 fact of his having a load of crockery may lead to the discovery of his name and 
 residence. Not having got his load at Mr. Burley's Crockery Store it is probable 
 that he got it from some of the warehouses." 
 
 This announcement adds a touch of color to our picture of the 
 town in those times, and it implies that taverns of the day kept no 
 
56 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 register books for guests. Concerning the doctor's medicine, there is 
 no comment. 
 
 The hotels had various proprietors and owners as time passed. 
 Grant, Fuller, Walker, Ruchty, and a man named Lugin are the names 
 usually seen in connection with the ownership or operation of these 
 inns. 
 
 The war with Mexico started in 1 846 and a meeting was called at 
 the county seat in June of that year to raise a company of volunteers. 
 Perhaps a few men from Brush Hill attended, and it may be that some 
 of them enlisted. Possibly we never shall know. The service lists for 
 that war indicate the recruit's place of enlistment, but not his place 
 of residence, and none of the living old-timers remember having heard 
 of any Mexican War veterans among the villagers. 
 
 In april 1854 a Vermonter, Alfred L. Walker arrived in Brush Hill. 
 With him were his wife Fanny Ann, his mother Sophia Pettigrew 
 Walker, and a son Clifford. This family came out by stage coach to 
 Chicago, then west over the plank highway to a house on York Road, 
 where they remained for some time while looking for farm land. 
 
 From Benjamin Fuller, Mr. Walker bought more than 300 acres, 
 also the tavern and Castle Inn, and moved into the latter, where the 
 family remained until their house was built. This was to be a com- 
 modious farm house. Placing it according to present-day landmarks, 
 the house stood east of Garfield, at the eastern end of Ayres Avenue. 
 Remnants of the house now are incorporated in the home of Mr. W. F. 
 Price at 429 N. Garfield. Thus Mr. Walker's house was the first to be 
 erected within the boundaries of Hinsdale as they were before Fullers- 
 burg was annexed. The Lane was so named by Mrs. E. F. Hines, Mr. 
 Walker's grand daughter, because it actually was the lane through 
 which the cows came up to the barn when the place was a farm. A 
 patent for the Walker property was issued originally to one Grove 
 Lawrence of New York State and signed by Martin Van Buren Jr., 
 Secretary to President Van Buren. This document has been preserved 
 in the Edward Hines family. Later the land was deeded to one Joseph 
 Battells, then to Benjamin Fuller, and finally to Alfred Walker. 
 
 A progressive farmer, coming of a long line of New England agri- 
 culturists, Mr. Walker experimented with various farm produce, the 
 
1 
 
 
 BRUSH HILL 
 
 
 57 
 
 %>, 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 Test & McQuarrie Photo 
 
 Household articles brought from Vermont by the Walkers, and flax grown on their 
 
 Hinsdale farm. 
 
 i. Ink Well, 2. Flax, 3. Mr. Walker's Spectacles, 4. Spatula, 5. Spoon, 6. Carpet Bag, 
 7. Cheese Tester, and 8. Wooden Chopping Bowl. 
 
 preparation of meat, and the manufacture of cheese and other things. 
 This was recognized by the Federal Government as a "model farm." 
 to which it assigned a Japanese, Ineye Katsumasa, to be educated in 
 American agriculture. 
 
 According to Blanchard, one of the County historians, there was 
 not a dwelling house within several miles, to the south, when the 
 
58 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The Walker farm house stood at the eastern end of Ayres Avenue. 
 
 Walker home was built, in 1 857. The wolves were numerous then, and 
 a bear occasionally was seen poking its nose through the rails of the 
 pig pen. The farm proper was north of Hickory Street; south of there 
 it was partly wooded, which gave the name Walker's woods, or Walk- 
 er's grove to the wooded area at the northern end of Elm Street. 
 
 Mrs. Hines now has various articles her grandparents Walker 
 brought with them from the East. Among these are the ones pictured 
 on page 57. 
 
 At this point let us turn to a state of Illinois business directory for 
 the year 1 854. For Brush Hill it gives the following names and occupa- 
 tions: 
 
 Josiah B. Dodson Attorney 
 
 John S. Coe Blacksmith 
 
 Alva McDonald 1 _. . : _ _ , 
 
 J. Boot and Shoe Makers 
 
 Ellas Ostrander J 
 
 Luther Couch 
 
 Mark Davis 
 Franklin Packard 
 E. Winship 
 
 Carpenters and House Builders 
 
BRUSH HILL 59 
 
 F. Leonard, Episcopal Clergyman 
 
 J ' L Dry Goods Store and General Merchants 
 
 Benjamin Fuller f 
 
 Frederick Graue ] _, , ~ . ,,.,, 
 
 I Flour and Grist Mill 
 
 Wm. Ashe J 
 
 John Fuller Hotel 
 
 Benjamin Fuller Postmaster 
 
 Geo. M. Fox Physician 
 
 Arthur Young 
 
 Fred Graue 
 
 Wm. Ashe 
 
 A flourishing enterprise, started after publication of this directory, 
 was Henry Bohlander's harness shop which was patronized by farmers 
 within a long radius. Henry was the father of George Bohlander, har- 
 ness maker and violinist. Henry Dietz operated a slaughter house and 
 meat market during the 6o's and 70's. 
 
 A number of grist mills were erected in this region between 1830 
 and 1 860 and one of these was built by Frederick Graue, on Salt Creek. 
 After purchasing 200 acres of land, mostly north of the creek, Mr. 
 Graue, in 1 849, completed a mill building which had been started two 
 years previously. This was near the site of the former Torode saw mill, 
 which had burned in 1848. 
 
 The foundation stones for the Graue mill were quarried near 
 Lemont, the white oak for the timbers of the building was cut in that 
 same district, the bricks were manufactured in the brick-yard back 
 of Morell Fuller's home, from clay dug in the vicinity. Some say that 
 Mr. Graue originally devised his own mill machinery, but that later he 
 bought some in the East, and that a millwright came from New York 
 to install it. 
 
 The first dam here was built of logs and brush, as the Indians used 
 to build them, by that versatile Sherman King whose name appears 
 so frequently in the early annals of the village. This dam was replaced 
 by a crib-and-plank type dam in the 1870's. Originally, power for the 
 mill was obtained from an under-shot wheel, like the one that is there 
 now, but later, in 1868 a water turbine drive was installed, the tur- 
 bine being shipped from Springfield, Ohio. 
 
 The volume and velocity of the flow of water, which was adequate 
 for operating this mill in the early days, seemed to diminish over the 
 years until, in the i87o's, it became necessary to supplement the water 
 
6o 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Graue's Grist Mill 
 
 Interior, First Floor 
 
 One of the Mill Stones, Dismantled 
 
 The Mill Race 
 
BRUSH HILL 61 
 
 power with a small steam driven engine. At first this steam plant was on 
 the island just north of the mill race. Later it was moved to the east side 
 of the mill building. Apparently the flow of Salt Creek became less re- 
 liable during the mill's useful life, covering a span of 70 years. 
 
 Mrs. William Graue, grand-daughter-in-law of the original Fred- 
 erick, was an old lady when she died a few years ago. She had come to 
 the red brick dwelling south of the mill as a bride, and her husband 
 inherited the mill in 1881. 
 
 In an interview shortly before she passed away, Mrs. Graue told 
 how the mill ground whole wheat, white, and rye flour, and feed for 
 farm animals. Sorghum, maple syrup, and cider also were produced 
 there. She remembered Indians living in huts on the north side of the 
 creek, on a clearing east of York Road; how they would wander over 
 to the Graue's place when the syrup was being boiled down, and how 
 the family would always give them some of it, spread over corn cakes. 
 Today, in the parlor of the Graue home, there are various Indian im- 
 plements and relics. 
 
 Her memory seemed quite clear also concerning a visit paid to the 
 mill by the State Legislator Abraham Lincoln, one day while he was 
 journeying through here from Chicago. Lincoln chatted with the elder 
 Graue for a bit before continuing on his way. 
 
 Historical side-lights often turn up in unexpected places. Many 
 years ago Mr. Graue employed one Patrick Kammeyer as foreman of 
 his mill. Kammeyer, who not only worked there, but also made his 
 home in the mill building, evidently was a thrifty and thoughtful in- 
 dividual; for in 1926, at the age of 88, he drew up a will and sent it to 
 his brother residing in Rome, New York. In the letter transmitting 
 this will, he said, among other things: "When I die I want you to have 
 everything I own. I have saved more than $4,000. This money is in a 
 box hidden in the mill. It is yours when I die." Directions for finding 
 the money were not explicit. 
 
 Two years later Kammeyer dropped dead; and soon afterward rela- 
 tives came from the East to search the building for the money. They 
 did not find it. 
 
 In 1934, while the building was in process of restoration by the 
 Civilian Conservation Corps, a worker uncovered some money behind 
 bricks in one of the interior walls. The money is known to have con- 
 sisted of the old-style large paper currency, because a few of the bills 
 
62 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 were seen by others, one of them having been spent at the tavern across 
 the stream. When interviewed, the worker said the money was only of a 
 small amount. The exact amount has never been determined. 
 
 The settlement known as Brush Hill was incorporated as a village 
 in 1851 and what was more natural than "Fullersburg" as a name for 
 the newly organized town, with so many Fullers living there-about and 
 having had such a large part in the shaping of the community. Rumor 
 has it that sentiment was ripe for a change in name anyhow, because 
 Brush Hill, in the olden days had been chosen as a hidingout place by 
 certain gentry who stole horses, and that this rightly or wrongly, had 
 left a slight blot on the town's reputation. 
 
 Fullersburg it was, when Fort Sumter was fired on in 1861, and soon 
 thereafter the school house at the foot of cemetery hill on Ogden 
 Avenue was serving as a recruiting station, enlisting men for the war, 
 with Julius Kurth one of the volunteers acting as recruiting officer. 
 Here Christian Henrick, Henry Hahn, Fred Werden, George Hoehne, 
 Morrel Fuller, John Schultz, and Charles Gager joined the Union 
 forces, and there the same little school house stood until about 1938 
 explaining the three R's to new generations of Fullersburg youngsters. 
 Miss Alice Warren and Miss Emma Ostrum are among those of Hins- 
 dale who attended there. 
 
 Many places throughout the northern states have, according to 
 rumor, tradition, or fact, been designated as stations of the " Under- 
 ground Railroad," that system by which "contrabands" from southern 
 plantations made their way north, to freedom. It is a fact that Fullers- 
 burg was one of these points of slave refuge and transfer, and John S. 
 Coe was the man, or at least he was one of those who served as station 
 master. Activities that are conducted in secret usually go unchronicled, 
 but in the absence of documents or personal diaries of those events, we 
 quote this word-picture from a 1923 issue of the Chicago Daily News: 
 
 A REFUGE IN THE DAYS OF SLAVERY 
 
 "In the little Hamlet of Brush Hill not a light is to be seen. The two stores, the 
 taverns, the grist mill, the half dozen houses shrink into the protecting shadows 
 of the huge elms and maples and are hardly visible from the road. The white- 
 painted posts at the bridge loom weirdly against the somber curtain of willows 
 along the banks of the mill stream. 
 
 "A farm wagon, driven by an obscure figure muffled to the ears in a great 
 coat, rattles across the bridge and continues on to the turnpike. The bed of the 
 
BRUSH HILL 63 
 
 wagon is covered with a tarpaulin. An hour or so later the wagon rattles over 
 the bridge across the Desplaines near Riverside and continues northeast over 
 the route of Ogden Avenue. Near dawn it draws up quietly before the barn 
 at the rear of the residence of Philo Carpenter, at Randolph and Carpenter 
 Streets. A light in a first floor window blinks a signal that 'all is well.' 
 
 "The driver pulls off the tarpaulin, and three figures crawl from the pile 
 of hay in the wagon-bed and dart toward the cellar door of the Carpenter 
 home, which opens to receive them and closes behind them. The driver makes 
 his way to the Bull's Head Tavern to find refreshment for man and beast." 
 
 When Mr. Heman Fox was a boy, he saw two sleigh loads of negro 
 slaves pass his father's house at Ogden and Lincoln one day before 
 the war. The cargo was covered to resemble a load of live stock. 
 
 For want of better accommodations in a pioneering community, 
 Loie Fuller was born in the little Castle Inn. It was an extremely cold 
 night during the 1 86o's, and the bar room of the hotel had the only cast 
 iron stove that gave off enough heat for such an important event. The 
 neighbors, though perhaps not the transients, who were not aware of 
 these proceedings, were willing to forego their use of these quarters 
 until the new arrival and her mother were up and around. 
 
 After Loie was able to walk, her parents took her with them to 
 several presentations of the Chicago Progressive Lyceum, that early 
 movement toward culture which a few of the living still can remember. 
 On one of these occasions, when Loie was two and a half, she slipped 
 away from her parents, climbed up on the Lyceum platform and re- 
 cited the prayer she had learned to say at home. There was applause, 
 and she returned the salutation. This initiative and acumen impressed 
 the manager no less than it surprised the parents, but most of all it was 
 an early indication of Loie Fuller's native talents. Thereafter she did 
 Mary's Little Lamb at the Lyceum, and not many years were to pass 
 before she began taking parts in plays at other theatres. She had a rare 
 gift of being able to remember pieces after one or two readings, and 
 of giving expression through movement as well as speech. 
 
 During the gas-light era Miss Fuller, in her early Twenties, was 
 traveling from one place to another in the United States experiencing 
 the fluctuations between success and disappointment that are known 
 to most of those who become prominent on the stage. In the East she 
 created her Serpentine Dance, acquired a manager, and, accompanied 
 by her mother, went to Germany to try her fortunes there. 
 
64 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 In Germany she was beset with troubles. The Opera house was 
 closed and only a music hall was available for her appearances. Her 
 mother became seriously ill, and soon her manager quit. Despondency 
 affected her performances; the music hall contract terminated, so, until 
 her mother was able to travel, she was reduced to the necessity of ap- 
 pearing in a beer garden. This time they moved to Paris. 
 
 In that city she found her Serpentine dance being imitated at the 
 Folies-Bergere, and Loie considered it such a poor imitation that she 
 induced the manager of the theatre to employ the originator of the 
 dance instead. 
 
 It was at this point in her career that Loie Fuller's fame as a dancer 
 had its beginning. In Paris she devised other new dances: The Violet, 
 the Flame, the Butterfly, Fire and the Lily, and others. Electric lights 
 had arrived and Loie displayed ingenuity in the arrangement of light- 
 ing effects for her dances; lights of changing color, some overhead, 
 others shining through glass in the floor of the stage, all of this as mere 
 trimming, however, to her natural charm and terpsichorean vivacity. 
 
 There were more trials. A contract to appear in St. Petersburg had 
 to be broken because of her mother's illness, and the Russians brought 
 suit making her pay large damages for breaching the contract. She 
 made many friends in Paris, however, and the reputation she was 
 building there held much promise for the future. Sarah Bernhardt, 
 whom she had first met in America, attended some of the dancer's per- 
 formances and solicited her advice concerning lighting arrangements 
 for her new play that was about to open there. An old friend Loie had 
 met in Jamaica introduced her to Alexander Dumas, through whom 
 she became friends of M. and Mme. Flammarion, the astronomers, and 
 Rodin the sculptor. 
 
 Children were fascinated by Loie Fuller's dancing; the dances were 
 so fairy-like and appealing to a child's imagination. After a certain 
 performance for children one little girl was taken behind the scenes 
 to meet the dancer, who by that time had changed to her street clothes. 
 According to Miss Fuller, this tot, when she saw her, said to her mother, 
 "No, I don't want to meet her. She's just a fat lady, not the person I 
 saw dancing." 
 
 Royalty too (it was still in vogue in Europe at the turn of the cen- 
 tury) liked to see Loie Fuller dance. She appeared at the palace in 
 Bucharest for Princess Marie, the two becoming life-long friends there- 
 
BRUSH HILL 65 
 
 after. She danced for the Duke and Duchess of Mecklenberg at the 
 Hague, and for the king of Senegal at the Colonial Exposition in 
 Marseilles in 1907. Queen Alexandria of England went to the theatre 
 to see her dance in Paris. 
 
 An appearance at the Chinese court was cancelled after the journey 
 to China had started, because of the illness of her mother. By now she 
 had given her interpretation of the Dance of Fear, from Salome, and 
 had created her Dance of the Pearls, and others. One time, when she 
 was dancing at the Athenee in Paris a group of students showered the 
 stage with violets. After the performance they unhitched Miss Fuller's 
 horse from the carriage and themselves drew the vehicle to her house, 
 with her in it. 
 
 As her personal appearances tapered off with the passing of the 
 years, Miss Fuller helped several aspiring younger artists along the 
 road to success. She sponsored two or three Japanese theatrical com- 
 panies, largely through her interest in things Oriental and in one little 
 Nipponese actress in particular. For one of these troups she wrote the 
 plays, and they were successful wherever they appeared. She helped 
 a poor dancer toward a career, and other people, who were blind, or in 
 need of one thing or another. 
 
 At a function given in honor of Kawakami, a notable Japanese 
 playwright, who understood neither French nor English, and at which 
 there were none present who knew Japanese, Miss Fuller acted as inter- 
 preter. How? By means of interpretive gestures, of which art she was 
 master; and they were understood by the others at the gathering. 
 
 Anatole France, in his introduction to Loie Fuller's autobiography 
 says, among other things: "This brilliant artist is revealed as a woman 
 of just and delicate sensibility, endowed with a marvelous perception 
 of spiritual values. She is one who is able to grasp the profound signifi- 
 cance of things that seem insignificant, and to see the splendor hidden 
 in simple lives.— not that she is especially devoted to the lowly, the 
 poor in spirit. On the contrary she enters easily into the lives of artists 
 and scholars. She has formulated, without desiring to do so, and per- 
 haps without knowing it, a considerable theory of human knowledge 
 and philosophy of art." # 
 
 * Summarizing Fifteen Years of A Dancer's Life, the autobiography of Loie Fuller. 
 
66 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The class of 1889, Fullersburg School. 
 
 By the year 1 874, when an atlas of the county and its principal towns 
 was published, Fullersburg had emerged from the frontier and was 
 acquiring the aspects of a residential village. Where the main road ran 
 through, it was called Main Street. York and Cass Streets joined to 
 cross it north and south. Jackson and Washington Streets were being 
 developed, lots had been plotted, and a few more homes were going up 
 within the village. 
 
 Owners of the land surrounding Fullersburg at this time, most of 
 them being resident farmers, were Marvin Fox, D. K. Foot, David 
 Thurston, T. S. and J. W. Rogers, John Hemshell, C. Fellows, A. Mc- 
 Allister, David Roth, Benjamin Fuller, M. Coffin, Fred Graue, D. and 
 H. Mayer, A. Frank, H. Bergman, F. Wegner, Winkelman, and 
 Boerger. 
 
 Before publication of the 1874 atlas, there were three farms in 
 particular adjacent to Fullersburg which were to be associated with 
 the development of Hinsdale. These were the farms of Jarvis Fox, 
 Anson Ayres, and Alfred Walker, all three of them extending south- 
 ward from Ogden Avenue, to about the line of present-day Chicago 
 
BRUSH HILL 67 
 
 Ave. The Ayres farm was on the west, Fox in the middle, and Walker 
 on the east. All three of these properties eventually were subdivided 
 into Hinsdale home lots. 
 
 Have you seen that attractive little white church on the sloping 
 west side of the northern extension of Washington Street, a little south 
 of the Creek? The church is especially picturesque when viewed across 
 the meadow from York Road. It was established in 1878 and called St. 
 John's Lutheran by the eleven German families that built it. Later, 
 the name was changed to St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church. 
 Ax first, the German language was used in its services, but this has long 
 since been discontinued. Since the beginning, its membership has 
 been drawn from both farm and village. Charter members of St. John's 
 Church were Joachim Ross, Henry Heinke, Frederick Timke, William 
 Ostrum, Charles Schmidt, J. H. Papenhausen, and John Bohlander. 
 
 We come now to 1886, a year in which the state of Illinois pub- 
 lished another business directory. Since the first directory in 1854, 
 there have been many changes and additions: 
 
 Reverend F. Boeber is listed as a Lutheran minister and Physician. 
 
 W. Bullerman Blacksmith 
 
 C. T. Coe Manufacturer of Birch Beer 
 
 W. Delicate . Painter 
 
 H. Flechtner Mason 
 
 Almeron Ford General Store 
 
 Adolph Frosher \ Carpenters 
 
 William Wegener I 
 
 Morell Fuller Plasterer 
 
 (He was also a musician. When square dances were held it was 
 Morell Fuller who furnished the music with his violin.) 
 
 Fred Graue Miller 
 
 S. Heineman General Store 
 
 W. Hix Meat Market 
 
 John C. Eidam j Blacksmiths 
 
 H. Ignatz 
 
 C. Karnatz Shoemaker 
 
 William Ostrum Mason 
 
 John F. Ruchty Hotel, and Ice 
 
 Paul Rudolph Physician 
 
 Fred Tunk Wagon Maker 
 
 Richard Wrede Shoemaker 
 
 Ernest Zschack Saloon, General Store and Dance Hall 
 
 Almeron Ford Postmaster 
 
68 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The village of Cass, on the Plainfield Road southwest of Hinsdale, 
 was an early neighbor of Brush Hill, so much so that the road leading 
 south from Brush Hill was called Cass Street. In 1 85 1 Benjamin Fuller, 
 J. S. Coe, and D. W. Boyd of Brush Hill had petitioned the county to 
 build a road between the two places. This road would have cut diag- 
 onally across the site of Hinsdale, and the route actually was surveyed, 
 but the road was never constructed. There was talk of other develop- 
 ments in the same area and possibly the people of Brush Hill foresaw 
 a day when they would have neighbors closer than those at Cass. Indeed 
 much closer; for seventy-two years later Brush Hill was to become an- 
 nexed to the village of Hinsdale. 
 
chapter vi Coming of the Railroad 
 
 IN THE 1840^ the carriage of freight in northern Illinois cost the 
 shipper about $10 per ton for twenty miles, a charge that was so 
 high as to deter commercial expansion. Passenger travel was uncom- 
 fortable. So it was not long before rails were laid, running westward 
 from Chicago. By 1850 this road, the Galena & Chicago Union, had 
 reached Elgin and was aiming for points beyond. 
 
 Another thriving settlement to the west, Aurora, was in need of 
 better transportation. So the enterprising citizens of that place ob- 
 tained a charter from the state legislature, in 1 849, to build a railroad 
 from Aurora northward, to connect with the Galena & Chicago Union, 
 thus giving Aurora access by rail to the city of Chicago. This juncture- 
 point with the Galena line was Turner's Junction, later to be known 
 as West Chicago. Over wood and strap-iron rails the new line from 
 Aurora was soon hauling its cars all the way to Chicago, and it was 
 named the Aurora Branch Railroad. This new road then expanded 
 westward from Aurora to Mendota, to Galesburg, Peoria, Quincy, 
 and to Burlington, Iowa, and eventually its name was changed to the 
 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. * 
 
 It was not long before the need of a direct route between Aurora 
 and Chicago became apparent, to avoid the 12 miles from Aurora 
 northward to Turner Junction before entering the city. Rails of its 
 own, leading into Chicago, were advisable for other reasons also. The 
 time could be foreseen when traffic would be heavy enough to demand 
 double and perhaps triple tracks over the city approaches, and land for 
 freight terminals, yards, maintenance, and switching facilities would 
 be needed. But in addition to these requirements, the towns of Lyons, 
 Brush Hill, Downers Grove, Lisle, and Naperville wanted a railroad 
 to pass through their communities. Although the name of Mr. Alfred 
 Walker does not appear on the petition of these towns (Page 70) he 
 too was desirous of having the rails come through; so much so that he 
 donated the southern fringe of his farm lands for road-bed purposes. 
 
 * During this year, 1949, the C B & Q observes its "milestone 100. 
 
 69 
 
To the President, Board of Directors and Stockholders of the Chicago, Burlington 
 & Quincy Railroad Company. 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 We respectfully beg leave to submit for your consideration a few facts 
 connected with the building of an independent track from Chicago, via Naperville, to 
 connect with your road at Aurora. 
 
 This route, which is at present deprived of Railroad facilities, is not surpassed for 
 diversified beauty and productiveness by any section of Northern Illinois. With these 
 natural advantages it is not surprising that it is now for the most part thickly set- 
 tled with an enterprising population. 
 
 No section of the country between Lake Michigan and Fox River affords equal 
 inducements to the farmer and mechanic, and no part of the West, of easy access to 
 Chicago, presents the same attractions to families in the city who are seeking resi- 
 dences in the country ; for, while no portion of the route is too remote, it lies through 
 a beautiful region which is proverbial for its healthfulness. 
 
 We would add, for your consideration, the following statistics of the business 
 transacted during the past year at the different points on the route of your contem- 
 plated road. 
 
 Lyons, ten miles west from Chicago, is a point which your road would soon bring 
 into notice for business and for suburban residences, and although it is but a short 
 distance from Chicago, its business would be desirable to any Road. It is estimated 
 that this would be one of the most remunerative stations within fifty miles of the 
 city. There are inexhaustible quarries of stone here of the very best quality for lime 
 and suitable for building purposes. The demand for rubble stone, for the city of 
 Chicago, on this place would be immense, and could be supplied to any extent. 
 
 The Lime business, as now carried on, has furnished, during the past year, to 
 Chicago, over 100,000 barrels, equal to 20,000,000 lbs., at a cost for transportation of 
 more than $13,000. Your road would open a new and extensive market to this busi- 
 ness, from the west, which could be supplied to any amount. 
 
 There is an extensive Brewery at this place, which now furnishes freight equal 
 to one car-load per day. With Railroad facilities this establishment would more than 
 double its present freight, for at least nine months in the year, and has capacity to 
 supply any increased demand which the building of your road would create. 
 
 Other local freights, not enumerated above, would equal, if not exceed, any other 
 station within the same distance from the city of Chicago. 
 
 Brush Hill, six miles west from Lyons and sixteen from Chicago, is the centre 
 of a well settled and productive country, where a fair business is now transacted, and, 
 with a Railroad, would soon grow into importance. There is a Flouring Mill at this 
 place which keeps two teams constantly on the road to and from Chicago. 
 
 Downer's Grove, five miles west from Brush Hill and twenty-one miles from Chi- 
 cago, is also the centre of a rich farming country which is well settled. This point 
 would draw the business of a large section, the produce of which now finds a market 
 either at Lockport or is taken directly to Chicago by teams. The grain raised in this 
 section of country, which would make this its depot, during the last year was 397,560 
 bushels. 
 
 The merchandise tonnage for the same time, to and from Chicago, amounted to 
 250 tons or 500,000 lbs., besides Lumber. That may be safely estimated at 550,000 
 feet, or equal to 1,650,000. Total, 2,150,000 lbs. freight. The passenger traffic at 
 this point would be no inconsiderable item. 
 
 Naperville, the county seat of Du Page County, seven miles west of Downer's 
 Grove and 28 miles from Chicago, is situated in as productive and well settled a por- 
 tion of the country as can be found in the State. 
 
 Its population exceeds 2,000. It is over seven miles south of the Galena and Chi- 
 cago Union Railroad and three miles from the village of Warrenville, a flourishing 
 town, with a good business, a flouring mill and a saw mill. 
 
 On the south, twelve miles, is the village of Plainfield, and on the south-east, Lock- 
 port, fifteen miles, and Joliet twenty miles. These are the nearest business points in 
 this direction. 
 
 Naperville enjoys a large trade from the country for many miles around, drawing 
 business from the north, south and south-east — principally from the south and south- 
 east. 
 
 There are eighteen stores in this place, a large plow and wagon factory, and other 
 manufactories, two lumber yards, two extensive breweries doing a large business and 
 keeping in their employ six teams, two flouring mills and two saw mills at and within 
 
Wheat, - - 
 
 - - 215,236 bushels. 
 
 Oats, - - 
 
 - - 285,960 " 
 
 Vegetables, 
 
 - - 85,052 " 
 
 one and one-half miles of the town. Few towns with Railroad facilities, and none 
 without, having continued to thrive equal to this. 
 
 The produce of this section finds its way to market by the G. & C. U. R. R. and 
 by teams to Lockport and Chicago direct, at least nineteen-twentieths of which goes 
 to the two latter places. 
 
 The amount of grain raised during the past year, in the section of country that 
 would make this point its depot, was as follows: 
 
 Corn, - - - 239,300 bushels. 
 
 Rye, Barley and Wheat, 22,436 * ' 
 
 The amount of Wool marketed at this place last year was 71,000 lbs. The above 
 amount of grain was obtained by actual census, under direction of the Du Page County 
 Agricultural Society. 
 
 The merchandise tonnage for the past year, to and from this place, was 3,900 tons, 
 or 7,800,000 lbs. Lumber for dealers, 2,000,000 feet, or 6,000,000 lbs. Estimated 
 amount of lumber for others, 750,000 feet, or 2,250,000 lbs. — making a total of 
 16,050,000 lbs. freight. 
 
 There are two lines of stages from this place to the G. & C. U. R. R., each making 
 two trips daily to and from said road, which carried, on an average, during the past 
 year, twenty-six passengers per day; making an aggregate of 8138 passengers per 
 annum. It is estimated that at least one-third as many more go and come by private 
 conveyance, making a total of 10,851 passengers to and from this point annually. 
 
 This town is well supplied with lime and stone for building purposes, and gravel 
 which could be used for ballast. 
 
 The foregoing statistics, for the accuracy of which we hold ourselves responsible, 
 founded, as they are, upon facts, show the actual business of the different points 
 without Railroad facilities. We firmly believe that the business of all kinds, in the 
 section alluded to, would quadruple within two years from the completion of your 
 road. 
 
 No Railroad leaving Chicago traverses as beautiful and well settled a section of 
 country as would your contemplated road. We confidently believe that the business 
 between Chicago and Aurora would be as remunerative as any section of your road 
 of equal length. The passenger traffic alone, on this route as shown above, would be 
 very large. Not on this part of the road alone would this be increased; but by bring- 
 ing Aurora in direct communication with Chicago, by a straight line, and shortening 
 the distance over six miles, the number of passengers would doubtless increase. As 
 before stated, most of the grain and other produce of this section now finds market 
 either at Lockport or Chicago direct, which would find its way to market over your 
 road. 
 
 As representatives of the people along the line of the proposed road, we offer 
 you their united support and pledge you the right of way between the west line of 
 Du Page County and the Desplaines River at Lyons, — embracing some twenty-four 
 miles of the route, — and probably the greater portion of the distance from the last 
 named point to the city limits of Chicago, — free of cost, provided the road is soon 
 built. 
 
 July 28th, 1858. 
 
 MORRIS SLEIGHT, 
 JOS. NAPER, 
 JOHN COLLINS, 
 GEORGE MARTIN, 
 JAS. G. WRIGHT, 
 HIRAM BRISTOL, 
 S. M. SKINNER, 
 JOHN JASSOY, 
 
 Members of Committee 
 residing at Naperville. 
 
 H. CARPENTER, ) _ 
 
 WALTER BLANCHARD, \ Downer s Grove « 
 
 FREDERICK GRAY, ) „ , _„ 
 BENJAMIN FULLER, \ ^ rusn miL 
 
 STEPHEN WHITE, ) 
 
 F. T. SHERMAN, Lyons. 
 
 S. T. SWIFT, 
 
 Courtesy of the C. B. & Q. R. R. Co. 
 
72 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 With arguments and reasons accumulating daily in favor of the 
 new line, the die was soon cast. The following resolution, adopted at 
 the C B & Q stockholders meeting June 20, 1862, set the machinery in 
 motion, and it gives expression to the chief factor in determining the 
 location of Hinsdale: 
 
 Resolved, that the Board of Directors of this company, be and they are hereby 
 authorized to construct a branch road from the company's main line, in the 
 city of Aurora in Kane County, to, and into the City of Chicago, by the way of 
 Naperville, and to acquire depot and station grounds, and such other lands 
 as may be required . . . pursuant to authority granted by an act of the Legis- 
 lature etc., etc 
 
 It will seem strange to present-day readers that the directors should 
 have referred to the new line as a "branch road." It was, of course, so 
 considered because the main line at that time was the one to the north 
 of us. 
 
 Actual construction was hampered by the war between the states 
 which made labor scarce and slowed the delivery of materials. Little 
 mention was made of the progress of the new line in the Chicago papers 
 of the day, owing partly to the preponderance of war news. The con- 
 flict was entering its crucial stage, and in Chicago at this time there was 
 a flurry of excitement arising out of an alleged conspiracy to free all 
 the Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas, out on Cottage Grove 
 Avenue. Moreover, there was censorship of news about railroad and 
 industrial building. Confederate spies are known to have operated in 
 Chicago, one having been captured there in 1862. A Railroad strike 
 during the latter part of the war did nothing to help the project, and 
 the winter of 1 864 was one of the most severe on record. 
 
 Although Frederick Graue (spelled "Gray" in the petition) and 
 Benjamin Fuller of Brush Hill were among the petitioners for the new 
 road, the line was not run directly through their village, because of 
 engineering considerations, having to do with land contours and the 
 desirability of straight track wherever this could be achieved. Also 
 there were difficulties in building south of Fullersburg. The "flats," 
 that stretch of land between Highlands and Western Springs, which 
 then was an extensive swamp where boating and skating were popular, 
 presented a serious obstacle. Old timers remember stories of the new 
 track and its embankment sinking into the mire. Some say that a few 
 cars sank out of sight one night, as happened on a section of the Cana- 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 73 
 
 dian Pacific when it was building. Whether that occurred here is open 
 to question, but in the railroad company's annual report of 1865 we 
 find this statement: "A large amount of earth-work has been done be- 
 tween Lyons and Hinsdale, where the road crosses a low marsh, in con- 
 sequence of the sinking of the embankment for a distance of about 700 
 feet." Further, the report says, "New fence has been built along eight- 
 een miles of the Road, which completes the fencing." This was to 
 keep the cows off the track, a problem that presented more difficulties 
 through the suburbs than it did out in the country! These fences are 
 noted in early sketches of scenes along the line. 
 
 It seems strange to picture a railroad construction crew at what 
 is now the center of town, when there was nothing else here at all, 
 other than temporary quarters for the track workers and Mr. Walker's 
 farm buildings a quarter of a mile to the north, with perhaps a path 
 and a wagon trail here and there. 
 
 Finally the rails reached all the way to Aurora, and on the morning 
 of May 23, 1864, The Chicago Tribune carried this news item: 
 
 "The new line of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway between this 
 city and Aurora is completed, and the cars have been running over it for 
 several days past. This new road will bring us into direct railway connection 
 with Lyons, Brush Hill, Downers Grove, Naperville, and other points ... a 
 matter of very considerable interest to the residents along this new line, as also 
 to our city. This arrangement is very important to the Company, as every rail- 
 way must control its termini in order to do an independent really successful 
 business." 
 
 The new road was double tracked from Chicago to the Desplaines 
 River, and consisted of a single track from there to Aurora. According 
 to the Land Owner map of 1 869, (see back end-sheet) there were two 
 passing tracks where the line ran through Hinsdale, and the station 
 was located between the two sidings, a little west of Washington Street. 
 This first passenger station was erected in 1 864, and has served as the 
 freight depot since the present passenger station was built. The old 
 building, still west of Washington, has been altered occasionally, to 
 meet new conditions, but its remaining walls are of the original brick. 
 
 Hinsdale's rail fans will be interested in this 1864 letter written 
 by Edward L. Baker, Chairman of the C. B. 8c Q., to C. G. Hammond, 
 Superintendent in Chicago, concerning the purchase of two locomo- 
 tives. 
 
74 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Boston, 6th Mo. 18th 1864 
 C. G. Hammond, Esq. 
 Esteemed Friend 
 
 Your favor of the 15th is at hand. The engines were bought today 
 for $21,000, the two. They have just been painted and varnished, one 
 of them is having cylinders cased with brass instead of iron .... I have 
 set George Weed at work to get a good Master Mechanic to inspect the 
 engines before delivery, and to get a good trusty engineer started with 
 them from Concord, N.H. with plenty of oil to put them through by 
 way of Troy and Buffalo. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 Edward L. Baker 
 
 These "funnel" stacked veterans were to pass and re-pass through 
 Hinsdale hundreds of times after their arrival from New Hampshire. 
 
 The cars of that day, viewed from the outside, were square looking 
 at the ends, and were painted a bright color. Inside, the seats were ar- 
 ranged much the same as they are today except that there were no long 
 side seats near the doors of the car. But space was provided for a stove 
 at each end, though sometimes a single stove served, in the middle of 
 the car, with a box of wood for fuel. Kerosene lamps gave light. The 
 car trucks were a combination of wood and iron members, bolted to- 
 gether. At this date air brakes had not arrived, nor had the automatic 
 coupler. Hand operated brakes, and the old link and pin coupler were 
 to serve until well along in the Eighties. 
 
 Train dispatching by telegraph had become standard practice back 
 in the Fifties, but automatic block signals, electrically operated, were 
 a long way off. The old "high ball" signal, consisting of a sphere about 
 eighteen inches in diameter which could be raised or lowered on a 
 high pole, had been replaced by the hand operated semaphore. With 
 the dispatching of trains by telegraph, "train orders" became standard 
 practice. The engineer was handed a written message, before starting 
 on a run, instructing him concerning other trains he was to meet on 
 the way, the stops to be made, and any other information that was 
 pertinent to a safe and expeditious journey. These train orders were 
 subject to cancellation and revision, in which event the engineer would 
 be handed new orders at some station along the way, all these arrange- 
 ments being made by telegraph. Operators of telegraph instruments 
 were important people in those days, for the safety of trains depended 
 upon the accuracy of their messages; and special examples of alertness 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 
 
 75 
 
 Courtesy of the C. B. & Q. R. R. Co. 
 
