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79-573: Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois , United States. Bordering Lake Michigan , Kenilworth , Winnetka , Skokie , Northfield , Glenview , and Evanston, Illinois , it is located 14 miles (23 km) north of Chicago 's downtown district . Wilmette had a population of 28,170 at the 2020 census . The first and only Baháʼí House of Worship in North America is located in Wilmette. Wilmette

158-499: A French-Canadian fur trader. Together they would ultimately have eight children (sons Louis, Joseph, Michael and Francis; daughters Elizabeth, Archange, Josett and Sophia), the last being born in 1808. On July 29, 1829, as a condition of the Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien , the U.S. government awarded 1,280 acres (5.2 km) of land in present-day Wilmette and Evanston to Archange Chevallier Ouilmette. The Ouilmettes moved into

237-476: A hamlet in New York state, or even a relatively small community within an incorporated city or town, may be termed a village. This informal usage may be found even in states that have villages as incorporated municipalities and is similar to the usage of the term "unincorporated town" in states having town governments. States that formally recognize villages vary widely in the definition of the term. Most commonly,

316-507: A special tax district . An example of the latter is the Village of Friendship Heights . The distinction is legally relevant to the level of police power that a village may exercise. In Michigan , villages differ from cities in that, whereas villages remain part of the townships in which they are formed, thereby reducing their home-rule powers, cities are not part of townships. Because of this, village governments are required to share some of

395-746: A cabin that they built on this reserved land. In the late 1830s Antoine Ouilmette was involved in litigation against Joseph Fountain of Evanston and others, whom he accused of trespassing and illegally harvesting timber from the Ouilmette family's reservation. Ouilmette lost the suit and paid a large bill in court costs. It was after this that the Ouilmette family decided to leave. In 1838, the Ouilmette family moved to Council Bluffs , Iowa , where many Potawatomi had previously relocated. Archange Chevallier Ouilmette died there on November 25, 1840, and Antoine Ouilmette died there on December 1, 1841. After Archange's and Antoine's deaths, seven of their children petitioned

474-413: A compromise with the village. The village had previously been unwilling to rezone the property to permit him to house his commercial offices there. As a result, Marshall had been unable to get a building permit for the home. Marshall made an offer to members of the headquarterless organization, he would let them house their headquarters in the basement of the studio if they could convince the village to issue

553-529: A high degree of land speculation and settlement. The Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad tracks were built in 1855, facilitating the settlement of what would become the North Shore. Several large owners of land within the former reservation saw the opportunity to develop a community, and offered to build a station at their own expense if the railway would agree to stop in Wilmette The offer was accepted, and in 1869,

632-532: A lakefront amphitheater at Gilson Park. The venue, now known as the Wallace Bowl (in honor of Gordon Wallace, Park District superintendent from 1936 until 1968), opened the following year. In 1931 Green Bay Road was opened, supplementing Sheridan Road's role as a North-South arterial route through the North Shore. A Coast Guard station was established in Wilmette Harbor in 1931. In 1933 the village restricted

711-607: A large new church was instantly underway (completed in October 1939). It is believed that had Hitler/the Nazi's obtained the money, it would have gone towards Nazi military. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, village life revolved around the war effort: bond drives, air raid drills, scrap drives, and victory gardens were the order of the day. The Wilmette Council of Civil Defense, under

790-572: A letter commending Monsignor Neumann and St. Joseph's for their courage in undertaking the large task during the Great Depression. The Great Depression greatly impacted No Man's Land, forcing the closure of Vista del Lago. A fire that broke out in the Miralago on the night of March 8, 1932, severely damaged the building along with many nearby properties (such as the structures abandoned by the defunct Breaker's Beach Club and Vista del Lago), thus tolling

869-604: A long legal battle, Wilmette annexed No Man's Land. Village (United States) In the United States , the meaning of village varies by geographic area and legal jurisdiction. In formal usage, a " village " is a type of administrative division at the local government level. Since the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from legislating on local government,

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948-505: A major business in Gross Point. At least fifteen operated along Ridge Road, the village's eastern boundary, directly across the street from St. Joseph's. These were controversial: many in surrounding communities, especially Evanston (home to the Women's Christian Temperance Union ) bitterly opposed the saloon trade, and made several attempts—ultimately successful—to shut it down. Upon the passing of

