1835-Hiking Through History

-1985

Copies of this booklet areavailable at the Des PlainesHistorical Society, 789Pearson St.

-CITY OF DES PLANET

1979

Hike Co-Sponsors

Des Plaines Historical SocietyDonald S. Johnson, Museum director789 Pearson St., Des Plaines, Il. 60016

Boy Scout Troop 6Trinity Lutheran ChurchKarl Lindahl, Hike manager8705 Sunset Rd., Niles, II. 60648

First Congregational Church United Church of ChristRev. David P. Lasser766 Graceland Ave. Des Plaines, II. 60016

Groups interested in taking this historical hikeshould contact either Donald Johnson at 391-5399or Karl Lindahl at 692-2065 for particulars.Individuals may pick up maps and hike detailsfrom the Des Plaines Police Dept. front deskat any time. Patches are $2.50 each.

July4,1985

Dear Hiker:

As a community, Des Plaines has beenblessed with a fascinating and undeniablyunique history.

In commemoration of Des Plaines' Ses-quicentennial year, the Des Plaines Histor-ical Society, City o f Des Plaines, and theDes Plaines Sesquicentennial Commission havecombined efforts to produce this excitingbooklet; "Hiking Through History".

By walking the three hikes describedwithin this booklet; students, senior citi-zens, scout groups, and individuals can nowleisurely explore Des Plaines' rich and variedheritage.

We sincerely hope you enjoy your, journeyof discovery through Des Plaines' past.

Good hiking!

Donald S. JohnsonDirector, Des Plaines

Historical Museum

1. KINDER HOME (DES PLAINES HISTORICAL SOCIETY)2. B.F. KINDER & SON HARDWARE3. LAGERHAUSEN'S LUMBER CO.4. SOCRATES RAND'S MILL5. DR. C.A. EARLE HOME6. C.W.M. BROWN BLDG.7. BEHMILLER BLDG.8. KREY JEWELERS BLDG.9. KUNISCH BARBERSHOP BLDG.10. SUGAR BOWL RESTAURANT11. 1ST NATIONAL BANK BLDG.12. DES PLAINES THEATER13. RESTORED METHODIST CHURCH14. DES PLAINES BAND STAND15. CHOO-CHOO SNACK SHOP16. DES PLAINES THEATER GUILD17. MASONIC TEMPLE BLDG.18. FIRST DES PLAINES LIBRARY19. EARLY DES PLAINES POST OFFICE20. EARLY DES PLAINES POST OFFICE21. FORMER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH22. ECHO THEATER23. DES PLAINES NATIONAL BANK BLDG.24. FIRST VILLAGE HALL25. DES PLAINES WAR MEMORIAL26. NORTH DIVISION SCHOOL27. SENNE'S BRIDGE28. MCDONALD'S DRIVE - IN #700029. MCDONALD'S #1 DRIVE - IN & MUSEUM30. NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL31. SOCRATES RAND'S CABIN & 1ST SCHOOL32. DO-ALL COMPANY & MUSEUM33. C&NWRR STATION34. MINNICH HOME35. ST. MARY'S CHURCH36. ST. MARY'S CHURCH37. HOFFMAN LOG CABIN HOME38. IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH39. IMMANUEL LUTHERAN SCHOOL40. 1ST MAINE TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL41. AHBE HOME42. EARLY WATER PUMPING STATION43. NORTHWESTERN PARK44. POYER HOME45. STEWART HOME46. JOSEPH JEFFERSON BRIDGE47. DES PLAINES RIVER48. METHODIST CAMPGROUND49. WHITCOMB CO. CLAYPITS50. LUTHER JEFFERSON'S GRIST MILL51. JONES WOOLEN MILL52. JEFFERSON FAMILY WOODSIDE FARM53. CHRIST GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH54. HAMMERL HOME

Des Plaines

1835 Sesquicentennial 1985

Historical Hike

Hike #1

11/2 Miles in Length

1. Kinder Home (Des Plaines Historical Society)Constructed in 1906 as a residence forBenjamin Franklin Kinder, the founder ofDes Plaines' oldest extant business. Themuseum, which was originally located at 777Lee St., is an excellent example of theturn-of-the-century country home, rich innatural woods, period glass and hardware.The period rooms of the museum are gearedto the 1900-10 period in Des Plaines andillustrate ways of life that are gone for-ever. The Kinder home now serves as thefocal point of Des Plaines' rich heritage.