 Number nine hauled trains through Hinsdale between 1865 and 1885. 
 
 on their part often were mentioned in the novels of the period, in 
 which the dispatcher frequently was the hero of the story. 
 
 According to the company's records, two passenger cars were con- 
 verted into sleepers in 1859. A contract for laying track in 1865 called 
 for rail weighing "not less than 50 pounds to the yard" and for "iron 
 chairs," these preceding the present-day tie plates. The prevailing 
 length of rail in those days was 27 feet. Today's rail weighs well over 
 125 pounds per yard, and is 35 feet long. 
 
 The locomotive shown in the accompanying photograph is one that 
 hauled trains through Hinsdale during the period 1865-85. It was an 
 experimental engine. Note the driving rods are on the inner sides of 
 the wheels; the rods worked on crank throws on the axles, instead of 
 on crank pins on the outer sides, on the wheel hubs. The design was 
 not continued. Originally a wood burner, later changed to coal, this 
 locomotive was built in the early i85o's. 
 
 The length of the new line was 35 14 miles. The maximum grades 
 east and west were 28 feet to the mile and the highest point was 140 
 feet above the level at Chicago. The grades have been reduced over 
 the years. 
 
76 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Cause and effect. What resulted from the building of this railroad 
 line? The first, and one of the most portentous results was the arrival 
 of Mr. William Robbins, a most unusual person. Originally from New 
 York state, Mr. Robbins, who joined the Forty Niners as a young 
 man, was a merchant on the Pacific coast for a while, but returned. He 
 finally entered the real estate business in Illinois. Having sensed the 
 impending development of Chicago's western suburbs, he bought 
 eight hundred acres of land here in 1862, built a house the following 
 year, the one (remodeled and enlarged) now occupied by Mrs. S. W. 
 Banning at 120 E. Fifth Street. He fenced in a large part of the tract 
 and started out as a stock farmer, while keeping an eye on further 
 developments. His land was purchased from one Robert Jones of New 
 York, who had obtained it from the Government, possibly from the 
 Commissioner of the Illinois-Michigan Canal, because this area lay 
 within the canal strip. But most of the land around here was then 
 held by speculators who were offering it at from $7 to $25 per acre, 
 according to Blanchard. 
 
 Mr. Robbin's acres were south of Alfred Walker's southern bound- 
 ary and comprised, roughly, the south-east quarter of Hinsdale with 
 Seventh Street as the south boundary, and including the west half of 
 section 7 in Cook County. This tract was rolling, and attractive in 
 other respects, with tiny Flagg Creek bordering it on the north. It 
 included several ponds of various sizes and a tributary to the creek cut- 
 ting across the farm. The terrain was high, and dry too, except for 
 thoses undrained spots. Wild geese flocked through as the seasons 
 changed, and deer were frequent visitors. Most of Mr. Robbin's tract 
 was almost treeless. A dense belt of oaks across the County Line ex- 
 tended northward along the moraine into Walker's farm, and there 
 were many trees west of there, but this plot south of Flagg Creek was 
 mostly bare except for patches of tall prairie grass. At about this time 
 John Hemshell, a newly arrived resident of Brush Hill, shot a wolf 
 near the Garfield and Third Street intersection. 
 
 Jarvis Fox was building a big house on the hill now occupied by 
 the Memorial Building, and there were farms in every direction. 
 Fullersburg was the nearest village. A few huts and cabins were clus- 
 tered around the mineral springs east of the swamps. Cass, to the south- 
 west, and Lyonsville, southeast were, like Fullersburg, well established 
 communities on main highways. The old town of Downers Grove, an- 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 77 
 
 other center of agriculture, was to the west. A dirt road along the 
 County Line, passing through the property on the east was little more 
 than a wagon trail, and a similar road ran north and south on what is 
 now Garfield Avenue, which served as a line of communication be- 
 tween Brush Hill and the Plainfield Road. Over these paths a buggy 
 or wagon could reach a stage road to the north or south. 
 
 Farming, however, was not Mr. Robbin's ultimate objective. He 
 visualized the potential value of this land, and the figure was too high 
 for the growing of crops. Instead, he foresaw here a residential com- 
 munity, having as many desirable attributes as could be brought 
 together, endowed by nature with the charm of a rural setting, but 
 close enough to the metropolis, with its larger industrial interests. 
 Improved transportation would bring them together. So Mr. Robbins 
 set his objective, and went to work. 
 
 After completing his small temporary residence on Fifth Street, 
 on a rise of ground which at that time overlooked a spring-fed pond 
 at the bottom of the hill, to the northwest, he had become so convinced 
 of a promising future for this area that he decided to build a larger 
 house. This he erected on the north side of Sixth Street about midway 
 between Oak and County Line, the house that was later to be occupied 
 by the Washburns for many years, and which is now owned by Mr. 
 W. H. Payne. This place was developed into a fine country estate, with 
 meadows for lawns and secondary roads for its driveways, and with 
 stock raising soon to be combined with real estate development. In 
 the year 1 866, according to Blanchard, Mr. Robbins laid out the north- 
 west quarter of Section 1 2 in lots, varying in size from one acre to lots 
 having sixty-six feet of frontage. In the same year Mr. H. W. G. Cleve- 
 land, a noted landscape gardener, was employed to mark off the streets, 
 some of which were to be curving, and to plant trees along their bor- 
 ders. Today those Elms are the most venerable now growing in the vil- 
 lage. There were graveled walks, adjoining wooden sidewalks. This 
 area, the central part of which was at first called Robbins Park, and all 
 of which is now known as Robbin's First, and Robbin's Park additions, 
 extends from the railroad south to Seventh, and from Garfield to 
 County Line. 
 
 Two or three small houses were built along these streets, for sale 
 to those who wanted them, and the first to occupy one of these was the 
 family of James Swartout. The Swartout family remained there for a 
 
78 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 long time. Afterward their house was occupied by the Carl Thayers. 
 Reverend C. M. Barnes, who later opened a large book store in Chi- 
 cago, next bought a lot of Mr. Robbins and built a house on it. When 
 a son, William Robbins, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, he was 
 presented with a lot by Mr. Robbins. At about the same time Mr. 
 Edwin Bowles arrived and built the house which stands immediately 
 south of the First National Bank. The Bank site used to be the Bowles' 
 side yard. 
 
 The mail came through Fullersburg during these formative years. 
 Summit was also an active settlement then, and it is said that while the 
 Civil War was still in progress a boy was frequently sent over there for 
 papers and the war news. 
 
 After the railroad had been built through in '64, and a station 
 erected, the place still had no name. Usually there is more than one 
 version of how places acquire their names, and Hinsdale is no excep- 
 tion. According to The Hinsdale Doings of Sept. 7, 1944, the name 
 could have had any one of three separate origins: First, H. W. Hins- 
 dale, a Chicago merchant told a Hinsdale writer in 1890 that the 
 town had been named for him because he had assisted the railroad con- 
 tractors financially. 
 
 Second, Isaac S. Bush, early Postmaster of Brush Hill and Hinsdale 
 merchant, told a writer in 1897, tnat when the Burlington was laying 
 its tracks Colonel Hammond, in charge of the project, asked Bush 
 what they should call the new station. Bush said, "Brush Hill." Ham- 
 mond disagreed, and asked Bush to submit other names. "Hinsdale" 
 was then suggested by Bush, remembering his owji birthplace at Hins- 
 dale, N. Y., and he also suggested Olean, another New York town. 
 "Soon after this," said Mr. Bush, "the name Hinsdale appeared, at- 
 tached to a shanty at the Main Street (Garfield) Crossing." Prior to 
 this, the name Brush Hill had appeared, and before that, the name 
 Hazel Glen, at the same location. 
 
 Third, Mr. Robbins is said to have named the station "Hinsdale." 
 A Hinsdale writer of 1 897 feels quite certain that he was the one. This 
 third version has been sustained by the late Mrs. Walter Field who 
 thoroughly investigated Hinsdale's past. 
 
 A book written by Henry Gannett, entitled Place Names in the 
 United States, published in 1905 by the United States Geological Sur- 
 vey, gives this: "Hinsdale, village in DuPage County, Illinois, named 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 79 
 
 for H. W. Hinsdale, a prominent railroad man, and from the town 
 of Hinsdale, New York." Possibly this book was the source of a 
 rumored belief that Mr. Hinsdale was a director or an officer of the 
 C. B. Sc Q.; the Burlington, however, has never had an official of that 
 name. 
 
 Mr. Lester Childs, while he was a student at Ann Arbor, Michigan, 
 met a woman who knew a Doctor Hinsdale who was practicing in Ann 
 Arbor. She said she had heard that this Dr. Hinsdale had a brother for 
 whom Hinsdale, Illinois was named. That was in 1898. 
 
 After reviewing the various rumors and traditions concerning the 
 naming of the village the Friends of the Library's history committee 
 wrote to the town clerk of Hinsdale, N. Y., asking for information 
 about Mr. H. W. Hinsdale. The clerk replied: We have no record of an 
 H. W. Hinsdale." So, as the saying goes, ''you pay your money and take 
 your choice." 
 
 Little or no significance is attached to the absence of a record of 
 Mr. H. W. Hinsdale in Hinsdale, N. Y., because that town has no 
 public library, and Mr. Hinsdale has been away from there quite a 
 while if he moved to Chicago prior to 1 864. 
 
 This suggestion is offered: It is possible for all three of the claimed 
 origins to be correct. In fact the larger the number who favored the 
 name Hinsdale, the more likely it was for that to have been the name 
 selected. 
 
 With all the speculation concerning the origin of this name, which 
 implies, of course, a sense of its importance and the pride Hinsdaleans 
 take in it, how humiliating it is to learn what happened one day soon 
 after the name became official. A farm woman coming through by 
 train heard the conductor call out the name of the station. "Hen's tail," 
 said she, "what a funny name for a town." 
 
 How did our neighboring villages along the "Q" acquire their 
 names? The first neighbor to the west was named for Clarendon Hills, 
 Massachusetts, a suburb south of Boston. Western Springs is the name 
 that was given to the mineral springs found flowing there (south of 
 the railroad on the rise of land east of the "flats") and which had at- 
 tracted a few persons to the site before the railroad was built. La 
 Grange was named after La Grange, Tennessee. The name Westmont 
 is said to have originated because it is descriptive of a westerly location 
 on high ground. Fairview Avenue replaces the old flag-stop station long 
 
80 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 known as Greggs. Downer's Grove hails back to its early settler, Pierce 
 Downer. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Robbins built a stone school house at the top of the 
 hill on Main Street (Garfield) where the large brick grade school now 
 stands. It was thought by some that there would not be enough children 
 to occupy the new building, with its two fair-sized rooms and a larger 
 room above them. But the need was imminent, as disclosed by events 
 of the months which followed. 
 
 The late Mary H. Saunders, formerly residing at the King- 
 Bruwaert House, tells of the arrival here of her father, C. M. Saunders, 
 in 1866. He had come to Chicago from Boston to study at the Union 
 Park Theological Seminary, and her mother soon followed. 
 
 "Father was assigned to the village church at Lyonsville as student 
 pastor. The railroad did not touch Lyonsville, so when father came 
 out Saturday for the Sunday services he was met at the Hinsdale sta- 
 tion by one of the members of the Lyonsville Church. He used to tell 
 of his first sight of Hinsdale— 'A half dozen scattered houses and trees.' 
 Driving up the hill, they passed a pile of stone. 
 
 'What are these stones for?' he asked his companion. 
 
 'For a school house,' replied the man. 
 
 'A school house? But where are the children coining from?' asked 
 my father. 
 
 'Oh, Mr. Robbins is going to build a town here,' said the man." 
 
 A town in the making was a new experience for the young man just 
 from the well established towns and villages of New England. 
 
 "A few months later father was asked to commence holding re- 
 ligious services Sunday afternoons at Hinsdale. No place for such serv- 
 ices was available other than the Railroad Station, now used as the 
 freight depot. The agent's family lived in the station— his wife had a 
 piano and could play it; so with the help of the Lyonsville choir they 
 had good music from the first. Boards laid across drygoods boxes 
 supplemented the seating capacity of the room. Often, late comers 
 had to stand outside by the open windows." 
 
 Others were investigating and investing in this promising new 
 locality, and with its future so bright, it seemed quite in order to plot 
 a village, with streets and boundaries. The building of a village on such 
 a rapid schedule, from the ground up, probably called for solemn mo- 
 ments of decision even for these ardent emissaries of progress, and the 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 81 
 
 exact boundaries of ''the village" was one of the points to be decided. 
 Unlike other towns, that had some particular or natural cause for 
 starting where they did, Hinsdale's center and original boundaries 
 were largely subject to human decision. 
 
 The railroad station had been placed on the north side of the track, 
 about 300 yards west of the crossing of Mr. Robbins' "Main" Street. 
 The reason for locating it beyond Main Street, where there was no 
 other street, is not certain, but it seems a logical place to have built it, 
 with so many rolling, beckoning hills to the west and with no good 
 reason for clustering the town too close to the swamp adjacent to the 
 highlands. A town must have a business section, and the stores must 
 be near the railroad station, so the original village was laid out, in 1 865, 
 around the depot, bounded on the north by Chicago Ave., the south 
 by Fifth Street, and between Garfield and Grant, east and west. Within 
 this area streets were laid out, and given names: Washington, Lincoln, 
 and Grant, for that new General who had accomplished so much in 
 the war. Chicago Avenue was not so named then, but the numbered 
 streets, to and including Fifth, came into being. The streets actually 
 plowed and graded at this time were Washington, Garfield, and Sixth 
 Street as far as the County Line. Originally, Sixth was a double-laned 
 street with a parkway in the middle. When the street was paved it was 
 made a single drive. A mowing machine was run over all the streets in 
 the summer time, before they were paved. In that year, 1865, village 
 government was a long way off, but the original boundaries, which 
 designated the village proper, were defined. Thus the village had its 
 start, mostly south of the railroad, but other tracts of land or "subdi- 
 visions," north and west, were in the making. 
 
 Chronologically, Oliver J. Stough was not the next purchaser and 
 developer of suburban lands to begin his work here, but following 
 Robbins his operations were the most extensive, and represent the 
 second important result of the arrival of the railroad. Starting in the 
 year 1866 with acquisition of the Jarvis Fox farm, he gradually came 
 into possession, piece by piece, of over 1,000 acres north and northwest 
 of the platted village. His lands reached to the southern outskirts of 
 Fullersburg and it was not long before Stough's first and second ad- 
 ditions to Hinsdale were entered in the record books. Mr. Stough, like 
 Mr. Robbins, planted many trees and made other improvements. He 
 built his dwelling on the tract bounded by Lincoln, Vine, Maple, and 
 
82 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Walnut. This was a large lot, but his dwelling was a comparatively 
 small one. He too envisioned the community's future, and did much 
 toward its realization. 
 
 Other early purchasers of large blocks of land, some of whom were 
 builders as well, were D. S. Estabrook, J. M. Walker, H. C. Middaugh, 
 J. H. Hannah, J. I. Case, Marvin Hughitt, W. S. and E. Banker, A. T. 
 Hall, David Roth, Robert Harris, Azel Dorathy, J. Blanchard, Reuben 
 Farr, C. B. Holmes, and A. N. Towne. 
 
 During the 1860's and 70's a weekly paper, the Land Owner, de- 
 voted to the interests of real estate development, was published in Chi- 
 cago, and one of its issues, in the year 1 869, carried a description of the 
 development at Hinsdale, including the chart reproduced on the back 
 end sheet. Note the extent to which the village had been mapped 
 out by that year, "on paper" of course, but indicative of the foresight 
 of the early settlers. Hinsdale's population was less than 500 in 1869, 
 but in keeping with the growth that was anticipated, the boundaries, 
 from Ayres Avenue to 10th Street and from Jackson to the County 
 Line, were laid out to encompass an area of 1 1/ 2 square miles, within 
 which were 175 residential blocks. At that time this was planning on 
 a grand scale. 
 
 Note the ponds between Elm and the County Line, north and south 
 of Third Street, the "Academy," (Mr. Robbins' stone school house) at 
 Main and Third, the railroad station between Washington and Lin- 
 coln, with a passing track and a freight siding. The area of Mr. Stough's 
 estate can be seen on north Grant Street. Note the absence of trees, 
 except along the belt of woods that cuts diagonally across the County 
 Line, and small patches elsewhere. The trees or shrubs bordering the 
 Robbins estate evidently were planted. Allowance must be made for 
 errors in this map, which was drawn for the purpose of land sale pro- 
 motion rather than historical reference. Incidentally, the Land Owner 
 refers to it as a "cartoon," a term used generally in that day meaning 
 a "diagram." 
 
 A written description of the village, which accompanied this chart, 
 is quoted here in full: 
 
 "Hinsdale is situated 17 miles from Chicago, on the Chicago, Burlington 
 and Quincy railroad. The land is elevated, and the situation is unsurpassed in 
 the west. In the short space of four years it has risen from a single dwelling 
 house, to a place of nearly 1000 inhabitants. The station house is about 16 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 83 
 
 miles from the Central Depot, or forty-five to sixty minute's ride from the city 
 by any one of the eight or nine trains that stop there. The distance by driveway 
 is about the same, and will be rendered shorter yet by a proposed connection 
 with the Riverside boulevard." 
 
 "The scene which Hinsdale now presents has a more natural beauty than 
 can be found at any of our nearer suburbs, as the land is 150 feet above the 
 surface of the lake and is delving and almost hilly, there being a constant rise 
 and decline, the picturesque effects of which can be well appreciated by all 
 who have been accustomed to blank outlooks upon sandy deserts. The soil is 
 of a richer clay than most prairie land, and without the sub-stratum of sand 
 which is found nearer the lake. This renders the roads the ideal of country 
 roads,— soft without being muddy, shedding the water by reason of their incli- 
 nation, partly grass grown, and wending their way up and down and around 
 their gentle slopes. On this account Hinsdale has natural advantages, the attain- 
 ment of which by means of art would require immense expenditures of money 
 and time. 
 
 "The richness of the soil is abundantly attested by the splendid groves at one 
 end of the tract, covered with superb trees of oak and maple. But proofs of this, 
 and strong ones, are found in the success of the fruits of all kinds,— pears, 
 peaches, plums, grapes, etc. The character of the country to the south is such as to 
 afford the finest drives. Along the Aux Plaines River the great timber gives the 
 effect of mountainous scenery. Salt Creek, a fine stream with good fishing, runs 
 near Hinsdale on the north, and there is abundance of water easily attainable 
 with wells of from 20 to 25 feet depth at the highest point. 
 
 "But the value and desirability of suburban villages, for residential purposes, 
 is not fully determined by all the above features. It is still the school house and 
 the church that give tone and character. In this respect Hinsdale stands fore- 
 most. The academy located there, under the superintendence of Professor Glea- 
 son, an educator long and favorably known in Chicago, is one of the best in the 
 country. Its advantages are second to none. Socially, Hinsdale is one of the 
 pleasantest residence towns around Chicago. The social recherche, and a tone of 
 refinement seems to pervade the place. There is not a grog-shop in the village, 
 the charter especially prohibiting such unpleasant features. 
 
 "Among the residents of Hinsdale are many of our best business men, whose 
 ample means enable them to retire in a few minutes' time from the noisy city 
 to the quiet of their country homes. Among them are Mr. A. T. Hall, Mr. J. M. 
 Walker, Mr. Robert Harris, Mr. Samuel Powell, and Mr. W. McCredie. Mr. O. J. 
 Stough, who has very large interests here, and Mr. William Robbins, also one of 
 the large landowners, have fine residences; as have also Mr. W. S. Banker, Mr. 
 Charles B. Holmes, Mr. Jerry Nottingham, Mr. H. R. Thompson of the John 
 Hancock Life Insurance Company, Mr. N. H Warren, Mr. J. Blanchard, Mr. J. 
 Parker, Mr. Reuben Farr, Mr. W. Leland, Dr. F. H. Walker, Gen. Briggs, Mr. 
 M. A. Donohue, Mr. D. S. Estabrook, the Messrs. J. P. and E. P. Hinds, and 
 many other prominent individuals. J. I. Case, Esq. the Racine manufacturer, is 
 making arrangements for the construction of a fine villa. 
 
 "Trains run to and from Hinsdale almost every hour of the day; and it has 
 the special advantage of two Hinsdale accommodation trains to meet the wants 
 of every class of business men." 
 
8 4 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The old Baptist Church stood on the southwest 
 corner of First and Garfield. 
 
 This description requires deflation in a few particulars. The popu- 
 lation was close to 400 in this year, instead of 1,000, there were only 
 six daily trains to the city, and Mr. Case did not build his villa. Never- 
 theless, it is full of the enthusiasm, hope, and promise that pervaded 
 the local thinking and planning of the day. 
 
 Among the permanent organizations that have been formed in 
 Hinsdale, the Congregational Church was the first. Other "firsts" of 
 the village were: the first general store, conducted by Mr. L. E. 
 Moreley, with William Evernden as its first clerk; the first baggage de- 
 livery service, operated by Eben Millions who had sailed on American 
 clipper ships before settling here; and his daughter, Fannie Millions, 
 the first dressmaker. There was Tommy Using, whose horse and phae- 
 ton constituted the first livery service. Over Evernden 's drug store, the 
 first instruction in dancing was given by Mr. C. P. Frey, who taught 
 dancing and played the fiddle at the same time. The first drug store 
 had as its proprietor Dr. J. C. Merrick, who simultaneously was the first 
 practicing physician. 
 
 The first club for educational advancement, of which there were 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 85 
 
 many to follow, was called the Cultivators, or more exactly, the Culti- 
 vator's Society. It engaged in Shakespearean Plays, erudite readings, 
 and social affairs. Mrs. N. H. Warren was the leading spirit. Mrs. Belle 
 Robbins Knight, and the Misses Ella and Alice Warren were among 
 its members. 
 
 The first church building, that of the Baptists (Page 84) stood on 
 the site of the present Community House, facing north. This church 
 was also known as the "music hall" because of many concerts that took 
 place there. After the Baptists relinquished the building, it sheltered 
 dancing classes, and a few present-day citizens who were youngsters 
 at that time can remember a troupe of Kickapoo Indians that came to 
 Hinsdale once each year to sell patent medicine, through the customary 
 medium of a vaudeville act. Their performance took place in the base- 
 ment of this same structure. In the early 1890's it burned. A "flaming 
 youth" of the village was suspected of having set fire to the building, 
 but this was never verified. 
 
 News from the county came mostly by way of Chicago. On the 
 morning of June 6, 1867, The Chicago Tribune, which was reaching 
 the village a few hours after coming off the press, carried a long news 
 item entitled "Excitement in Du Page County," concerning removal 
 of the county seat from Naperville to Wheaton. 
 
 The latter town had claimed the right to serve as the seat of justice 
 owing to its central position in the county, but this claim was ener- 
 getically refuted by Naperville, whose stand was augmented by her age, 
 numbers, and wealth. The State Legislature authorized an election in 
 the county to settle the dispute, which was won by Wheaton, by a 
 small margin. The removal was accompanied by violence of a minor 
 sort, expressive of interest in the seat of government rather than an- 
 tagonism. 
 
 Mud, dark brown mud, is mentioned frequently in all of the accounts 
 and stories of this part of the country during the pre-Cleveland era. 
 For the first ten or fifteen years Hinsdale's streets were just as nature 
 made them, and the sidewalks too, except for those stretches that some 
 public-spirited person had covered with boards or cinders. But most 
 of the sidewalks were merely footpaths paralleling the carriage and 
 wagon tracks. During wet spells, vehicles often sank nearly to their 
 
86 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 hubs. Pedestrian's rubbers would stick and come off. Dogs tracked the 
 stuff into homes and stores. 
 
 The streets must have been subject to this muddy condition for a 
 long time, because Otis R. Cushing, well known citizen and business 
 man says, "I recall that in the late '90's Fifth Street was not paved and 
 there was a mud hole in front of our property. Dad used to be out with 
 a two-by-four helping pry the carriages out of the mud on Sunday 
 afternoons during the wet seasons." 
 
 The early houses were mostly far apart and well scattered over the 
 entire area. Then, as now, the houses were built of frame, usually with 
 clapboard siding, or of stone or brick. But frame houses predomi- 
 nated, with inside chimneys, cedar shingles, and "caps" over the win- 
 dow frames, the upper part of the frame being slightly arched, in a plain 
 or fancy design. Many of the early homes were designed without benefit 
 of architect. Nevertheless, examination of the houses built during the 
 '6o's and '70's reveals more pleasing designs than some of those which 
 went up in the '8o's and 'go's. "Gingerbread" and gewgaws were con- 
 sidered attractive after 1875, but apparently not before. 
 
 Water came from wells and from cisterns that were supplied with 
 rain water from the roof. Many, if not all, of the older places still have 
 these cisterns in the back or side yards, though they have long been 
 out of use. They were used, however, up until about 1915, when the 
 water softening plant was installed in the village. Pumps forced the 
 water from the cistern to a tank in the attic, from which the various out- 
 lets in the house were supplied. Buckets at each home served as fire 
 protection. Coal oil lamps furnished the light. "Coal oil" was a yellow- 
 ish petroleum product that became known as "kerosene" in later years, 
 when refining processes were improved. Candles also were used, until 
 gas arrived. This modern improvement, however, did not wait for gas 
 mains and pipes from the outside. Some of Hinsdale's residents in- 
 stalled machines that manufactured gas in their basements, and rem- 
 nants of those devices still can be seen in the basements of some of the 
 older dwellings. Whatever the kind of lighting, each house was 
 equipped with hand kerosene lanterns, to be carried by those who went 
 out at night. Some of the early homes had furnaces of a sort, but the 
 majority relied on those barrel-shaped cast iron stoves, that now are 
 confined to lumber camps and remote country stores. Some of these 
 stoves had bright nickel trim. 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 
 
 87 
 
 FROM CHICAGO 
 
 Stations 
 
 .Central Depot. 
 Chicago Station 
 . Cicero 
 
 . Riverside . . . 
 
 . West Lyons . . 
 
 . . Hinsdale . . . 
 
 Downer's Grove 
 
 . . Lisle 
 
 Naperville . . 
 
 Aurora. 
 
 Freight, 
 
 No. 13. 
 
 B 
 
 9.45a.m. Lv 
 10.10 
 10.25 
 
 10.48 
 
 11.05 
 11.15 
 11.37 
 11.53 
 12.10 
 
 12.56 
 
 Freight, 
 
 No. 11. 
 
 B 
 
 8.15a.m. Lv 
 8.45 
 
 9.08 
 9.25 
 
 9.42 
 9.53 
 10.13 
 10.30 
 10.48 
 11.30 
 11.45 
 
 Ar.\ 
 Lv./ 
 
 Ar.\ 
 Lv./ 
 
 Night 
 
 Express. 
 
 No. 9. 
 
 C 
 
 11.30p.m. Lv 
 11.50 
 
 : 12.07 
 
 12.22 
 
 12.33 
 
 12.40 
 
 12.55 
 
 fl.06 
 
 1.18 
 
 1.45 
 
 Aurora 
 
 Passenger, 
 
 No. 7. 
 
 B 
 
 5.45p.m. Lv. 
 
 6.00 
 
 6.16 
 
 6.30 
 
 6.40 
 6.46 
 7.00 
 7.10 
 7.20 
 
 7.45p.m. Ar. 
 B. 
 
 Mendota 
 
 Passenger 
 
 B 
 
 4.30p.m. Lv 
 
 4.45 
 k 4.58 
 
 5.10 
 
 5.17 
 5.28 
 5.35 
 5.43 
 5.53 
 
 6.15 
 
 Quincy 
 
 Passenger, 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 B 
 
 3.00p.m. Lv 
 3.15 
 |3.33 
 
 3.49 
 
 3.58 
 4.04 
 4.14 
 4.22 
 4.32 
 
 4.55 
 
 Mail, 
 
 No. 1. 
 
 B 
 
 7.30a. m.Lv 
 7.45 
 =8.00 
 
 8.15 
 
 8.24 
 8.30 
 8.42 
 8.52 
 9.02 
 
 9.27 
 
 s 
 
 2 ° 
 
 as o 
 
 2H 
 
 12H 
 
 15M 
 
 18M 
 
 22y 2 
 
 25H 
 29K 
 
 38M 
 
 1868 suburban timetable, west bound. 
 
 From the beginning, up until 1910, chickens were raised, and 
 cows were kept in back yards and sheds within the village limits. Horses 
 were stabled in the village until a later date. 
 
 Since its first settlement, there has been a spirit of helpfulness and 
 cooperation toward filling public needs in the village, and one of its 
 first manifestations took the form of sidewalks. After the original town 
 boundaries were set, and twenty or thirty families had built homes, the 
 need of sidewalks, especially in wet weather, became urgent. So one 
 day Mr. N. H. Warren had several loads of lumber shipped to Hins- 
 dale, and many citizens pitched in to help build plank walks. They 
 were put down, of course, along those streets where they were par- 
 ticularly needed, so mostly these boards were laid over the approaches 
 to the business district. The first board walks installed by the village, 
 after incorporation, ran from the station to north Washington Street. 
 
 When the Hinsdalean of the '6o's and '70's went to Chicago, the city 
 terminal was Central Station, at the foot of Randolph Street. For the 
 westward journey the train went south from Central Station to 16th 
 Street, where it turned west and made a stop a little to the east of State 
 Street. From there on west, stops were made at the following named 
 stations: Cicero, Riverside, West Lyons, (now La Grange) and Hins- 
 dale. That was all. There were no Western Avenue, Berwyn, Brook- 
 field, or other stops with which we are familiar. West of Hinsdale, the 
 stations were Downers Grove, Lisle, Naperville, and Aurora. Schedules 
 
88 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 and stops were more informal then, when traffic was lighter. On page 
 87 there is a reproduction of the westbound portion of an 1868 time 
 table. It will be seen that in that year Hinsdale was served by through 
 trains, the specialized suburban service not yet having been demanded 
 by population growth, and that freight and live stock trains, as well as 
 passenger trains, were scheduled. An average passenger train made the 
 trip in 65 minutes; a fast mail in one hour flat. The timetable for the 
 following year, 1869, however, scheduled two trains which went no 
 farther west than Hinsdale and Aurora, respectively. The first was 
 called the "Hinsdale accommodation train," and those two trains sig- 
 nify the beginning of the regular suburban service. From then on, 
 trains of the suburban category were added as required. 
 
 The broad prairie between Chicago and the Desplaines River still 
 was poorly drained, so that water often came up to the tracks after 
 heavy spring rains. But in summer, the Indian paint brush and other 
 wild flowers blossomed on the prairie in great profusion. After leaving 
 Berwyn, the train was out in the country, in more sparsely settled coun- 
 try than that west of Hinsdale today. At present-day La Grange, there 
 was at first only a platform for taking on milk and other farm produce. 
 
 Billy Cummins is remembered as "a most popular conductor" who 
 furnished much merriment for the commuters. He had a penchant for 
 adding large words to his vocabulary, and would glow like a clear 
 morning whenever he acquired a new one. 
 
 At this time commutation tickets were sold in the form of books 
 of coupons, one coupon being removed by the conductor for each trip. 
 The book was good for one, two, or six months, or a year. 
 
 A rapidly growing town needed roads leading to and from it. The 
 making of a road followed this procedure: first, those who wanted 
 it would petition the county for a survey, and the Commissioner of 
 roads would then call a meeting of those persons and the owners of land 
 through whose property the proposed road would pass. If found agree- 
 able, the road was surveyed. Then, in the absence of further obstacles, 
 but in the presence of sufficient money in the County Treasury to com- 
 pensate the land owners and road laborers, the work proceeded. 
 
 Actual construction, following the survey, consisted of plowing, 
 scraping, and rolling the surface, and of filling in here and there with 
 gravel, if that material were available. The work was crude, at best, 
 and did not approach our present standards of road building until the 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 89 
 
 macadam type of construction came into use. Here in the west, that 
 was not until the latter part of the nineteenth century when state aid 
 in the building of roads began. Oddly enough, the bicycle gave impetus 
 to the state-aid movement. Bicycle clubs and "wheel societies" de- 
 manded better roads for their long cycling tours. Federal aid came 
 later, with the automobile. 
 
 In the chapter on Brush Hill, mention was made of a proposed road 
 that would have cut diagonally across country between there and Cass, 
 a road that was surveyed, but never constructed. Our present highway 
 No. 83, however, was surveyed in 1862, principally as a link connect- 
 ing those two places, and in due course, it became a road. 
 
 Spring Road, extending from Fullersburg to Roosevelt Road, 
 south and west of Salt Creek, had been surveyed and laid out in 1 840- 
 42. Garfield Avenue, then called Main Street, was surveyed south to 
 Plainfield Road in 1864. It was then called the William Glidden Road 
 because it cut through the property of a farmer of that name. There 
 are other instances of new roads having been named for persons 
 through whose property they were extended. Northward, as a wagon 
 trail this street (Wm Glidden Road) skirted the Walker farm, then 
 on down the hill to Fullersburg, where it was known as Cass Street. 
 Now it is York Road, from The Lane to Ogden, and beyond. 
 
 Chicago Avenue, connecting Hinsdale with Downers Grove was 
 surveyed in 1 865-6, and County Line was made into a road during the 
 1860's. The extension of North Washington Street to Salt Creek was 
 surveyed in 1876, according to the Surveyor's book, but T. E. Clark, 
 old resident of Fullersburg, says this was "only a path" as late as 1890. 
 Several roads were surveyed, but not immediately constructed. 
 
 Some of the notes found in the road surveyor's book are of interest, 
 such as these: 
 
 "Met on the 29th day of October 1864 in the depot at Brush Hill to hear proofs 
 and allegations of the parties." 
 
 Several of these meetings are reported to have taken place "in the 
 depot at Brush Hill," as late as 1867, which would indicate that the 
 name "Hinsdale" was slow in taking hold throughout the County. In 
 1868 a meeting was held at "Hinsdale." 
 
 "Served notice on J. E. Oldfield and Willie Walton to move their fences out of 
 the road adjoining their respective places." 
 
go VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Bases of measurement used by the early surveyors often were in- 
 formal and indefinite, according to present-day standards. These are 
 examples: 
 
 "Starting at the corner of Mr. Jones' barn the line runs to . . . ." 
 "In line with a red oak tree 18" in diameter." 
 
 "Established the center of the road by digging a hole and putting several small 
 stones into it, with a red stone on top." 
 
 But such methods of describing boundaries were not confined to 
 the road surveyor's office. The legal description of a piece of property 
 at Second and Washington in Hinsdale was found to read in part "— 
 and thence to the Arbor Vitae hedge." 
 
 It would be of interest to know who the farmers were on the land 
 immediately adjacent to Hinsdale in the early 1870% but there is rea- 
 son to believe that tillers of the soil close to our borders were few. 
 There were land owners, but not many land owning farmers just out- 
 side the village boundaries, for much of this territory was being held 
 by investors, in anticipation of the inevitable expansion of the village 
 and a consequent rise in values. Some lived on their tracts, as did 
 Michael Sucher and H. Faul, to the northwest and William Bilby, 
 J. D. Crocker, and W. Leland on the south, but even these places were 
 either in the nature of country estates, or the lands were tilled by 
 tenant farmers. Other nearby acres were just being held for a rise in 
 the market. 
 
 According to Mr. Paul Richert, most of the land on which Clarendon 
 Hills is located, was purchased from the Government by John J. 
 Monell, during the early 1830's. In all, he acquired 960 acres. In 1836 
 Monell sold one-third of his holdings to Alfred A. Belknap. Title to 
 Belknap's land then passed to Abraham M. Smith, and finally back to 
 Monell, who then sold to M. P. Bush, George Howard, and others. In 
 1867 Bush and Howard transferred a large tract south of the railroad 
 to James M. Walker. Then came Henry P. Churchill, Charles B. 
 Holmes, O. J. Stough, Amos T. Hall, S. B. Sherer, Robert Harris, 
 Dirkus Snitjer, and Henry C. Middaugh, all of whom bought large 
 tracts in the area. 
 
COMING OF THE RAILROAD 91 
 
 Clarendon Hills was officially recorded as a town in November, 
 1873. Before that, it was known as a part of West Hinsdale. 
 
 Present-day Hinsdaleans remember H. C. Middaugh as the prin- 
 cipal owner of Clarendon Hills property north of the railroad. Mr. 
 Middaugh moved here from Cook County, became DuPage's School 
 Director and a member of the Board of Supervisors. His Clarendon 
 property was used entirely as a farm until 1891, when he vacated that 
 area between the railroad and Chicago Avenue, which has become the 
 north side of the village, with many streets and homes. But, for a 
 while thereafter, he continued to farm eighty acres of land north of 
 Chicago Avenue, while residing in his large brick dwelling that still 
 stands a few hundred yards west of Highway 83, a little south of 
 Chicago Avenue. But the 80 acre remnant of the Middaugh farm soon 
 became a part of the course of the first Hinsdale Golf Club. 
 
 The organizers of that club rented land for the course from Mr. 
 Middaugh for a stipulated period, during which time the property, 
 under the club's supervision, was considerably improved. When time 
 came for renewal of the lease or purchase of the land by the club, the 
 price asked was considered too high, so the club decided to move 
 farther west. The course now is located on land owned by the F. O. 
 Butler estate. 
 