1027-429: A permit. Soon afterwards, the village was convinced to issue a permit allowing for the construction of a "clubhouse-studio". Marshall constructed his forty-room pink- stucco Spanish Colonial Revival mansion from 1922 until 1924 and decorated it with rare art and furniture. It was said to have cost somewhere between $ 500,000 and $ 1,000,000 to construct. The house was built into a bluff so that only one of its three stories

1106-592: A result of this change of ownership, the Sheridan Shores Club was evicted from their headquarters in the lower floor of the Marshall Mansion. In 1937 the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club constructed a new clubhouse at Wilmette Harbor. The Goldblatt family offered to gift the former Marshall mansion to the village for use as a community center. However, the village declined their offer. The opulent mansion

1185-538: A second parish in the area, which would become St. Francis Xavier Church in 1904. Upon the death of Fr. Netstraeter in 1924, it was discovered that he bequeathed a large monetary sum of his estate for the construction of a new church. The money was temporarily borrowed by Cardinal George Mundelein , but returned in 1938 and was used to construct the new, current, St. Joseph's church, which opened in 1939. St. Francis Xavier Church would be merged with St. Joseph Parish in 2019 with much controversy. In 1897 Gross Point opened up

1264-589: A small public school west of Ridge Road on Wilmette Avenue. The Gross Point Public School was housed in a two-room, two-story brick building built on that had been donated by the Nanzig family. Its building would later become the home of the American Legion Post 46. By the early 1890s the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad had double-tracked its line in Wilmette. In 1890 Wilmette constructed its first village hall. In 1892

1343-521: A village in New York; Hempstead , the largest village in the state, has 55,000 residents, making it more populous than some of the state's cities. However, villages in the state may not exceed five square miles (13 km ) in area. Present law requires a minimum of 500 residents to incorporate as a village. The municipalities in North Carolina are cities, towns, and villages. There are no significant differences in legal power or status. In Ohio ,

1422-418: A village is a municipality of 100 through 800 inhabitants, whereas a city must have at least 800 inhabitants. In counties having townships, all villages, but only some cities, are within township areas. A city of the second class (800-5,000 inhabitants) may elect to revert to village status. In New Hampshire , a village district or precinct may be organized within a town. Such a village district or precinct

1501-423: A village is an incorporated area that differs from a city in that a village is within the jurisdiction of one or more towns , whereas a city is independent of a town. Villages thus have less autonomy than cities. A village is usually, but not always, within a single town. A village may be coterminous with, and have a consolidated government with, a town. A village is a clearly defined municipality that provides

1580-443: A village is an incorporated municipality with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, excluding residents of educational or correctional facilities. The minimum population for incorporation as a village is 1,600 inhabitants, but this was not always the case, resulting in many very small villages. If an existing village's population surpasses 5,000 at a federal census, or if a village comes to have more than 5,000 resident registered voters, it

1659-536: A village is defined as a tract of land with more than 300 people where livestock are not allowed to roam free. Villages are erected by local circuit courts. In Vermont , villages are named communities located within the boundaries of a legally established town , unlike cities, which are outside of any town area. Villages may be incorporated or unincorporated. In West Virginia , towns and villages are Class IV municipalities, i.e., having 2,000 or fewer inhabitants. In Wisconsin , cities and villages are both outside

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1738-510: A village is either a special district or a municipality. As a municipality, a village may Under Article 10, Section 2 of the Alaska Constitution , as well as law enacted pursuant to the constitution, Alaska legally recognizes only cities and boroughs as municipal entities in Alaska. In Alaska, "village" is a colloquial term used to refer to small communities, which are mostly located in

1817-607: A village typically formed around the meetinghouses that were located in the center of each town . Many of these colonial settlements still exist as town centers . With the advent of the Industrial Revolution , industrial villages also sprang up around water-powered mills , mines , and factories . Because most New England villages were contained within the boundaries of legally established towns, many such villages were never separately incorporated as municipalities. A relatively small unincorporated community , similar to