2. Walk north along Pearson St. to the S.E.corner of Pearson and Ellinwood Streets.View B.F. Kinder and Son Industrial Supply,Des Plaines' oldest extant business. Thisunique family operated business was origin-ally established by B.F. Kinder in 1873 onMiner St. The business was subsequently re-located on this corner in 1881. The build-ing, also constructed in 1881, was enlargedand remodeled in the mid-1920s. Note theoriginal floors, shelving and ceiling withinthe buildings interior. "Kinders" celebratedit's centennial year of business in 1973,and is recognized by the State of Illinoisas an "Official Centennial Business".

3. Walk east along historic Ellinwood St. tothe former site of Lagerhausen's Lumber Co.at 1615 Ellinwood St. (Now the home of PaceAuctions).

Established in 1889, Lagerhausen's served asone of Des Plaines' major lumber and coal yardsuntil 1974 when the business was sold. Notethe original store front office, lumber barn,out buildings and railroad siding.

4. Walk north, cross Ellinwood St., the Chicagoand Northwestern R.R. tracks and Miner St.Proceed to the N.W. corner of River Rd. andMiner St. Looking east, view the area of landthat is presently occupied by the "Landmark"condominium. This was formerly the site of twoof the most historically and culturally import-ant structures in Des Plaines - "Rand's Mill"and the home of storied Des Plaines physician

5. Dr. C.A. Earle. "Rands Mill" was actuallybuilt by the Illinois and Wisconsin Land Co.in 1852 during the construction of the firstrailroad right of way. The steam mill waspurchased by Socrates Rand (1805-1890), apioneer prairie farmer, Justice of the Peaceand influential citizen of early Des Plainesin 1854. Immediately to the south of the millstood the spacious, and rather stunningVictorian home of Dr. C.A. Earle (1862-1938),a legendary Des Plaines personality. Both themill and home were destroyed in 1978.

6. Proceed west along Miner St. into the heartof historic Des Plaines. Cross Pearson St.and view the C.W.M. Brown Building at 1522-1526 Miner St. This substantial structure wasbuilt for the C.W.M. Brown Co. in 1900. C.W.M.Brown Co. relocated at it,s present locationat 1502 Miner St. in 1933.

7. Walk west on Miner St. to the Behmiller Build-ing at 1520 Miner St. Built in 1897, thiswell preserved structure served as the homefor Behmiller's Grocery. Behmiller's special-ized in "Fresh, salt, and smoked meats andsausage".

8. Proceed to 1514 Miner St. and the formerlocation of another early Des Plaines bus-iness, Krey Jewelers. This building wasconstructed in the mid-1880s.

9. Stroll west to 1510 Miner St.and the formerbarber shop of the famous Julius Kunisch.Kunisch, a native of Prussia, located inDes Plaines in 1884. Mr. Kunisch was stillcutting hair in this shop at the age of 90in 1949.

10. Continue west to the Sugar Bowl Restaurantand Sweet Shop at 1494 Miner St. Thiswell known Des Plaines insitution has beenserving delicious homemade candies and icecream since 1921. Make a point of viewingthe numerous oil paintings of historicDes Plaines within the Sugar Bowl.

11. Walk west to 1488 Miner St. This was oncethe site of the 1st National Bank. "The 1stNational" was organized in 1913 and thisbuilding served as the bank's second home.It later moved to the location of the defunctDes Plaines State Bank (now the Des PlainesNational Bank). It then moved to the S.E.corner of Lee St. and Prairie Ave, andfinally to it's present location at theN.E. corner of Lee St. and Prairie Ave.

12. Proceed west to 1474 Miner St. and thewell known Des Plaines Theater.This notedlandmark was constructed by the Polka familyin 1926. Down through the years, the theaterhas played host to first class Vaudevilletalent, silent movies and the films of today.