 A news despatch of 1 874 tells of a widely attended wedding at the 
 home of Mr. W. W. Welch in that year. Among other early residents 
 was Albert G. Hines who arrived from Philadelphia in 1880. His 
 dwelling, just south of the present business district is a familiar land 
 mark. Mr. T. A. Lemmon came from Chicago in 1882, and built a 
 house. Later, the Michael Straus family, well known to many Hins- 
 daleans, lived in the large frame semi-farm house on the high ground 
 just east of Clarendon Hill's south side. It burned in 1924. 
 
 The first railroad station was erected in 1865, on the north side 
 of the tracks, at about the point where Prospect Avenue now crosses. 
 Following its destruction by fire, a second depot was built south of 
 the rails and a little west of the first location. After this second build- 
 ing burned, the present station was constructed. As in Hinsdale, the 
 early stations served various civic purposes as well as housing the 
 patrons and local business activities of the railroad. From 1 877 to 1 886 
 Mrs. John Butler was station agent and postmistress at Clarendon 
 Hills. 
 
92 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The first store, a brick building, was located on the east side of 
 Prospect Avenue, south of the present station. This was an old-time 
 general store. It burned in 1892. The oldest business building at pres- 
 ent is the store that was erected by Edward Mochel in 1911. The Post- 
 office was then moved to the Mochel building. The village pump, 
 which served faithfully up until 1928, was likewise on Prospect 
 Avenue, on the east side, a few yards south of the tracks. 
 
 Clarendon Hills developed slowly during its first fifty years. As 
 late as 1922 there were only thirty-five dwellings on the south side, and 
 a smaller number to the north. In sharp contrast to that condition of 
 affairs, new homes are now being built on a large scale; in fact real 
 estate activity has been noticeable since the mid 1930's. 
 
 # # # 
 
 From the start, no period of languor was experienced in Hinsdale 
 except for the area west of Vine Street. West Hinsdale, the same as 
 Clarendon Hills, was slow to develop. But with roads being added, 
 often two at a time; with the population approaching a thousand; with 
 the sound of carpenter's saw and hammer being heard in every quarter, 
 new faces appearing daily on the streets, new religious and other groups 
 being organized, and a business section taking form, Hinsdale passed 
 from its infant stage. The effects of the railroad had been far-reaching, 
 and this was only the beginning. 
 
chapter vii The Elegant Era 
 
 A SECOND TRACK was added to the railroad in 1872, and this 
 was a sign of the times. Despite an impending National business 
 depression, new people continued to arrive, and in the following year 
 the Village of Hinsdale was incorporated. 
 
 The petition to incorporate, couched in the dry legal verbiage and 
 quaint expressions of that era, but revered in local sentiment, was 
 placed before the court at Wheaton in the month of March 1873. A 
 transcript of portions of that document as it was presented before 
 M. C. Dudley, County Judge, follows: 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
 
 State of Illinois 
 
 Du Page County, s s 
 
 In County Court, In Probate 
 
 March Term, A.D. 1873 
 
 To His Honor the County Judge of Du Page County: 
 
 Your petitioners humbly praying represent unto your honor that 
 they are legal voters and resident within the following prescribed limits. 
 That there are within said prescribed limits Five Hundred in- 
 habitants That your petitioners desire the inhabitants of 
 
 said territory incorporated under the General Laws of this State into a 
 Village corporation under the name and style of Hinsdale. 
 
 Therefore your petitioners humbly pray that you will cause the 
 question to be submitted to the legal voters of said territory, whether 
 they will be incorporated into a Village corporation .... or not. 
 
 The petition was dated August 1, 1872 and it was signed by 37 
 citizens of the Village. See Page 189 for this list. 
 
 An election to vote on the question of incorporation was held in 
 the railroad station in Hinsdale on March 29, 1873. Sixty-two votes 
 were cast, 60 for incorporation, 2 against. 
 
 Organization of the village government was soon to follow, so vil- 
 lage officials were elected: President, Joel Tiffany; Clerk, N. H. War- 
 ren; Trustees, E. P. Hinds, Winsor Leland, William Robbins, George 
 Wells and W. W. Wood. Police Magistrate, Isaac Q. Hinds. No other 
 
 93 
 
94 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Joel Tiffany, first president of the village, built this house in the 1860's 
 on the southeast corner of Washington and Walnut. 
 
 Front hallway of the Joel Tiffany home. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 95 
 
 offices existed in the beginning, but a "Chief of Police" soon was to 
 be employed. 
 
 The village had passed from the prospecting, surveying, and platt- 
 ing stage. As an organized, growing community it was crossing the 
 threshold of a new period in American history, a period of crinoline 
 and lace. Here, that era was exemplified in the suburban estate, with 
 its broad acres and verandas; its cupola, spacious barn, sleighs, surreys, 
 and side-saddles; a period of finery, furbelows and social niceties; of 
 piano recitals, archery, and readings; of costume balls, calling cards, 
 and gas-light. There were few main events or turning points in the 
 town's progress during the twenty-five years following incorporation, 
 but may fine homes were built, municipal improvements got under 
 way, and Hinsdale began to take its rightful place in Chicago's front 
 yard. 
 
 Living old-timers are not old enough for their memories to encom- 
 pass much of that era, but the Library, and a few residents, possess 
 notes and memoranda of those who have passed on. Also, the Chicago 
 newspapers of that period printed news of the suburbs that was sub- 
 mitted by reporters, some of whom lived in the various suburban com- 
 munities. The identities of the reporters for Hinsdale have not been 
 established, but their dispatches, exactly as they wrote them, are avail- 
 able. 
 
 As quotations are used they will not be encumbered by reference 
 in each instance to the source of the information, but it is considered 
 advisable to indicate the years to which the items refer, so they can be 
 followed in chronological order. 
 
 1873 t0 l8 75 
 
 The railroad station could not be used indefinitely as a town meeting 
 place, so in 1872 Mr. Stough built a hall. For more than two decades 
 Stough's hall was to serve as the place for social functions and civic 
 assembly. It also was used as a private school by Mr. Gleason. Follow- 
 ing its purchase by Mr. Henry A. Gardner it became known as Gard- 
 ner's Hall. The building is still standing and is now the Baptist 
 Church, at Eleven North Lincoln Street. 
 
 It was in this building that the annual masquerade ball was inau- 
 
96 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 gurated, this being the principal social event of early Hinsdale. The 
 following item concerning the ball appears in a newspaper dated 
 February 3, 1873: 
 
 "A masquerade ball is to be given at Hinsdale by Mr. and Mrs. O. J. Stough 
 next Wednesday evening. A train will leave at Central Depot at 7 o'clock in the 
 evening, stopping at State and Canal Streets, and returning, leave Hinsdale 
 at 2 o'clock in the morning. The cards of invitation will pass gentlemen and 
 ladies upon the train both ways." 
 
 Special trains from the city for local social events were customary 
 until about 1 890. Can we not picture the train, or a few special cars, 
 waiting on the siding at about 1 150 a.m. for those night owls to finish 
 their dance. In the 70's and 8o's many of those who attended Hinsdale 
 functions lived in Chicago. 
 
 In the following year the reporter gives us a view of the ballroom 
 floor at the annual masquerade: 
 
 "The masquerade party at Stough's Hall Friday evening was participated 
 
 in by about 200 persons Many of the characters were very striking, and 
 
 some of the costumes costly and beautiful in the extreme. Particularly notice- 
 able among the characters represented were the 'Indian Chief and Queen' finely 
 personated by Mr. and Mrs. Tiffany, who were decked in the gewgaws and paint 
 of the savages. 'Friars' by John Robbins and Mr. Parks, was represented true to 
 life. 'The Mexican Chieftain' by Mr. Shewell, 'Brother Jonathan' by John C. 
 Slocum was a comical affair, while the 'Spanish Courtier' by James W. Ford 
 was presented in very rich dress 'Fancies, Fairies, and Nymphs' were ele- 
 gantly shown by a large number of charming ladies " 
 
 This annual ball continued for fifteen or twenty years, during 
 which time the costumes never gave way to formal evening attire. 
 
 Church concerts, lectures, and receptions were frequent during 
 these years. The churches were raising money by these means, as well 
 as gaining new adherents. Note also how the churches helped one an- 
 other during that period of struggle to become established: 
 
 "The people of Hinsdale were highly entertained last evening by the vocal and 
 instrumental concert given at the Baptist Church for the benefit of the forth- 
 coming Episcopal Church " 
 
 and on another occasion: 
 
 "The Baptists, having been assisted by the members of the Liberal Church in 
 their concerts during the past week, a concert will be given under the direction 
 of Mrs. Tirrell at the Baptist Church tomorrow evening for the benefit of the 
 Liberal Church." 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 97 
 
 Too much cannot be said of this spirit of helpfulness that per- 
 meated the town, especially during its first thirty years. It was evident 
 in the churches, the schools, in the acquirement of municipal facilities, 
 and in the every-day relationship between one villager and another. 
 The people were well acquainted, as they are in most small commu- 
 nities, and if Bill Jones wanted to borrow Tom Smith's wheelbarrow, 
 or a bushel of oats it was hardly necessary to ask permission. Nor was 
 this friendly spirit ever altered or conditioned by relative means or 
 social distinction. 
 
 Shortly after the Chicago fire, Mr. Alanson Reed, and his son John 
 W. Reed (Reed's Temple of Music), whose property had been de- 
 stroyed in that disaster, bought most of the land which comprises the 
 north side of the Highlands. The H. L. Storey family (Storey & Clark, 
 pianos), had erected a large house immediately to the south of the 
 railroad. The Burlington could not build a station to serve only three 
 families, but agreed to stop its trains there, on signal. The Reed's 
 built the station, and it still stands as originally constructed during 
 the 1870's. 
 
 Depression came in 1874, and we learn that: 
 
 "O. J. Stough, who sold his real estate interests here early last fall, and is now 
 boarding at the Sherman House in Chicago, having faith in this town, has re- 
 purchased his residence property and a large quantity of land between Claren- 
 don Hills and Hinsdale, which will occupy his attention for some time 
 
 in the future." 
 
 The school building at Clarendon Hills was reported to be in use 
 in 1874, and the West Hinsdale station was erected in the same year. 
 
 Independence Day undoubtedly was celebrated in Hinsdale in 
 some manner even during the formative years of the 6o's, but perhaps 
 the earliest record of a Fourth of July celebration is this one that ap- 
 peared in a Chicago paper of July 7, 1874: 
 
 " The citizens of this town assembled in procession near the depot 
 
 on the morning of the Fourth, and marched to Walker's Grove, where the Hon. 
 Joel Tiffany and Rev. P. Cossitt entertained the assemblage with eloquent 
 addresses on the prospects of the nation and the duties of the hour. The intel- 
 lectual feast was agreeably interspersed with stirring music from the Hinsdale 
 band, and a game of baseball played between the young men of Brush Hill 
 and Hinsdale, in which the Brush Hill boys got beaten." 
 
98 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Yes, they did it differently in those days, for in the following year: 
 
 "The inhabitants of this place were aroused yesterday morning at 5 o'clock by 
 the firing of cannon, which continued until nine." 
 
 There is no record of the number of years Walker's Grove (at the 
 north end of Elm Street) was the scene of the Fourth celebrations. 
 The next location was the west half of the Memorial Building site. 
 Around 1910 the celebrations were held in the area south of Seventh 
 Street, between Washington and Lincoln, next at Burns field on the 
 north side, and finally at the Madison School area, the present site of 
 the games, amusement booths, and fireworks. 
 
 It was about the year 1874 also that plans for a municipal water 
 supply were taking form: 
 
 "Negotiations are now in progress for sinking an artesian well here which will 
 give rapid running water through the town " 
 
 But such practical considerations cannot swerve our attention from 
 the social side for long; and what an event this must have been: 
 
 "A veritable calico hop is coming off this week, at which nothing but calico will 
 be admitted either on ladies or gentlemen. At all events, some very original and 
 recherche costumes are being constructed for the occasion by the gallant sex. 
 Vive la calico." 
 
 In 1875 there appears the first mention of a "Hinsdale Club." 
 Could this have been a forerunner of the organization that was des- 
 tined to play such an important part in village life later on? 
 
 "The long looked for masquerade took place last evening at Stough's Hall, 
 under the auspices of the Hinsdale Club." 
 
 Apparently Mr. and Mrs. Stough had relinquished their sponsor- 
 ship of this event to another group, but the Hinsdale Club known to 
 the present generation was not formally incorporated until 1889. 
 
 Things were happening on the other side of the county line, and 
 our neighbors in Western Springs also were enjoying the abundant 
 life: 
 
 "So confident are the owners of the springs here of their medicinal virtues that 
 arrangements have been made for a free supply of their waters to the people of 
 Chicago. To that end a barrel has been placed at the southeast corner of Clark 
 and Washington Streets (in the city) which will be kept filled for the benefit 
 of the afflicted. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 99 
 
 "With the recently awakened interest in the subject of mineral springs 
 throughout the country, it may be interesting to know that the mineral springs 
 of this locality, from which the town is named, are achieving considerable 
 
 reputation as shown in the fact that there are at present from six to eight 
 
 barrels of water per day shipped to various parts of the country " 
 
 Here is another indication of the gradual lowering of the water 
 table of this area. Today, none of those springs are flowing. 
 
 Returning to Hinsdale, a tragic accident takes the life of a well 
 known citizen: 
 
 "Mr. F. W. Shewell of this place was very severely injured yesterday afternoon 
 under the following circumstances: Desirous of having some walking exercise, 
 he left the train at Riverside to walk along the tracks the six miles between 
 the two towns, which distance he had nearly made, when, hearing the whistle of 
 a train coming ahead, he stepped upon the other track just as a train was 
 approaching from the opposite direction, which the wind prevented him from 
 hearing. The result was that the train from behind struck him with the cow- 
 catcher " 
 
 Mr. Shewell died a few days later. Among other activities, Mr. 
 Shewell had been associate editor of the Index, Hinsdale's first news- 
 paper. 
 
 1875 to 1880 
 
 Hinsdaleans always have been travelers and this custom began at an 
 early date, for we note that in 1876 Miss Belle Robbins went on a visit 
 to Wisconsin and that when she left there was "a weeping and a wail- 
 ing among the young men here in consequence." Also that the Misses 
 Blodgett and others attended the Centennial in Philadelphia. The 
 Wisconsin lakes became popular, especially Geneva Lake, as it then 
 was called. In later years, before Florida gained its reputation, many 
 went to Texas, Mexico, and California. 
 
 In these days of the telephone and television it comes as an interest- 
 ing surprise to learn that communication by wire had been established 
 in a few Hinsdale homes twenty years before telephones came to the 
 village. This 1876 news item informs us that, 
 
 "Hinsdale has better telegraphic communication with the outside world than 
 any other village in America perhaps. The main line runs into at least 15 
 private houses, the residences of railroad officers and others, who thus have 
 direct connection in their homes with Chicago." 
 
ioo VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Presumably, those who had telegraph instruments in their homes 
 knew how to operate them. And how intriguing they must have been 
 for the youngsters of the household. 
 
 The Village Board was not always punctual in its attention to busi- 
 ness in those years, for we find statements such as these in the records: 
 
 "The regular meeting was not held last Monday evening," " 
 
 after a good deal of procrastination it has been decided ," and 
 
 "The regular meetings of the village board have ceased lately, owing to 
 the severe weather." On one occasion the board deliberated at some 
 length over "the case of Mr. Finch's cow," the particulars of which 
 case were not revealed in the item of news. 
 
 Nevertheless, the streets were graded and ditched as the necessity 
 arose, and downtown Washington street was covered with gravel fur- 
 nished by the railroad. Stone bridges were set up over Flagg Creek 
 on Lincoln, Washington, and on Garfield; plank walks were author- 
 ized in the order of their urgency, and the artesian well eventually was 
 sunk, the first one being a well of the open type. 
 
 As noted by Reverend Saunders when he arrived here from the East, 
 and by several others, early Hinsdale homes were not built around a 
 central point; they were well scattered. Only near the business district 
 were they within fifty or a hundred yards of one another. A news item 
 of 1876 says, "The new houses in West Hinsdale are progressing 
 rapidly, and will be completed in a few weeks." There were the ele- 
 gant early dwellings of H. L. Story and the Reeds at the Highlands, the 
 Ayres and Walker places on the northern edge of town, and William 
 Robbins on the south, with many newcomers building in between. 
 
 To protect the citizen in his person and property, a police "force," 
 consisting of Constable Clark, was engaged in the year 1877. Repeated 
 thievery of horses was the immediate cause of this move, but tramps 
 also were beginning to pass through, and a news item of that year says, 
 
 "Burrows, the fellow who was arrested on last Saturday evening in this city 
 (Chicago) by Constable Clark of Hinsdale, suspected of being the perpetrator 
 of the recent burglaries there, was taken to the latter place on yesterday, and 
 locked up to await examination." 
 
 After meeting for a few years at the depot, the Village Board met in 
 the assembly hall of the stone school house. Later it convened over the 
 Fox Brothers' Store at an annual rental of $25.00. Not until 1886 was 
 there to be a village hall. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 101 
 
 1880 to 1885 
 
 This period opened with news of hunting parties, politics, and base- 
 ball. An item of 1880 says, "Hinsdale has the satisfaction of having 
 waxed Downers Grove at baseball, 7 to 2." But three days later it was 
 announced that "Hinsdale is low down in the valley of humiliation, 
 her baseball club having been beaten by a scrub nine from Brush 
 Hill in the presence of a large crowd of people." 
 
 Turning from baseball to politics, the national election of 1880 
 revealed much partisan feeling throughout the village, but then, as 
 now, this ardor was mostly one-sided. For we learn that: 
 
 "The Republicans of Hinsdale are waking up and will form a Garfield and 
 Arthur club. A Hancock club is hardly probable, as not enough members could 
 be drummed up to take the offices. A pole 90 feet high has been raised in the 
 school house yard from which a Garfield and Arthur flag will soon float." 
 
 Judging from this incident, and from the various political rallies 
 and parades that took place during the 8o's and 90's, Hinsdaleans in 
 those days were more demonstrative, if not more decisive, in their 
 political convictions. Soon after this election, the street called "Main" 
 was changed to "Garfield." 
 
 Clubs and organizations, social, cultural, and civic, had their start 
 at an early date. They have always been numerous, but during this 
 period they were of a different character. The Cultivator's Society was 
 previously mentioned. There were also The Equestrians, The Archers, 
 The Pleasure Club, Seven-Up Club, The Baker's Dozen, and later, 
 The Ace of Clubs. 
 
 A typical club of the 1880's was The Baker's Dozen. For a picture 
 of this group and some of its "Penny Rolls" (the boys) see Page 102. 
 Here are Lucia Irish Van Inwagen, Edith Shannon, Jimmy Bush, 
 Louie Tryon Fee, Frances Tiffany, Jenny Bowles, Cora Bedford, Eva 
 Middleton, and others. Says one of the club's former members: 
 
 "We helped at church suppers, and served refreshments at Miss Ella Warren's 
 dancing class receptions. When one of our town boys was going West to make 
 his home in Nebraska, we searched the fields for flowers and weeds, making 
 huge bouquets, and formed a line from the depot to half a block down the 
 track. When the Omaha Express went through and we saw him on the platform 
 of the observation car, we each hurled a bouquet at him, calling 'goodbye.' 
 He, in turn threw off a large package, which was found to be a box of candy. 
 It being leap year, each of us wrote him of our good qualities." 
 
102 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The Baker's Dozen. 
 
 Sleigh ride parties out into the country on winter nights were popu- 
 lar. They usually ended with large bowls of hot oyster stew. Hay-rack 
 rides took their place in the summer. 
 
 Invitations to social functions were worded differently in those 
 days, as revealed in this invitation to a dance: 
 
 EDITH, CARL, AND ERNEST WARRENS 
 
 COMPLIMENTS 
 
 FOR 
 
 FRIDAY APRIL 17 
 
 stough's HALL 7 P.M. 
 
 A new Union Station at Adams and Canal, in the city was com- 
 pleted, so the Burlington trains discontinued using Central Station 
 on Randolph Street. This made the trip to and from Chicago a little 
 shorter. 
 
 The neighborhood was not free from afflictions during these times. 
 Several cases of hydrophobia occurred in the village in 1882, and there 
 was a good deal of petty thievery, this probably being traceable to the 
 seemingly endless procession of tramps seen here and in other suburbs. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 103 
 
 The latter epidemic became so troublesome ten years later that the 
 village established a rock pile on the west side near the tracks. There, 
 "knights of the road" who loitered too long within the village limits 
 were put to work. 
 
 Another affliction was the large number of mishaps involving 
 horses and rigs, of which these are only two isolated examples: 
 
 "Mrs. Marie S. Robbins, wife of Mr. William Robbins, was killed yesterday 
 afternoon by falling from her carriage." 
 
 "Mrs. Dodge, mother of Mrs. J. Webster, was thrown from her carriage by a 
 runaway horse while driving near York Center." 
 
 "It is a poor day when there is not some kind of a runaway accident in Hinsdale." 
 
 We might conclude that the horse and buggy mishaps were almost 
 as numerous as those that now involve automobiles. The accidents 
 were frequent because the vehicles were many. Carriages or surreys, 
 phaetons, buggies, buck-boards, spring-wagons, sulkies, and pony carts 
 were present in large numbers in those days. Most of the rigs were 
 owner-driven. Some carried footmen or coachmen, and many had 
 solid rubber tires, an improvement over the iron tires that had been so 
 universally employed on all horse-drawn vehicles. In muddy weather 
 the attendant would carefully place a wicker guard over the rim of the 
 wheel nearest the step of the vehicle so the ladies, upon entering or 
 leaving, would not soil their dresses. 
 
 The following story from The Chicago Evening Journal of Febru- 
 ary 13, 1882, describes one of the few cases, if not the only case of 
 mysterious death that has occurred in the village. The killing was never 
 solved, and this newspaper account is suggestive of the murder mys- 
 teries of fiction. The victim lived in the house now numbered 428 So. 
 Lincoln Street. 
 
 THE HINSDALE TRAGEDY 
 
 No New Developments in Regard to 
 the Sad Fate of Lake Ransom 
 
 "The mystery attending the death of Lake Ransom at Hinsdale is still unsettled. 
 Some people are inclined to lean toward the theory of suicide, but the bulk of 
 the facts point toward the commission of a murder. The general sentiment at 
 Hinsdale is that Ransom was foully dealt with. It is not thought possible that 
 
104 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 the deceased could have fired the shot with his left hand and fallen where he 
 did. He could not have fired the shot while on the ground as the tree nearby 
 would have prevented him from using his arm. Mr. J. W. Russell, a resident of 
 Hinsdale was on his way to the 6:50 train to Chicago, Saturday morning, coming 
 down Washington Street toward the depot, from the south side. When near 
 First Street he saw Mr. A. M. Weir, a resident of the south side, coming toward 
 the depot on Lincoln Street, between Second and First Streets. As the train 
 was not yet in sight, Mr. Russell thought he would go across First Street and 
 join Mr. Weir on Lincoln Street. As he approached Lincoln Street he saw Mr. 
 Weir stop a short distance south of First Street, and as he came on to Lincoln 
 Street he noticed that Mr. Weir was looking at a man near the walk. Mr. 
 Russell's first thought was that it was someone drunk, who had fallen off the 
 walk and probably gone to sleep. He walked in that direction and within about 
 seventy-five feet of the supposed drunken man found a hat on the sidewalk. 
 This he picked up and carried with him. About half way between the hat and 
 the body he found a bag of shot, which he also picked up and carried along. 
 About this time a young man named Shannon joined Mr. Weir. Mr. Russell 
 came up near the body and placed the shot bag and hat where they were 
 subsequently found. Mr. Shannon's father joined them about this time. None 
 of them recognized the body, although Mr. Weir and Mr. Russell were well 
 acquainted with the deceased. These parties were on the ground but a moment, 
 as the train was approaching, but they notified the parties of 
 
 THE DISCOVERY OF THE BODY 
 
 who next appeared on the ground, and whose testimony appeared in the 
 inquest begun yesterday. These parties have been summoned to appear today 
 before the Coroner's jury. 
 
 "J. F. Stuart of the American Express office, of Chicago, a resident of Hinsdale, 
 says he came out from Chicago Friday evening on the train that arrives at 
 Hinsdale at 7:20, and that he saw Mr. Ransom on the train. He noticed him 
 last within at least a half a mile of Hinsdale station, but did not see him get off. 
 He was well acquainted with Ransom, and from several incidents that occurred 
 on the way, is certain of the train and the day. This is the only evidence yet 
 secured that anyone who knew Ransom, saw him on his way home from Chicago 
 Friday evening. 
 
 "Charles Hinds, of Hinsdale, while standing in front of the residence of 
 C. P. Clark, on First Street, about half past seven Friday evening, heard one 
 shot coming from the direction of the place where the body was found, which 
 would be 250 or 300 feet away. He heard nothing more. 
 
 "A member of the Call Board stated last night that Ransom lost $50,000 by 
 speculation during the past four years. The Coroner impaneled a jury Saturday, 
 but the inquest was postponed until this afternoon (Monday) . Detectives 
 Wiley and Elliott of this city have worked hard on the case for the past two 
 days, but nothing definite was discovered by them Saturday or Sunday. Some 
 tramps who were found in the vicinity of Hinsdale have been placed under 
 arrest. 
 
 "There are no new particulars this morning. Detectives Wiley and Elliott 
 left on an early train for Hinsdale, and resumed their investigation." 
 
■0WS* * Mtj§ 
 
106 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Even today, among those who were living here then, opinions on 
 this case differ. A killer, some claim, would have been seen at seven in 
 the evening. Others say that Lincoln Street near First is rather an odd 
 spot for one to choose for such an event. Was Lake Ransom murdered, 
 or did he die by his own hand? 
 
 A happening which caused some consternation in the village for many 
 months, and which drew the fire of editorial writers in Chicago, was 
 the naive neglect of the Village Board to make its annual appropriation 
 for the year 1883 on time, for then it became necessary to improvise an 
 appropriation and to borrow money to meet expenses, a move that 
 aroused the ire of many taxpayers. The citizens generally were in much 
 of a huff, and decided "to test the matter by legal action." 
 
 In February of that year the citizens group obtained an injunction 
 to prevent further collection of taxes; but "inasmuch as some had al- 
 ready paid, it was hoped that the matter could be adjusted without 
 further trouble." On March 6, however, according to a Chicago paper, 
 "The matter of tax collections in Hinsdale is likely to become compli- 
 cated still further On Saturday evening last, the board 
 
 voted, after some sharp discussion, to seek legal advice (concerning the 
 injunction that had been served upon it). The attitude of both parties 
 (the Board and the taxpayers) is determined and defiant." 
 
 On March 22, the case having been taken to court: "The excite- 
 ment over the tax injunction case is still high. The decision of Judge 
 Kellum on motion to dissolve is eagerly awaited." Apparently the 
 Judge found no malevolent intent on the part of those at fault, for soon 
 a new finance committee was appointed, and the collection of taxes was 
 resumed. 
 
 With that out of the way, the village again settled down to its social 
 routine. The Seven-Up Club, and the Philomathian Society, were ac- 
 tive, their erudite proceedings being punctuated on occasion by vocal 
 selections from Barnaby or Gabussi on the part of the "We Three 
 Trio." But a more important event of the year 1 883 was foretold in the 
 following announcement: 
 
 "The graduating exercises of the fourth year class of the High School will take 
 place June 22. This is the first class to graduate since the High School was 
 organized, and the event is looked forward to with considerable interest." 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 
 
 107 
 
 The class of 1893, the first to graduate from Hinsdale High School. 
 
 From left to right: Alice Warren, Grace Redfield, 
 Minnie H. Robbins, Mrs. John Hall. 
 
 During the winter of 1883-84 Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Fox, Fullers- 
 burg residents since 1853, celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniver- 
 sary. They were the parents of Charles, Jarvis, and Heman Fox. 
 
 Also, there was "quite a panic" in the Congregational Church one 
 Sunday, caused by the falling and smashing of a chandelier. "The oil 
 ignited but was put out promptly." 
 
 Great surprise and regret were manifested when it became known 
 that the John H. Bradley family was moving away. Mr. Bradley had 
 
oo 
 oo 
 
 o 
 
 ■is 
 
 o 
 
 8 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 109 
 
 been Superintendent of the Illinois Division of the American Express 
 Company, and was taking a higher position in another city. Other 
 items tell of receptions at the homes of Dr. Van Liew and Anson 
 Ayres, of Mr. Sydney Collins leaving to join his family in Montreal, 
 and of a rousing Republican mass meeting being held in the old 
 Baptist Church. "It was probably the largest and most enthusiastic 
 
 demonstration held this year in Du Page County " 
 
 But striking a different note: 
 
 "Complaints are constantly heard of damage done by cattle roaming at large 
 through our streets, especially at night. After months of labor to produce a fine 
 garden, to have it destroyed in a single night as many have been, is anything 
 but pleasing." 
 
 By 1885 an orchestra leader named Theodore Thomas was begin- 
 ning to attract suburbanites to his concerts in Chicago, and Chautau- 
 qua had reached Hinsdale: 
 
 "The Hinsdale Chautauqua Circle held its closing meeting for the year, on 
 Monday evening, at the residence of Dr. L. P. Haskell." 
 
 Not to reflect upon Dr. Haskell's meeting, but merely to show 
 how the early reporters of such gatherings over-bid their hands at 
 times, the item continues: 
 
 "The exercises were varied and unexceptionally interesting An original 
 
 paper on Socrates, by Dr. Keeler, and recitations by Miss Lizzie Bowles and 
 Nettie Brown. The singing was admirable, including two Scotch songs by Mr. 
 Chapin, beautifully rendered. The whole concluded with refreshments and a 
 general chat-talk-away." 
 
 Chautauqua was an epic in America. In 1874 a young New Jersey 
 minister named Vincent opened an outdoor summer school at Lake 
 Chautauqua, N. Y. It was attended mostly by young people, and was 
 an instantaneous success. At first religious, the courses later were broad- 
 ened to cover general cultural subjects. The movement spread to other 
 parts of the country, in the form of permanent outdoor pavilions, and 
 by means of traveling circuit tents. Many prominent educators and 
 speakers were enlisted. One lecture alone, Russell Conwell's "Acres of 
 Diamonds," was delivered before six thousand Chautauqua audiences. 
 
 The Chautauqua "Literary and Scientific Circle" was the home 
 study phase of the Chautauqua movement. It grew from the early stu- 
 dent's request for something to study after the summer school had 
 
io 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Miss Blodgett's first grade, 1883. 
 
 From left to right— Back row: 1. Not known, 2. Not known, 3. Johnnie Elmers, 4. Wallie Wads- 
 worth, 5. Robert Childs, 6. Tom Murray, 7. Earl Needham, 8. Not known, 9. Claude Bird, 
 10. Will Farr, 11. Not known. Middle row: 12. Not known, 13. Lillie Overstreet, 14. Mabel 
 Chambers, 15. Miss Blodgett, 16. Not known, 17. Lizzie Hoft, 18. Jessie Johnston, 19. Mabel 
 Edwards, 20. Helen Humphrey, 21. Charles Wakeman. Front row: 22. Charles Prouty, 23. Mary 
 Mills, 24. Not known, 25. Edith Sandy, 26. Mrs. Walter Bebb (Edith Wylie), 27. Emma Bradley 
 Bliss, 28. Ruth Peabody, 29. Mabel Warren Lamb, 30. Belle Richards, 31. Rhoda Whitmore. 
 
 ended, and it preceded the present-day correspondence school, exten- 
 sion course, and book-club. Dr. Haskell was sponsor of a Chautauqua 
 Circle in Hinsdale. 
 
 The radio, the movies, and more accessible educational facilities, 
 eventually out-bid Chautauqua in public favor. 
 
 At about this time, south of Hinsdale in the neighborhood of Cass, 
 a general store was opened by John J. Keig, a Manxman. The location 
 of his store required a name, so he called it LACE, that having been 
 his mother's maiden name, and soon Mr. Keig was appointed Post- 
 master of Lace. It was here too that Mr. and Mrs. Keig's son Marshall 
 was born. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Keig now live at 444 East Fourth 
 Street. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 111 
 
 In the summer of 1885 the Young Ladies' Guild of Grace Church 
 parish gave a successful "fete champetre" at the Highlands, at the 
 residence of Judge C. G. Beckwith: 
 
 "The extensive grounds of the Judge, comprising some ten acres of wooded 
 lawn, with a ravine, through which runs a brook lately transformed into a lake 
 of considerable dimensions, were lighted in a tasteful manner with hundreds 
 of Chinese lanterns, which, in conjunction with a remarkably brilliant moon, 
 produced a romantic and pretty effect, especially on the water. The air being 
 cool, dancing was chiefly confined to the house; the boats on the lake received 
 their share of patronage, and the evening was most enjoyably spent." 
 
 Many guests from the city attended this affair, including Adrian 
 Honore, Eugene Wood, and J. B. Mitchell. In all probability some 
 local youngsters named Alex Dawson, Tom Murray, et al, attended 
 too, but off behind the bushes as spectators. A little later, on their way 
 home, they would squeeze through the fence with their blouses filled 
 with grapes from Judge Beckwith's vines. 
 
 The Sanitarium now covers the spot where the Beckwith house 
 stood. The "lake" referred to was more of a large pond. It was formed 
 by the damming of Flagg Creek where it runs through the depression 
 at the rear of the building. There were skating and swimming here, 
 as well as boating, and on one occasion a village lad dived into the pond 
 in the middle of winter, with various incredulous persons looking on, 
 or running over to see what had happened. 
 
 The Beckwith pond was one of several within the village limits, the 
 others being of natural origin.. Today it is surprising to learn that a 
 child was saved from drowning forty-eight years ago near the southwest 
 corner of First and Oak Streets. The pond there, after a heavy rain, 
 was four or five feet in depth. The rescuers were a couple of youngsters 
 named Phil Clarke and Harold Myers. 
 
 1885 to igoo 
 
 Who were the proprietors of Hinsdale business establishments dur- 
 ing these years? The Illinois State Gazetteer of 1886 gives this list: 
 
 Philip Bayer, barber Azel Dorathy, real estate 
 
 John Bohlander, hardware Wm. Evernden, druggist 
 
 Geo. T. Chambers, express agent Thomas Foster, cigars 
 
 Fred C. Crouse, general store Fox Brothers, general store 
 
112 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Geo. H. French, blacksmith T. F. Locksmith, confectioner 
 
 J. A. Gifford, meat market J. H. Papenhausen, tailor 
 
 Godefrey Haake, shoemaker Phillip Torode, prop., Park Hotel 
 
 John Hemshell, meat market Perry S. Townsend, coal 
 
 Thos. T. Howard, physician Frederick H. Van Liew, physician 
 
 Wm. Johnston, carpenter Mrs. Emily Wakeman, dressmaker 
 
 George Keys, jeweler Jos. G. Williamson, physician 
 Walter Leslie, shoemaker 
 
 This list is incomplete. Other doctors, building contractors, and a 
 lawyer were here. John Hammond was here also. A Civil War veteran 
 who formerly was employed at the United States Naval Academy, 
 John came to Hinsdale, where he and his ten children have done much 
 to help make it a pleasant place in which to live. 
 
 Present-day Hinsdale merchants or service establishments that have 
 operated continuously since the 1890's are John Bohlander, Jr. and 
 Henry Bohlander, the Hinsdale Laundry, E. Karlson %c Son, the Morris 
 Flower Shop, Charles Pfeifer, Undertaker, and Reineke's grocery. Ex- 
 cept for a few years when it was inoperative, the H. R. Papenhausen 
 Company would be the oldest business in continuous operation. 
 
 Walter Leslie, mentioned in the above list, was a grandfather of 
 Miss Jessie Johnston, Miss Johnston now resides at King-Bruwaert 
 House. 
 
 The Gazetteer said Hinsdale's population was 1,400 and indicated 
 the town as being a shipping point. The principal commodities 
 shipped out were hay, grain, and milk* 
 
 A motion to buy apparatus for fire protection was passed in this 
 year. The equipment consisted of a horse-drawn "hook and ladder," 
 with a hose, axes, and other accessories. This was to replace the hand- 
 drawn hose and bucket wagon that had been presented to the village 
 by John C. Ross. The fire department was operated then, as now, on a 
 semi-volunteer plan. To further augment this protection, and the 
 water supply generally, ground was broken for a new water plant in 
 1 886, and a few years later a second well was sunk. 
 
 It was during the 1880's that the Hinsdale Club had its beginning. 
 At first it was called "The Men's Club," because it originated with a 
 group of thirty-five men who used to meet in rooms over the old Heine- 
 man store at the northeast corner of First and Washington, and the 
 membership continued to be confined to men until the club house was 
 
ii4 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 built. According to the old minute book, the original equipment of 
 the club consisted of "3 hanging lamps, 1 heating stove and pipe, 24 arm 
 chairs, 4 card tables and 12 spittoons." 
 
 On April 23, 1889 the club was incorporated by E. P. Hinds, W. B. 
 Carleton, and Charles A. Allen. Its purpose was purely social and the 
 dues were a dollar a month. The charter members were Charles A. 
 Allen, W. B. Carleton, R. A. Childs, D. A. Courier, C. H. Crossette, 
 William Coffeen, Azel Dorathy, William Duncan, H. F. Grabo, L. K. 
 Hilderbrand, E. P. Hinds, H. C. Middaugh, A. R. Robinson, J. S. 
 Shannon, F. T. Taylor and C. H. Thayer. Ten years later the new 
 Hinsdale Club house was to open, and for nearly fifty years thereafter 
 it was to be the focal point of social and civic progress. 
 