1896-465: A vote of 168 to 165; three others also failed. Following the result of these votes, the village improved its own services. Among the efforts at improving the village's services was the construction of a central fire station in 1899. Paving of the village streets with specially made bricks began in earnest at this time, as well. New Trier High School, built in Winnetka but also drawing students from Wilmette,

1975-416: Is Linden , about a mile away. As of February 16, 2024, Wilmette is served by all 70 trains (35 in each direction) on weekdays, by 24 trains (12 in each direction) on Saturdays, and by all 18 trains (nine in each direction) on Sundays and holidays. The first railroad station in Wilmette opened in 1871 at a cost of $ 700 (equivalent to $ 17,803 in 2023). In 1875, it took 30 minutes to get to Chicago (about

2054-483: Is a board of six elected trustees and an elected village president, all of whom are usually elected at-large . A village in Louisiana is a municipality having a population of 1,000 or fewer. In Maine , village corporations or village improvement corporations are special districts established in towns for limited purposes. In Maryland , a locality designated "Village of ..." may be either an incorporated town or

2133-590: Is a special district with limited powers. A village in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. Villages in New Jersey are of equal standing to other municipalities, such as cities, towns, boroughs, and townships. The municipalities in New Mexico are cities, towns, and villages. There are no differences among them that would affect their classification for census purposes. In New York ,

2212-535: Is also home to Central Elementary School and Romona Elementary School, both recent recipients of the National Blue Ribbon award bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education. Wilmette was a forested area with high bluffs along its lakeshore. Before European settlement, members of the Potawatomi tribe lived in the area that would later become Wilmette. Native Americans were forced out of the area by treaties in

2291-433: Is automatically designated as a city. Cities or villages may be located within township areas; however, if a city or village becomes coterminous with a township, the township ceases to exist as a separate government (see paper township ). In Oklahoma , unincorporated communities are called villages and are not counted as governments. In Oregon , the municipal governments are cities, towns, and villages, although there

2370-442: Is no significance in their legal powers or status. Also, one county — Clackamas County — permits the organization of unincorporated areas into villages and hamlets. The boards of such entities are advisory to the county. In Texas , villages may be Type B or Type C municipalities, but not Type A municipalities. The types differ in terms of population and in terms of the forms of government that they may adopt. In Virginia ,

2449-629: Is today known simply as west Wilmette was once a very distinct community. German-speaking Roman Catholic farmers from the Mosel Valley near Luxembourg in what is now Germany, many of them from in and around the city of Trier (for which the New Trier Township would later be named), had begun settling the area in the late 1830s. They developed a cohesive farming community and were active in the governance of New Trier Township (established in 1850), which built roads, schools and drainage ditches. Due to

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2528-590: The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , there was attempted attack of the St. Josephs rectory where Fr. Netstraeter lived, as he was an advocate for prohibition. St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church was established in 1845 at the corner of Lake Avenue and Ridge Road. In 1873, the church opened a school. Many of the children in Gross Point attended school at St. Joseph, where they were taught by nuns from Milwaukee's School Sisters of St. Francis until 1981;

2607-455: The states are free to have political subdivisions called "villages" or not to and to define the word in many ways. Typically, a village is a type of municipality , although it can also be a special district or an unincorporated area . It may or may not be recognized for governmental purposes. In informal usage, a U.S. village may be simply a relatively small clustered human settlement without formal legal existence. In colonial New England ,

2686-449: The 1820s and 1830s. The village is named in honor of Archange and Antoine Ouilmette . Archange Chevallier Ouilmette was born in approximately 1781 at Sugar Creek, Michigan . She was the daughter of Pierese Chevallier, a French fur trader , and his Potawatomi wife, Chopa. She was among the earliest recorded residents of Chicago, having settled there prior to its official incorporation. In either 1796 or 1797 she married Antoine Ouilmette,

2765-474: The 1922 plan represents the beginning of zoning as a mode of shaping the village's development. In 1919 the neighboring Village of Gross Point was dissolved due to bankruptcy. It was subsequently annexed by Wilmette, with one part being annexed in 1924 and the rest in 1926. In early 1924 the village issued a permit approving construction of its first apartment building, the Linden Crest Apartments at