13. Turn north on Lee St. and walk to the cornerof Lee St., Jefferson and Park Place.Observethe brilliantly restored Methodist Church(1903) at 575 Lee St. This building now

houses both law and medical offices. Lookimmediately west to the triangle of landjust north of the Choo-Choo restaurant onJefferson and Lee Streets. Des Plaines'

14. famed village bandstand stood at this pointduring the late 19th and early 20th century.Weekly Thursday evening brass band concertswere once a Des Plaines tradition.

15. The delightful Choo-Choo restaurant can bereached by carefully crossing Lee St. Thisunique eatery, where food is served via amodel railroad, first located in Des Plainesin 1951.

16. Return to Miner St. via the west side of LeeSt. Pass the home of the well known Des Pla -

ines Theater Guild, (formed in 1946) in17. the former Masonic Temple Bldg. This ample

structure was raised in 1924.

18. Walk west past the Des Plaines Civic Centerand Police Station to the corner of MinerSt. and Graceland Ave. Des Plaines' firstlibrary, built with a grant of $5,000which was obtained from Andrew Carnegie in1906, stood on the area of land now occupiedby the present day parking lot.

19. Cross Miner St. and proceed south acrossrailroad tracks to the corner of EllinwoodSt. and Graceland Ave. Cross Graceland at

20. this point and walk south to view two ofDes Plaines' former Post Office buildingswhich stand on the S.W. and N.W. cornersof Webford and Graceland.

21. Proceed south along Graceland Ave(once knownas "silk stocking Ave" chiefly because manyof Des Plaines' more well to do citizensresided on this lovely tree lined street),to the corner of Graceland and Prairie Ave.On the S.W. corner one will see the former

Congregational Church, constructed in 1872.This church served as the Congregationalist'shouse of worship until 1929, when the grow-ing congregation moved into a massive newchurch at Graceland and Marion. TrinityLutheran Church moved into this structurein 1939 and worshipped here until 1955 whenthe Masonic Lodge renovated the building fortheir use.

22. Proceed east across Graceland and along thenorth side of Prairie to the intersectionof Prairie and Lee St. Turn north and walkalong Lee St. to the former site of the EchoTheater at 682 Lee St. The legendary Echotheater served as one of the entertainmentcenters of early Des Plaines during theearly years of this century until it waseventually forced out of business by it'srival, the Des Plaines Theater. Sections ofthe original theater lobby and ticket windowcan be observed to advantage within thepleasant confines of the Tobacco Tin store,682 Lee St. Note the ornate detail of theformer theater exterior on the face of thisbuilding.

23. Walk immediately north to the N.W. corner ofLee St. and Ellinwood St. to 678 Lee St. andthe home of the Des Plaines National Bank.Though the Des Plaines National Bank was notorganized until 1957, the structure whichhouses the bank was completed during the mid-1920s. During the late 1930s, this buildingserved as the home of the First NationalBank of Des Plaines.

24. Proceed east across Lee St. to the S.E. cor-ner of Lee and Ellinwood Streets. The firstDes Plaines Village Hall, built in 1892, oncestood on this site. This all purpose, 2 storybrick structure housed Des Plaines' govern-ment, courts, jail and fire dept. until itwas razed in the mid- 1930s.

Return to the Kinder Home museum by walkingeast along Ellinwood St. to the corner ofPearson St. Walk south on Pearson St. to theDes Plaines Historical Society museum andthe end of your hike.

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Des Plaines

1835 Sesquicentennial 1985

Historical Hike

Hike #2

2 3/4 Miles in Length

1. Start walk number two at the Kinder Home(Des Plaines Historical Society). RepeatHistoric Hike #1 from Site #1 to Site #14.Once the walker has reached Site #14 (Methodist Church), proceed east along historicPark Place to the corner of Park Place andPearson St. Walk north to view the Des Pla-

25. ines War Memorial. This large stone memorialbears the names of those Des Plaines resi-dents who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World War I.