 A severe diphtheria epidemic struck Hinsdale during the winter 
 of 1889. Between Christmas and the first of March the disease killed 
 fifteen persons, most of whom were children. For a while the schools 
 and the churches were closed, and other assemblies prohibited, to help 
 check the disease. 
 
 Did people living in Hinsdale drive their carriages to Chicago 
 before the Automobile arrived? Not often. Nevertheless, it is inter- 
 esting to know that the best road between here and the city during the 
 90's led from Fullersburg rather than Hinsdale, and veered north from 
 Ogden Avenue at Riverside to Longcommon Drive, and thence into 
 the west side. That was the route according to a road map issued by 
 the American Wheelmen, a cycling association, in 1892, and also ac- 
 cording to old-timers' diaries. The route corresponded closely to the 
 old Barry Point and southwest highway route of the pioneer era. 
 
 The long-distance cyclists avoided Hinsdale because no east-west 
 road ran through here that was comparable with Ogden Avenue. In 
 fact Forty-Seventh Street between here and Western Springs was barely 
 usable until 1925. And perhaps our hotel in the 90's was no better than 
 the ones in Fullersburg. 
 
 This was the golden era of the bicycle. There is not much evidence 
 of the old high wheelers' having been used here, but the "safety" bi- 
 cycle, having both front and rear wheels of the same size, was seen in 
 large numbers and they were ridden by adults, as well as by their 
 children. 
 
 Races were run in Hinsdale every Saturday afternoon during the 
 summer, creating wide interest, especially among the younger set. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 115 
 
 They started at the corner of First and Elm; from there to Garfield, 
 south to Sixth Street, east on Sixth to the County Line Road, to First, 
 and back to the starting point. This course was known as the "Square." 
 One summer evening the bike riders decided to stage a parade, and 
 soon a long procession rolled through the village streets, to be wit- 
 nessed by wide-eyed boys and girls. 
 
 This means of transportation occasionally was employed between 
 here and the city, and the trip to the loop business district could be 
 made in an hour and a half by the best riders. A popular tour was the 
 Chicago, Aurora and Elgin triangle. This was known as the "Century" 
 tour, and there is one record of its having been made in the total time 
 of 12 hours and 27 minutes, including 2 hours and 15 minutes of stops. 
 
 The year 1896 witnessed a seven mile bicycle race between teams 
 representing Hinsdale and La Grange. Robert W. Clarke, Jr., Carl 
 Grabo, Agard Ross and Nelson H. Webster for this village were "up." 
 The prizes for these events were new saddles, tires, and trouser clips. 
 Hinsdale also entered teams in the County Fair bike races, in Wheaton. 
 It was during this year too that Rhoades Fayerweather and Francis 
 Crosby of Hinsdale pedaled their bicycles to Burlington, Iowa and 
 back, and a letter was received by the Doings from Albert Williams 
 describing his tour of Europe on a bicycle. An 1893 entry in the diary 
 of a Hinsdalean says, "I rode my bicycle to the city before breakfast 
 this morning." 
 
 Cycling offered an early outlet to that combination of mechanical 
 interest and eagerness to go, which is so inherent in the various means 
 of transportation. Even the automobile and the plane have not en- 
 tirely voided the bicycle. 
 
 One of the principal houses of worship from the early 1890's until 
 1916 was the Presbyterian Church, the founder and leading spirit in 
 which was Mr. Robert W. Clarke. The church edifice was a large frame 
 structure built on the southeast corner of First and Garfield, by the 
 members of this faith who had formed themselves into the Presbyterian 
 Society, before the church was erected. When the Presbyterians and 
 Congregationalists joined to form the Union Church, the former's 
 building was purchased by the Episcopalians, and was used by that 
 congregation as a parish house for several years. 
 
n6 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 . ■ » 
 
 The stone school on the Garfield hill, after it had been enlarged. 
 It was destroyed by fire in 1893. 
 
 The Index, Hinsdale's first newspaper, which was started in 1872 
 by Mr. T. E. Lonergan and was managed by him, and F. W. Shewell, 
 had printed its last edition by 1896. 
 
 But The Beacon was still alive, and editorially it raised the ques- 
 tion of why some Hinsdale citizens sent their children to the high 
 school in La Grange and bought their groceries in Chicago. But that 
 was just before the Fox & Davis store opened its doors and began selling 
 flour at $3.40 a barrel, butter for 24 cents a pound, and three boxes of 
 Frazer's axle grease for 2 1 cents. 
 
 The Beacon mentioned certain home owners who were not keep- 
 ing the plank walks in repair, in front of their properties. But it also 
 told of a movement toward general betterment of municipal works and 
 facilities. On January 3, 1891, a public meeting was held, probably at 
 Gardner's Hall, to organize a committee for public improvements. Mr. 
 Robert W. Clarke was made chairman of the committee. Available rec- 
 ords do not reveal a correlation between the initiation of this move 
 toward betterment of village works and facilities, and actual construe- 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 
 
 117 
 
 ..-., 
 
 The Heineman building, on the northeast corner of First and Washington 
 housed a store, The Hinsdale Beacon, and the Hinsdale Club. 
 
 tion of the improvements that took place between 1893 and 1905, but 
 perhaps the elements of cause and effect were quite clear to those liv- 
 ing at the time. 
 
 Old plank sidewalks began to give way to cement, and wooden 
 water mains to metal and tile. More gravel and crushed rock was used 
 to cover the streets. First Street, in fact, was paved with brick in the 
 early Nineties, and perhaps Garfield and Sixth at about the same time. 
 Elsewhere wooden blocks were tried. Eventually, almost every meeting 
 of the Village Board during these years was largely devoted to measures 
 looking toward betterment of plant, equipment, and facilities; doing 
 away with the old, in favor of the new. 
 
 The Doings started publication in 1895. From some of its early 
 issues we learn that Reverend D. S. Johnson had become pastor of the 
 Presbyterian Church and Dr. Preston the new Congregational minis- 
 ter. Lectures on various subjects were being held in Gardner's Hall, 
 and a Woman's Club reception was attended there by two hundred 
 persons. Hugh Ditzler was showing promise as an artist. Certain ''best 
 sellers" had arrived at the library, among them "Alice in Wonderland" 
 
n8 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 and "Cloister and the Hearth." Athletics was in the news. Whereas 
 baseball, hunting, and fishing had been the only sports of the past, the 
 game of tennis had now made its debut, to be followed soon by foot- 
 ball. Tennis began with small neighborhood groups, such as the Ten 
 Tennis Club, organized by Messrs. Beam, Clarke, Crossette, Holcomb, 
 and Wilson, in 1893. 
 
 In Fullersburg, horse racing was in vogue, on a track at Ogden and 
 Wolf Road, entrants from Lyons being the principal rivals. In the 
 society news from there, appeared the names of the Mesdames Bretes, 
 Coleman, Francis, Hambel, and Ruchty. 
 
 As the 1 890's progressed, there came rumors of an electric railroad, 
 that was to pass through Hinsdale, a new subject for the neighborhood 
 to ponder. Some were "for" and others "against." At first it was favored 
 by the local merchants, who visualized a stimulation of their trade. 
 So the Village Board met with the Western Springs Board to discuss 
 the prospects, inasmuch as the two villages would have been similarly 
 affected by an electric railroad. But this flurry of interest died out after 
 a petition opposing the project had been signed by a number of citizens, 
 and nothing further was heard of the proposed road for two or three 
 years. 
 
 Electric lights for the village, however, were decidedly on the way. 
 By 1 895 the generator was installed, the streets were wired for electric 
 arc lights, and current was available for those homes that chose to use 
 this new convenience. Improved illumination was accompanied by the 
 installation of street markers at the intersections. 
 
 This bare announcement of the initial functioning of the electric 
 plant, however, does not tell how the move was started in the first place, 
 and the plant established. It is another story of a village need being met 
 by the foresight and enterprize of certain citizens. Briefly, J. C. F. 
 Merrill, H. A. Gardner, John C. Ross, George Robbins, and others 
 formed a corporation, capitalized, and built the plant, and then sold 
 it to the village. They believed that electricity would come to the town 
 more quickly in this way. Previously, a similar boost had been given to 
 the water plant movement. The habit of getting things done in Hins- 
 dale was not on the wane. 
 
 In this year there was talk of telephones being available soon. Mc- 
 Gee's drug store, now Vann's, already had one, for the use of those 
 whose messages were urgent. Chicago had them, also some of the other 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 119 
 
 suburbs. They would be an improvement over the telegraph instru- 
 ments with which some village homes had been equipped for the past 
 twenty years. 
 
 On a Saturday night in March of 1896 a most deplorable tragedy oc- 
 curred at the Washington Street rail crossing. The three W. L. Black- 
 man children, Carlos, Margery, and Willis had been driven by the 
 family coachman, Samuel Russell, to a band concert at Unity Church. 
 At about 10:15, the entertainment over, they started for home, going 
 south from the church, down the hill on Washington to the crossing. 
 
 Between the church and the tracks there were, at that time, many 
 trees, the Park Hotel, and a blacksmith shop, and on that particular 
 night two freight cars stood on a siding, north of the old depot. As the 
 phaeton approached the crossing, the rear end of a freight train was 
 just passing to the westward, and Russell, the coachman, did not see or 
 hear the Katy Flyer, No. 50, heading in from that same direction at 
 forty or fifty miles an hour. The horse hit the side of the locomotive, 
 and was carried eastward. This swung the carriage around, bringing 
 its right side in contact with the left side of the train. Little Carlos 
 Blackman, age five, and the coachman were instantly killed. Margery, 
 nine, and Willis, fifteen, were badly injured. When people came run- 
 ning to the scene, Willis insisted that he was all right, and that help be 
 given to the others. They were taken into the station, and then to their 
 home at the Highlands. Doctors Hench and Ohls said the two older 
 children would live; and they did. Margery, Mrs. James Bailey, re- 
 sided here many years following this occurrence. Mr. and Mrs. Willis 
 L. Blackman now live on south Washington Street. 
 
 It was in the early 1830's that the first members of the F. O. Butler 
 family came West. The very earliest to come, going to Naperville, and 
 later to St. Charles on the Fox River, was Oliver Morris Butler. In the 
 year 1841, in association with B. T. Hunt, he completed the first paper 
 mill west of the Alleghenies at St. Charles. In those days paper was 
 hauled by team to and from Chicago and elsewhere. Eventually, the 
 Butlers came to realize the desirability of Hinsdale and its environs as 
 a residential location, and so, in the early lSgo's bought property on 
 First Street in Hinsdale, Julius W. Butler coming to live at the north- 
 west corner of First and Orchard Place. A few years later his son, Frank 
 
120 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 O. Butler, built the brick dwelling at 230 E. First, the site of the former 
 Graves home. 
 
 The beautiful Meenely chimes in the bell tower of the Union 
 Church, which for many years have tolled their message of warmth and 
 consolation to all Hinsdaleans, were given by Frank O. Butler in mem- 
 ory of his father. 
 
 Frank O. Butler also developed a small cemetery in the attractive 
 and peaceful northwest section of Hinsdale, there erecting a mauso- 
 leum wherein lie the remains of both his parents and grandparents. 
 The cemetery is reserved for relatives and old associates, both business 
 and otherwise. 
 
 In 1 898 Mr. Frank O. Butler, looking for farm land in this vicinity, 
 decided on a site of natural beauty on the west bank of Salt Creek. 
 The stream was bordered by oak trees, so the place was named Oak 
 Brook Farm. A country residence, large stables and adjoining build- 
 ings were erected. Other lands were gradually added to the original 
 tract until the farm became one of the largest in the region, enabling 
 Mr. Butler to give expression to his life-long interest in pure-bred live 
 stock and fine horses. 
 
 Natoma Dairy was acquired from Mr. George B. Robbins and 
 flourished for many years as an adjunct to Oak Brook Farm. It was one 
 of the pioneers in the furnishing of "certified" milk, that nation-wide 
 move which accompanied our pure food laws and the inspection of 
 meat. For a long time the Natoma Dairy wagons were a familiar sight 
 throughout Hinsdale and the neighboring area. 
 
 Mr. Butler initiated the move toward the setting aside of land for 
 forest preserves in Du Page County, and in various other ways his 
 public-spirited activities have helped to shape and give character to the 
 village of Hinsdale and environs. 
 
 The various farm properties now are owned by Mr. Butler's son 
 Paul, who also is the present owner and operator of the Butler Com- 
 pany, which was originally created in 1844. In 1929 Mr. Paul Butler 
 organized the Oak Brook Polo Club, destined to become one of the 
 most active inter-sectional participants in polo. 
 
 Mr. F. O. Butler's only other son, Julius W. Butler, and his family, 
 live at Hot Springs, South Dakota. 
 
 Elbert H. Gary, of Wheaton, the County Attorney, was trying some 
 cases in Hinsdale just before the turn of the century. Later, Mr. Gary 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 121 
 
 became chairman of the Board of the United States Steel Corporation. 
 
 The Spanish American War was in progress, and The Doings pub- 
 lished letters from two local boys, Howard Scotford and Bert Edwards, 
 who were serving in the Navy. After the sinking of the Maine, Hins- 
 dale's Fourth of July celebrations reflected the aroused feeling of 
 patriotism. That war required no organized Red Cross work in the 
 village, but parcels and letters were sent to Hinsdale soldiers and sailors 
 by their friends and relatives. 
 
 In October 1899 the commodious new Hinsdale Club House was 
 opened, with an informal reception. The guests were received by Mrs. 
 W. H. Knight, president of the Woman's Club and Mr. J. A. Blood, 
 president of the Men's Club. Except for the Spanish War, then in 
 progress, doubtless it would have been a more elaborate opening, for 
 this was to prove a turning point in the social life of the town. The 
 meetings, dances, plays, lectures, bowling tournaments, and other 
 functions that have taken place there, run into thousands, and many 
 important decisions bearing upon village progress have been formu- 
 lated within its frame walls. As is generally known, the old Club build- 
 ing is now the Community House, at First and Garfield. 
 
 Social life in general, though no less active than it had been in 
 former years, was taking different forms. Instead of the Cultivators and 
 the Baker's Dozen, the Archers, and the Equestrians, there now was 
 the Country Tennis Club, both athletic and social. The Woman's Club 
 was under way, churches were holding large functions, each in its own 
 quarters, and plans were formulating for a golf club. 
 
 Then, as now, cheerful news was sprinkled with the sad. The town's 
 early arrivals were beginning to pass on, among them James Swartout, 
 who had arrived here in 1 864; C. E. Hinds; J. B. Doane, whose tomb in 
 the woods along north Adams Street was a familiar landmark; and 
 Robert W. Clarke, in his forty-eighth year. 
 
 Cemeteries of the neighborhood were the burial grounds of the 
 Torode family north of Fullersburg, and of the Fuller family at the 
 north end of Garfield Avenue. The latter was eventually developed 
 into the Fullersburg Cemetery. There is a small, but very old burying 
 ground south of Clarendon Hills, at about Sixty-third Street, where 
 some of the pioneer farmers of the area are resting. Within compara- 
 tively recent years a semi-private cemetery has been established by 
 Mr. F. O. Butler northwest of Hinsdale. 
 
22 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The oldest existing dwelling in Hinsdale, at 120 E. Fifth Street, was built by William 
 Robbins in 1863. A wing, at the rear, was added by A. L. Pearsall. 
 
 Back in 1 883 "a committee of citizens" had been appointed in Hins- 
 dale "to consider the subject of cemetery sites." There is no record of 
 the findings of this committee, but it is known that the cemetery now 
 called Bronswood was in existence in 1888 under the proprietorship of 
 Mr. G. K. Wright. In 1907 Mr. Charles A. Brown purchased the prop- 
 erty and brought about extensive improvements. Following Mr. 
 Brown's death the cemetery almost slipped beyond Hinsdale owner- 
 ship and control. Rather than allow this to happen, Mr. Philip 
 R. Clarke bought the property, and it continues to be managed by 
 and for Hinsdale people, though families elsewhere are not barred 
 from its use. 
 
 There follows a review of some of Hinsdale's residents who were here 
 when the village was small; during that elegant era of the 70's, 8o's, 
 and 90's. With few exceptions, the houses in which these families lived 
 are still standing. But the house numbering system throughout the vil- 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 123 
 
 lage was changed within recent years, so where numbers appear, they 
 are the present numbers: # 
 
 Charles A. Allen. N. E. corner of Washington and Hickory. A manufacturing 
 jeweler. Mr. Allen was a Civil War veteran, and each year after the Memorial 
 Day parade, he entertained the surviving members of the G. A. R. on the 
 lawn of his home. (See page 124) He was the father of Mrs. H. C. Knisley, 
 mother of Mrs. Margaret Abbott. 
 
 Anson Ayres. 7 W. Ayres Avenue, where the W. H. Regnerys now live. Mr. 
 Ayres owned one of the three tracts of land which formed the original north 
 side subdivisions. He was active in village and county affairs; was father of 
 Frank E. Ayres, grandfather of Robert B. Ayres. In the olden days there was a 
 well of fine water on the premises, drawn up by buckets. 
 
 W. S. Banker. His house, built in the 1870's stood on the site of the N. W. 
 corner of Park and Third. Many of the young married people who came to 
 Hinsdale boarded with the Bankers while their homes were being built. 
 Two subsequent houses on this lot, the Schuyler's and the Root's, burned. 
 The present one is the home of the late George H. Bell. 
 
 C. M. Barnes. N. W. corner of Washington and Second. This little house, still 
 standing, is the one Mr. Barnes built in the 1860's. The first baby on the 
 south side was born here, and Mr. Robbins presented the baby with a lot. Mr. 
 Barnes was a publisher in Chicago. 
 
 W. T. Barr. One of the first, if not the original resident at 115 E. Fifth. Mr. 
 Barr married Annie Haskell. 
 
 Enos M. Barton built Sedgeley House and farm on the east side of south 
 County Line road, the estate now owned by James A. Hannah. It was back 
 in 1869 that Mr. Barton, with Elisha Gray entered the then infant electrical 
 manufacturing business in a loft shop in Cleveland, Ohio, the business later 
 being moved to Chicago. 
 
 Elisha Gray had invented a telephone, but was the loser in a patent contest 
 with Alexander Graham Bell. Nevertheless, telephones had to be made, so 
 Gray and Barton began making them. Mr. Barton had moved to Hinsdale, 
 and while living here decided on the site for his plant on Cicero Ave., on the 
 western edge of Chicago, which later became known as the Hawthorne Works 
 of the Western Electric Company. Most of the world's telephone instruments 
 have been made there. The Gray-Bar Company, electrical equipment sup- 
 pliers, obtained its name from Messrs. Gray and Barton. Many of the old- 
 timers recall the Sedgeley House Tally-ho, and the farm's fine cattle and sheep. 
 
 Mr. E. E. Gray, who lived in Hinsdale during the early 1900's, and who 
 raised trotting horses near the Highlands, was Elisha Gray's son. E. E. Gray's 
 son Ted married Winnie Blackmail of this village. 
 
 * The original purpose of this section of Chapter VII was that of pointing to a few examples 
 of old Hinsdale nouses. Although items of information concerning those who lived in them 
 have been added, this is not intended as a directory of early residents. Such a compilation, if 
 complete, would require much more space. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 125 
 
 Jesse Barton. 626 N. Washington. A former Barton house stood on the same 
 site. Mr. Barton was General Counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad. At 
 other times he had been employed by the Great Western and the B. k O. 
 
 O. P. Bassett first occupied the house on Woodside Drive that was later known 
 as the Murray place, and which burned some years ago. About 1900 he built 
 the house on the northwest corner of Sixth and Oak. 
 
 C. G. Beckwith. The Beckwith home, as mentioned elsewhere, stood on land 
 now occupied by the Hinsdale Sanitarium. Judge Beckwith was General 
 Counsel of the Chicago and Alton Railroad. The house was built by Mr. 
 John W. Reed. 
 
 W. L. Blackman came to Hinsdale in the 1880's while engaging in the grain 
 business in Chicago. He purchased "Oaklawn" from the Sanders family. 
 This residence had been built by the H. L. Storeys, immediately south of the 
 Highlands station. There the Blackmans entertained their many friends at 
 large lawn parties and other gatherings. The house burned in 1914. Mr. 
 Willis L. Blackman, a son, lives on south Washington Street. 
 
 A. H. Blodgett. 319 N. Lincoln. Before they came to Hinsdale, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Blodgett had lived for a while at Fort Dearborn before it was dismantled, 
 and elsewhere in Chicago. Their daughter Georgia had a remarkable career 
 as teacher of the first grade at the Maple Street school for more than forty 
 years, and as head of the Infant Department of the Congregational Church 
 for almost as long. There was another daughter Laura, and a son Silas. "Si" 
 Blodgett, a grandson, played on the town football team. 
 
 James A. Blood. S. E. corner of Washington and Walnut, was a brother-in-law 
 of the eligible village bachelor Harry Maydwell. Mr. Blood was a village 
 trustee in 1893 an d was mentioned often in items of news about the town. 
 
 H. Boerger, 223 S. Quincy. This house is a period piece, one of the best 
 remaining examples of local architecture of the 1870's. It was built by Mr. 
 O. J. Stough, occupied by the Boerger family and others. (Note the tower, 
 and the window "caps.") 
 
 John G. Bohlander, 27 S. Garfield. Hinsdale's early hardware, coal and grain 
 merchant, whose son John, Jr. still resides at this address, came to Hinsdale 
 in 1871 after having been reared on his father's farm near York Center, 
 Du Page County. John, Jr. has spent his entire life in the village, carrying 
 on the business started by his father. 
 
 Edwin Bowles, built and lived in the frame house immediately south of the 
 First National Bank, in fact the Bank was built on land that used to be the 
 Bowles' side yard. Mr. Bowles was a deacon of the Congregational Church. 
 
 John Bradley, 1 19 N. Lincoln, was an official of the American Express Company 
 and a leader in that business. This distinguished family moved from here 
 to Milwaukee, and later to New York. Ralph Bradley, a son, now lives in 
 Chicago. 
 
126 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Lafayette Briggs lived at 127 E. Fifth. He was in a branch of the transportation 
 industry, and was one of the first villagers to discard his horse in favor of an 
 automobile. 
 
 Walter Buffington came to Hinsdale as a child, with his mother who chose 
 the house at the S. E. corner of Hickory and Park. Mr. Buffington started as 
 office boy with the C. D. Peacock Company, and became its vice president. 
 
 Frank O. Butler, 230 E. First Street. See page 119. 
 
 Julius W. Butler, Northwest corner, First Street and Orchard Place. See 
 page 119. 
 
 F. S. Cable, manufacturer of the Cable piano, made exploratory sojourns to 
 Hinsdale in the 1890's and finally settled at 222 E. Third, a house still 
 occupied by his daughter Gladys. Other daughters are Anne Cable Powell, 
 Rachel Cable Hench, and Dorothy Cable. 
 
 Judge J. W. Carey built the house at 205 E. Sixth, later the home of J. C. Davis, 
 vice president of operations, American Steel Foundries. 
 
 Robert A. Childs. His house stood on the site of 118 E. Third where his son 
 Lester C. now lives. Some years later he built and occupied the dwelling at 
 318 S. Garfield. After four years of combat in the Civil War and serving as 
 principal of public schools at Amboy, Illinois, Mr. Childs was admitted to 
 the bar in Chicago about 1873 and made his home in Hinsdale thereafter. 
 He displayed a keen interest in government and became a member of 
 Congress from this district during the Cleveland administration. Other chil- 
 dren of Mr. and Mrs. Childs are Robert, Kent, George, and John. 
 
 Robert W. Clarke. While living in Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Clarke were 
 attracted to Hinsdale, and for the summer of 1886 they rented Mr. G. W. 
 Hinckley's house at the southwest corner of First and Park. In 1887 a lot was 
 purchased on the northwest corner of First and Elm. The house they built 
 there, and which is still standing, was occupied the following year. Three 
 children, Robert Jr., Nellie (the late Mrs. William B. McKeand) and Norman 
 came with them to Hinsdale. Philip R. Clarke was born in the new home. 
 Railroads, mining, the Board of Trade, and the Hinsdale Presbyterian 
 Church, which he founded, were among Mr. Clarke's interests, and he also 
 initiated the program of local municipal improvements that went forward 
 between 1895 an< ^ 1 9°5- 
 
 William Coffeen built the house where Mrs. Samuel Dean lives, at 306 S. 
 Garfield, after having lived in Hinsdale for some years. His mother helped 
 organize the Fresh Air Association. 
 
 Sydney T. Collins came to Hinsdale from Montreal about 1875 and built the 
 house at 513 S. Garfield, where his son Arthur F. Collins and his family now 
 live. Mr. Collins was long identified with the Commercial Union Insurance 
 Company. In Hinsdale, horses, then golf and gardening were his hobbies. 
 An older son, Sydney T. Jr., lives in Chicago. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 127 
 
 L. P. Conover built the house at 307 S. Lincoln. A Chicago lawyer, and served 
 as Village Attorney. The Conover children are Polly, Harvey, and Richard. 
 
 W. P. Cortis, 114 E. 5th. Settled here in 1890. His son Fred married Dorothy 
 Davis. The other children were Marjorie, Edith and Robert. 
 
 D. A. Courter, who lived in the house on the northwest corner of First and 
 Blaine, was well-known in the early village. He was one-time Postmaster, also 
 Justice of the Peace. He had come to Hinsdale following a strenuous industrial 
 career in various parts of the country. 
 
 Deacon James Craigmile, who resided at the N. W. corner of Grant and Second, 
 was often mentioned in the early news items. There were five Craigmile 
 brothers who lived out on the Plainfield Road in the 1850's, relatives of 
 Deacon James. 
 
 D. J. Crocker, attorney. The house stood on the site of the P. R. Clarke 
 property at 419 S. Oak. 
 
 William D. Crooke. This family built the house at the N. E. corner of First 
 and Park, where the A. C. Bryans lived for so long, and which now is occupied 
 by Dr. August H. Lueders. Mrs. Lydia Hedgecock, a niece of Mrs. Crooke, 
 recently moved from Hinsdale to Arizona. 
 
 E. C. Crosby. Built various Hinsdale houses following a career in education. 
 He lived longest in the house now occupied by Mrs. Hazel Ballou. Francis 
 Crosby, a son, now is a resident of San Francisco. 
 
 Charles H. Crossette, a member of the firm of Cutter & Crossette, shirt manu- 
 facturers, became a resident of Hinsdale in 1885, and lived in the house 
 numbered 33 E. Fifth street. At one time Mr. Crossette was president of the 
 Hinsdale Club. There were sons Charles, Murray, and Robert, and a daughter, 
 Aurelia. 
 
 Charles H. Cushing, 16 W. Fifth street. President of the Cushing Printing Co. 
 in Chicago, and also publisher of The Hinsdale Beacon, newspaper of the 
 1880's and go's. 
 
 Otis Cushing came to Hinsdale in 1886 and built the house at 135 E. Fifth in 
 which his son Otis R. now lives. Mr. Cushing was sales manager of Cutter & 
 Crossette, manufacturers of men's wear. Other children were Lucretia (Mrs. 
 W. P. Cortis) , George, Charlotte, Almira, Florence, and Irene. 
 
 J. J. Danforth. This family lived in the old David Roth homestead at 222 E. 
 Chicago Ave. Many Hinsdaleans remember the Danforth daughters, Winne- 
 fred and Alice. Mr. Danforth was a vice president of the Chicago Title & 
 Trust Co. 
 
 Thomas Dawson arrived in Hinsdale about 1882 and became a building con- 
 tractor. The Presbyterian Church was among the buildings he erected. His 
 son Alex Dawson is likewise a builder. The Thomas Dawson house is on the 
 northeast corner of Elm and Hickory. 
 
128 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Harvey S. Dean, 327 E. Third. The Harvey Deans arrived in Hinsdale in the 
 middle 8o's. Mr. Dean was in the insurance business in Chicago, on the 
 School Board in Hinsdale, and an active member of the Congregational 
 Church. The children: Olive, Louella (Mrs. E. D. Holmes) and Hazen S. 
 Dean. 
 
 Robert H. Dean, 337 E. Third, brother of Mr. Harvey S. Dean, moved to the 
 village in the same year. He was on the Board of Trade in Chicago. The 
 Robert Dean children are Earl, Robert, Grace (Mrs. F. C. Bebb) and Edward. 
 
 George P. Derrickson took an active interest in the schools of Hinsdale. He 
 lived in, and probably built, the house on the N. E. corner of Hickory and 
 Washington, where the C. A. Aliens lived later. 
 
 E. H. Ditzler. Came to Hinsdale in 1889. He had served in the Civil War. Mr. 
 Ditzler joined Mr. T. H. Linsley in purchasing the Fox Brothers' store. The 
 firm of Ditzler and Linsley remained active until the business was bought 
 by R. M. Clubb, in 1909. 
 
 Michael A. Donohue, owner of a printing and publishing concern in Chicago, 
 lived in the first house north of Chicago Ave. on the west side of Lincoln. Mr. 
 Donohue was Village President for three years, starting in 1875. His publish- 
 ing company is still in business. 
 
 William Duncan, 424 S. Washington. He served as a Village Trustee for seven 
 years, and was a pioneer amateur photographer. 
 
 John Earle. N. E. corner of Walnut and Elm. The original Earle home has 
 since been divided into two houses. The Earles came from England. They 
 had several children. 
 
 W. P. Edwards. 315 S. Washington. A court reporter. Father of Bert Edwards, 
 Mable and Will. Will married Helen McCurdy. 
 
 Andreaus Elmers was a contractor. He built his house at 115 E. Fourth street, 
 and a number of others in town. 
 
 William Evernden. 212 S. Washington street. According to one source, "the 
 last of the deer hunts was still in the future when Bill Evernden decided to 
 settle here" after working for a while for the County's Road Surveyor. He 
 operated one of the first drug stores and became a friend and counselor of 
 many a village youth. 
 
 Farrel, James, is remembered as the occupant of the little frame house at 914 
 York, and possibly he built it. It is antedated by few buildings of the Brush 
 Hill era. 
 
 Charles Fox, S. W. corner of Ogden and Lincoln. With his brother Heman he 
 operated a widely patronized grocery in Fnllersburg, and later in Hinsdale. 
 
 Heman Fox, N. W. corner of Washington and Walnut. Formerly he occupied 
 his father's house at the southeast corner of Ogden and Lincoln, which was 
 later used by the Fresh Air Association. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 129 
 
 W. H. Freeman, built the house at 123 N. Park in 1892, when Park was called 
 Pine Street, and had not been extended that far north. Mr. Freeman was a 
 wool merchant and an ardent golfer. His sons are Courtney, Charles, and 
 Philip. 
 
 Lemuel H. Freer, 505 S. County Line Road. As a young man Mr. Freer went 
 from Chicago to ranching in Colorado, in 1870. He returned to enter the 
 real estate business in Chicago during that period when city land values were 
 still expanding. In 1897 he bought an extensive tract of land on the east side 
 of County Line Road and built a spacious brick house near the intersection 
 of Sixth Street. To the original tract additions were made, and Mr. Freer 
 spent much of his time in the landscaping and improvement of these prop- 
 erties. The Freer children are Mrs. Mabel Dyas, Mrs. Margaret Grulee, Ray, 
 Norman, and William. Norman B. Freer still lives in Hinsdale, at 645 Dale- 
 wood Lane. The original Freer homestead, formerly a very large dwelling, 
 has been remodelled within recent years. It is now the home of the C. D. 
 Duncan family. 
 
 Adolph Frosher was the contractor who erected The Hinsdale Club and other 
 buildings. He built and lived in the house numbered 314 S. Washington, and 
 was the father of John Frosher. His daughter married R. M. Clubb. 
 
 Benjamin Fuller, 948 York street. This house is said to have been Benjamin 
 Fuller's residence from the time he built it during the latter 1830% until he 
 died in 1868. 
 
 Morell Fuller, 108 E. Ogden Avenue. The west or main section of the house 
 is the original building. Its antiquity is evident on the inside especially, with 
 its low ceilings and hand-formed woodwork. At the rear of the house, during 
 the 1840's, the Fullers operated a brick yard which produced the bricks for 
 Graue's mill. 
 
 H. A. Fulton was one of the organizers of the Hinsdale Golf Club. The Fulton 
 home is on the southwest corner of Washington and Ogden. There were two 
 sons and two daughters. 
 
 Henry A. Gardner. The old Gardner homestead, a massive frame structure 
 with out-buildings and an enclosed wind-mill tower, stood at the northwest 
 corner of Maple and Madison. Mr. Gardner, a lawyer, arrived in Hinsdale in 
 the 1880's. He was a staunch member of the Unitarian Church. Their children 
 were Robert, Sarah, Henry, Mary and Grace. 
 
 William P. Gates was president of the American Terra Cotta Company. He 
 built and lived in the terra cotta house at the southwest corner of Walnut and 
 Lincoln. There were five or six Gates children. 
 
 F. H. Hannah was one of the first purchasers of land in Hinsdale. The home he 
 built, and which is now numbered 23 S. Vine St., later became known as the 
 Beidler place. Mr. A. F. Beidler married Mary Hannah, and they occupied 
 this house until well into the present century. Francis Beidler, a son, is now 
 a rancher in the Southwest. This well-remembered residence now is a Rest 
 Home. 
 
130 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Dr. L. P. Haskell, 121 E. Fifth Street, was for years a leading dentist in Chicago, 
 known for his ability both in the practice of his profession and in dental 
 research. He was also active in Hinsdale affairs; social, church, and civic. 
 
 William S. Heineman first located in Fullersburg, in 1875, but later came to 
 Hinsdale and erected the Heineman Building on the northeast corner of 
 First and Washington (see page 117) where he conducted a store. The Heine- 
 man residence, which had been built by Harry Maydwell, still stands, at 214 
 E. Walnut. Mr. A. T. Hall, a pioneer resident, was the first to build on this 
 lot. His house burned. Mrs. Heineman was a daughter of Barto Van Velzer, 
 of early Fullersburg. 
 
 John Hemshell's stone house on the north side of Ogden, on the western edge 
 of Fullersburg, is interesting because of the circumstances under which it 
 was built during the 1860's. According to Mr. T. E. Clark, his son-in-law, 
 "Stone for the house was hauled from quarries at Lemont, and this required 
 four winters with a team and sleigh. The lumber, window frames, and doors 
 were hauled from Chicago. When ready to build, he brought water from Salt 
 Creek in barrels to mix the mortar. The house was nearly completed in 1871, 
 the year of Chicago's big fire. At night when he saw Chicago burning, he 
 climbed up on the unfinished roof to watch it." Mr. Hemshell sent to England 
 for many of the shrubs that are still growing on the place. Recently the house 
 has undergone some major alterations. 
 
 Dr. John B. Hench, Hinsdale's widely beloved family physician, arrived here 
 before 1890 and served in the village for thirty odd years. His "sterling traits 
 of character made him well-liked as a citizen." Children of the Henches are 
 Jay L. Hench, of 324 E. Seventh street, Horace B. Hench, 612 S. Garfield, and 
 Helen, Mrs. Frank Schaefer of Virginia. Mrs. John B. Hench still resides at 
 the old homestead at 1 18 S. Lincoln. 
 
 L. K. Hildebrand built the house at 316 S. Oak Street. The Hildebrands moved 
 to Hinsdale in 1885 from Chicago. Mr. Hildebrand had formerly lived at 
 Sycamore, Illinois. Mrs. Hildebrand could remember that, when she was a 
 child, her parents' home was situated on land that later became the site of 
 the Palmer House, in Chicago. Their daughter Louise is Mrs. Philip R. Clarke. 
 
 William S. Hinckley. Mr. and Mrs. Hinckley, with their son William and 
 daughter Bessie came here from Galesburg, Illinois in 1880. One of their 
 early dwellings was on the site of the late Geo. H. Bell's home at Park and 
 Third. Miss Bessie Hinckley, who now resides at King-Bruwaert House, 
 taught at the Garfield School in the late nineties, and can name many middle- 
 aged citizens as having been among her students. 
 
 William B. Hinckley, son of William S. lived for a while at 316 E. First, the 
 house that has since been owned by the Wade Fetzers. William B. was the 
 father of Brewster, Harold, Ned, and Jessie Hinckley. 
 
 George W. Hinckley, a brother of William S., arrived in Hinsdale in about the 
 same year, and built his dwelling on the southwest corner of First and Park. 
 He also built the house on the southeast corner of First and Oak, where the 
 M. A. Meyers family lived for so long a time. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 131 
 
 E. P. Hinds. The house of this well-known early resident was on the site of the 
 high school. It was moved and, is now (remodeled) the J. S. Lord house, at 
 217 S. Washington. 
 
 W. H. Holcomb. President of the village Board of Education in 1897. The 
 Holcombs occupied the house on the southwest corner of Third and Elm. 
 They are survived by a son Herbert. 
 
 Henry Holverscheid, a coal merchant, came here from Canada and lived at 
 319 E. Third. His son Harry married Lucy Burton. 
 
 Mrs. Mary Irish. Built the house at the N. W. corner of Third and Lincoln. 
 Among other favorable impressions, Mrs. Irish is remembered for her three 
 daughters, Mrs. Van Inwagen, Mrs. Krohn, and Mary Irish. 
 
 Horace Jackson. Mr. Jackson was the builder, and he and his family the first 
 to occupy the house at 321 S. County Line Rd. The Van Inwagens lived there 
 for many years, and the house now is owned by the Foorman Mueller family. 
 When the Jacksons lived there the place was called "Royal Oaks." 
 