2844-566: The Archdiocese of Chicago closed the school in 1986, but parish families reopened it a decade later. The German language was frequently used in the classrooms up until World War I , when the school abandoned this practice due to anti-German feeling in the United States. Prior to then, because Masses were only celebrated in German, English-speaking Catholics petitioned the Archdiocese of Chicago to open

2923-575: The Bahá'í property, Wilmette Harbor experienced a plethora of changes in the twenties. The Sheridan Shore Yacht Club opened in Wilmette Harbor during the 1920s. The club was housed in a space on the lower floor of the Marshall mansion (architect Benjamin Marshall 's opulent residence and studio), which sat along Sheridan Road on the south side of the harbor. Marshall had allowed the club to be located in his mansion as

3002-861: The Chicago & Milwaukee railroad is today occupied by the 9-mile Green Bay Trail . Wilmette was home to a variety of social and literary clubs. Among these was the Wilmette Woman's Club, which was founded in 1891 as a reading club but quickly expanded to embrace a wide variety of philanthropic activities. Another was the Sunday Evening Supper Club, which would host such prominent speakers as William Jennings Bryan and Jane Addams . Referendums were held in 1894 and 1897 over whether Wilmette should seek to be annexed by neighboring Evanston . Proponents wanted to take advantage of Evanston's then superior fire, police, and water services, as well as Evanston Township High School. One annexation referendum lost by

3081-438: The Chicago and Milwaukee Railway (later the Chicago and North Western) began service to the station. The first station burned, but the second one had been finished by 1874 and is still in existence today. This was a predecessor of today's Wilmette station . In 1871 Central School, the community's first public school, was established in a one-room schoolhouse . The community was officially incorporated on September 19, 1872, as

3160-552: The Village of Wilmette, at Andrew Sherman's house on Greenleaf Avenue. John Westerfield, whose large farm on the lakeshore occupied the area where the original Ouilmette cabin had been, was elected as the new village's first president. In 1875 Wilmette's Protestant denominations partnered to construct the Union Evangelical Church at the northeast corner of Wilmette and Lake Avenues, an arrangement that would ultimately fail, as

3239-506: The area for generations. In the 1850s and 1860s, more prosperous entrepreneurs from New York State and the Eastern seaboard bought out many of these settlers. Among them were Alexander McDaniel (who had arrived in the 1830s, then returned from the California gold rush with money to invest), John G. Westerfield, Henry Dingee, and John Gage. During this period, Illinois more generally was experiencing

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3318-425: The area immediately north of Chicago. Some prominent Gross Point family names include Hoffmann, Braun, Bauer, Schneider, Schaefer, Schaefgen, Reinwald, Bleser, Schwall, Engel, Steffens, Lauermann, Thalmann, Loutsch, Rengel, Nanzig, and Borre. For the next half-century, Gross Point would remain a separate entity from Wilmette. Gross Point remained a small community, with its population never exceeding 500. Taverns were

3397-521: The area of any town . Cities and villages differ in terms of the population and population density required for incorporation. Wilmette station The station is located at Green Bay Road and Washington Avenue in Wilmette's central business district . It is also in close proximity to the Wilmette Village Hall. Northbound trains stop on the west platform and southbound trains stop on the east platform. The closest CTA Purple Line station

3476-505: The chairmanship of David C. Leach, organized a wide range of activities, including classes designed to train citizens in first aid, fire-fighting, demolition, marksmanship, and bomb disposal. Air raid wardens for every block enforced blackouts and manned battle stations during drills. On Sunday, May 23, 1943, a mock air raid on the village dropped hundreds of paper-bag "bombs" of brightly colored streamers, to test local readiness. Eighty-three service members from Wilmette lost their lives during

3555-423: The construction of the canal would ultimately create approximately twenty-two acres of landfill from excavated materials next to the mouth of the canal. Illinois law stipulated that an organized Park District had the authority to, without any cost, take possession of any man-made land for use as parkland. Citizens, thereafter, petitioned for a vote to be held on the prospect of establishing Park District. An election

3634-435: The cover of darkness before the morning of April 1, 1912. Later that year, a second track was added in Wilmette and the station's platform was elongated. In 1913 the tracks were extended deeper into the village and the makeshift station that had been constructed under the cover of darkness was replaced with two new stations in Wilmette at Isabella and Linden , the latter of which was designed by Arthur U. Gerber and served as