26. Walk to the corner of Pearson St. and RiverRoad. From this point proceed north alongRiver Rd. to the corner of Jefferson St.and River Rd. Observe the site (now a park-ing lot) of Des Plaines' first villageeducational in stitution, North DivisionSchool, which was built in 1874. "Old North"as it was affectionately known to it'sformer students, was a "substantial andarchitecturally stunning two-story brickediface set back from River Rd. amidstgracious elms". This structure, like somany other important historic structuresin Des Plaines and other communitys, wasdemolished in the 1950s.

27. Continue north along the west side of RiverRd. to the former site of Senne's Bridge atWeller Creek, Elk Blvd. and River Rd. Priorto the development which has occured inDes Plaines since World War I, this areain and around Weller Creek was rather marshy

and subsequently needed to be bridged forwagon traffic.

28. Walk north on River Rd., crossing Elk Blvd.to the McDonald's Drive-in #7000. Enter thebuilding and view the excellent exhibitsof McDonald's memorabilia.

29. Cross Lee St. (west) to the site of therestored McDonald's Drive-in #1. Ray Krocopened his first restaurant here at 400 LeeSt. on April 15, 1955. The first day salesfor Kroc's Des Plaines' McDonald's totaled$366.12. In 1984, the McDonald's chain sur-passed the $10 billion mark in sales. Itall began here in Des Plaines. The "Original"McDonald's is now a museum that is opento the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays -10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The 1,000th, 2,000th and7,000th McDonald's restaurants are alsolocated in Des Plaines.

30. Immediately north of the McDonald's #1Museum stands the former Northwestern Hos-pital, Des Plaines' first medical care fac-ility. Northwestern Hospital operated inthe 1930s and 40s prior to the constructionof the larger and more modern Holy Familyand Lutheran General Hospitals.

31. Walk north to the corner of Lee St. andHarding Ave. At this point look N.E. andview the historic "5 Corners" area of oldDes Plaines This large intersection isknown as Monkey's Run or, Whisky Point.Des Plaines' first school, located in thecheese room of Socrates Rand's cabin, oncestood about one block north of the N.E.corner of this intersection.

32. Proceed west to Willow Ave. Walk N.W. onWillow to Graceland Ave. As you stroll alongWillow, keep in mind that you are actuallywalking on top of Weller Creek which flowsbeneath the street. Cross Graceland Ave. andcontinue along Willow, past Willow Park to

the DO-ALL Company at Willow Ave and LaurelAve. Tours of the DO-ALL Company's historicAmerican tool museum should be arranged inadvance by calling the personal directorat 824-1122. A pickle factory once stoodon this spot.

33. Walk south on Laurel Ave. to Harding Ave.Proceed west on Harding to Western Ave.Walk south on Western to the former Chicagoand Northwestern R.R. "Commuter station atWashington St. and Western Ave. Though nowa warehouse for a wholesale onion business,this station once stood in the center ofDes Plaines from approximately 1856 to 1912and served as Des Plaines' main R.R. depot.

34. Walk south to Brown St. Proceed along BrownSt. east to 1329 Brown St. This circa 1900frame structure was originally the home ofthe Arthur Minnich family. Mr. Minnich, anaccomplished musician, headed one of DesPlaines' all-time favorite musical groups -"The Hungry Five". Mr. Minnich also prefor-med in the famed C&NWR.R. Company Band dur-ing the 1920s and 30s. Mr. Minnich's daughterHazel, still lives in this home.

18. Continue along Brown St. to Graceland Ave.Turn south and proceed along Graceland tothe N.W. corner of Graceland and Miner St.View the former site of Des Plaines' firstlibrary which stood on the area of landnow occupied by the present day Civic cen-ter parking lot just west of the PoliceDepartment. The library was built with agrant of $5,000 obtained from Andrew Car-negie in 1906.

19. Carefully cross Miner St. and the R.R. tracksand walk south to Webford and Graceland.

20. View two of Des Plaines' former postofficebuildings on the S.W. and N.W. Corners ofWebford and Graceland.

21. From this point walkers will repeat site#'s 21., 22., 23. and 24. from Historic

22• Hike #1. Complete your hike at the Des23. Plaines Historical Society Museum.

24.