 Benjamin F. Jones. His house, which formerly stood at Garfield and Second, 
 was later moved to 29 S. Park. Mr. Jones was a prisoner of the Confederates 
 at Andersonville during the Civil War. "Jones hill," (the S. Garfield St. hill) 
 was a favorite for coasting in the winter, a pastime that is now hindered by 
 the density of traffic. Following Benjamin Jones, the H. W. Cowles family 
 lived here. 
 
 Charles B. Kimbell built the house at 224 N. Elm Street, and the family lived 
 there for many years. Mr. Kimbell served in the Civil War, and was later 
 identified with the stone and brick industry in Chicago. After coming to 
 Hinsdale in 1893 he served as trustee and manager of several large estates, and 
 as a member of the village board. The Misses Virginia and Mildred Kimbell, 
 granddaughters, reside on north Park Ave.; Charles, a grandson, in Phila- 
 delphia. The former Kimbell dwelling now is owned by Mr. E. B. Johnson. 
 
 Sherman King. Judging from the reported activities of this individual, he was 
 a most useful citizen of early Brush Hill. He built his house on the east side 
 of York Road just south of the creek. The original foundation is still there 
 but the building has been modernized. 
 
 William H. Knight. Mrs. Knight was Belle Robbins, daughter of William 
 Robbins. Mr. and Mrs. Knight and their daughter Glendora lived at 333 S. 
 Park Ave. Glendora married Mr. Courtney D. Freeman of Hinsdale. 
 
 Harry C. Knisley, manufacturer, built and lived at 234 E. Third. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Knisley were married in Hinsdale in 1889 and lived here from then on. Their 
 daughters are Mrs. Margaret Abbott and Mrs. Sarah Drehr. 
 
 W. F. Krohn came here about 1890. He started out as a delivery boy and became 
 secretary of the Central Commercial Company in Chicago. His son Willard 
 still lives here. 
 
132 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Chauncey T. Lamb arrived in Hinsdale in the go's while with the Curtiss 
 Publishing Company, and married Mabel Warren. They lived at 121 S. 
 County Line Road. He was active in Boy Scouts and the Hinsdale Club. 
 Their sons are Richard and David. A daughter, Mrs. Winfield Foster, lives on 
 South Oak Street. 
 
 Dr. Thomas Lawton graduated from the Chicago Homeopathic Medical Col- 
 lege and came to Hinsdale in 1890. Listed as "one of the physicians and sur- 
 geons who has become eminent in Du Page County," Dr. Lawton and his 
 family had a wide circle of friends in Hinsdale, where they were always active 
 in local affairs. Two of the children, Mrs. Gertrude Ketcham, and Mrs. E. B. 
 Greek still live in Hinsdale. 
 
 A. A. Lincoln. This family, which has been so well spoken of by its neighbors, 
 lived at 321 S. Garfield until about 1920. Formerly there was a private green- 
 house behind the dwelling. Mr. Lincoln was president of the David B. Crocket 
 Company, paint and varnish manufacturers. 
 
 T. H. Linsley arrived in Hinsdale in 1889, and formed a partnership with E. 
 H. Ditzler in the grocery business. The Linsleys lived at 323 S. Washington. 
 Robert Linsley, a son, has moved to Traverse City, Michigan. 
 
 William McCredie, dwelt at the S. E. corner of Walnut and Park, in one of the 
 first houses to be built on the north side. Mr. McCredie was father of Mrs. 
 Jeane Matile who still lives in the house. He was a signer of the petition for 
 incorporation of the village. 
 
 Dr. J. C. Merrick is remembered as Hinsdale's first physician and first druggist. 
 At one time he lived over his office and store on the east side of the Washing- 
 ton Street business district, and later at 323 S. Washington, before the Linsleys 
 moved there. 
 
 John C. F. Merrill whose house still stands at the southwest corner of Sixth 
 and Elm, was President of the Chicago Board of Trade and President of the 
 village for several terms, starting in 1894. Many municipal improvements 
 were made during his terms of office. His children were Charlotte and Ralph. 
 
 George H. Mitchell, identified with the building stone industry in Chicago, 
 built the house on the southwest corner of First and Elm in the 90's. The 
 Mitchells had two daughters, Marion and Louise. The house is now owned 
 by Mrs. Perry Phelps. 
 
 J. P. Mohr was one of the many owners of the old cross-roads store, at the north- 
 east corner of Ogden and York, that served Fullersburg through the cracker- 
 barrel era, and well into the twenties. Mr. Mohr was a Civil War veteran. His 
 later years were spent in Hinsdale. The site of his store, at present, is a used 
 car lot. 
 
 L. C. Newell erected the house at 526 N. Washington in 1894. He, A. H. Fulton 
 and a few other neighbors began playing golf on a crude home-made course 
 west of Burns field in that year. This group was the nucleus of the Hinsdale 
 Golf Club. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 
 
 33 
 
 Walnut Street before it was paved, looking west from the sanitarium. 
 
 George W. Noble 232 N. Lincoln. After trying the state of Texas, Mr. Noble 
 returned north and settled in Hinsdale, in the year 1889. He was General 
 Manager of A. C. McClurg & Co., in Chicago, and had a strong leaning 
 toward baseball. The Noble children: Jansen, George Jr., Howard, Sadie, 
 Ray, and Herbert. 
 
 William Ostrum. 544 N. Washington. Mr. Ostrum arrived in Fullersburg from 
 Germany in 1869. A mason contractor, he built this house and various other 
 Hinsdale dwellings and commercial buildings. The Ostrums had four daugh- 
 ters: Emma, Selma, Martha, Clara, and Minna, and a son George. 
 
 P. P. Pascall built the house at 106 E. Eighth street, later occupied by his 
 niece C. Gertrude Pulver. The present owner is Mr. Walter M. Sheldon. 
 
 Alfred Payne lived in Hinsdale from 1874 to 1900. His house was situated east 
 of Oak Street, between seventh and eighth. After it burned, Mr. Payne moved 
 to the old Marvin Fox house at Ogden and Lincoln. Mr. Payne was a portrait 
 painter. 
 
 A. L. Pearsall. 120 E. Fifth. In 1863 Mr. William Robbins erected this house 
 as his temporary residence. Mr. Pearsall was in the real estate business and was 
 Hinsdale's sixth Postmaster. 
 
 D. K. Pearsons, 122 N. Grant. See page 141. 
 
i 3 4 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 D. L. Perry. 138 E. Maple. He was Village President in 1882, and a signer of the 
 petition for incorporation. The Perrys moved several times within the village. 
 The Perrys were gracious hosts to various newcomers who temporarily resided 
 with them while looking for homes of their own. 
 
 D. H. Preston lived on the northeast corner of Third and Park, where the family 
 resided for such a long time, and where Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Brinkman now 
 live. Mr. Preston helped to organize the Public Library and was identified 
 with a number of village activities, including the presidency of the Hinsdale 
 State Bank. 
 
 A. Pugh, 516 W. Maple, was President of the Village in 1880. 
 
 M. L. Raftree built the large residence on the west side of Stough Street a little 
 north of the railroad. Mr. Raftree's colorful career in the practice of law has 
 been the source of many pleasurable anecdotes concerning his appearances 
 before juries and public gatherings. 
 
 Lake Ransom, 428 S. Lincoln. Subject of "The Hinsdale Tragedy" (Page 103) . 
 
 C. E. Raymond was appointed food administrator during World War I, was 
 president of Chicago's First National Bank, and a good golfer. Mrs. Raymond 
 was a sister of Chauncey T. Lamb. Their former home is numbered 425 E. 
 Third. 
 
 Alanson Reed built one of the first of the houses that were so often referred to 
 by early reporters as "elegant estates." The Reed family manufactured musi- 
 cal instruments in Chicago. The house stands north of the Highlands station, 
 a little to the west. The house of his son, John W. Reed stood on the site of 
 the Sanitarium, and was later owned by Judge Beckwith. Eventually it was in- 
 corporated within the frame portion of the sanitarium building. 
 
 J. D. Richardson, president of the National Biscuit Company, lived at 202 E. 
 Fourth, and later on Woodside Drive. It is said that a member of the Richard- 
 son family designed that familiar National Biscuit trade-mark. 
 
 Bruce E. Richie, S. W. corner of Park and Third, was a well-known insurance 
 man. Mrs. Richie is a daughter of John W. Reed. She lives at 134 E. Maple. 
 A son, Clark B. Richie, lives in Elmhurst. 
 
 George B. Robbins, brother of William Robbins, built the house at the south- 
 east corner of Washington and Third. He was president of the Armour Car 
 Lines. Later, this was to be the temporary home of F. S. Peabody, president of 
 the Peabody Coal Company, whose Mays Lake estate was bequeathed to the 
 Catholic Church, and is now Saint Francis Retreat. Another prominent man, 
 one who lived in this house some years later, was Alexander Legge, president 
 of International Harvester Company. During most of Mr. Legge's career he 
 lived elsewhere, but while in Hinsdale he was appointed chairman of the 
 Federal Farm Board, and President Hoover visited him at this address on one 
 or two occasions. The Katherine Legge Memorial on south County Line 
 Road, established for the benefit of Harvester Company employees, and the 
 Farm Foundation, for research in the field of agriculture, are among Mr. 
 Legge's contributions to society. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 135 
 
 William Robbins, 425 E. Sixth street. See page 76, and other references to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Robbins in Chapter VI and elsewhere. 
 
 A. R. Robinson, a well-remembered principal of the Hinsdale schools lived at 
 505 S. Garfield. His daughter, Mabel R. Gifford is a resident of King-Brwaert 
 House. He married Jennie Pearsall. 
 
 John C. Ross. The old Ross home formerly occupied the area at the southwest 
 corner of Oak and Fourth. Years later it was moved to 836 S. County Line Rd. 
 Mr. Ross was a member of Chicago's Board of Trade, and one of those who 
 helped build Hinsdale. Edith, Harry, Agard, and Alice are the Ross children. 
 
 David Roth, 222 E. Chicago Ave., "a kindly neighbor." When the Roth family 
 built this place it comprised several acres. A son Frank is still living. Mrs. Ray 
 Noble and Syrena Roth are granddaughters. 
 
 John F. Ruchty, hotel proprietor and merchant, came to Fullersburg soon after 
 the town had acquired that name, and built the house numbered 815 York 
 Street. His son George E. Ruchty lives at 214 N. Washington. 
 
 Linus C. Ruth, S. W. corner of Fourth and Washington, was Judge of the 
 Du Page County Court, Circuit Judge, and the first village attorney. Mrs. 
 Ruth was Librarian for a long term. Their son Chester still lives in Hinsdale. 
 Linus, Jr., lost his life in the war of 1917-18. 
 
 James S. Shannon, 304 S. Lincoln, a builder. He erected many of the houses on 
 Third, and on Lincoln. 
 
 Robert S. Slocum, 605 S. Garfield. His great granddaughter, Mrs. Forrest 
 Mann, resides on Sixth street. Mr. Slocum signed the petition for village 
 incorporation. 
 
 O. J. Stough's house was small but it was surrounded by an entire block of land, 
 on which fruit trees, grape vines, and evergreens were planted. Later, D. K. 
 Pearsons built his house on the same site, on the west side of the Grant Street 
 hill. Mr. Stough's dwelling was moved to the northwest corner of Hickory and 
 Grant. It has been enlarged. 
 
 James F. Stuart, 317 S. Park. The Stuarts were here a long time and were stead- 
 fast members of the Episcopal Church. He was an official of one of the nation- 
 wide express companies, before they were consolidated. 
 
 James Swartout, 30 E. Fifth, one of the first "settlers." This was either the 
 second or third house to be built on the south side. 
 
 Carl Thayer lived at 30 E. Fifth, following the Swartouts. He was a member of 
 the Board of Trade. 
 
 Joel Tiffany, the first village President, arrived here in 1870 from the East 
 where he had been an active lawyer and author of several works, including 
 Man and His Destiny, Government and Constitutional Law, and A Treatise 
 on Trusts & Trustees. In addition he was an inventor, in the field of refrigera- 
 tion. His residence in Hinsdale was marked by an active interest in local 
 
\ c Eighth Grade, > / 
 
 -xei 
 
 Glass of '93, 
 
 JURE8HWP, 
 
 J. N. KELLY, Sup 1 t. 
 
 Nellie M. Boyd, Teacher. 
 
 :' 
 
 
 FEOGfi/tMMe.. 
 
 Work Wins. 
 
 PIANO OCTET* • Salop Brlliiaote, - . 8p»nik>tte 
 
 MISSE* XKf-UE C1.ARKE A»B BOTH FATEBWKATHEK, 
 
 PRAYER, 
 
 ESSAY, 
 RECITATION, 
 ESSAY, • 
 VIOLIN SOLO, 
 ESSAY, 
 RECITATION, 
 ESSAY, 
 PIANO SOLO, 
 
 K&mw utshow 
 1th Air Va,rf*5, - 
 
 JOHDON K. «*8tfiHT, 
 
 ,roHsr stsebt » 
 
 AtiiKKT wfjU?. 
 WP,f*f8 lAmhUY. 
 
 "La So woe." 
 
 M4BEI, EPWA80S. 
 
 Jim. A, W. Gx'tW 
 
 The Legewt vf Kalrnkm 
 Samti Fmwim BttmZurm 
 
 A Street Se^m 
 
 . Flytng Machine* 
 
 Bkmmthal 
 
 Program of the eighth grade graduation exercises, 1893. 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 137 
 
 improvement and progress. His grand-daughter, Mrs. L. M. Fee, the former 
 Louise M. Tryon, now lives at the Godair Home. The Tiffanys built the 
 house on the southeast corner of Washington and Walnut. It has been re- 
 modeled over the years. 
 
 Homer B. Vanderblue, 1 18 W. Third street. After Mr. Vanderblue left here he 
 became dean of the Northwestern University School of Commerce. 
 
 James Van Inwagen, a prominent Chicago business man, occupied the old Joel 
 Tiffany house at Walnut and Washington. 
 
 Dr. F. H. Van Liew, who lived at the southwest corner of Walnut and Washing- 
 ton, came to Hinsdale in 1882. Dr. Van Liew was a well-versed homeopathic 
 physician and one of the founders of the Unitarian Church. His daughters, 
 Gertrude and Helen, reside at 240 E. Walnut. 
 
 Barto Van Velzer, keeper of the toll gate in early Brush Hill, lived with his 
 family in the toll gate house, now numbered 225 E. Ogden Ave. 
 
 A. E. Walker, 639 S. Garfield. An active, energetic family. The children are 
 Ned, Lulu Belle, Aldis, Julia, Robert and Walter. 
 
 Alfred L. Walker. See page 56. 
 
 H. K. Walker, came to Hinsdale in the 8o's and lived at 425 S. Garfield. 
 
 C. C. Warren, 115 E. Maple, was village president in 1881. He and C. T. 
 Warren were among the founders of the Unitarian Church. 
 
 C. T. Warren, father of Mrs. Chauncey T. Lamb, owned the house that was 
 later to be torn down to make way for the Memorial Building. 
 
 N. H. Warren, 125 E. Maple was the father of Ella and Alice. 
 
 The three Warrens were brothers, and partners in the grain brokerage firm 
 of N. H. Warren 8c Co., Chicago. They moved to Hinsdale in the 1870's and 
 had a prominent part in the shaping of the village during its formative years. 
 
 The homes of C. C. Warren and N. H. Warren on Maple Street were next 
 door to each other. On more than one occasion in the summer time the 
 brothers installed a large wooden platform, sheltered by a huge canopy, 
 between the two houses and invited their neighbors to dance. The guests 
 could pass from one house, across the dance floor, to the other. 
 
 Ella Warren taught dancing in the old Baptist Church. Miss Alice Warren 
 now lives at 115 N. Park Ave.; Mrs. C. T. Lamb at 504 S. Garfield. 
 
 C. L. Washburn, of the firm of Bassett & Washburn, occupied the stone house at 
 425 E. Sixth street, the one built by William Robbins in the 6o's. The Bassett 
 Sc Washburn greenhouse, or one of them, was on the west side of County 
 Line Road, between Sixth and Seventh. 
 
 John Webster, S. E. corner of Lincoln and Second. This family arrived shortly 
 after William Robbins and the Swartouts. They operated an express and 
 delivery business in the early days. Roy and Nelson were Mr. Webster's sons. 
 Nelson served as Wm. Evernden's chief clerk for a long time. 
 
i 3 8 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The Grant Street hill. 
 
 Adolph Weidig was Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony orchestra 
 under Theodore Thomas. The Veidigs occupied the house on the northwest 
 corner of Elm and Walnut, the one that faces southeast. 
 
 George Wilson, 130 E. First street. Mr. Wilson was a surveyor. His daughters 
 were Adelaide and Mary. Adelaide Wilson Slade is the mother of Mrs. Norman 
 B. Freer. 
 
 Reverend George Wilson became minister of the Congregational Church dur- 
 ing the early go's, and lived at 644 S. Garfield. Present relatives are George 
 W., a grandson, and Mrs. Clifford Pratt. 
 
 T. J. Woodcock, N. W. corner Fourth and Washington, was here in the 8o's. 
 Sadie Woodcock, a daughter, married George Barker. 
 
 There are other early houses that have not burned or been dis- 
 mantled, but most of those listed are representative of the period before 
 1 895. Many of them have been remodeled; some to such an extent that 
 they no longer look old. 
 
 There have been various blacksmith shops, in the village; those of 
 Lewis, French, Schreiber, and others. The one remaining, operated by 
 
THE ELEGANT ERA 
 
 139 
 
 The Park Hotel. 
 
 Frank Hauser on Village Place, occupies a remnant of the old Roth 
 building which probably was the first commercial building in Hins- 
 dale. It stood on the southeast corner of Washington and Hinsdale 
 Ave. The Park Hotel was north of the old station, and the village pump 
 was about in the middle of Washington street, in front of the hotel. At 
 the curb was a watering trough for horses. The trough is still there. 
 
 In 1898 the Burlington decided to build a new Hinsdale station, 
 and a drawing of the proposed building was published in The Doings. 
 A year later this building was completed, whereupon the old depot, 
 which had served as the town's early meeting hall, began its long term 
 of service as the freight house. 
 
 As the century drew to a close, marking the thirty-fifth year since the 
 railroad gave impetus to the building of a village on these rolling acres, 
 new fine homes were still being added, such as Mr. Bassett's and Mr. 
 Coffeen's. The population had reached 2,500; fires, and burglaries in 
 the village were frequent; skating and fishing on Salt Creek were in 
 
140 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 their hey-day; a hundred telephones had been attached to hall and 
 living room walls; "talking machines" and cameras had arrived, and 
 there was a good deal of discussion concerning the capabilities of 
 automobiles, and of Teddy Roosevelt. 
 
 Aside from social affairs, the first thirty-five years, and especially 
 the decade of the nineties, were marked chiefly by the rapidity of village 
 growth, and of municipal improvements. Subdivisions of land were 
 frequent, and toward the end of the century, contracts often were let 
 for the building of dozens of homes at a time. This construction work 
 had to be accompanied by the installation of new paving and other 
 facilities, so the Village Board was kept as busy as the contractors, and 
 at times, was hard pressed to keep up with the requirements of such 
 rapid expansion. In population growth, the infant Hinsdale had far 
 exceeded its older neighbors, Fullersburg, Lyonsville, and Cass. 
 
chapter viii From 1900 Onward 
 
 AS A new century opened, amid a blast of whistles that were louder 
 k. and longer than those of the ordinary new year observance, 
 Hinsdale shook off the few remaining aspects of a country town, and 
 became a suburb of a large city. Farmers still came to the village for 
 supplies on Saturdays, and many of the roads leading to town were still 
 of the dirt variety. But the "general" stores were disappearing, the 
 hotel had gone, and the village no longer was a shipping point for hay 
 and cattle. Rural delivery of mail had been inaugurated, and more 
 Chicago business men were moving this way. 
 
 One of these, a man of wide reputation, was Daniel K. Pearsons. 
 His career is interesting to Hinsdaleans, for although he lived here 
 only for a part of his long and useful life, his numerous philanthropies 
 brought him into national prominence, and his former residence at 
 122 North Grant Street is one of our best known landmarks. 
 
 After studying medicine at Woodstock, Vermont, the State of his 
 birth, he practiced medicine in New York state until a desire to travel 
 led him to sell his practice, and to go to Europe. Upon returning, he 
 located in Tennessee and lectured at various southern schools and 
 colleges. Later, Dr. and Mrs. Pearsons moved to Ogle County, Illinois, 
 where the doctor became a farmer. But his interest in farming gave 
 way to a greater fascination that he found in the buying and selling of 
 real estate; so in i860 he left the farm and moved to Chicago. 
 
 Here, during that era of westward expansion, he became a success- 
 ful land broker, acquiring a fortune during the following decade, 
 which enabled him to launch into various enterprises that brought him 
 immense wealth. During the 1880's, Dr. and Mrs. Pearsons moved to 
 Hinsdale, and it was while residing here that he disposed of the greater 
 part of his huge fortune, for the benefit of various institutions; artistic, 
 religious, and educational. 
 
 In 1905 a reporter for the Chicago Tribune asked Dr. Pearsons to 
 comment on the subject of tainted money. "Tainted money?" said the 
 old gentleman, "to the popular mind, excited just now by socialistic 
 out-cries, there is no wealth that is untainted." 
 
 141 
 
142 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Continues the report: "The philanthropist and 'patron saint of 
 small colleges' chuckled as he gazed at a newspaper clipping telling of 
 his timorous offering of $50,000 to the board of missions of the Congre- 
 gational Church in which he cautiously requested an opinion as to the 
 possibility of 'taint' in the donation." 
 
 Dr. Pearsons gave only to worthy causes and his benefactions were 
 numerous. He bequeathed his home and grounds to the Public Li- 
 brary. As its present quarters become crowded, the Library Board looks 
 forward to the day when it can make some use of this bequest. 
 
 All those who bought property here could not pay for it in one 
 lump sum, and it was not always convenient to do the financing 
 through Chicago mortgage houses, so a group of men in town, which 
 included the names of Bohlander, Duncan and Frosher, loaned money 
 to help the new-comers buy lots. It was natural for this activity to 
 develop into the Hinsdale Building & Loan Association, which flour- 
 ished until 1902 when the Association was voluntarily liquidated in 
 favor of a bank, which would carry on the real estate loan business and 
 offer general banking facilities as well. After consideration and rejec- 
 tion of a proposal to estabish a branch of the Downers Grove bank here, 
 the Hinsdale State Bank came into being, in May, 1902, with Thomas 
 P. Phillips as its first president. 
 
 Of the period now being reviewed Otis R. Cushing has furnished 
 many absorbing anecdotes, and these are doubly interesting because 
 they relate to events in some of which he was one of the participants: 
 
 "Many a youngster wonders what we did for amusement at the turn of the 
 century. There were no movies and few automobiles, but we generally managed 
 to keep rather busy and had a good time doing it as well. 
 
 "When near summer weather arrived, we longed for that 3:30 dismissal bell, 
 and often, as soon as school was out, we started in the direction of Salt Creek, 
 over the hill on North Washington, after crossing Ogden, and to what is now 
 the entrance to the Forest Preserve, where we followed the cow path through the 
 woods past the Coffin cabin to the old Mud Hole where most of Hinsdale's 
 oldsters learned the art of swimming. 
 
 "In those days the boats were rented from Mr. Graue just above the dam and 
 when a boat rounded the bend it was up to us to be ready to duck, as we knew 
 not bathing suits. 
 
 "Sometimes we would stop at the Ruchty Bros, ice house which stood at the 
 north end of Washington Street, and play around in the sawdust that kept the 
 ice from melting. Hinsdale and other towns relied on the Ruchtys for their ice, 
 delivered in large horse-drawn wagons with a rear step that made it easy to hop 
 on and grab a small piece to refresh one's self on a hot day. There was a 
 
FROM ipoo ONWARD 143 
 
 mysterious atmosphere there too, for Louie lived in a dugout in the woods across 
 the road from the ice house. (Louie was an unfortunate fellow who aroused awe 
 and speculation among the youngsters of the neighborhood. Many are the 
 legends concerning this individual, who is said to have been related to German 
 Royalty. Those who knew him when he lived in the cave near the creek recall 
 his ability to speak several languages, and his working at odd jobs in the vicinity. 
 Remembered also is the New Testament he carried in one hip pocket, often 
 accompanied by a half-pint of whiskey in the other.) It was fun watching them 
 cut the ice in the winter. It was done with a long hand saw. First they would 
 saw a channel for maybe half a mile up stream, and then start cutting the cakes, 
 floating them down this channel which ended at the slide that led to the ice 
 house door. Many of the boys on skates were pleased to be allowed to take a 
 pike pole to help hurry the ice down the channel toward its destination. They 
 did it for the fun of it; which was probably one of the reasons Ruchty's ice 
 was reasonable in price." 
 
 When John Schmidt of Fullersburg was nine, back in the 1870's, a 
 fish ran away with his line and pole. He finally caught up with it, 
 hauled it out, and it was found to weigh over eleven pounds. Years 
 later, George Coffin caught one that tipped the scales at thirteen 
 pounds. This probably is the largest known catch from Salt Creek. 
 Both fish are said to have been pickerel. 
 
 One-ring circuses and gypsy caravans are other things that amused 
 the youngsters of yesteryear. When a circus was coming, the news got 
 around. No cajolery was needed to get certain lads up before the sun, 
 to help raise the tent, water the elephants, and get a free ticket. Small 
 circuses have performed in Hinsdale on the northeast corner of First 
 and Garfield, on the area that is now Burns Field, and on the northwest 
 corner of Chicago Ave. and Grant Street. The last circus to appear in 
 Hinsdale was on the Grant St. lot, about 1910. 
 
 The long rumored electric railroad that might have come through 
 here, finally revealed itself as the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin, which 
 ultimately built through Elmhurst and Glen Ellyn instead. But later 
 on, there was another rumor of a coming electric line to be extended 
 westward from La Grange. It, too, came to naught. 
 
 Since the i88o's Hinsdale has had a Board of Local Improvements 
 that makes recommendations to the Village Board concerning the 
 betterment of municipal facilities. In 1904 it recommended the instal- 
 lation of 20 miles of new sidewalks, to replace old board walks, one of 
 the most comprehensive pieces of new paving undertaken up to that 
 time. The suggestion was approved by the Trustees, in the amount of 
 $70,000 for the new walks. 
 
144 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Most Hinsdaleans have looked upon the squirrels in the village as 
 being the natural descendants of those that scampered among the trees 
 before the village was here. That is a nice thought, and it comes as a 
 surprise to learn that some of them at least were "planted." In a 1904 
 issue of The Doings we learn that a nature-loving citizen, through 
 public subscription, brought 60 pairs of squirrels here and let them 
 loose. 
 
 Years before this time, the machine age had invaded America's 
 factories and transportation facilities, and now its effects were becom- 
 ing increasingly apparent in the home with steam, electricity, the 
 internal combustion engine, and gas. These four sources of power, 
 heat, light, and other conveniences were making themselves felt in all 
 Hinsdale homes. 
 
 First, there was a water-pumping station, with the tall cylindrical 
 tower atop the Garfield hill, from which water was distributed 
 throughout the town at sufficient pressure. It was "hard" water for the 
 first forty years, until the softening plant was installed, but the village 
 water could be supplemented by that from the cisterns. Next, came the 
 electric light, and shortly there-after, a gas main was laid from Aurora 
 to most of the western suburbs. Kitchen stoves no longer needed to rely 
 on wood or coal, and hot water was easier to prepare. The electric 
 current has had so many applications, and the end is not in sight. Tele- 
 phones were next, to be followed by the automobile. 
 
 Early owners of automobiles in Hinsdale were the Melchers who 
 drove a Franklin car having a four-cylinder engine mounted trans- 
 versely, with a long chain to the rear axle, and a tonneau that opened 
 at the back, with a small step below the door. At about the same time, 
 Lafayette Briggs had a White Steamer, which burned in 1905. Heman 
 Fox drove a one-cylinder Cadillac. A few years later A. E. Keith bought 
 a large green 6-cylinder Stevens Duryea. Paul Butler's first car was an 
 Orient Buckboard, to be followed by a two cylinder Buick. Charles A. 
 Brown glided past in his gently puffing Stanley Steamer, or in his 
 experimental Owen Magnetic. There were a few other cars in those 
 days, among them a two-cylinder Maxwell, a Chalmers, another Frank- 
 lin, one or two electrics, and the under-slung American roadster owned 
 by the McCurdy girls. 
 
 Most of these were open cars, with two-man tops. To close them 
 against the rain, out came the side curtains, to be tediously fastened, 
 
FROM i 9 oo ONWARD 145 
 
 button by button. The gasoline tank was filled by first removing the 
 front seat cushion, and then placing a funnel in the tank opening. A 
 chamois skin covered the funnel to filter the water out of the gasoline. 
 These cars had large sheet metal "dustpans" under them, but the pans 
 failed to keep out the dust. Tires were guaranteed for 3,000 miles, but 
 this was later increased to 5,000. 
 
 The Doings had this to say in 1906 about 2 'reliability run" spon- 
 sored by the Chicago Automobile Club, and which passed through 
 here: "Many Hinsdaleans watched the horseless caravan, and few in- 
 deed envied the travel-stained, dustcovered, mud-bespattered occu- 
 pants of the cars." The course was from Chicago to Elgin, to Aurora 
 and return, the same "Century" tour that the bicyclists used to make. 
 
 Bill Evernden and his drug store recall nostalgic memories to many 
 a Hinsdalean who was in his teens early in the century. Here, let Otis 
 Cushing tell of that well-remembered individual: 
 
 "William Evernden, who must have come here in the 70% and who was known 
 as 'Bill' to the young and old alike, was an early Hinsdale druggist, and was 
 particularly a friend of the boys. Many a time he gave fatherly advice to the high 
 school lad, pointing out the right direction if necessary, and he always treated 
 their confidences as only Bill could and would. Any of the boys knew where they 
 could unburden their souls. Some of the people spoke of the store as Bill's church. 
 "Once he decided that there were too many boys hanging around the store 
 and that they would have to go, as someone had carefully informed him that it 
 was hurting his business. It was not until the next day that he decided that the 
 boys meant more to him than the extra bit of trade— and— he never parted with 
 them again." 
 
 A noteworthy sequel to that phase of Bill Evernden's career in 
 Hinsdale is the present-day concession on the part of several of his 
 former confiders, men now of middle age and beyond, that Bill's advice 
 was sound, and that it helped them to clear some of life's rough spots; 
 then, and later. 
 
 The manufacturing industry has never obtained a sure footing in 
 or near this mecca of homes and gardens. The Elgin National Watch 
 Company surveyed a site near Hinsdale, but eventually decided on 
 Elgin. Over the years, a few small manufactories have attempted to 
 establish themselves in the village. In the nineties there was a manu- 
 facturer of textile belts for industrial pulleys. There was the Hinsdale 
 Bottling Works, that distilled and distributed water, and one or two 
 other small enterprises, but none of them lasted. The only activity 
 
146 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 approaching the description of a process industry that has flourished 
 in Hinsdale is the laundry. It goes on and on. 
 
 The flower-growing industry has prospered, and Mr. Cushing tells 
 of this historic example, an industry which began as a hobby: 
 
 "In 1887, when the O. P. Bassett and C. L. Washburn families moved to Hins- 
 dale, they decided to build a dome-shaped greenhouse with a fish pond in the 
 center, on the south side of Sixth street across from the Washburn home. At this 
 time Mr. Washburn conducted a lumber business in Chicago, and Mr. Bassett 
 owned the Pictorial Printing Company in Aurora. 
 
 "Their hobby proved so interesting and lucrative that they added a wing to 
 each end of the central building and imported manetti, a type of root, from 
 Europe. To this root they grafted rose scions, and thus produced American 
 Beauty roses. Manetti was not grown successfully in the United States until 
 about 1915 when it was produced in Oregon and Washington. 
 
 "So many roses were grown by Messers Bassett and Washburn that they were 
 taken to Chicago, where they found a ready market, and so successful was this 
 venture that they formed a partnership and continued the enlargement of their 
 plant, operating greenhouses and a wholesale flower store. This firm was the 
 first to produce American Beauty roses for the commercial market, and its busi- 
 ness flourished for many years on a large scale." 
 
 In 1905 there was a hotly contested election for the presidency of 
 the village, the candidates being John Hess and J. C. F. Merrill. Polit- 
 ical campaigns, of the usual sort, had accompanied the village elections 
 ever since the 1880's and this one is said to have been especially noisy 
 and apparently out of harmony with the governmental requirements of 
 a small town. 
 
 Early in the present century, with the assistance of Mr. C. B. Kim- 
 bell, the Hinsdale Sanitarium was founded by Dr. David Paulson, his 
 wife Mary Paulson, and his brother N. W. Paulson. The Sanitarium 
 building was completed and dedicated in September 1905. There was 
 an orchestra concert, addresses by Dr. J. H. Kellogg of Battle Creek, 
 Michigan, and Judge Carter of the Cook County Court. These pro- 
 ceedings were followed by a banquet to which various persons from 
 Chicago, Hinsdale, and elsewhere had been invited. 
 
 From this modest beginning the sanitarium has expanded, in 
 stature and in serviceability. The number of Hinsdaleans who have 
 been born there, or who have recovered from minor or serious ailments 
 within its comfortable building and grounds runs into the thousands. 
 Only four years after the sanitarium was completed, a large wing was 
 added to the building. 
 
FROM i 9 oo ONWARD 147 
 
 Social activity continued in full bloom, with most of it centered at 
 the Hinsdale Club. A music class was meeting there, sponsored by the 
 Mesdames A. E. Walker, Harvey Dean, Grant Miller, and F. C. Bebb. 
 A minstrel troupe from La Grange appeared at the Club house, and 
 possibly this one inspired many that were to follow, made up of Hins- 
 dale talent. Dr. Gunsaulus lectured at the Club, the Beloit College 
 Glee Club performed there, and the Grace Church Men's Club, a large 
 organization of its kind, held its annual banquet there. 
 
 Alvar Bournique conducted dancing classes at the club house over 
 an extended period. When bowling alleys were installed in the base- 
 ment, they were something new in this vicinity. But perhaps the event 
 for which the Hinsdale Club is best remembered was the annual New 
 Year's dance. Like its forerunner the masquerade ball, at Stough's Hall 
 back in the Seventies, the New Year's dance at the club was an institu- 
 tion, for more than thirty years. 
 
 Among the addenda, there is a list of all but a few of those who 
 served as President of the Hinsdale Club. Although the club was 
 largely a place for social gaiety and repose, its officers had a task to per- 
 form. For in those days club budgets were not easily balanced; the 
 problems of supply, and of the maintenance of large frame buildings, 
 were many. 
 
 Do you remember Utley and Frisbie's livery stable, Powell's 
 Bakery, and F. W. Bahlman's tailoring establishments? They were 
 advertising in the village paper in 1906. There was the Lawton chil- 
 dren's pet donkey that was always such a feature of the Fourth of July 
 parades. Where are the water lilies that bloomed in such great abun- 
 dance in Salt Creek? What caused them to disappear? Do you recall the 
 Golf Club when it was located east of the present course, and the large 
 crop of wild flowers that brightened the fields every summer across the 
 road to the south? 
 
 "Asa Bacon Makes Good," said a Doings headline, and so he had, 
 for Asa Bacon was the former clerk of Ditzler and Linsley's grocery. 
 He now had become general superintendent of the Presbyterian Hos- 
 pital in Chicago. In a later issue of the paper, Superintendent Bacon 
 described the internal workings of the institution that he had so large 
 a part in running. 
 
 This appointment was made by Dr. D. K. Pearsons, who at that 
 time was President of the hospital. The following incident, related by 
 
148 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Mr. Philip R. Clarke, who now is President of the institution's board, 
 is not a complete explanation of why Asa Bacon got the job, but 
 undoubtedly it was a rung in the ladder: 
 
 One day Dr. Pearsons went into the grocery and asked for a dozen oranges. 
 While clerk Bacon was putting them in a bag, the customer slipped a thirteenth 
 orange into his pocket. This act was observed by Bacon, who promptly charged 
 the doctor for thirteen instead of twelve. It is reported that the philanthropist 
 had tried the same thing on clerks in various stores, and that the others had 
 let him "get away with it." But large hospitals are places where considerable 
 sums can be saved or lost, depending on the handling of small items of expense. 
 
 Lectures, investment opportunities in Texas and Mexican lands 
 were much in the news during these years. Bassett and Washburn won 
 prizes at the National Flower Show's exhibit in Chicago's Coliseum. 
 The Swedish Baptist Mission bought Gardner's Hall, formerly known 
 as Stough's Hall. 
 
 A social event of considerable importance in 1909 was the "double 
 anniversary" party given for Dr. and Mrs. Hench. The couple had been 
 married twenty-five years and it also was the doctor's twenty-fifth year 
 of practice here. 
 
 On a cold, windy night in January of the same year Ditzler and 
 Linsley's store burned. A basketball game at the Garfield school had 
 just ended when the fire whistle blew, and most of the spectators went 
 to see the blaze. The store was a complete loss, and the entire block was 
 threatened because of the high wind. But the flames were prevented 
 from spreading by fire walls, an adequate water supply, efficient fire- 
 men, and help from the fire departments of La Grange and Downer's 
 Grove, and from local volunteers. 
 