3713-525: The depression, the Works Progress Administration program undertook a project in Wilmette to resurface brick streets. Bricks were removed and relaid upside-down, exposing a smooth non-weathered side. Another WPA project that was undertaken was the refurbishment of Wilmette pier, which is located just north of the mouth of Wilmette Harbor and had originally been built in 1906. An additional WPA project broke ground in 1936, beginning construction on

3792-523: The federal government for permission to sell the land, as the treaty had stipulated that no part of land could be sold without permission from the President of the United States. All of the children, except for one, were living in Council Bluffs with no intention of moving back. They reasoned that they were living too far away to protect the land from illegal timber poaching. President James K. Polk approved

3871-409: The final death knell for an exuberant era of No Man's Land's history. Wilmette's first brush with Nazi Germany came by way of a financial lawsuit against St. Joseph Catholic Church (Wilmette, Illinois) . In the wake of Chicago Cardinal George Mundelein 's criticisms of Adolf Hitler in 1937, (see Paper hanger (Mundelein's speech) ), ridiculing Hitler for his mistreatment of Catholics, St. Joseph's

3950-548: The foot of Lake Avenue, the site of today's Gillson Beach, with facilities including a bathhouse, swings, benches, and umbrellas. In 1912 the Northwestern Elevated Railroad (today's Chicago Transit Authority Purple Line ) extended its service into Wilmette. This occurred without permission from the village, as the tracks were extended from the route's existing terminal in Evanston into the village's border under

4029-476: The former site of Logan School. Sheridan Road opened on October 8, 1900. This opened up the North Shore to automobiles, providing a north-south arterial roadway along the lakeshore. In 1900, by a margin of 62 to 52, village residents approved a referendum to establish a free public library, thus establishing the Wilmette Public Library . In 1905, with the assistance of funds from Andrew Carnegie ,

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4108-516: The groups came to construct their own churches. The largest denomination, the Methodists, were left with ownership of this first church building In the 1880s the Royal Arcanum Hall, a barn-like building on the northeast corner of Wilmette and Central Avenues, served as a gathering place for local residents, while the train depot served as a polling space during elections. Much of the area that

4187-419: The intersection Fifth Street and Linden. This launched a controversy, and a "No Flats" campaign was held during the following year's election. Consequentially, very few apartment buildings would be constructed in the village for the next four decades. The oldest surviving Bahá'í House of Worship began construction in 1920 (it would not be completed until 1953). See "Attractions" below. Across Sheridan Road from

4266-562: The landfill into usable parkland. The North Shore Channel project, completed in 1909, also resulted in the creation of Wilmette Harbor. Wilmette's first informal beach was established at the foot of Elmwood Avenue in 1910. Wooden steps were constructed down the bluff to allow access to the beach from the street. In 1914 the Wilmette Beach Improvement Association was founded to clean up the village's unsupervised shoreline. The group established an official swimming beach at

4345-553: The line's terminus. More than 400 men from Wilmette and Gross Point Village served during World War I. 150 of them served overseas, thirteen (12 from Wilmette, and one from Gross Point) lost their lives in the war. Many women back home volunteered in the Wilmette branch of the American Red Cross Auxiliary. By 1918 the village of Wilmette had increased its population to 5,000 from a population of only 1,500 twenty years earlier. The Wilmette Health Center (a free clinic )

4424-561: The north, experienced a period of tremendous exuberance. The Spanish Court , one of the nation's earliest automobile-centered shopping developments, was constructed in No Man's Land. Building began on such private clubs as the Miralago Ballroom, an early Art Deco building designed by George Fred Keck, which opened in 1929. Teatro del Lago, an opulent movie house, opened in 1927. In 1931 Universal Oil Products co-founder Carbon Petroleum Dubbs

4503-466: The residence cost him $ 200,000. On January 27, 1934, the village celebrated the opening of its own water plant that was completed largely due to Dubbs' commitment to the project. The village had previously been purchasing its water from Evanston. Not only did Wilmette start pumping its own water, but by the year 1938 Wilmette was selling water to Glenview . By the end of Dubbs' tenure as Village President in 1935, Wilmette had become fiscally solvent. During