NOTES

Des Plaines

1835 Sesquicentennial 1985

Historical Hike

Hike #3

41/2 Miles in Length

1. Start hike #3 at the Kinder Home (Des PlainesHistorical Society). Constructed in 1906 asa residence for Benjamin Franklin Kinder,the founder of Des Plaines' oldest extantbusiness. The museum, which was originallylocated at 777 Lee St., is an excellentexample of the turn-of-the-century countryhome, rich in natural woods, period glassand hardware. The period rooms of the museumare geared to the 1900-10 period in Des Pla-ines and illustrate ways of life that aregone forever. The Kinder home now serves asthe focal point of Des Plaines' rich heritage.

35. Proceed west across intersection at Prairieand Pearson to the N.W. corner of the inter-section. This is one of the former sites ofSt. Mary's Church (1936).

36. Walk south to the S.W.corner of Prairie andPearson St. View the 1906-07 St. Mary'sChurch (now a rectory), which replaced thesmall wooden mission church which oncestood on Thacker St. just east of CentralSchool. The new St. Mary,s Church on Pear-son St. was constructed in 1970.

37. Proceed west on Prairie Ave. to Center St.Turn south and walk to the historic Hoffman"Log Cabin" at 796 Center St. This magni-ficent home was constructed in 1924-26 byPeter Hoffman (born 1863), a prominentcivil servant who served as both Coroner andlatter, Sheriff of Cook County. Mr. Hoffman

was also a noted sportsman and this uni-que "northwoods" style cabin reflects hislove of nature and the sporting life.

38. Proceed south on Center St. to Thacker St.Turn west on Thacker and walk to the cor-ner of Thacker and Lee Streets. View thepresent day Immanuel Lutheran Church. Thischurch, built in 1956-7, replaced the con-gregation's old red brick church, built in1876.

39. By looking northwest, one can view theImmanuel Lutheran School. The originalschool was erected in 1901 and destroyedby fire in 1918. A new school was construc-ted during the same year. Later expansionoccured in 1930, when the addition facingLee St. was completed.

40. Walk east on Thacker St. approximately two-three blocks to Central Park, the formersite of the first Maine Township Highschool(built 1902), and later, Thacker Jr. High.

41. Walk east on Thacker St. to 1603 Thacker.This is the present day home of Mrs.Savenna Ahbe Gorsline, the first "MissDes Plaines" (1924), and a lifelong res-ident of historic Des Plaines. This lovelywhite frame home was constructed in 1899by Mrs. Gorsline's parents.

42. Proceed east to the corner of Thacker St.and River Rd. Turn south and walk 11/2 blocksto Ashland Ave. Looking east, view SpieglerPark. The park is dedicated to Victor L.Spiegler (1898-1954), a prominent civicleader. This park was once the site ofDes Plaines original water pumping station.

43. Directly across the Des Plaines River oneis able to view part of the NorthwesternPark forest preserve. This area of landwas formerly the most popular picnic area

in Des Plaines during the late 19th andearly 20th Century. It was not at allunusual to find thousands of weekend tour-ists from Chicago picnicking at this beau-tiful park at the turn-of-the-century.

44. Proceed south on River Rd. to 1086 River.This historic brick structure (built Ca.1870), was once the home of the BenjaminPoyer family, one of the important fam-ilies of early Des Plaines.

45. Continue south on River Rd. five blocks tothe intersection of River Rd. and AlgonquinRd. Cross River Rd. to the S.E. corner ofthe intersection. View the newly restoredhome of former Des Plaines mayor CharlesS. Stewart. Stewart served as Mayor of DesPlaines in 1928-29 and was, by all accountsone of the community's most popular civicservants.

46. Walk east one block to the Joseph JeffersonBridge (read historical plaque on the westend of bridge) which crosses the historic

47. Des Plaines River. The river was formedsome 10,000 years ago by retreating gla-ciers. It was the Des Plaines River thatfirst attracted settlers to this area inthe 1830s.

48. While standing on the north side of bridge,(look both ways when crossing), view theold Methodist Campground on the east bankof the river. This "camp" was originallyestablished on the property of SocratesRand, near the Rand Rd. bridge on the DesPlaines River to the north. In 1865, thecampground was relocated at this pastorallocation. The Methodist Campground commem-orated it's 125th Anniversary in 1985.