 Athletics, by now, was taking a more prominent place in village 
 life. As for basketball, the year 1 909 is one to remember especially, for 
 it was during that season that the state championship was won by a 
 small high school, with its team largely self-coached, and its court on 
 the third floor of the old brick building on the Garfield hill. "Stellar" 
 is the word usually employed to describe star basketball players, and 
 this appelation surely became the names of Bahlman, Cortis, Dana, 
 Davidson, and Keith, a quintet whose achievement has not been 
 equalled by a Hinsdale High School team. The manager of the team 
 was Arthur Collins. 
 
 With the ending of the 1909 basketball season, Robert A. Gardner 
 
FROM ipoo ONWARD 149 
 
 entered the national amateur golf tournament, and he came home with 
 the cup. Bob Gardner also pole-vaulted for Yale. 
 
 Baseball was played in Hinsdale before it became the national 
 game. Shortly after it had gained popular favor in the East, baseball 
 reached the pasture diamonds of Fullersburg and Hinsdale, in the 6o's 
 and 70's. A news item of 1874 told of a game between teams represent- 
 ing those towns. 
 
 No record has been found of the seasonal accomplishment of teams 
 that represented the village during the 1800's, but it is probable that 
 none of them reached the heights that were cleared by the town teams 
 of 1908 through 1914. There were senior and junior town teams. The 
 senior team held the Suburban League championship for a majority 
 of the six years. Among the members of those teams were F. Bahlman, 
 G. Clark, P. R. Clarke, H. Flechtner, P. and W. Hales, M. Johnson, 
 the three Keiths, El, Gil, and Hans; Wm. Luthin, and E. Luthin. Phil 
 Clarke, Goodwin Clark, and Bill Luthin, in the order given, usually 
 topped the list in batting averages. 
 
 The most successful season a Hinsdale town football team has 
 experienced was back in 1899, when football was a new sport in the 
 village. But during the years on both sides of 1910 the town team won 
 more games than it lost, and it met all comers from up and down 
 the"Q." 
 
 Some of those who played on the 1899 team were Lester Childs, 
 Robert W. Clark Jr., Elliot Fulton, Tom Murray, and Earl Needham. 
 Later, these men were playing, viz.; Si Blogett, Pete Evernden, Her- 
 man Flechtner, Art Hammond, Bill Pape, Albert Prior, and Fred 
 Schmidt. 
 
 These teams, baseball and football, played most of their games on 
 the old field between Washington and Lincoln south of Seventh 
 street, familiarly known as "The end of Washington." 
 
 The annals of Hinsdale athletics include the names of Edwin 
 (Laddie) Myers, and Frank Foss, both of whom have represented the 
 United States in pole vaulting at the Olympics. Robert Ayres and Fred 
 Cortis were top dash men at the University of Illinois. John Bryan 
 played on the varsity football team at the University of Chicago, before 
 intercollegiate competition was discontinued there. 
 
 Organized citizen groups and assemblies always have had an influ- 
 ential voice in the deliberation of questions concerning the public 
 
150 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 welfare and progress. A group of this kind that had a membership of 
 250 persons, and exerted considerable influence in village affairs after 
 the turn of the century, was the Village League. The League pondered 
 and acted upon a variety of subjects relating to the best interests of 
 the community. It explored the subject of relief of the needy, resulting 
 in the formation of the Hinsdale Relief Society (forerunner of Hins- 
 dale Community Service). The League brought ''sanity" to the village 
 Fourth of July celebrations, and it once wrote a letter to the CB&Q 
 Railroad Company recommending certain changes in facilities that 
 prevailed at the old Union Depot. The minute books of the Village 
 League have not been found, but the organization is known to have 
 served the village conscientiously and wisely for fifteen years or more. 
 Another well-remembered organization was the Hinsdale Fresh 
 Air Association, the beginnings of which are described as follows by 
 The Hinsdale Beacon, a contemporary of the Associations' founders: 
 
 "In the spring of 1888 Rev. W. C. Gannett, then pastor of the Unitarian 
 Church at Hinsdale, proposed to his congregation to take into their homes 
 children of the needy and deserving poor of Chicago, to be cared for one week. 
 Mr. Gannett called it 'lending the country for one week to those who knew so 
 little of it'. The plan was to be named the "Children's Country Week." 
 
 "After some canvassing and consideration, this proposal was modified by Mrs. 
 H. C. Coffeen to one which seemed to meet with more general approbation. This 
 was to take an unoccupied house and fit it up for the reception during the 
 summer for working girls and needy children. Mr. Alfred Payne generously 
 offered the use of his country house, and it was furnished with bedding and 
 other necessaries by women of Hinsdale, who also supplied cooked food, sent 
 in every day, with the contributions of money being used for incidental expenses. 
 Physicians in the village donated their services to the Association's clients 
 whenever they were needed." (The Payne house formerly was the home of 
 Marvin Fox, early settler in Brush Hill. It still stands, at the southeast corner 
 of Lincoln and Ogden.) 
 
 The Hinsdale Fresh Air Association was organized in 1889. The 
 elected officers were: Mrs. H. M. Van Liew, President; Mrs. John 
 Burton, Vice President; Mrs. F. P. Bagley, Secretary. 
 
 The Association functioned faithfully up to the 1920's, affording 
 to hundreds of underprivileged young people an opportunity to see 
 the country and to come in contact with persons and surroundings 
 which were beneficial to both physical and mental health. Apparently 
 the only reason for its discontinuance was a gradual change in the 
 economic condition of that class from which it drew its beneficiaries. 
 
FROM i 9 oo ONWARD 151 
 
 Living standards had risen to the point where the need of the particular 
 facilities offered by the Association was no longer urgent. 
 
 In the handling of both its funds and its affairs, this was an excep- 
 tionally well administered undertaking. Its record stands high among 
 those of Hinsdale's useful organizations. 
 
 Among other milestones after 1900 were these: 
 
 Adolph Frosher, Truman Eustice, Mr. H. Thayer, Sophia Merrill, 
 LaFayette Briggs, and Mrs. Cornelia Stuart passed away. 
 
 The wedding of Miss Louise Hildebrand and Philip Ream Clarke 
 took place at Grace Church, on a Saturday evening in September of 
 1910. 
 
 Mrs. Blanche Merriman, the talented pianist, wife of Reverend 
 Earl Merriman minister of Grace Church, was appearing frequently 
 at musicales and receptions. 
 
 The new golf club opened in 1910, at its present location. 
 
 Francis S. Peabody, who had moved to Hinsdale, and who later 
 established his large estate at Mays Lake, was mentioned as a possible 
 candidate for the Vice-Presidency of the United States. 
 
 The following announcement, marking one of Hinsdale's por- 
 tentous events appeared in a June issue of The Doings in 1912: 
 
 "There will be a meeting of all adults interested in the organization of a Boy 
 Scout Camp in Hinsdale in the parlors of the Hinsdale Club. Field Secretary 
 Pollard will speak and answer questions regarding this great movement." 
 
 The Girl Scout movement soon followed, and these two organiza- 
 tions, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, have continued to the present time. 
 
 In 1912 Hinsdale was considering the erection of a new village hall, 
 but the proposal was a little ahead of its time. Soon the possibility of a 
 new, large hotel was widely discussed. This edifice would have been 
 commodious and open to both resident and transient guests. Sketches 
 of the architects' conception of the building, and descriptions of its 
 appointments, and names of those who were backing the project were 
 given wide publicity. Promotion meetings were held. But eventually 
 the idea faded out, and nothing further was heard of it. Had this hotel 
 materialized, it, instead of the Memorial Building, would now stand 
 on the hill north of the station. 
 
152 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Harvest Home dinner dances of the Golf Club had their inaugura- 
 tion about 1913, and were to be an institution for many years. And it 
 was around this time that the "sane" Fourth of July movement began 
 to take hold, to be followed by a village ordinance abolishing the use 
 of muffler cut-outs on automobiles. 
 
 Among the lecturers at the Woman's Club in 1914, was a man who 
 gave a talk on the war in Europe, an event which was eliciting mild 
 interest and wide condemnation. The peace crusade which followed 
 found local encouragement and support. 
 
 In January, 1915, the Hinsdale Theatre opened, with a drama of 
 five reels entitled "The Hoosier Schoolmaster." This first theatre was 
 housed in a small building that stood on the present site of Schweidler 
 and Mewherter's store. It displayed many silent but chuckle-provoking, 
 pie-tossing comedies, and hair-raising dramas. At the piano Myra 
 Bohlander played the theme music, "catchy" tunes that succeeded one 
 another hour after hour without becoming monotonous. 
 
 Other milestones passed in this year were the start of a branch of 
 Infant Welfare, the assurance of a new Union Station in the city, and 
 the arrival of Roger C. Sullivan who occupied the large brick residence 
 on the County Line Road formerly owned by the Freers, and afterward 
 by Stuyvesant Peabody. Mr. A. E. Keith was honored by the Scientific 
 American magazine for his work in developing the automatic tele- 
 phone, and the Hinsdale Relief Society had its start toward administer- 
 ing to the needy. 
 
 Robert A. Childs passed away in this year, also Edwin C. Fuller, 
 H. K. Walker, and H. W. Holcomb. 
 
 Lectures, describing the war in Europe had changed to talks on 
 preparedness. Ladies began taking part in Red Cross work, and a few 
 young men had joined the National Guard. 
 
 A Christian Science group was formed in the village. There was a 
 good-roads movement throughout the region. A vote on local option 
 was held, and the township remained "dry." 
 
 War was declared, draft boards were set up and the village began to 
 "do its bit." Boys went to training camps, and three residents of Hins- 
 dale were chosen for important posts: Alexander Legge was Assistant 
 Purchasing Agent for the United States, Philip R. Clarke was war loan 
 leader in Chicago, and C. E. Raymond was publicity agent for the 
 production and conservation of food. 
 
FROM ipoo ONWARD 153 
 
 For the next two years, news of the war predominated in the local 
 paper. News of some Hinsdale boys being lost was received: Among 
 the first were Leslie Chandler, Mac Weddell, Malcolm Brown, Harry 
 McAllister, Linus Ruth, and William Giffert. 
 
 But eventually the war ended. The village had its part in celebrat- 
 ing the Armistice, resumed its peace-time pursuits, and soon entered 
 upon the tumultuous twenties. 
 
 Regardless of the number of horses that had pranced the village 
 streets in the 8o's and 90's, no mention has been found of a horse show 
 during those years. But in 1916 the Saddle & Bridle Club, whose 
 members lived in Hinsdale and other suburbs, held its first annual 
 horse show, on the old Middaugh farm in Clarendon Hills. These 
 events were interrupted by the war of 1 9 1 7- 1 8, and the Saddle $c Bridle 
 Club went out of existence. But horse shows eventually were resumed, 
 on a larger scale, at the Oak Brook Polo Club. 
 
 Early in 1919 the state sold $60,000,000 worth of bonds for new 
 motor roads, from which Du Page County benefited to the extent of 
 $1,000,000. 
 
 A village park and athletic field was acquired, comprising an entire 
 block at Hickory and Vine streets. Half of this tract was purchased from 
 O. J. Stough of San Diego, California, and the other half from local 
 property owners. This area was named Burns Field, for R. W. Burns, 
 then President of the village. 
 
 Ruth Lake Golf Club, southwest of the town, had its start during 
 the 1920's, through the sale of memberships to many of the younger 
 men of the neighborhood. The club has functioned successfully 
 through the years. 
 
 In 1 920 William Evernden sold his business; a new village ice plant 
 came into operation, and power tractors were being introduced on the 
 surrounding farms. A widespread building-trades strike hampered the 
 construction of new homes. 
 
 The 50th birthday of the village was celebrated in 1923. A large 
 party was held at the High School gymnasium, and The Doings printed 
 a special issue commemorating the event. "And a colorful pageant it 
 was from the opening address of welcome by President Burns until the 
 last strains of 'Home Sweet Home.' " Sponsored by the Village Board, 
 
154 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 the good work of preparing and directing the celebration was carried 
 on by the Plan Commission. Mrs. H. I. Hiatt was chairman of the 
 committee. The other members were Mrs. Lemuel H. Freer, Mrs. 
 W. T. Bruckner, Mrs. N. H. Whiteside, Mrs. Frank tarr, and Mrs. 
 Ralph Pierce. 
 
 It seemed altogether appropriate for Fullersburg to have been 
 annexed to Hinsdale in this year, but Clarendon Hills voted on the 
 same question and decided to remain separate. Radcliffe Park and 
 the Woodlands were opened for home building, and plans were ap- 
 proved for the enlargement of the light and water plant, including 
 water softening facilities. Plans for the new Madison School were well- 
 developed. Automatic traffic lights were coming into use. 
 
 During the early ig2o's Hinsdale experimented with the Village 
 Manager plan. In many respects the management was satisfactory, but 
 when differences arose concerning the sources of the manager's com- 
 pensation, he went elsewhere when his term expired, and the Village 
 sought another President of the Board. 
 
 New subdivisions developed during this decade. The remaining 
 acres of Alfred L. Walker's farm became Radcliffe Park. East of the 
 County Line, W. R. Jordan set out The Woodlands. New homes were 
 appearing in the Oak Brook area. 
 
 The village population had reached 7,500. Safety on our streets was 
 becoming more uncertain. A request from Western Springs for permis- 
 sion to draw on the Hinsdale water supply was declined; and trouble 
 was experienced in keeping the water mains unobstructed. Village 
 schools were beginning to use state funds for certain purposes. 
 
 The town withstood its first year of the long depression with no 
 troubles. Relief and unemployment problems were not to hit for an- 
 other twelve or eighteen months. 
 
 In 1930 a magazine, The Economist, reviewed the business career 
 of Philip Clarke, and told of his elevation to the presidency of the 
 Central Trust Company. At about the same time Wade Fetzer was 
 made president of the Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, 
 and Alexander Legge was appointed to head the United States Farm 
 Board. Upon the death of Mr. Legge, a few years later, he was suc- 
 ceeded by A. E. McKinstry as president of International Harvester. 
 
 In that same year, 1930, there were other Hinsdaleans who were 
 making their mark. Who's Who in Chicago listed the following names 
 and occupations, as well as many that have already been mentioned: 
 
FROM ipoo ONWARD 155 
 
 Ralph N. Ballou, banker, retired. 
 
 Samuel W. Banning, patent attorney. 
 
 Samuel Beatty, president, the Austin-Western Road Machinery Co. 
 
 George H. Bell, western manager, the National Fire Insurance Co. 
 
 George A. Berry, Jr., lawyer. 
 
 Frederick T. Boles, lumber and securities. 
 
 H. A. Brinkman, banker. 
 
 Charles A. Brown, patent attorney. 
 
 William T. Bruckner, vice president, Continental-Illinois Bank, and other 
 
 banking interests. 
 Walter J. Buffington, vice president, C. D. Peacock & Co. 
 Randall Burns, lawyer. 
 
 Burridge D. Butler, owner and publisher, The Prairie Farmer. 
 Ward C. Castle, vice president, National Bank of the Republic, and chairman 
 
 of the Grant Land Association. 
 
 E. W. Childs, President, S. D. Childs & Co., stationers. 
 L. C. Childs, lawyer. 
 
 R. W. Childs, lawyer. 
 Charles L. Cobb, lawyer. 
 Sydney T. Collins, insurance, retired. 
 L. P. Conover, lawyer. 
 W. B. Davies, patent attorney. 
 
 Samuel E. Dean, president, Dean Evaporated Milk Co. 
 William F. Dickinson, lawyer. 
 
 A. G. Dugan, western manager, Hartford Fire Insurance Co., vice president, 
 Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. 
 
 F. G. Dyas, M.D., surgeon. 
 
 O. W. Dynes, general counsel, Chicago, Milwaukee 8c St. Paul R.R. Co. 
 
 Walter H. Eckert, lawyer. 
 
 Stanley R. Edwards, engineer and editor. 
 
 E. Porter Essley, secretary, the E. L. Essley Machinery Co. 
 
 Edward W. Everett, lawyer. 
 
 Frank D. Farr, vice president, Silver, Burdett 8c Co., publishers. 
 
 J. C. Fetzer, real estate, mortgage banking, and receiver for traction lines. 
 
 Walter Taylor Field, author (the Field Readers, etc.) and editor of The 
 
 Abbey Classics. 
 H. W. Freeman, lawyer. 
 Alexander G. Frost, shoe merchant. 
 
 Maurice E. Handke, president, Archer Paint 2c Varnish Co. 
 Jay L. Hench, vice president, Mid West Forging Co. Also identified with 
 
 mining. 
 H. G. Hetzler, president, Chicago 2c W T estern Indiana Railroad Co. and the 
 
 Belt Railway of Chicago. 
 Houston I. Hiatt, Chicago sales representative for the National Malleable 2c 
 
 Steel Castings Co. 
 Charles W. Higley, president, Hanover Fire Insurance Co. 
 H. H. Holcomb, vice president, Chicago, Burlington 2c Quincy Railroad Co. 
 Addison C. Hoof, automotive supplies. 
 
156 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 M. L. Joselyn, president, Joselyn Manufacturing %c Supply Co. and associated 
 
 companies. 
 H. Victor Keane, vice president, American Bank Note Co., and president of 
 
 Western Bank Note Sc Engraving Co. 
 Marshall Keig, executive vice president and director of the Consumers Co. 
 Harry C. Knisely, manufacturer of building equipment. 
 J. S. Knowlson, general manager, Electro-Magnetic Tool Co. 
 William F. Krohn, secretary, Central Commercial Co. 
 
 John B. Lamson, manager, commercial development department, C B 8c Q R.R. 
 John S. Lord, lawyer. 
 
 Archibald MacLeish, controller, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. 
 Edward P. McKenna, McKenna $c Strawser, grain dealers. 
 G. R. McLeran, manager, Home Life Insurance Co. of New York. 
 H. S. Mecartney, lawyer. 
 
 Frederick W. Moore, Moore, Case, Lyman & Hubbard, insurance. 
 M. A. Myers, manufacturer of medical supplies. 
 Louis J. Naumann, Naumann k Steuer, real estate. 
 
 Frederick O'Brien, western manager of a group of insurance companies. 
 John C. B. Parker, insurance. 
 Stuyvesant Peabody, president, Peabody Coal Co. 
 H. Perry Phelps, vice president, Chicago Transfer & Clearing Co. 
 William H. Regnery, president, Western Shade Cloth Co. and of Standard 
 
 Shade Roller Corp. 
 Bruce E. Richie, insurance. 
 Wilfred A. Rowell, pastor, Union Church. 
 Dana Slade, Jr., president, Slade, Hipp & Meloy. 
 Jesse E. Smith, district manager, Prudential Insurance Co. 
 Nathaniel G. Symonds, commercial vice pres., Westinghouse Elec. & Mfg. Co. 
 Walter B. Templeton, president, Templeton, Kenly & Co. 
 Ralph M. Thayer, president, Thayer Eating Houses. 
 Harold G. Townsend, lawyer, banker. 
 Frank VanInwagen, railway equipment. 
 James B. VanVleck, investment banker. 
 William L. Veeck, president and treasurer, Chicago National League Baseball 
 
 Club. 
 Mary L. Wade, teacher and home economist. 
 Frank B. Webster, teacher and musician. 
 Thomas R. Weddell, publisher of The Insurance Post. 
 William W. Williamson, life insurance. 
 Thomas H. Willis, real estate. 
 William L. Wilson, physician. 
 George L. Wire, lawyer. 
 John F. Wohlgemuth, editor. 
 John C. Wood, president, J. C. Wood & Company. 
 
 The compilers of "who's who" books, and those who scan them, are 
 not immune to error. Possibly a few names that do not appear should 
 be included in the foregoing list. Many of those whose names had 
 
FROM i goo ONWARD 157 
 
 appeared in previous issues of the book had passed away by the year 
 1930. 
 
 During the first quarter of the present century Hinsdale, as both a 
 delightful place to live, and as a corporation, became well established. 
 The major public works and utilities had been provided, the govern- 
 ing codes matured, and the procedure of establishing a home had 
 become systemized. The churches, schools, stores, and services became 
 adequate to village needs. Physically, the town had grown beyond that 
 era of village-wide neighborliness that is so fond to the memories of 
 old-time residents, but the community groups remained, and through 
 them many individual friendships have been formed that are as highly 
 valued as were those of yore. 
 
 A review of the period since 1900 reveals a change in the pace of 
 village life, especially since 1920. Increases in the volume and speed of 
 transportation and of communication have brought that change here, 
 as elsewhere, and the transition has been accompanied by further 
 growth of population. It also reveals fewer out-of-the-ordinary happen- 
 ings in the neighborhood, and more sameness in the weekly news; a 
 state of affairs, however, that is always subject to the whims of man, 
 or nature. 
 
 Events of twenty-five years ago. and beyond hold the attention 
 because they have historical interest. But the purely historical values, 
 from the reader's viewpoint, begin to fade as modern times are ap- 
 proached, because their recounting is lacking in novelty for those of 
 the present generation, whose memories of the actual events are fairly 
 clear. 
 
 It should be remembered, however, that Hinsdale had its begin- 
 ning in the spring of the year, a season of buoyancy, assurance, and 
 aspiration. May this be considered a portent of progress, and per- 
 haps of future fulfillment. 
 
chapter ix Symbols of a Good Society 
 
 THERE are certain events, in both the distant and recent past, that 
 go beyond the strictly historical. These events, or phases, of village 
 life have their place in the chronology, but their importance in another 
 respect appears to outweigh their purely historical values, for they are 
 symbolical of the forces and influences that make for progress, and the 
 shaping of a town's characteristics. 
 
 Events of this category are numerous. Indeed there have been so 
 many that it is difficult to designate some as being more representative 
 than others. 
 
 There are certain recognized factors that contribute to the tem- 
 per and demeanor of any and all modern communities, such as the 
 churches, schools, and various governing bodies; and if any community 
 can point to some of its achievements with special pride, the achieve- 
 ment is almost sure to have resulted, at least in part, from community 
 training and environment. So it is obvious that our religious and edu- 
 cational institutions are, to a considerable extent, the bases from which 
 the worth-while civic accomplishments have emanated. From those 
 points, other courses are charted. 
 
 As symbols of a good society, these are offered: 
 
 Those of the pioneer era who helped the new-comers build their 
 houses, lent or gave them live stock on which to get a start. King, Grant, 
 Fuller, et al. 
 
 Tom and liza nelson. They had been slaves in former years. Here, 
 back in the 8o's, Tom operated his own express business, and occupied 
 his home at Third and Vine Streets. 
 
 Men of early Hinsdale who gave of their time, energy and substance to 
 build the first side-walks, schools, churches, and village utilities. 
 Robbins, Stough, Warren, Ross, Gardner, Clarke, Merrill, and others. 
 
 58 
 
SYMBOLS OF A GOOD SOCIETY 159 
 
 Men and women, hundreds of them, who have taken the trouble to 
 sponsor and carry through the many charitable endeavors that have 
 been organized and conducted in the village throughout the past 50 
 years, especially those of the Fresh Air Association, the Relief Society, 
 the Good Fellows; and more recently the two Infant Welfare Societies, 
 the Community Service, the local chapter of the American Red Cross, 
 and those who conduct the Community Chest. 
 
 We hail the old Village League, and its more recent compatriot the 
 Plan Commission. 
 
 During an earlier era, community needs could be met more simply 
 and directly than is possible today, with our complex social and civic 
 structure. A needy family received direct assistance from the imme- 
 diate neighbors, and if a community building was required it was 
 nearly always donated by some individual. Building costs were low, 
 and the procedure of obtaining land and erecting the building was 
 simple. 
 
 During the past forty years, in Hinsdale and elsewhere, the achieve- 
 ment of out-of-the-ordinary local civic projects have had to rely more 
 and more upon the support of many, instead of just a few. Commu- 
 nities are larger, and civic requirements are costlier. Moreover, the 
 wider the spread of participation in a project, within the community, 
 the broader is the consciousness of its ownership. This trend, in fact, 
 has been carried to extremes. Some believe that Federal money should 
 be employed more in local projects. Most Hinsdaleans do not subscribe 
 to that view, because they believe in the local community as a civic 
 unit, but they are convinced of the desirability of broad local partici- 
 pation in local civic works and facilities. 
 
 This requires organization. It requires leadership of a high order, 
 and it calls for a community morale of such nature as to support a 
 worthy project once it has been decided upon. Hinsdale has demon- 
 strated, on many occasions, its possession of these qualities and char- 
 acteristics. There is not space to enumerate them all, but it does appear 
 in order to describe in some detail the history of one such project, a 
 piece of work that undoubtedly will stand for many years as an example 
 of the efficient handling of such undertakings. 
 
160 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The idea of a building to house a civic center, as a war memorial, 
 originated among some of the members of the Legion Auxiliary. Their 
 views on the subject were set forth in a letter addressed to the Village 
 Board, the Chamber of Commerce, the Plan Commission, and the Im- 
 provement Association. The suggestion was approved by these bodies, 
 whereupon a meeting of those who were interested in the project was 
 held at the Hinsdale Club. Selection of a chairman was obviously the 
 first piece of business, and it was decided to ask Mr. Philip R. Clarke 
 to accept the post. This he agreed to do. 
 
 Under Mr. Clarke's supervision the work got under way early in 
 January of 1927, and the first step consisted in getting together "the 
 most representative committee ever organized in Hinsdale." Every 
 civic organization in town was invited to send a representative. In addi- 
 tion, a few representatives at large were selected. Subchairmen were 
 appointed, and sub-committees were formed. 
 
 On January 22, The Hinsdale Doings saluted the project with a 
 rousing editorial and gave news of the committees and their purposes. 
 Summarizing the news items as they appeared week by week: 
 
 By January 29 the war memorial body had made additions to its 
 staff, and the committees were putting in long hours on the preliminary 
 work, most of the meetings being held at the Clarke residence. 
 
 On February 26 The Doings said, "The Memorial Committee is 
 working day and night; here in Hinsdale, and also in Chicago. No 
 project ever considered in Hinsdale has ever been so enthusiastically 
 administered 
 
 In the meantime the Village had agreed to maintain the building 
 after it was completed. 
 
 On March 19 the chairman issued a detailed explanation of the 
 functions of committees and sub-committees, and on March 26 the 
 Building Committee, headed by W. B. Burr, was giving consideration 
 to actual plans and layouts, and buildings in other communities had 
 been examined. 
 
 April 30 Hinsdale ministers endorsed the project, and early con- 
 tributions, many from ex-servicemen, began coming in. A campaign 
 progress chart was set up in the village, the first of its kind in Hinsdale. 
 All was in readiness for "drive week." 
 
 On May 1 , the campaign for contributions got under way with 1 90 
 eager canvassers in the field. Quotas had been willingly accepted and 
 
SYMBOLS OF A GOOD SOCIETY 161 
 
 the campaign slogan "We must not fail" was rigidly observed. Al- 
 though the drive itself was brief, it had been carefully prepared, step 
 by step. 
 
 By the end of that week 90 per cent of the goal had been achieved, 
 and at a meeting on Saturday May 7, ''over the top," that statement so 
 welcome to all campaigners, was heard. More than $170,000 was col- 
 lected in that short drive, from 2,000 individual contributors. There 
 was a long blast from the fire whistle, and the general spirit of exuber- 
 ance prevailing was reminiscent of Armistice day. 
 
 The success of this drive was aided considerably by effective pub- 
 licity, by posters, paid advertisements, movies, the pulpit; which paved 
 the way for the final push. All of this was augmented by splendid co- 
 operation on the part of The Doings, which reported faithfully and 
 promptly all the committee's activities and put out a special Memorial 
 Building issue on the day the drive started. 
 
 Interest in the memorial was not confined to Hinsdale. A letter to 
 Mr. Clarke from Vice-President Dawes in Washington expressed his 
 interest and good wishes. 
 
 Plans for the building were selected through competition among 
 several architectural firms, and Edwin H. Clark, an architect of Win- 
 netka, won the award. 
 
 Clearing of the title to the land proved quite a task, but finally a 
 deed to the property was in the Committee's hands. On November 12, 
 the corner stone of the building was laid, accompanied by an address 
 by Howard P. Savage, a Past National Commander of the American 
 Legion. 
 
 The entire village cheered this work, and probably it will stand for 
 a long time as Hinsdale's foremost civic achievement and as an unsur- 
 passed example of how a local project can be accomplished by local 
 people. 
 
162 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The War Memorial 1 } s Committee Chairmen 
 
 General Chairman, Philip R. Clarke 
 
 Vice Chairman, S. F. Beatty 
 
 Executive Secretary, Walter M. Sheldon 
 
 Building Ex-residents 
 
 W. B. Burr Horace B. Hench 
 
 Finance Outlying Residents 
 
 W. H. Regnery J. L. Hench 
 
 Real Estate— Finance Publicity 
 
 Frank Van Inwagen C. R. Kimbell 
 
 Jury of Award Fund Raising Campaign 
 
 (Architectural contest) Philip R. Clarke 
 
 W. B. Burr 
 
 Those who enlisted from Fullersburg and Hinsdale for the various 
 wars: 
 
 Black Hawk War, 1832 
 
 Sherman King 
 When Lieutenant King was sent here as one of General Scott's advance 
 agents in the Black Hawk uprising, he joined the volunteers at Naper's 
 settlement before having chosen his place of residence. When the war 
 ended he settled at Brush Hill. 
 
 Mexican War, 1846-48 
 
 No records have been found indicating those who enlisted from Brush 
 Hill, and the War Department lists do not indicate the recruit's place 
 of residence. 
 
 Civil War, 1861-65 
 
 Morell Fuller Julius Kurth 
 
 Chas. M. Gager Frederick Kurth 
 
 Henry Hahn John Shultz 
 
 Christian Henrick Walter Van Velzer 
 
 George Hoehn Frederick Werden 
 
SYMBOLS OF A GOOD SOCIETY 163 
 
 The War with Spain, i8g8 
 
 Wilson Burt Thomas Murray 
 
 Robert W. Childs William Pape 
 
 Robert W. Clarke, Jr. William E. Schmidt 
 
 Earl S. Dean Howard Scotford 
 
 Joseph Duncan Alfred Walker 
 Bert Edwards 
 
 World War I, 191J-18 
 
 For a list of the 380 citizens who enlisted for this war, see the Memorial 
 War Review, published in 1920 by Post 250, American Legion. The 
 Public Library has copies. 
 
 World War II, 1941-45 
 
 For a list of the more than 1,400 citizens who enlisted for this war 
 consult the Merrill Printing Company, Hinsdale. Mr. C. D. F. Merrill 
 has a complete card file of all the participants from this village. 
 
 Hinsdale Women in War Work 
 
 During the first World War the Hinsdale Branch of the Chicago 
 Chapter of the American Red Cross was divided into ten separate de- 
 partments. Church units, the Junior Red Cross, and many individuals 
 contributed sewing, surgical dressings, Christmas boxes, and other 
 services to these departments. Mrs. Charles A. Brown was President of 
 the Hinsdale Branch. 
 
 Heading the departments were: Mrs. T. R. Weddell, sewing; Mrs. 
 L. H. Freer, knitting; Mrs. W. B. McKeand, surgical dressings; Mrs. 
 A. G. Dugan, comfort kits; and Mrs. J. C. Davis, purchasing. Miss 
 Frances Stuart was in charge of the stock room. 
 
 Red Cross activities were organized differently during World War II 
 the work was more varied and covered a wider territory. 
 
164 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The Hinsdale Depot, for the collection and the distribution of 
 things such as clothing and dressings, covered all of DuPage County 
 and a part of Cook County. Mrs. Philip R. Clarke served as chairman 
 of this Depot, and also as Vice Chairman of the Production Depart- 
 ment of the Chicago Chapter of Red Cross. 
 
 The large group known as Gray Ladies performed many and varied 
 services. Mrs. W. W. Kimball was Senior Gray Lady at Presbyterian 
 and Vaughan Hospitals. Mrs. J. E. Eddy was in charge of the Ladies 
 Motor Corps for the Chicago area, including the suburbs. Mrs. E. P. 
 Brooks headed the Canteen Corps. Miss Gladys Cable, Mrs. James 
 Walker, Mrs. E. W. Kettering, and Mrs. C. R. Osborn were instru- 
 mental in equipping the music rooms at Vaughan and Hines veterans 
 hospitals. 
 
 The village did its part toward keeping the Chicago Service Men's 
 Centers supplied with food. A booth was maintained at the Hinsdale 
 railroad station for this purpose, tended largely by girls from the high 
 school. 
 
 The high school girls helped in other ways: Under the direction 
 of Mrs. Robert Foley Smith they learned to care for children while 
 mothers engaged in war work. Mrs. Hugh Dugan organized a group 
 of Junior Red Cross girls to serve as nurses' helpers. 
 
 There is the Village Caucus. Under the leadership of Mr. Wade 
 Fetzer, this method of selecting candidates for village offices was 
 adopted in 1934, and regardless of certain imperfections that might be 
 expected in any new governmental departure, the caucus system is 
 working satisfactorily. This is a favorable reflection on the character of 
 the citizenry, for it is known to function effectually only in those mu- 
 nicipalities in which high standards of administration are the rule. 
 The caucus has eliminated the catch-as-catch-can characteristic from 
 local political elections. It has created an atmosphere in which the 
 office seeks the man, instead of vice-versa. 
 
 Hinsdale's per capita representation in the services for both world 
 wars was near the top, according to national estimates. 
 
SYMBOLS OF A GOOD SOCIETY 165 
 
 A large number of Hinsdale women have found time from their 
 household duties to serve the community in some capacity in peace 
 time. The History Committee does not attempt to draw distinctions or 
 to list some as being more worthy of recognition than others. 
 
 We salute Mr. William H. Regnery for helping the village acquire 
 the fine Post Office building that was erected in 1939 at such an agree- 
 able location. 
 
 Mr. Charles O. Ring, a battalion chief of Hinsdale's Fire Department. 
 At the end of 40 years of service he was awarded a gold medal as 
 Honorary Chief by the Village Trustees, and his exceptional services 
 were similarly recognized by the Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 The noteworthy gesture of Mr. C. D. F. Merrill in sending The Hins- 
 dale Doings to every man and woman from the village who served in 
 the recent war, every week, and for the entire duration. 
 
 Hinsdale has owned and operated its electric light and water plant 
 over a long period of time, at reasonable rates, and with never a ques- 
 tion having been raised concerning disposition of the profits derived 
 therefrom. 
 
 In the purposes and in the enjoyments of life, the village, and its 
 vicinity, has seen much fulfillment and realization. What does the 
 future hold, and on what does it depend? 
 
 When Robert Jones, John Monell, and Grove Lawrence bought 
 this land from the Government, which had acquired it from the red 
 man, they did not forsee the thriving villages of Hinsdale and Claren- 
 don Hills. When Orente Grant built his Castle Inn it was in the first 
 faint dawn of the region's place in the American scene. Westward em- 
 igrants took the cue and settled along the "Little Aux Plaines." They 
 
166 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 surveyed these rolling hills and found them good. They too, could not 
 look far into the future, but they were willing to venture, and to place 
 reliance in themselves. They were unquestioned exponents of the prin- 
 ciple of venture investment. 
 
 But the pioneering spirit was not confined to the first arrivals. It 
 continued with Marvin Fox, Alfred Walker, Anson Ayres, William 
 Robbins, and Oliver Stough. These also had faith. They had confi- 
 dence in the locality, in themselves, and in their abilities to develop 
 the region of which their lands were part. Soon they were to be joined 
 by the Warrens, the Lincolns, the Websters, the Bankers, and the hosts 
 to follow. They likewise carried on in the same tradition. 
 
 As we arrive at this milestone of Nineteen Hundred and Forty 
 Nine, the village has passed the eight thousand mark in population. 
 Among our neighbors we find a large government-owned laboratory, 
 and privately owned factories. Janus-like, we look back, while peering 
 ahead. Behind, there is inspiration. In the future there is hope; because 
 the spirit of the pioneer, the spirit of independence, and the spirit of 
 self-reliance is among us still. 
 
chapter x The Pivots of Village Life 
 
 By mutual confidence and mutual aid great deeds 
 are done, and great discoveries made. — Pope 
 
 THE SPOKES of a wheel rotate about its axle to carry the vehicle 
 along its way, over surfaces smooth or rough, in fair weather or 
 foul. Similarly, there are axes or pivots in the life of a village, about 
 which the activities of its citizens revolve: the government, the church, 
 the club, the charity. Let us start with the village government, and 
 then review briefly those civic organizations that are considered to be 
 permanent. 
 
 Village Government 
 
 During the first thirty years after incorporation, the work of the Vil- 
 lage Trustees was largely of two kinds: the planning and execution of 
 physical improvements, and the establishment of rules and regulations, 
 or ordinances, designed to protect the citizen and to prevent his tres- 
 passing on the rights of his neighbor. Village improvements were to 
 continue indefinitely, and the passage of ordinances as well, but by the 
 year 1 895 there had accumulated a large number of rules and orders 
 in council that were in need of revision and bringing up to date. The 
 accumulation had not been an orderly one, the reason being that 
 there was no village attorney until 1 890 because no provision had been 
 made for that office. In that year, however, Linus C. Ruth was ap- 
 pointed to the office, and he soon convinced the Board of the necessity 
 of revising the village statutes. Several years passed before the task 
 was completed, but finally, in 1895, the trustees were able to publish 
 in one compact booklet the Revised General Ordinances of the Village 
 of Hinsdale. 
 
 Some of these ordinances have remained in force, with but little 
 change, up to the present time. Others relate exclusively to the by-gone 
 
 * Most of the information for this chapter was furnished by the organizations concerned. 
 
 i6 7 
 
168 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 era, and have long since been repealed. Today they hold interest 
 merely as antiques. For instance— 
 
 "No cow, horse, colt, mule, bull, ox, calf, swine, sheep, goat, asses, or cattle of 
 any kind shall be permitted to run at large within the Village of Hins- 
 dale " 
 
 According to news items of the day, this was a much needed ordi- 
 nance. 
 