4582-626: The responsibilities to their residents with the township. Villages that existed in Minnesota as of January 1, 1974, became cities , which may operate under general municipal law ("statutory city") or adopt a charter for itself to become a charter city. A village in Mississippi is a municipality of 100 to 299 inhabitants. They may no longer be created. The municipalities of Missouri are cities, towns, and villages. Unlike cities, villages have no minimum population requirement. In Nebraska ,

4661-416: The rural area, it was a difficult place for the Chicago diocese to staff with priests. Eventually, Fr. William Netstraeter was appointed in 1872, and he would serve the faith community for five decades, as well as become a Wilmette trustee for two terms (i.e. mayor) and help found New Trier High School. In 1874, the community was incorporated as the Village of Gross Point, using the traditional voyageur name for

4740-1377: The rural areas of the state , often unconnected to the contiguous North American road system. Many of these communities are populated predominantly by Alaska Natives and are federally recognized as villages under the Indian Reorganization Act and/or the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act . As voting membership in the Alaska Municipal League is on an equal footing, regardless of population, most villages are incorporated as second-class cities. In common usage, however, these communities are thought of more often as villages than as cities. Village districts are subordinate agencies of municipal governments rather than municipalities in their own right. Municipalities in Delaware are called cities, towns, or villages. There are no differences among them that would affect their classification for census purposes. Municipalities in Florida are called cities, towns, or villages. They are not differentiated for census purposes. All municipalities in Idaho are called cities, although

4819-492: The sale of the land, and in 1845 the entire reservation was collectively sold by the Ouilmette children, save for one sliver that Joseph Ouilmette sold individually at a later date. A number of early settlers worked small farms in the area, many of them near the lakeshore. Mary Dennis, Max Dusham, Charles Beaubien, Simon Doyle, Wendal Alles, Joel Stebbins, and Arunah Hill were among the most prominent members of this thinly settled community, and some of their descendants remained in

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4898-413: The services closest to the residents, such as garbage collection, street and highway maintenance, street lighting and building codes. Some villages provide their own police and other optional services. Those municipal services not provided by the village are provided by the town or towns containing the village. As of the 2000 census, there are 553 villages in New York. There is no limit to the population of

4977-467: The terms "town" and "village" are sometimes used in statutes. A village is a type of incorporated municipality in Illinois ; the other two types are the city and the incorporated town . All incorporated municipalities, regardless of type, are independent of each other, and cannot overlap. Villages can be created by referendum under the general state law or by special state charter. The governing body

5056-500: The use of unofficial beaches, such as the one at the foot of Elmwood Avenue. Despite this people still continued to visit the Elmwood beach until the village constructed a fence to block street access to it in the 1960s. Among the residents that were affected by the depression was architect Benjamin Marshall, who was forced to sell his house to Nathan Goldblatt (of the Goldblatt's chain). As

5135-486: The village began purchasing treated water from Evanston and had begun to set up telephone service. In 1895 the village established the Wilmette Public Works Department to provide maintenance to the village's infrastructure. In 1897 the railway built a new and larger Frost & Granger -designed station house for its Chicago & Milwaukee station, on the east side of the tracks. The 1874 station building

5214-584: The village was able to erect a new building for its library at the corner of Park and Wilmette Avenues. The North Shore Channel, which terminates in Wilmette, was a crucial part of the huge engineering and sanitary project to reverse the course of the Chicago River in order to carry Chicago's sewage away from Lake Michigan. In 1907, upon beginning construction of the North Shore Channel , Sanitary District of Chicago president Robert R. McCormick noted that

5293-475: The village's 'Kenilworth Gardens' subdivision was developed during this time. Much of the Indian Hills Estates was also developed at this time, with the assistance of federal loans. In November 1934, Monsignor John Neumann oversaw the building of a new school for St. Joseph Catholic Church (Wilmette, Illinois) . It was the only building constructed in the entire Midwest that year. President Roosevelt sent

5372-469: The war. The Wilmette Coast Guard Station was given an increased workload during World War II, placing a heavy burden on the station's staff of 40 men. The voluntary civilian Wilmette Coast Guard Auxiliary was formed to assist the station's guardsmen during the war. Many of the Auxiliary's 64 members came from the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club and used their personal vessels to assist in operations. In 1942, after