 "It shall be the duty of the pound master of said village to take up any such 
 animal or animals found running at large as aforesaid, and confine same in a 
 pound provided for that purpose . . . ." 
 
 "It shall be unlawful for any person or corporation to construct within the limits 
 of said village any fence composed wholly or in part of barbed wire 
 
 "The base or datum for the levels of the Village of Hinsdale, is hereby fixed 
 at the plane of low water-mark of Lake Michigan in the year 1847, as established 
 by the Trustees of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which plane is one hun- 
 dred and twenty-seven— feet below the top of the N.E. corner of the stone door- 
 sill of the entrance to the brick base of the water tower 
 
 This was the tall, cylindric water tower that stood on the Garfield 
 hill just north of the School building. 
 
 "Any person who shall use any sport or exercise likely to scare horses, injure 
 passengers or embarrass the passage of vehicles, shall be subject to a fine 
 
 The 1 895 Ordinances set forth 66 regulations pertaining to plumb- 
 ers, having to do with such things as the quality and weight of pipe, 
 the location of catch basins, etc. 
 
 Planks for sidewalk were specified to be five feet, four inches long 
 and two inches thick. 
 
 "All shade or ornamental trees shall be planted at least two feet from the edge 
 of the sidewalk." 
 
 In many instances, time has demonstrated two feet to have been 
 too close. Many of the trees that were planted as saplings have grown 
 to such size as to crack or raise the cement walks. 
 
 The Ordinances of 1 895 prescribed the duties and compensation 
 of various village officials, and provided for the repeal of all previous 
 ordinances. 
 
 The early ordinances, of course, were modified from time to time, 
 the last complete revision having been made in 1935 by Village At- 
 torney Malcolm Mecartney. In addition to the listing of laws and regu- 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 169 
 
 lations, this revised code book includes an outline of the village offices, 
 departments, and commissions. They appear in this order: 
 
 Village Offices and Departments 
 
 President of the Board 
 
 The Board of Trustees 
 (6 members) 
 
 Village Clerk Superintendent of Utilities 
 
 Village Treasurer Department of Public Works 
 
 Village Collector Chief Electrical Inspector 
 
 Village Attorney Purchasing Agent 
 
 Police Department Police Magistrate 
 
 Fire Department Poundmaster 
 
 Boards and Commissions 
 
 Electrical Commission - Library Board 
 
 Plan Commission Board of Local Improvements 
 
 Utilities Commission Police Pension Board 
 
 In general, each title is descriptive of the purpose of the office, the 
 board or commission. The Electrical Commission recommends and 
 effects changes in the code governing wiring installations. The Plan 
 Commission has jurisdiction over subdivisions of land, and is advisory 
 on questions of zoning. The Board of Local Improvement, which has 
 been in existence since 1882, functions in the initiation and supply of 
 municipal facilities such as water mains and sidewalks. The Police 
 Pension Board supervises the police pension fund. The Department, 
 the public, and the pensioners are represented on this board. The 
 Library Board maintains the Public Library with tax money collected 
 for that purpose, and with gifts from the Friends of the Library, and 
 from individuals. A newly created Utilities Commission is advisory 
 to the President and his Board on questions concerning the water 
 and electrical equipment and supply. 
 
 Four of these governing units, Electrical, Plan, Local Improve- 
 ment, and Library, were created under state statutes applicable to 
 
170 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 villages generally. All members of boards and commissions serve with- 
 out pay. 
 
 Municipal management is effected largely through a system of 
 committees, each member of the Village Board serving as chairman 
 of a committee. A Village Manager, recently employed, is expected 
 to act as general executor for the President and his Board. He will 
 function under duties and responsibilities of a more specific nature 
 than were those of the Village Manager back in the 1920's. 
 
 The President and his Board meet twice each month. Board meet- 
 ings are open to the public and on many occasions have been attended 
 by individuals or groups, to plead a cause, or to introduce some kind 
 of business for the Board's attention. Occasionally, some citizen is 
 asked to appear before the Board. 
 
 The utilities, other than gas and telephone services, are owned and 
 operated by the village. Operation of the water and electric plant 
 usually nets a profit, and this goes to the general village fund, for gen- 
 eral municipal purposes. A Comptroller, whose office includes the 
 function of village collector, accounts for these and other public funds. 
 
 Public offices, including those of the School Board, are filled 
 through a village Caucus. Membership in the Caucus is open to all the 
 established civic, religious and cultural organizations, and to seven 
 designated sections of the village. At present, the Caucus has about 90 
 members. A membership is of two years duration, and it may be re- 
 newed. 
 
 The Churches 
 
 There are eleven churches within the village limits, or one church for 
 about every 700 persons. Following a survey of Hinsdale churches that 
 was conducted by the research department of the Chicago Theological 
 Seminary in 1944, these further statistics concerning them are avail- 
 able : 
 
 Total membership 3*564 
 
 Members who live outside of Hinsdale 
 
 (per cent of total) 15.8 
 
 Between 1931 and the time of the survey, church membership in- 
 creased in all but two of the institutions, and the total increase 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 171 
 
 amounted to 32.2% for the twelve year period. During almost the 
 same period (1930-1940) the population of persons 21 and over in- 
 creased 10.5%. 
 
 The Sunday School enrollment decreased 21.8% between 1931 
 and 1943. The population of those under 21 decreased 2.6% between 
 1930 and 1940. 
 
 Chronologically, the churches are listed in this order: 
 
 UNION— Theodore K. Vogler, Minister 
 
 The Congregationalists organized themselves into a church August 12, 1866. 
 C. M. Saunders, a student at the Chicago Theological Seminary, conducted 
 the first services, in the railroad station. He was ordained in April, 1867. Dur- 
 ing his two years ministry thirty-five members were added to the original 
 number, and the stone school house became the place of worship. After the 
 Baptist Church was erected on First Street, the Congregationalists shared 
 their building, until construction of the first Congregational Church build- 
 ing was under way, on the Garfield hill, across from the school. 
 
 Other early ministers were Reverend Flavel Bascomb, and Reverend J. W. 
 Hartshorne. In 1916 the Congregationalists joined with the Presbyterians to 
 form the Union Church. Thereafter, the present modern building replaced 
 the first church edifice. 
 
 BAPTIST— C. Raymond Johnson, Pastor 
 
 A Baptist Church was organized in Hinsdale in 1868. For several months it 
 had no pastor, and, as is true of most of the churches, no record of its early 
 years has been preserved. In October, 1869, Reverend James Lisk accepted an 
 invitation to the pastorate and soon began services, in the waiting room of the 
 depot. Shortly the Baptists erected a large frame church at First and Garfield 
 (Page 84) where services were held jointly with the Congregationalists for 
 a number of years, until, by mutual consent, the arrangement was discon- 
 tinued. 
 
 The large frame building proved a heavy financial burden, and was aban- 
 doned to other purposes. The congregation became inactive until 1904, when 
 the church was reorganized. It is now a member of the Swedish Baptist Con- 
 vention, and for many years has occupied the building at 11 N. Lincoln. This 
 is the former Stough Hall, one of Hinsdale's most venerable buildings. 
 
 UNITARIAN-Raymond H. Palmer, Minister 
 
 The first Unitarian Church was built in 1870 By Mr. O. J. Stough, on a lot 
 just west of the present one. No meetings were held there after 1877, and the 
 building burned in 1882. 
 
 On March 27, 1887, a group of thirty persons met in the Music Hall (the 
 former Baptist Church) to consider another church union. Thereafter, a 
 canvass of the town having proved it advisable, a meeting was held and the 
 
172 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Unity Church of Hinsdale was organized. Later, the name was changed to the 
 Unitarian Church of Hinsdale. The following Sunday, thirty-four persons 
 signed the Church Book and became members. At the end of the first year 
 there were fifty-three members. 
 
 A church building was begun in 1888, and was dedicated in January 1889. 
 This had been made possible by the donation of a lot and $5,000 by Mr. 
 Stough, and by other subscriptions. In this building, services have been held 
 regularly ever since, except for two years during World War I. 
 
 EPISCOPAL-Donald H. V. Hallock, Minister 
 
 In the spring of 1873 a few citizens met at the house of D. J. Crocker to organize 
 the Grace Episcopal Sunday School, of which Mr. J. F. Stuart was chosen 
 Superintendent, and which formed the foundation of the parish which was 
 organized in March 1875. Easter services had been held, previous to this date, 
 in the uncompleted Congregational Church. Soon the services of N. F. Tuson 
 were engaged, and he served for one year. Other early, part-time, ministers 
 were Reverend Mr. Fisk, Reverend D. F. Smith, Mr. Perry, and Mr. Lewis. 
 
 Some of the early services were held in the old Baptist Church building, 
 others in Stough's Hall; a few in private homes. Concerts and musicals helped 
 to raise funds for the church building, erected on land donated by Mr. William 
 Robbins. The building has expanded, a little at a time, to its present propor- 
 tions. 
 
 ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN-P. H. Scheer, Pastor 
 
 Services were started in the Fullersburg school house in November, 1888, and 
 in April of the following year a constitution was adopted. In the same year 
 the congregation purchased a lot and erected its first church, at the corner of 
 Vine and Second Streets. The present building, at the southwest corner of 
 Grant and Second, was dedicated in 1915. A pamphlet, The Informant is pub- 
 lished each month, telling of Church activities. 
 
 EVANGELICAL MISSION COVENANT-A. Vernoy Peterson, Pastor 
 
 The Scandinavians, like other groups, at first met in private homes before 
 establishing their Church, which was completed in 1889. For a time there- ¥ 
 after the group was associated with the Congregationalists. In 1918 the mem- 
 bers affiliated themselves with the Evangelical Mission Covenant Conference. 
 In 1930 an attractive Church was built at the corner of Fourth and Garfield, 
 one of the newest religious buildings. 
 
 IMMANUEL-D. G. Passman, Pastor 
 
 In 1898 there was a peaceful division within the Fullersburg Church when 
 members from Hinsdale expressed the desire to have a church closer to home. 
 Until 1900 the group met in a small hall in Hinsdale, and the same minister 
 served both congregations until the new Church obtained a pastor of its own. 
 In that year the Church at Third and Grant was built, and in 1908 a parsonage 
 was added. 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 173 
 
 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS-Lawrence R. Scott, Pastor 
 
 This is the group that established the Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital, in 
 the year 1905, in the Highlands. To accommodate the staff and others of this 
 faith, the Church was established and facilities for worship were provided, 
 within the sanitarium building. For many years the Adventists operated the 
 Rescue Home near-by, a refuge for unadjusted young people. A new Church 
 building was recently completed, at Oak and Walnut. 
 
 REDEEMER LUTHERAN-C. F. Dankworth, Pastor 
 
 This Church is an off-shoot from the Zion Lutheran. It was organized in 1922, 
 and for the first few years a suitable Church sanctuary was devised within a 
 leased building. In 1925 the group joined the English District of the Missouri 
 Synod. Two years later the new Church-building at First and Blaine was 
 finished and occupied. 
 
 CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST 
 
 In the spring of 1931, the members of this faith who resided in Hinsdale, or- 
 ganized themselves into the Christian Science Society of Hinsdale. On Sep- 
 tember 12, 1931, this Society was recognized as a branch of the Mother Church, 
 and was incorporated in 1938. Regular services have been held in the audi- 
 torium of the Monroe School. The Church owns a building site, and plans for 
 the building are in preparation. A reading room, which is open to the public, 
 is maintained at 14 W. First Street. 
 
 SAINT ISAAC JOGUES-J. T. Farrel, Pastor 
 
 This Church, of the Catholic faith, also was established in 1931, under the 
 guidance of the Order of Dominican Fathers. The Hinsdale Theatre served 
 as the first meeting place, where services were continued for a year. Services 
 next were held at 16 E. First Street as temporary quarters, where the con- 
 gregation was served by traveling monks. The present Church, at 425 S. Clay, 
 is a two story structure with the parochial school on the second floor. It was 
 built in 1932. 
 
 In five of Hinsdale's churches the services at first were conducted 
 in a foreign language. As the younger people of these parishes grew up 
 and gradually acquired control, the English language ultimately was 
 adopted in all five churches. This change came about during the period 
 1910-1920. 
 
 All the churches have Sunday Schools, or Church Schools, as they 
 are called by some. Most of them have women's organizations and other 
 groups doing auxiliary work in the service of the church. Three of the 
 churches maintain parochial schools in the elementary grades; these 
 are the Catholic, the Lutheran, and the Seventh Day Adventist schools. 
 
174 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The Public Schools 
 
 The Hinsdale school system had its beginning in the stone school house 
 that was erected at Third and Main (Garfield) by William Robbins 
 in 1866. In the two lower rooms of this structure a Miss Stocking con- 
 ducted the classes until the autumn of 1867, when it was organized into 
 a public school, as a part of the Fullersburg School District, with Mr. 
 B. F. Banker as Principal. As Directors of the school, these men were 
 chosen: W. R. Banker, E. P. Hinds, and B. Plummer. Soon the build- 
 ing was purchased by the village from Mr. Robbins, and the South 
 side of town was formed into a separate school district. A Mr. Gleason 
 then became principal. In 1 877, while Mr. P. A. Downey was Principal, 
 the North side was incorporated into the district, and it was then called 
 the Hinsdale School District. 
 
 During the year 1879 the stone building was enlarged. Mr. A. R. 
 Robinson became Principal in that year, and during his administra- 
 tion the school was employing the services of five teachers. Mr. Robin- 
 son was followed by E. L. Harpham and others. 
 
 In 1893 the building became a total loss, by fire. As a result, school 
 was held temporarily in churches and halls of the village. In 1887 the 
 North Side School was erected on Maple Street, and a new South Side 
 School was built in 1 894. The latter is known as the Garfield School, 
 and it has received many improvements and additions throughout the 
 years, including two wings which were added in 1909. It then required 
 the services of 1 6 teachers. In the same year the North Side School em- 
 ployed 7 teachers. 
 
 Not all of the minutes of the various boards of education have been 
 preserved, but the casual reader may pick up threads of history, which 
 may be pieced together in fairly consecutive order. Economies, salaries, 
 teachers' housing, the collection of tax monies, and modern improve- 
 ments were problems confronting the citizens who managed the school 
 in each decade. 
 
 In 1892, $60 organs were purchased for the primary and inter- 
 mediate grades, and a $275 piano for the high school. An admission 
 fee was charged for reserved seats at the commencement exercises. A 
 school census was made at a cost of $15. Teachers were paid $55 a 
 month, only while school was in session, but this rate of pay was in- 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 175 
 
 creased $2 per month two years later. Coal was purchased at $2.55 a 
 ton. 
 
 In 1893 algebra was introduced into the high school. A sewing 
 class was to be added in the South Side School, but this project was 
 abandoned owing to the expense. 
 
 In 1895 Mr. J. M. Frost was made Superintendent of Schools at a 
 salary of $1,400. The following year it was difficult to pay bills because 
 tax collections were slow, following the business recession of 1893. 
 
 The Womans' Club, in 1897, donated $50 to the board to lit out a 
 room for manual training. The board added $ 1 00 worth of tools. Later, 
 the Womans' Club gave $ 1 o for reference books. 
 
 By 1902 the school tax levy was $16,000 and the building tax levy 
 $3,000. Although Mr. Frost's salary was increased some, he decided to 
 accept another position, whereupon the board paid tribute to his seven 
 years of service in a "properly engrossed" resolution which read in 
 part, "He has brought order out of chaos." Mr. H. K. Jokish became 
 Superintendent in 1904, to be followed by H. E. Giles, and others. 
 
 Teachers in the public schools who linger in the memories of 
 those of their older students who are still living are, the Misses Bailey, 
 Blodgett, Boujan, Boyd, Hattendorf, Hinckley, Irish, Lairison, and 
 Loomis. 
 
 Following the year 1905, school developments included these, 
 among many others: 
 
 A donation of furniture to the North Side School by the Womans' 
 Club, and a flag pole by the Village League. 
 
 By 1918 the school enrollment had reached 506. 
 
 The Parent-Teachers Association instituted a lunch room for stu- 
 dents. 
 
 In 192 1 a salary schedule, based on certain specified requirements, 
 was drawn up. 
 
 The Madison School was acquired in 1923. 
 
 Monroe School was built during the latter twenties. 
 
 The widespread depression of the thirties brought curtailment of 
 expenses and a reduction in personnel, but since 1935 expansion has 
 continued in teaching personnel, in enrollment, and in facilities for 
 education. The high school district has been extended to include 
 Clarendon Hills and Westmont. 
 
 Today the Hinsdale Public Schools consist of Garfield, Madison, 
 
176 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Monroe, and Clarendon Hills elementary schools, a junior high school 
 on Maple Street, and the high school on Washington. A new high 
 school is under construction. There is a dual system of school boards, 
 one for the grade schools, including junior high, and one for the high 
 school. Members of the boards are nominated by the caucus and elected 
 by the people. 
 
 .££. JA. Jt. 
 
 "A* "f" "A* 
 
 Back in 1914 the Parent-Teachers Association began to appear in the 
 local news. The PTA Council now is made up of representatives from 
 each of the schools. Both of the PTA groups, grade school and high 
 school, are members of the national PTA organization. 
 
 At the turn of the century the word ''chaos" was used in a school 
 board resolution, as descriptive of a state from which the schools had 
 been delivered. Concurrently with the functioning of PTA, the word 
 has not appeared since. 
 
 The Library and Its Friends 
 
 The Hinsdale Public Library began as the Hinsdale Library Associa- 
 tion, which was incorporated during the winter of 1886-87. The in- 
 corporators and first directors of the Association were Mrs. John H. 
 Bradley, Mrs. Mary C. Childs, Miss Mary Hannah, Dr. D. K. Pearsons, 
 Mr. Demming H. Preston, Mrs. C. D. Snow, and Mrs. Sarah Warren. 
 Soon, six hundred books were donated to the Association, and a fee 
 of one dollar a year was charged for the privilege of drawing them out. 
 
 There are two versions concerning the first location of this set of 
 books. According to one, they were placed in the residence of Mrs. 
 C. D. Snow at Washington and Third. Others say the start was made in 
 a small building on the north side of First Street, west of Washington. 
 There is unanimity of opinion that the Library moved from one of 
 these places to the store of Mr. George Prouty, which was in the build- 
 ing now numbered '37 So. Washington Street. The first Librarian was 
 Miss Wilsden, who later became Mrs. Van Liew. 
 
 In 1892 the question of tax support of the Library came before the 
 voters and it received a favorable decision. That year also marks the 
 beginning of public election of officers and members of the board. 
 Following these events, the Library Association was dissolved. It had 
 served its purpose well. 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 177 
 
 Mrs. Flora Candee became Librarian, to be followed by Mrs. L. C. 
 Ruth who served in that position for many years. She had various 
 assistants, among whom was Miss Alice Warren. The next move of the 
 Library took place in 1917, to the Davidson Building, 106 S. Wash- 
 ington. From there it went to the Memorial Building, its present home. 
 
 During the winter of 1937-38, four women met occasionally to talk 
 over the possibilities of strengthening the Library for a more vital con- 
 tribution to community life. They were Mrs. Paul Burt, Mrs. Hugh 
 Dugan, Mrs. Harold Moore, and Miss Marcia Wheeler, Librarian. 
 Eventually, plans for organization were drawn up and presented to 
 various civic groups and others for approval. The Friends of the 
 Library became an organization on April 28, 1938. 
 
 The Friends became just what the name implies, a group of persons 
 who are interested in the Library's welfare and who are ready to help 
 it toward increasing its resources and promoting its services. The 
 Friends has furthered projects such as the obtaining of memorial be- 
 quests to the Library, the purchase of new books, and the issuance of 
 leaflets describing the Library's services. 
 
 A, F. & A. M. Lodge 
 
 Hinsdale Lodge, A,F. ir A. M., No. 649, under dispensation granted 
 in 1870, held its first meeting in the upper room of the stone "acad- 
 emy." Three years later it moved to quarters on Washington Street, 
 down town. The original organizers of the Lodge were D. A. Courter, 
 J. M. Barr, and N. H. Warren. 
 
 The Veterans Groups 
 
 Hinsdale Post 250 of the American Legion has an unusually large 
 membership, as compared with the town's population. Most of the 
 Legionaires served in one of the two world wars, but its roster includes 
 a few veterans of the Spanish War. 
 
 This Post was organized in 1919, with Mr. C. G. Dennison as its 
 first Commander, in Evernden's Hall. Soon thereafter, headquarters 
 
178 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 were moved to the Grace Church Guild Hall, where the Post continued 
 to meet until completion of the Memorial Building in 1928. Growth, 
 through service, has marked the history of the Post. Its activities have 
 been extensive and useful, especially in the causes of Americanization, 
 the interests of disabled and needy veterans, the village Fourth of July 
 celebrations, and participation in other local projects. Sociability and 
 good fellowship has been always a feature of membership in the Post. 
 Aside from the regular business meetings, there are regular and special 
 social gatherings, including the annual dinner for Past Commanders 
 held on November 1 1 each year, and the annual home-coming in May. 
 The Post's influence in the village has been a good one, and it takes its 
 part in the county, state, and national Legion organizations. 
 
 In January, 1920 the Legion Auxiliary was organized, with 117 
 charter members, and with Mrs. Gertrude Ketcham as its first Presi- 
 dent. The Legion and the Auxiliary cooperate closely in furtherance 
 of their joint objectives. Largely, the Auxiliary is concerned with the 
 rehabilitation and other needs of disabled veterans, this work being 
 carried on through sewing, financial contributions, the Veterans Craft 
 Shop in Chicago, child welfare, visits to hospitals, and the annual sale 
 of poppies. The Auxiliary also contributes to other local charities. 
 
 The Veterans Civic Association, consisting largely of young men who 
 took part in World War II, aims toward comradeship through the 
 association of persons of similar experience and outlook, and to take 
 its place in community service. At this time the group's program is not 
 fully developed. Mr. Philip Cochran was the first President. The Asso- 
 ciation meets in the Memorial Building. 
 
 The Veterans of Foreign Wars, a well-known national organization, 
 has recently become established in Hinsdale under the leadership of 
 Mr. Thomas Spears. The membership of this Post consists of men who 
 served overseas in the various wars. The purposes and functions of the 
 Post, and those of the V. F. W. Auxiliary, are similar to those of the 
 American Legion and its Auxiliary. Meetings are held in the Com- 
 munity House. 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 179 
 
 The Charities 
 
 Hinsdale Community Service. Organized in 1936, this is the principal 
 agency for local relief. It serves the Hinsdale Township High School 
 area. The Village has provided an office in the Memorial Building. 
 Since its inception, Mrs. H. C. Holzbach has been in charge of the 
 Service. Sixteen members comprise the Board of Directors. 
 
 The main divisions of the work are: Employment, the collection 
 and distribution of Christmas baskets, emergency relief, rehabilita- 
 tion, optical, dental, and medical. Information for veterans may be 
 obtained there, and the office is also the permanent headquarters for 
 the Hinsdale Community Chest. 
 
 During the second World War years the Hinsdale Community Serv- 
 ice was headquarters for the Office of Civilian Defence. The Service 
 collaborates with other agencies in the reference and handling of 
 cases. For many years Mr. Harold G. Townsend has been the leading 
 spirit in this service. 
 
 In common with other towns and villages, Hinsdale has always par- 
 ticipated in the outside charities, especially in support of the following 
 causes: 
 
 Infant Welfare. In 1915 the Infant Welfare Society of Hinsdale be- 
 gan functioning, with Mrs. J. C. Davis as its President. This group 
 sews and raises money for Chicago infants who come into the world 
 in need of more care than their parents are able to give. 
 
 By 1923 the need was felt of younger women's participation in the 
 work, so Junior Infant Welfare was formally organized in 1925, with 
 Mrs. John Parker as President, and the younger women have been 
 most active ever since. In addition to performing some of the same 
 functions as the senior group, the Juniors actively participate in the 
 work at Burlington Welfare Station in Chicago, and they supervise 
 and conduct certain concessions at the annual Oak Brook Horse Show, 
 the proceeds from which are allotted to the welfare of infants. 
 
 External Civic Work. A number of Hinsdale residents have served 
 public causes outside the village. These have pertained to objectives 
 such as the public health, various charities and charitable funds, the 
 
180 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 distribution of war bonds for the United States Treasury, and the fill- 
 ing of temporary Federal posts. 
 
 Other Civic and Cultural Groups 
 
 American Association of University Women. With more than 100,000 
 members, nationally, the A.A.U.W. has "practical educational work" 
 as its purpose. Since 1 934, when the Hinsdale branch was started, study 
 groups have been encouraged in subjects such as International Rela- 
 tions, Social Problems, Creative Writing, and the Creative Arts. Na- 
 tional and local problems are approached and studied objectively. 
 Thus the group serves the public, as well as the individual. The Mes- 
 dames Paul O. Germann, W. R. Jordan, and H. B. Lundberg are resi- 
 dent charter members. 
 
 # # # 
 
 Chamber of Commerce. Many years ago the organization of local busi- 
 ness men was known as the Commercial Association of Hinsdale. After 
 one or two modifications in name, and a brief tenure of the Lions Club, 
 the association of merchants became known as the Hinsdale Chamber 
 of Commerce. It is affiliated with the State and the National Chambers 
 of Commerce. In various ways the Chamber has furthered the inter- 
 ests of the community. It helps newcomers become acquainted with 
 the town, furnishes festive decorations for the business district at 
 Christmas time, takes charge of the Fourth of July parades, and offers 
 its counsel on questions involving conduct and progress of the village. 
 Mr. Mac Morris was President of the Chamber in 1949. 
 
 # # # 
 
 Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1934 Mrs. Guy J. Dart 
 obtained authorization to organize a chapter of the D.A.R. The chap- 
 ter was accepted by the National Board of D.A.R. in April 1935 and 
 was named in honor of Captain Hubbard Burrows. The membership 
 is confined to lineal descendants of Revolutionary soldiers. By 1948 
 there were 52 regular members and 4 associate members. The objects 
 of the Society are to "protect historical spots, encourage and publish 
 historical research on the Revolution, to promote educational institu- 
 tions and foster true patriotism." The Chapter also has been active in 
 Red Cross, and in projects looking toward better citizenship. 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 181 
 
 The Garden Club had its start in 1921 when fifteen women, interested 
 in gardening, met at the home of Mrs. Frank D. Farr and organized 
 The Garden Club of Hinsdale. The first officers were Mrs. Frank D. 
 Farr, President, Mrs. Walter H. Eckert, Vice-President, and Miss 
 Fanny Brent, Secretary and Treasurer. The membership initially was 
 limited to thirty-five active members, but now it numbers sixty. 
 
 The club has landscaped many areas, among which are the Com- 
 munity House grounds, the Junior High School yard, two blocks along 
 the right of way of the Burlington Railroad, and a bird sanctuary at 
 the east end of Third Street. A substantial contribution was made 
 toward landscaping the Memorial Building grounds. The members 
 of the Club have staged many flower shows in Hinsdale and have par- 
 ticipated in all the shows given under the auspices of The Garden 
 Club of Illinois, where they have taken many first prizes and special 
 awards in major exhibits. 
 
 The Garden Study Club. A Junior Garden Club was organized on 
 Monday, February 19, 1929, with the assistance of Mrs. O. W. Dynes, 
 who was then President of the Garden Club. Mrs. Donald O. McLeran 
 was voted the first President of this new group. The club was com- 
 prised of young Hinsdale women who had watched, with interest and 
 admiration, the achievements of the senior Club, and who were in- 
 spired to organize a club of their own. The membership was confined 
 to those who were actively interested in gardening and in the work of 
 the club. In 1931 the name was changed to The Garden Study Club. 
 The aim; to become an influence in the community by creating and 
 maintaining beauty, has been carried out. In many instances the two 
 garden clubs have worked together on projects. 
 
 The Music Club. There have been several music groups in the village 
 over the past sixty years, the Musical Union and the Amphion Society 
 being the most clearly recalled among those that existed before 1 900. 
 
 In January, 1937, Mrs. Andrew E. Fenn, an accomplished pianist, 
 invited a group of ladies, who were interested in music, to her home. 
 At this gathering the Music Club of Hinsdale was formed, with Mrs. 
 John Roberts as its first President, and Miss Jean Hall its Secretary and 
 
182 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Treasurer. The Club now has forty members. It engages in the study 
 and performance of various instrumental and vocal works, and has 
 made contributions in the form of records and entertainment to 
 Vaughn Hospital, and to Hinsdale institutions and assemblies. Mrs. 
 Fenn's interest and participation has continued from the beginning. 
 
 The P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded in 1869 at Iowa Wesleyan Col- 
 lege, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. In the 80 years since that time, the organiza- 
 tion has become international, with chapters in 47 states, Canada, 
 Alaska, and Hawaii. The Hinsdale chapter was organized in 1928 un- 
 der the leadership of Mrs. Nettie Newman. It now has 64 members. 
 
 Nationally, P.E.O. assists young women toward obtaining higher 
 education, and has improved the facilities at Cottey Junior College, 
 in Missouri, an institution which was donated to the organization by 
 one of its members. Locally, the chapter has made gifts to the Public 
 Library, to the schools, and has assisted students financially. 
 
 Scouting. In the year 1912 the Reverend Messrs. Brown, Merriman, 
 and Wallace appointed a committee of local residents to investigate the 
 possibility of organizing a Boy Scout Council in Hinsdale. At a meeting 
 of the committee, in May of that year, Mr. Teeter, a Scout Commis- 
 sioner, gave a talk at the Hinsdale Club concerning the Boy Scout 
 movement. Eventually, a constitution and by-laws for the Hinsdale 
 Council were drawn, and Mr. E. P. McKenna was elected President, 
 with C. T. Lamb and R. S. Pierce as members of the executive board. 
 Other men who served the movement were Frank Bebb, H. T. Cart- 
 ledge, Guy Dart, William Regnery, and W. W. Williamson. 
 
 Several Scouting units were formed, and in 1916 Hinsdale, with 
 other communities along the Burlington, organized the West Sub- 
 urban District of the Chicago Council. Hinsdale, in the year 1949, is 
 in the Indian Trails District of the West Suburban Council. 
 
 Before the advent of Boy Scouts in Hinsdale a troop of Boys Brigade 
 had been formed, under Alfred Walkei, in 1910. Boys Brigade was a 
 similar, but less comprehensive establishment. 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 183 
 
 Girl Scouting had its beginning here in April, 1920, with a troop of 13 
 girls under the leadership of Isabelle Jackson. A charter for the group 
 was issued in November of the same year, signed by Bertha T. Beatty, 
 Commissioner; Olive Hicks, Mary A. Leary, and Frances Regnery. 
 A trainer was employed in 1936, in the person of Mrs. I. L. Milton, 
 who now is known as the Executive Director. 
 
 At the present time, there are 264 girls, 14 troops having 30 leaders, 
 and 13 girl scout board members. In June, 1948, 126 girls attended 
 Day Camp, with 45 adults assisting. 
 
 The Woman s Club. Early in the 1890's a number of ladies were talk- 
 ing of "united and systematic action toward intellectual improvement, 
 social enjoyment, and the welfare of the community." These resolved 
 purposes grew out of a class for mothers, that was meeting during those 
 years, and the movement soon developed into a club, simultaneously 
 with the federation of all women's clubs throughout the state. Its 
 charter members numbered one hundred, and the new club immedi- 
 ately joined the federation. 
 
 A constitution and by-laws were drafted by Mrs. John Burton, 
 Mrs. Robert Childs, Mrs. S. Hough, Mrs. J. V. Ridgeway, and Mrs. 
 W. J. Pollock. Mrs. John Burton was elected president. 
 
 Classes were formed in History and Literature, Travel, Current 
 Topics, the Bible, and the problems of mothers. During its first twenty 
 years the club extended its activities to groups and causes outside, as 
 well as within, the village, but eventually the outside work was dis- 
 continued. The early meetings were held at various places: the hall 
 over Evernden's drug store, Unity Church, the Presbyterian Church, 
 and finally at the Hinsdale Club, in which building the members still 
 gather. At one time, the Club's funds were kept in the safe at Ditzler 
 *k Linsley's grocery. This was before the village had a bank. 
 
 The club has sponsored many local projects such as better garbage 
 disposal, sprinkling of the streets, compulsory education, certain 
 needed equipment in the schools, and many pleasant social functions. 
 The club has participated in a long list of philanthropies. Today some 
 of the activities are conducted under different names, and the program 
 includes outside speakers and entertainers, but generally the club's 
 purposes and objectives remain the same as they were in the beginning. 
 
184 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 The Community House 
 
 Here is the center of many activities. When the Hinsdale Club found 
 it necessary to discontinue, its commodious building at First and Gar- 
 field was put to a new use that has brought many conveniences and 
 benefits to the village at large. Through foresight, generosity, and 
 good work on the part of its original board of governors, and with the 
 assistance of an efficient corps of fund raisers, the building was ac- 
 quired. It has since been fitted out as a varied and constructive recrea- 
 tional center, under a full-time manager. 
 
 It houses these principal activities: indoor athletics and games, 
 dramatics, social functions, music, public speaking, arts and crafts, and 
 educational classes. Community House serves as a central meeting 
 place for civic organizations and their committees, and for activities 
 that are conducted outside, such as the camera, archery, and riding 
 clubs. 
 
 First Board of Governors 
 
 Chairman, William R. Jordan 
 
 Mrs. F. J. Bilger Fred J. Keller 
 
 Mrs. Carrol Brooks E. W. Kettering 
 
 F. H. Clifton Mrs. J. B. Mitchell 
 
 P. A. Crane Abner Sommers 
 
 Mrs. Ruth Dickinson Courtland Symonds 
 Oscar Dreusicke 
 
 Hinsdale's Newspaper 
 
 O. O. McIntyre, of the Chicago Herald if Examiner, said one day in 
 his column: 
 
 "Much of the very best stuff written in American newspapers reaches only a 
 limited audience. This is because it is turned out for country weeklies and small 
 town dailies." 
 
 Daniel H. Merrill displayed an interest in newspaper publishing 
 at an early age. Before he was out of school, he started a little paper, 
 in Frank Merrill's barn on Woodside Drive, for the benefit of the 
 town's "small fry". Then came The Columbian Era, "a monthly jour- 
 
THE PIVOTS OF VILLAGE LIFE 185 
 
 nal devoted to the interests of youth", edited by D. H. Merrill and 
 W. H. Linsley, at 20 cents a year to its subscribers. Although this jour- 
 nal was motivated in much the same spirit that led other boys to set up 
 back yard stores or wild west shows, there was this difference: Dan 
 Merrill had found his forte at this early age, and his production gave 
 evidence of a genuine flair for journalism. 
 
 On Saturday, October 5, 1 895, the first issue of the Hinsdale Doings 
 was distributed through the village by Dan and his helper, Tom Page. 
 Said Mr. Page, in writing about this event many years later: "I shall 
 never forget the first issue of the Doings which I, with Dan Merrill, 
 took about and delivered personally to each house; and I saw Dan take 
 the first paid subscription from, I think it was Mr. Crossett, near Con- 
 gressman Child's corner". For this work, Tom Page received a silver 
 dollar. Editorially, this first issue remarked: "With this number Hins- 
 dale Doings begins its existence. How long and how successful that 
 existence will be, the publishers do not know". But time, that inexor- 
 able judge, has told. In 1944 The Doings observed its fiftieth anniver- 
 sary, and its future appears very bright indeed. 
 
 The Merrill Printing Company, publishers of The Doings, had its 
 shop on Chicago Avenue, east of Washington in the 1890's. Later, the 
 company moved to the N.E. corner of Chicago Avenue and Lincoln, 
 where it remained until 1938 when its new quarters next door were 
 occupied. 
 
 *7v" TV* w 
 
 The civic group is a traditional American institution, of noble ances- 
 try. It has descended from our Colonial custom of holding town meet- 
 ings. If, therefore, a town displays a certain lofty self-respect, or a sense 
 of delight in its own civic groups, it is a time for recognition and ad- 
 miration. Their efforts and their achievements are to be applauded. 
 From about 1870 onward, Hinsdale has had many such groups, 
 and always there has been close cooperation between the civic organ- 
 izations and the newspaper. In the 8o's and go's the groups were a little 
 more on the social side than they are now, but always they have served 
 toward construction, collaboration, neighborliness, and well-attuned 
 community progress. 
 