5451-562: Was relocated and used for freight, and later for general storage. The Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee (North Shore Line) began service in Wilmette in 1899. Its route (from south to north) entered Wilmette along the Northwestern Elevated tracks. After leaving the Linden station, the trains ran west on Greenleaf Avenue , before running north alongside the tracks of the Chicago & Milwaukee railroad. The segment which ran parallel to

5530-466: Was blatantly political and clearly orchestrated by the Nazi Party in retaliation for Cardinal Mundelein's "one armed paper hanger" remark. A Chicago circuit court validated Fr. Netstraeter's will, and the money was quickly rewarded to the Archdiocese, ergo St. Joseph's. Folklore believes that Cardinal Mundelein told his chief architect, Joseph W. McCarthy , to "Put the money into brick!" and construction of

5609-403: Was elected Village President. At the time that he took office, the village was approaching bankruptcy. To stabilize its finances, Dubbs cut the village's budget and refused his salary. In 1932, despite the onslaught of a national depression, Dubbs was able to finish construction on Lochmoor, his Phillip Brooks Maher-designed lakefront mansion located along Wilmette's Michigan Avenue. Construction of

5688-430: Was founded that same year. Between 1900 and 1920 the village saw its population more than triple to 7,814. In 1922 the village adopted the "Plan of Wilmette", which outlined a vision for its future that included open spaces along Green Bay Road and the elevation of the railroad tracks to provide unobstructed flow of traffic between the east and west parts of the village. While few of these specific plans ever materialized,

5767-502: Was held January 1908, with 174 votes in favor of creating a park district and 37 votes against it. The Wilmette Park District Board of Commissioners was appointed, serving the entirety of the village, as well as a segment of northeast Evanston (responsibility for which was later assumed by the Evanston Park District). The Wilmette Park District's Board of Commissioners held their first meeting on February 17, 1908. State legislation

5846-410: Was one of the North Shore's most extravagant residences. Development of Wilmette's 'Indian Hill Estates' subdivision began in 1926. The subdivision featured long winding roads named after Native American tribes, and its homes were built on well-manicured lots featuring deep setbacks. The early homes developed were given European styles and names. In the 1920s, No Man's Land , an unincorporated area to

5925-403: Was opened in 1901. A series of new schools were built in the nineties to serve Wilmette's growing community. In 1892 an eight-classroom brick school building was built to house Central School, replacing the previous one-room structure. Logan school was opened in 1893 on Kline Street as a one-room school house. Its building would subsequently be expanded. Today, McKenzie Elementary School stands at

6004-490: Was passed May 25, 1911, granting the Park District ownership of the landfill. Ultimately, the Park District gained ownership of a riparian property stretching between Lake Avenue and Forest Avenue. Today, this land forms much of Gillson Park. The excavated material that formed the landfill turned out to largely consist of a relatively impervious blue clay. Mulchings and plantings began part of a years-long process of transforming

6083-399: Was ultimately demolished in 1949 and 1950. The Depression halted most home construction for the first half of the 1930s. However, by the middle of the decade construction slowly resumed. The homes being constructed, however, were far more modest than those that had been constructed in the previous decade. Among the homes built in this period were several designed by George Fred Keck . Much of

6162-518: Was unexpectedly sued by a family in Germany, claiming to be relatives of the deceased Fr. William Netstraeter, a key figure in the expansion of Wilmette who died in 1924, thirteen years prior. Fr. Netstaeter had bequeathed a sum of $ 300,000 from his real-estate business for St. Joseph's, which was being held in the bank account of the Archdiocese of Chicago , under Cardinal Mundelein's supervision. The lawsuit

6241-512: Was visible at street level. The residence featured an enclosed tropical greenhouse with a swimming pool and a Chinese temple room featuring a 500-year-old mandarin bed (the Chinese temple room was said to have cost $ 87,000). also had an Egyptian solarium that featured a table which rose through the floor, rising up from a butler's pantry beneath it. The house's furnishings included a tapestry which Louis XIV once presented to Madame de Pompadour . It

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