ADDENDA 
 
ADDENDA 
 
 Presidents of the Village 
 
 Joel Tiffany 1873 
 
 William Robbins 1874 
 
 M. A. Donohue l %lh~11 
 
 E. P. Hinds 1878 
 
 C. H. Hudson 1879 
 
 A. Pugh 1880 
 
 C. C. Warren 1881 
 
 D. L. Perry 1882 
 
 J. C. Merrick 1883 
 
 E. P. Hinds 1884-86 
 
 Wm. Duncan 1887 
 
 E. P. Hinds 1888-89 
 
 D. H. Preston 1890-91 
 
 E. P. Hinds 1892-93 
 
 J. C. F. Merrill 1894-98 
 
 James A. Blood 1899-01 
 
 J. C. F. Merrill 1902-04 
 
 John C. Hess 1905-08 
 
 John C. Wood 1909-14 
 
 E. F. Hasbrook 1915-18 
 
 R. W. Burns 1919-24 
 
 W. T. Bruckner 1925-30 
 
 S. F. Beatty 1 93 1 '34 
 
 Wm. H. Regnery 1 935 _ 39 
 
 F. H. McElhone 1 939-45 
 
 H. A. Brinkman 1945-49 
 
 Dale Cox J 949- 
 
 Signers of the Petition 
 for Village Incorporation 
 
 Anson Ayres 
 F. Bascomb 
 John Bohlander 
 L. Bush 
 C. P. Clark 
 T. B. Clark 
 B. F. Deming 
 M. A. Donohue 
 F. A. Doolittle 
 
 H. L. ESTABROOK 
 
 B. E. Ferrill 
 Caroline P. Fisk 
 
 C. P. Frye 
 
 L. E. GlFFORD 
 
 E. P. Hinds 
 Isaac L. Hinds 
 C. H. Hudson 
 Windsor Leland 
 A. A. Lincoln 
 
 T. E. Lonergan 
 W. McCredie 
 A. A. Mann 
 
 M. H. MlDDLETON 
 
 John Parker 
 
 D. L. Perry 
 William Robbins 
 David Roth 
 
 E. Sawyer 
 Robt. S. Slocum 
 John F. Stuart 
 H. R. Thompson 
 Joel Tiffany 
 
 N. H. Warren 
 Geo. H. Wells 
 William Whiting 
 J. W. Wilcox 
 W. W. Wood 
 
 89 
 
igo 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Presidents of the School Board 
 
 R. A. Childs 1879-94 
 
 W. H. Holcomb 1894-03 
 
 W. G. Gordon 1903-08 
 
 H. W. Holcomb 1908-13 
 
 Robert Childs 1913-17 
 
 Dana Slade Jr 1917-20 
 
 S. F. Beatty 1920-21 
 
 S. W. Banning 1921-24 
 
 W. H. Eckert 1924-25 
 
 E. W. Childs 1925-29 
 
 P. R. Clarke 1 929-32 
 
 D. W. Pratt 1 932-33 
 
 C. L. Cobb 1933-40 
 
 E. B. Johnson 1941-44 
 
 J. O. Heppes 1 944 _ 
 
 A search of the records, here, and in the County Seat, reveals no names 
 of Presidents of the School Board from 1867, when the first Hinsdale 
 School District was set apart, until 1879. Messrs. B. Plummer, E. P. 
 Hinds, and W. R. Banker are known to have constituted the School's 
 "Board of Directors" when it was a branch of the Fullersburg School 
 District, in 1866. 
 
 Presidents of the Hinsdale Club 
 
 1889 
 
 William Duncan 
 
 1913-15 Dana Slade Jr. 
 
 1890 * 
 
 
 1915-18 Wade Fetzer 
 
 1891 * 
 
 
 1918 Fletcher W. 
 
 1892* 
 
 
 Rockwell 
 
 1893* 
 
 
 1919 E. H. Hicks 
 
 1894 
 
 E. P. Hinds 
 
 1920-23 Philip R. Clarke 
 
 l8 95 
 
 C. A. Allen 
 
 1923-25 Walter H. Eckert 
 
 1896 
 
 W. H. Crocker 
 
 1925 T. R. Weddell 
 
 1897* 
 
 
 1927-29 George H. Bell 
 
 1898* 
 
 
 1929-31 J. B. VanVleck 
 
 ^99 
 
 J. A. Blood 
 
 1931 George A. Knapp 
 
 1900 * 
 
 
 1932 J. Frank Peaslee 
 
 1901-03 
 
 W. H. Knight 
 
 1933-35 George M. Jackson 
 
 i9°3-°5 
 
 C. H. Crossette 
 
 1935 F. H. McElhone 
 
 1905 
 
 J. N. Redfern 
 
 1936 G. P. Snow 
 
 1906 
 
 J. J. Danforth 
 
 1937 Frank Van Inwagen 
 
 1907-09 
 
 L. P. CONOVER 
 
 1938-40 M.Samuel 
 
 1909-11 
 
 George E. Smith 
 
 1940-43 B. W. HlNES 
 
 ^9^-n 
 
 H. H. Holcomb 
 
 
 The Club discontinued July 26, 1943. 
 
 * The minute books for these years are not available and the names of the Presidents have not 
 been determined. 
 
ADDENDA 
 
 *9 l 
 
 Presidents of the Woman's Club 
 
 Hinsdale's oldest existing club. 
 
 Mrs. John Burton 1 
 
 Mrs. W. H. Knight 1 
 
 Mrs. C. E. Raymond 1 
 
 Mrs. H. G. Hetzler 1 
 
 Miss Louise L. Washburn . . . . i 
 
 Mrs. A. E. Walker 1 
 
 Mrs. W. H. Edwards 1 
 
 Mrs. Henry Holverscheid . . . . i 
 
 Mrs. Otis Cushing 1 
 
 Miss Harriette C. Merrill. . . 1 
 
 Mrs. Frank H. Belden 1 
 
 Mrs. Houston I. Hiatt 1 
 
 Mrs. Howard G. Hetzler . . . . i 
 
 Mrs. Ralph Peirce 1 
 
 Mrs. William T. Bruckner. . 1 
 
 °95 
 897 
 901 
 
 9°3 
 905 
 9°7 
 9°9 
 9 11 
 9 J 3 
 9*5 
 9i7 
 9*9 
 921 
 922 
 924 
 
 ■97 
 ■01 
 
 ■03 
 
 °5 
 07 
 
 09 
 
 1 1 
 
 *3 
 
 *5 
 i7 
 J9 
 21 
 
 22 
 24 
 26 
 
 Miss 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 Mrs. 
 
 Florence Beckett. 
 
 . 1926-28 
 
 Davis McMakin 
 
 .1928-30 
 
 Harold G. Townsend . . 
 
 •1930-3 1 
 
 Lester B. Converse. . . . 
 
 ■^S^SS 
 
 Duncan J. Hall 
 
 •!933-35 
 
 Earl Victor Johnson . . 
 
 •1935 
 
 Courtney D. Freeman . 
 
 •!935-37 
 
 Martin B. Travis 
 
 •J937-39 
 
 Marshall Keig . . 
 
 . 1Q2Q-T1 
 
 Joel W. Greene 
 
 • l vOV T* 
 ..1941 
 
 Davis McMakin 
 
 .1941-42 
 
 Charles L. Cobb 
 
 .1942-44 
 
 William W. Welsh .... 
 
 .1944-46 
 
 Philip A. Crane 
 
 .1946-48 
 
 W. T. Dawson 
 
 .1948- 
 
 Postmasters 
 
 L. E. Moreley 1867-69 
 
 I. S. Bush 1869-70 
 
 I. S. Hinds 1870-72 
 
 R. S. Slocum 1872-74 
 
 L. E. Gifford 1874-76 
 
 A. L. Pearsall 1876-84 
 
 J. G. BOHLANDER 1 884-88 
 
 A. L. Dorathy 1888-94 
 
 Frank Irvine 1894-98 
 
 D. A. Courter 1898-06 
 
 W. B. Carlton 1906-07 
 
 James McClintock 1907-15 
 
 J. G. BOHLANDER Jr 1915-22 
 
 Norman Jefferson 1922-27 
 
 Syrena B. Roth 1927-35 
 
 F. M. Rawlings 1 935-43 
 
 J. L. Zimmerman *943- 
 
 From 1864 to 1867 Hinsdale people used the Fullersburg post office. 
 In Hinsdale the post office has had these seven locations: 
 
 1. At the southeast corner of Washington and Hinsdale Ave., in the old Roth 
 building. 
 
 2. On the west side of Washington in the Fox Bros, store building, opposite the 
 first location. 
 
 3. In a frame building a little south of the second location. 
 
 4. Three doors south of the third location, on the west side of Washington. 
 
 5. In the Heineman building, northeast corner of First and Washington. 
 
 6. South side of Hinsdale Ave., west of Washington. 
 
 7. The present location. 
 
ig2 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Hinsdale's Population 
 
 1873 30010500 1910 3451 
 
 1875 600 1920 4,042 
 
 1880 819 1923 (50 yrs.) 5,000 
 
 1885 1,100 1930 6,972 
 
 1890 1^584 1940 8,200 
 
 1900 2,500 1949 (est.) 8,600 
 
INDEX 
 
INDEX 
 
 Accidents 
 
 Vehicle, 103 
 
 Railroad, 99, 119 
 A, F. & A. M. Lodge, 177 
 Agricultural Society 
 
 Du Page County, 30 
 Aldrich, Horace, 35 
 Aldrich, Levi, 55 
 Allen, Chas. A., 123, 189 
 American Association of University 
 
 Women, 180 
 American Legion, 177 
 American Legion Auxiliary, 178 
 Artesian Water, 5 
 Ashe, William, 59 
 Athletics, 97, 101, 118, 148, 149 
 Atwater, Jesse, 46 
 Automobiles 
 
 Early Owners, 144 
 Ayres, Anson, 66, 123, 188 
 Bacon, Asa, 147 
 Bahlman, F. W., 147 
 Ballou, Ralph N., 155 
 Banker, E., 82 
 Banker, W. S., 82, 123 
 Banning, S. W., 155 
 Baptist Church, 84, 85, 171 
 Barnes, C. M., 123 
 Barr, W. T., 123 
 Barton, Enos M., 123 
 Barton, Jesse, 125 
 Bascomb, F., 188 
 Bassett, O. P., 125, 146 
 Bassett & Washburn, 146 
 Bayer, Philip, 111 
 
 Beatty, Samuel F., 155, 162, 188, i8g 
 Bebb, Frank, 182 
 Beckett, Florence, 190 
 Beckwith, C. G., 111, 125 
 Bedford, Cora, 101 
 Beidler, A. F., 129 
 Belden, Frank H., Mrs., 190 
 Belknap, A. A., 90 
 Bell, Geo. H., 155, 189 
 Bergman, H., 66 
 Berry, Geo. A., Jr., 155 
 Bicycle Races, Tours, 114, 115 
 Bilger, F. J., Mrs., 184 
 
 Black Hawk, Chief, 17, 19 
 Blackman, W. L., 119, 125 
 Blanchard, J., 82 
 Blodgett, A. H., 125 
 Blodgett, Georgia, 110, 125 
 Blood, James A., 125, 188, 189 
 Boerger, H., 125 
 Bohlander, Henry, 59 
 Bohlander, John G., 67, 111, 125, 
 Bohlander, J. G., Jr., 190 
 Boles, F. T., 155 
 Bowles, Edwin, 125 
 Bowles, Jenny, 101 
 Boy Scouts, 182 
 Boyd, D. W., 68 
 Bradley, John H., 107, 125 
 Brent, Fanny, 181 
 Briggs, Lafayette, 126 
 Brinkman, H. A., 155, 188 
 Brookins, Harvey, Mrs., 49 
 Brooks, E. P., Mrs., 164, 184 
 Brown, Charles A., 122, 144, 155 
 Brown, C. A., Mrs., 163 
 Brown, Malcolm, 153 
 Bruckner, Wm. T., 155, 188 
 Bruckner, W. T., Mrs., 190 
 Brush Hill, 
 
 Name, 46 
 Brush Hill School, 49 
 Buffington, Walter, 126, 155 
 Buildings, 
 
 First in Vicinity, 11, 12 
 Bullerman, W., 67 
 Burns, Randall, 155, 188 
 Burr, W. B., 162 
 Burt, Paul, Mrs., 177 
 Burt, Wilson, 163 
 Burton, John, Mrs., 183, 190 
 Bush, Isaac S., 81, 190 
 Bush, James, 101 
 Bush, L., 188 
 Bush, M. P., 90 
 Business Directories 
 
 Brush Hill, 1854, 58 
 
 Fullersburg, 1886, 67 
 
 Hinsdale, 1886, 111 
 Butler, Burridge D., 155 
 Butler, F. O., 119 
 
 190 
 
 195 
 
ig6 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Butler, Julius W., 119 
 Butler, Julius W., 120 
 Butler, Paul, 120 
 Cable, F. S., 126 
 Cable, Gladys, 164 
 Candee, Flora, Mrs., 177 
 Carey, Judge J. W., 126 
 Carlton, W. B., 190 
 Cartledge, H. T., 182 
 Case, J. I., 83 
 Castle, Ward C, 155 
 C. B. & Q. Railroad 
 
 First Line, 69 
 
 Line Through Napersville and 
 
 Downers Grove, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73 
 
 Early Equipment, 74, 75 
 
 Beginning of Suburban Service, 88 
 
 Station, No. 1, 81, 82 
 
 Station, No. 2, 139 
 
 Highlands, 97 
 Chambers, Geo. T., 111 
 Chandler, Leslie, 153 
 Cemeteries, 121 
 Chamber of Commerce, 180 
 Chautauqua in Hinsdale, 109 
 Chicago Portage, 9, 10 
 Childs, E. W., 155, 189 
 Childs, L. C, 155 
 Childs, Mary C, Mrs., 176, 183 
 Childs, Robert A., 126, 189 
 Childs, R. W., 155, 163 
 Church of Christ Scientist, 173 
 Church Functions, Early, 96, 1 1 1 
 Church Data, 170, 171 
 Churchill, H. P., 90 
 Circuses, 143 
 
 Claim Protection Societies, 30 
 Clarendon Hills, 90 
 
 Origin of Name, 79 
 Clark, C. P., 100, 188 
 Clark, T. B., 188 
 Clark, T. E., 89 
 Clarke, Philip R., 111, 122, 151, 152, 154, 
 
 160, 189 
 Clarke, P. R., Mrs., 164 
 Clarke, Robert W., 115, 116, 121, 126 
 Clarke, Robert W., Jr., 115, 163 
 Cleveland, H. W. G., 77 
 Clifton, F. H., 184 
 Clubs, Not Listed in Chap. X. 
 
 Early, 98, 101 
 
 Hinsdale, 112, 121, 147 
 
 Presidents, 189 
 
 Country Tennis, 121 
 
 Saddle and Bridle, 153 
 
 Polo, Oak Brook, 120 
 Cobb, Chas. L., 155, 189 
 Cobb, C. L., Mrs., 190 
 Cochran, Philip, 178 
 Coe, C. T., 67 
 Coe, John S., 48, 54, 62, 68 
 Coffeen, William, 126 
 Coffin, George, 143 
 Coffin, M., 66 
 
 Collins, Sydney T., 126, 155 
 Community House, 184 
 Conover, L. P., 127, 155, 189 
 Converse, L. B., Mrs., 190 
 Cortis, W. P., 127 
 Couch, Luther, 58 
 
 Council of War on Desplaines River, 18 
 County Seat Moved, 85 
 Courter, D. A., 127, 190 
 Craigmile, Deacon James, 127 
 Crane, P. A., 184 
 Crane, P. A., Mrs., 190 
 Crosby, E. C, 127 
 Crosby, Francis, 115 
 Crossette, C. H., 127, 189 
 Crocker, D. J., 127 
 Crocker W. H., 189 
 Crooke, Wm. D., 127 
 Crouse, Fred C, 111 
 Cushing, Chas. H., 127 
 Cushing, Otis, 127 
 Cushing, Otis, Mrs., 190 
 Danforth, J. J., 127, 189 
 Dart, Guy, 182 
 Dart, Guy, Mrs., 180 
 Daughters American Revolution, 180 
 Davies, W. B., 155 
 Davis, J. C, Mrs., 163, 179 
 Davis, Mark, 58 
 Dawson, Alex, 111 
 Dawson, Thomas, 127 
 Dawson, W. T., Mrs., 190 
 Dean, Earl S., 163 
 Dean, H. S., 128 
 Dean, R. H., 128 
 Dean, Samuel E., 155 
 Delicate, W., 67 
 Deming, B. F., 188 
 Dennison, C. G., 177 
 Derrickson, Geo. P., 128 
 Desplaines River, 3, 4, 9 
 Dickinson, Ruth, Mrs., 184 
 
INDEX 
 
 197 
 
 Dickinson, Wm. F., 155 
 Dietz, Henry, 59 
 Diphtheria Epidemic, 114 
 Ditzler, E. H., 128 
 Ditzler & Linsley Fire, 148 
 Dodson, Josiah B., 58 
 Donohue, M. A., 89, 128, 188 
 Doolittle, F. A., 188 
 Dora thy, A. L., 86, 111, 190 
 Downers Grove, 
 
 Name, 80 
 Dreusicke, Oscar, 184 
 Duncan, Joseph, 163 
 Duncan, Wm., 128, 142, 188, 189 
 Dugan, A. G., 155 
 Dugan, A. G., Mrs., 164 
 Dugan, Hugh, Mrs., 164, 177 
 Du Page, Company of Volunteers, 21 
 Du Page, Name, 13 
 Dyas, F. G., 155 
 Dynes, O. W., 155 
 Earle, John, 128 
 Eckert, Walter H., 155, 189 
 Eckert, W. H., Mrs., 181 
 Eddy, J. E., Mrs., 164 
 Edwards, Bert, 121 
 Edwards, W. H., Mrs., 190 
 Edwards, W. P., 128 
 Edwards, S. R., 155 
 Eidam, J. C, 67 
 Elmers, Andreaus, 128 
 Episcopal Church, 96, 172 
 Essley, E. Porter, 155 
 Estabrook, D. S., 83 
 Estabrook, H. L., 188 
 Evangelical Mission 
 
 Covenant Church, 172 
 Everett, Edward W., 155 
 Evernden, William, 91, 111, 128, 145 
 External Civic Work, 179 
 Farr, Frank D., 155 
 Farr, Frank D., Mrs., 181 
 Farr, Reuben, 83 
 Farrel, James, 128 
 Fayerweather, Rhoades, 115 
 Fee, Louie T., 101 
 Fellows, C, 66 
 Fenn, A. E., Mrs., 181 
 Ferrill, B. E., 188 
 Fetzer, J. C, 155 
 Fetzer, Wade, 154, 164, 189 
 Field, Walter Taylor, 155 
 Fish, Elisha, 46 
 
 Fisk, Caroline P., 188 
 Flagg Creek, 3, 4, 5 
 
 Flagg Creek Convention, 32 
 
 Attempted Ambush, 22 
 Flechtner, H., 67 
 Foot, D. K., 66 
 Ford, Almeron, 67 
 Fort Beggs, 22 
 Fort Paine, 22 
 Foster, Thomas, 1 1 1 
 Fourth of July Celebration 
 
 Pioneer, 35 
 
 First Known in Hinsdale, 97 
 
 Where Held, 98 
 
 "Sane" Fourth Movement, 150, 152 
 Fox, Charles, 128 
 Fox & Davis, 1 1 6 
 Fox, Heman, 128 
 Fox, Jarvis, 66, 76 
 Fox, Marvin, 48 
 Frank, A., 66 
 
 Freeman, C. D., Mrs., 190 
 Freeman, H. W., 155 
 Freeman, W. H., 129 
 Freer, Lemuel H., 129 
 Freer, L. H., Mrs., 163 
 French, Geo. H., 112 
 Frey, C. P., 92, 188 
 Friends of the Library, 177 
 Frosher, Adolph, 70, 129 
 Frost, A. G., 155 
 Frost, J. M., 175 
 Fuller, Benjamin, 47, 48, 59, 129 
 Fuller, Jacob and Family, 47 
 Fuller, John, 59 
 Fuller, Loie, 63 
 Fuller, Morell, 62, 67, 129 
 Fuller, William, 55 
 Fullersburg Annexed, 154 
 Fullersburg, Incorporated, 62 
 Fulton, H. A., 129 
 Fur Traders, 12, 13 
 Gager, Chas. M., 162 
 Gardner, Henry A., 118, 129 
 Garden Club, 181 
 Garden Study Club, 181 
 Gates, Wm. P., 129 
 Geology 
 
 Cook and Du Page Counties, 3, 4, 5 
 Germann, P. O., Mrs., 180 
 Giffert, Wm., 153 
 Gifford, J. A., 112 
 Gifford, L. E., 188, 190 
 
i 9 8 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Girl Scouts, 183 
 
 Gordon, W. G., 189 
 
 Government, 167 
 
 Grabo, Carl, 115 
 
 Grabo, H. F., 114 
 
 Grant, Orente, 46 
 
 Gray, E. E., 123 
 
 Graue, Frederick, 59, 61, 72 
 
 Graue Grist Mill, 59 
 
 Graue, Wm., Mrs., 61 
 
 Greene, J. W., Mrs., 190 
 
 Haake, Godefrey, 112 
 
 Hahn, Henry, 62 
 
 Hall, A. T., 83, 90 
 
 Hall, D. J., Mrs., 190 
 
 Hammond, John, 112 
 
 Handke, M. E., 155 
 
 Hawley, Pierce, 16, 20 
 
 Hannah, F. H., 82, 129 
 
 Harris, Robert, 83, 90 
 
 Hasbrook, E. F., 188 
 
 Haskell, Dr. L. P., 109, 130 
 
 Heineman, W. S., 67, 130 
 
 Heinke, Henry, 67 
 
 Hemshell, John, 48, 76, 112 
 
 Hench, Horace B., 162 
 
 Hench, Dr. J. B., 130, 148 
 
 Hench, Jay L., 155, 162 
 
 Henrick, Christian, 62 
 
 Heppes, J. O., 189 
 
 Hess, John C, 188 
 
 Hetzler, H. G., 155 
 
 Hetzler, H. G., Mrs., 190 
 
 Hiatt, H. Mrs., 190 
 
 Hiatt, Houston, I., 155 
 
 Hicks, E. H., 189 
 
 Hicks, Olive, 183 
 
 Higley, Chas. A., 155 
 
 Hildebrand, L. K., 130 
 
 Hinckley, Geo. W., 130 
 
 Hinckley, Wm. B., 130 
 
 Hinckley, Wm. S., 130 
 
 Hinds, E. P., 83, 93, 188, 189 
 
 Hinds, I. L., 188 
 
 Hinds, I. S., 190 
 
 Hinds, J. P., 89 
 
 Hines, A. G., 91 
 
 Hines, B. W., 189 
 
 Hines, E. F., Mrs., 56 
 
 Hinsdale Beacon, Newspaper, 116 
 
 Hinsdale Community Service, 179 
 
 Hinsdale Doings, 184 
 
 Hinsdale Fresh Air Assn., 150 
 
 Hinsdale 50th Anniversary 
 
 Celebration, 153 
 Hinsdale Golf Club, 132 (L. C. Newell), 
 
 91, 147, 151, 152 
 Hinsdale Good Fellows, 159 
 Hinsdale, Incorporated, 93 
 Hinsdale, Index, Newspaper, 116 
 Hinsdale 
 
 Name, 78, 79 
 Hinsdale Laundry, 112 
 Hinsdale Relief Society, 159 
 Hinsdale Sanitarium, 146 
 Hinsdale Theatre, 152 
 Homes, Early, 86, 123 
 Horse Shows, 153 
 Hix, W., 67 
 Hoehne, George, 62 
 Holcomb, H. H., 155, 189 
 Holcomb, H. W., 189 
 Holcomb, W. H., 131, 189 
 Holmes, C. B., 82, 90 
 Holverscheid, Henry, 131 
 Holverscheid, H., Mrs., 190 
 Hoof, Addison C, 155 
 Hough, S., Mrs., 183 
 Howard, George, 90 
 Howard, Thomas T., 112 
 Hudson, C. H., 188 
 Hughitt, Marvin, 82 
 Ignatz, H., 67 
 Illinois— Mich. Canal, 37 
 Illinois, 
 
 Northern Boundary of, 12 
 Immanuel Church, 172 
 Indian Creek Massacre, 20 
 Indians of Chicago Region, 5 to 7, 
 
 Removed From This Area, 31 
 Infant Welfare, 179 
 Irish, Mary, 131 
 Irvine, Frank, 190 
 Jackson, Geo. M., 189 
 Jackson, Horace, 131 
 Jackson, Isabelle, 183 
 Jefferson, Norman, 190 
 Johnson, E. B., 189 
 Johnson, E. V., Mrs., 190 
 Johnston, William, 112 
 Jones, Benjamin, 131 
 Jones, Robert, 76 
 Jordan, Wm. R., 184 
 Jordan, W. R., Mrs., 180 
 Joselyn, M. L., 156 
 Karlson, E. & Son, 112 
 
INDEX 
 
 199 
 
 Karnatz, C, 67 
 
 Keane, H. Victor, 156 
 
 Keig, Marshall, 110, 156 
 
 Keig, Marshall, Mrs., 190 
 
 Keith, A. E., 144, 152 
 
 Keller, Fred J., 184 
 
 Ketcham, Gertrude, Mrs., 178 
 
 Kettering, E. W., 184 
 
 Kettering, E. W., Mrs., 164 
 
 Keyes, George, 1 1 2 
 
 Kimball, W. W., Mrs., 164 
 
 Kimbell, C. B., 131 
 
 Kimbell, C. R., 162 
 
 King, Sherman, 27, 49, 55, 59, 162 
 
 Knapp, Geo. A., 189 
 
 Knight, Wm. H., 131, 187 
 
 Knight, W. H., Mrs., 190 
 
 Knisley, H. C., 131, 156 
 
 Knowlson, J. S., 156 
 
 Krohn, W. F., 131, 156 
 
 Kurth, Frederick, 162 
 
 Kurth, Julius, 162 
 
 LaGrange, name, 79 
 
 Lamb, Chauncey T., 132, 182 
 
 Lamson, John B., 156 
 
 Laugh ton Brothers, 11, 15 
 
 Laundry, Hinsdale, 112 
 
 Lawrence, Grove, 56 
 
 Lawton, Dr. Thomas, 132 
 
 Leary, Mary A., 183 
 
 Legge, Alexander, 134, 152, 154 
 
 Leland, W., 83, 93, 188 
 
 Lemmon, T. A., 91 
 
 Leonard, F., 59 
 
 Leslie, Walter, 112 
 
 Lincoln, A. A., 132, 188 
 
 Linsley, T. H., 132 
 
 Locksmith, T. F., 112 
 
 Lonergan, T. E., 116, 188 
 
 Lord, John S., 156 
 
 Lundberg, H. B., Mrs., 180 
 
 Lyons, 10, 1 1 
 
 MacLeish, Archibald, 156 
 
 Mail, Delivery, 41, 78 
 
 Mammoth Spring, 5 
 
 Mann, A. A., 188 
 
 Manufactories in Village, 145 
 
 Masquerade Ball, 96 
 
 Mayer, D., 66 
 
 Mayer, H., 66 
 
 McAllister, A., 66 
 
 McAllister, Harry, 153 
 
 McClintock, James, 190 
 
 McCredie, William, 83, 132, i£ 
 McDonald, Alva, 58 
 McElhone, F. H., 188, 189 
 McKeand, W. B., Mrs., 163 
 McKenna, E. P., 156, 182 
 McKinstry, A. E., 154 
 McLeran, G. R., 156 
 McMakin, Davis, Mrs., 190 
 Mecartney, H. S., 156 
 Mecartney, Malcolm, 168 
 Memorial Building 
 
 Campaign for, 160 
 Merrick, Dr. J. C., 132, 188 
 Merrill, C. D. F., 165 
 Merrill, D. H., 184 
 Merrill, J. C. F., 118, 132, 188 
 Merriman, Rev. Earl, 151 
 Middaugh, H. C., 91 
 Middleton, Eva, 101 
 Middleton, M. H., 188 
 Millions, Eben, 84 
 Mitchell, Geo. H., 132 
 Mitchell, J. B., Mrs., 184 
 Mohr, J. P., 132 
 Monell, John J., 90 
 Moore, Harold, Mrs., 177 
 Moore, Frederick W., 156 
 Moreley, L. E., 84, 190 
 Morris Flower Shop, 112 
 Murray, Tom, 111, 163 
 Music Club, 181 
 Myers, M. A., 156 
 Naper's Settlement, 14 
 Naumann, Louis J., 156 
 Newell, L. C, 132 
 Niagara Lime Stone, 3 
 Noble, Geo. W., 133 
 Nottingham, Jerry, 83 
 O'Brien, Frederick, 156 
 Ogden Avenue— Southwest 
 
 Highway, 7, 43, 45, 46 
 Ordinances, Early, 168 
 Osborn, C. R., Mrs., 164 
 Ostrum, William, 67, 133 
 Ostrander, Elias, 58 
 Packard, Franklin, 58 
 Page, Tom, 184 
 Pape, William, 163 
 Papenhausen, J. H., 70, 112 
 Parent-Teachers Assn., 176 
 Parker, John, 188 
 Parker, John C. B., 156 
 Parker, John, Mrs., 179 
 
200 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Pascall, P. P., 133 
 Payne, Alfred, 133 
 Peabody, Francis S., 134, 151 
 Peabody, Stuyvesant, 152, 156 
 Pearsall, A. L., 133, 190 
 Pearsons, D. K., 141, 147, 176 
 Peaslee, J. Frank, 189 
 P. E. O. Sisterhood, 182 
 Perry, D. L., 134, 188 
 Pfeifer, Charles, 112 
 Phelps, H. Perry, 156 
 Pierce, R. S., 182 
 Pierce, Ralph, Mrs., 190 
 Pioneer Life, Brush Hill, 51, 52 
 Police, First, 100 
 Politics, Early, 
 
 Du Page County, 31, 32, 33 
 Pollock, W. J., Mrs., 183 
 Population, 191 
 Postmasters, 190 
 Post Office Locations, 190 
 Powell, Samuel, 83 
 Pratt, D. W., 189 
 Preemption, 52, 53 
 Presidents of Village Board, 188 
 Presidents of the School Board, 189 
 Preston, D. H., 134, 188 
 Prouty, George, 176 
 Public Library, 176 
 Pugh, A., 134, 188 
 Raftree, M. L., 134 
 Ransom, Lake, Shooting of, 103 
 Rawlings, F. M., 190 
 Raymond, C. E., 134, 152 
 Raymond, C. E., Mrs., 190 
 Red Cross, 163 
 
 Redeemer Lutheran Church, 173 
 Redfern, J. N., 189 
 Reed, Alanson, 97, 134 
 Reed, John W., 97, 134 
 Regnery, Francis, 183 
 Regnery, Wm. H., 123, 156, 165, 182, il 
 Reineke's Grocery, 112 
 Richardson, J. D., 134 
 Richie, Bruce E., 134, 156 
 Ridgeway, J. V., Mrs., 183 
 Rieder, John, 46 
 Roads, Early, 39, 41, 42 
 
 Plank, 43, 44 
 
 Hinsdale Vicinity, 54, 88, 89, 90 
 Robbins, Geo. B., 134 
 Robbins, William, 76, 77, 78, 93, 188 
 Roberts, John, Mrs., 181 
 
 Robinson, A. R., 114, 135 
 
 Rockwell, F. W., 189 
 
 Rogers, J. W., 66 
 
 Rogers, T. S., 66 
 
 Ross, Agard, 115, 135 
 
 Ross, Joachim, 67 
 
 Ross, John C, 118, 135 
 
 Roth Building, 139 
 
 Roth, David, 66, 82, 135, 188 
 
 Roth, Syrena B., 190 
 
 Rowell, Wilfred A., 156 
 
 Ruchty, John F., 67, 135 
 
 Rudolph, Paul, 67 
 
 Russell, J. W., 104 
 
 Ruth Lake Golf Club, 153 
 
 Ruth, Linus, 153 
 
 Ruth, Linus C, 135, 167 
 
 Ruth, L. C, Mrs., 177 
 
 Saint Isaac Jogues Church, 173 
 
 Salt Creek, 4, 7, 61, 142, 143 
 
 Samuel, M., 189 
 
 Saunders, C. M., 80 
 
 Sawyer, E., 188 
 
 Schmidt, Charles, 67 
 
 Schmidt, John, 143 
 
 Schmidt, Wm. E., 163 
 
 Schools, 
 
 First, 49, 80 
 
 Subsequent History, 107, 174 
 Schultz, John, 162 
 Scotford, Howard, 121 
 Scott, General Winfield, 25, 26 
 Settlers, Places from Where They Came, 29 
 
 First in Downers Grove Twp., 29 
 
 First in York Twp., 48 
 Seventh Day Adventists Church, 173 
 Shabbonna, Chief, 18, 21, 27 
 Shannon, Edith, 101 
 Shannon, James S., 135 
 Sheldon, Walter M., 133, 162 
 Sherer, S. B., 90 
 Shewell, F. W., 99, 116 
 Signers of Petition for 
 
 Incorporation of Village, 188 
 Slade, Dana Jr., 156, 189 
 Slocum, Robert S., 135, 188, 190 
 Smith, A. M., 90 
 Smith, Geo. E., 189 
 Smith, Jesse E., 156 
 Smith, Robert F., Mrs., 164 
 Snitjer, Dirkus, 90 
 Snow, C. D., Mrs., 176 
 Snow, G. P., 189 
 
INDEX 
 
 201 
 
 Soil, Du Page County, 5 
 
 Sommers, Abner, 184 
 
 Spears, Thomas, 178 
 
 Stage Coaches, 39, 40 
 
 Story, H. L., 97 
 
 Stough, Oliver J., 81, 83, 95, 135, 171 
 
 Stough's Hall (Gardner's Hall), 95 
 
 Straus, Michael, 91 
 
 Streets and Sidewalks, 86, 87, 89, 143 
 
 Strong, Caroline, Mrs., Letter, 23 
 
 Stuart, Frances, 163 
 
 Stuart, James F., 135 
 
 Stuart, John F., 188 
 
 Swartout, James, 77, 135 
 
 Symonds, Courtland, 184 
 
 Symonds, Nathaniel G., 156 
 
 Talmadge, John, 46 
 
 Taverns, Early, 40 
 
 Taylor, F. T., 114 
 
 Templeton, Walter B., 156 
 
 Thayer, Carl, 135 
 
 Thayer, Ralph M., 156 
 
 Thompson, H. R., 83, 188 
 
 Thurston, David, 48, 66 
 
 Tiffany, Frances, 101 
 
 Tiffany, Joel, 93, 135, 188 
 
 Timke, Frederick, 67 
 
 Towns, Early, Cook County, 12 
 
 Towns, Early, Du Page County, 29 
 
 Tramps, 102 
 
 Travis, M. B., Mrs., 190 
 
 Torode, Nicholas, 54 
 
 Torode, Phillip, 112 
 
 Towne, A. N., 82 
 
 Townsend, H. G., 156 
 
 Townsend, H. G., Mrs., 179 
 
 Townsend, Perry, 112 
 
 Tunk, Fred, 67 
 
 Underground Railroad, 
 
 Fullersburg, A Station of, 62, 63 
 Union Church, 90, 171 
 Unitarian Church, 91, 171 
 Using, Tom, 84 
 Utilities, 100, 116, 118, 144 
 Utley and Frisbie, 147 
 Vanderblue, Homer B., 137 
 Van Inwagen, Frank, 156, 162, 189 
 Van Inwagen, James, 137 
 Van Inwagen, Lucia, 101 
 Van Liew, Dr. F. H., 112, 137 
 Van Velzer, Barto, 48, 137 
 Van Vleck, James B., 156, 189 
 Veeck, William L., 156 
 
 Veterans Civic Association, 178 
 Veterans of Foreign Wars, 178 
 Village Government 
 
 First Election, 93 
 
 Troubles of the Board, 100, 106 
 
 Early Ordinances, 167 
 
 Organization, 169 
 Village League, 150 
 Village Manager, Experiment, 154 
 Wade, Mary L., 156 
 Wakeman, Emily, 112 
 Walker, Alfred, 163, 182 
 Walker, Alfred L., 56, 57 
 Walker, A. E., 137 
 Walker, A. E., Mrs., 190 
 Walker, F. H., Dr., 83 
 Walker, J. M., 83, 90 
 Walker, James, Mrs., 164 
 Warren, Alice, 62, 137, 177 
 Warren, C. C, 137 
 Warren, C. T., 137 
 Warren, N. H., 87, 93, 137, 188 
 Warren, Sarah, Mrs., 176 
 Washburn, C. L., 137, 146 
 Washburn, L. L., Miss, 190 
 Webster, Frank B., 156 
 Webster, John, 137 
 Webster, Nelson H., 115 
 Weddel, Mac, 153 
 Weddell, Thomas R., 156, 189 
 Weddell, T. R., Mrs., 163 
 Wegner, F., 66 
 Wegner, William, 67 
 Weidig, Adolph, 138 
 Weir, A. M., 104 
 Welch, W. W., 91 
 Welch, W. W., Mrs., 190 
 Wells, Geo. H., 93, 188 
 Werden, Fred, 62 
 Western Springs, 
 
 Name, 79 
 
 Spring Water, 98 
 Westmont, Name, 79 
 Wheeler, Marcia, 177 
 Whiting, William, 188 
 Whiteside. N. H., Mrs., 153 
 Wilcox, J. W., 188 
 Williams, Albert, 115 
 Williamson, J. G., Dr., 112 
 Williamson, W. W., 156 
 Willis, Thomas H., 156 
 Wilson, George, 138 
 Wilson, George, Rev., 138 
 
202 
 
 VILLAGE ON 
 L., 156 
 
 Wilson, William 
 Winship, E., 58 
 Wire, Geo. L., 156 
 Wohlgemuth, John F., 156 
 Wolf Hunt, Du Page County, 
 Wood, J. C, 156, 188 
 Wood, W. W., 95, 188 
 Woodcock, T. J., 138 
 
 34 
 
 THE COUNTY LINE 
 
 Woman's Club, 183 
 
 Presidents, 190 
 Wrede, Richard, 67 
 Wright, G. K., 122 
 Yorrick, J. G., 55 
 Young, Arthur, 59 
 Zimmerman, J. L., 190 
 Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 
 Zschack, E., 67 
 
 72 
 
The Land Owner Map, showing Hinsdale streets and subdivisions in the year 1869. 
 
Courtesy of Newberry Library