49. Return to River Rd., cross to the westside of the street. Proceed south to RiverDrive and cross River Rd. at this point.Please cross carefully! Walk east alongRiver Dr. until you can view Shagbark Lake.This "lake" was originally the site of the"claypit" of the Whitcomb Brick and TileManufacturing Co., established in 1868.The Whitcomb Co. employed over 100 men atit's peak and shipped up to 3,000,000bricks each year to communities surroundingDes Plaines.

50. Return to River Rd. via the same route.Cross River Rd. at this point (carefully!),Proceed south to the N.W. corner of RiverRd. and Oakton St. View the S.E. corner ofthe intersection. This was the former siteof Luther Jefferson's grist mill. Built in1841, this mill helped assure the contin-ued development of Des Plaines as anagricultural settlement. By 1860, Jeffer-son was handling some 50,000 bushels ofgrain and 10,000 bushels of flour a year.

51. Cross Oakton St. and continue along thewest side of River Rd. south approximatelytwo blocks to Riverview Ave. Looking eastfrom this vantage point, view the head-quarters of Schawk, Inc. This restoredbuilding was once the "home" of the JonesWoolen Mill. Constructed during the 1890s,this building once stood three stories inheight.

52. Continue south on River Rd. three blocksto Cedar Court. Cross River Rd. at thispoint (carefully) and walk down the graveldrive of the Des Plaines chapter of theIzaak Walton League of America, a nationalConservation organization formed in 1926.View the former Jefferson family WoodsideFarm home, constructed Ca. 1856-60. Thehome was built by Hiram Jefferson, a prom-

inent early settler and prairie farmer.This handsome residence has been builton a glacial ridge and is considered tobe one of the most historically, andcultulurally important structures inMaine Township.

53. Return to the west side of River Rd. atCedar Ct. Proceed north on River Rd. toOakton St. Turn west after crossing Oaktonand walk approximately five blocks toCora St. Walk north on Cora approximatelyeight blocks to Henry St and Cora St.View the Christ United Church of Christ.This church is directly decended from theChrist German Evangelical Church whichwas built on this site in 1892.

54. Walk north on Cora St. approximately oneblock to 1046 Cora. This magnificenthome was constructed near the turn-of-the-century by Charles Hammerl. Hammerl laterserved as Mayor of Des Plaines in 1929-33.

Continue north on Cora St. to Thacker St.Turn west on Thacker, walk 1/2 block toPearson St. Walk north on Pearson to theDes Plaines Historical Society and theend of your hike.

NOTES

Des Plaines Churches Historically Speaking

By

Philip Lindahl - City of Des Plaines

Christ Church, United Church of Christ -The Christ German Evangelical Church of Des-Plaines (now Christ Church, United Church ofChrist), was first established in 1869. Theinitial church structure was built at Coraand Henry Streets. In 1964, the present daychurch was erected and dedicated to the gloryof God.

Christian Reformed Church -In the early 1900s the Christian Reformeddenomination was well esteblished on the southside of Chicago, but there were no groupsnorth of Madison St. Hollanders in the north-west suburbs would travel by buggy or autofor hours to attend church in Cicero or Chicago.The first services held in Des Plaines werehosted by the American Legion Hail on PearsonSt. (now the Des Plaines Mall parking lot).Later, larger facilities were acquired at theHoffman Hall, 1517 Ellinwood St. A basementchurch building was dedicated on November 19,1931, with the superstructure added and dedica-ted on September 25, 1952 at 1479 Whitcomb Ave.

Christian Science Society -The Christian Science Society was organized inMay, 1918 in Des Plaines where services wereheld in a rented facility in the center oftown. During the year a sunday school was or-ganized and a reading room was opened. In Aug-ust, 1919, the Society was incorporated asthe First Church of Christ Science in Des Pla-ines. The present site at Laurel and MarionStreets was purchased in September 1920, withthe corner stone laying in July, 1925, anddedication in April 1947 when the church was

paid for.

Des Plaines Bible Church -The Des Plaines Bible Church was born on a coolNovember Sunday morning in 1926, when WalterFaust, an architect, invited a number ofyoungsters to meet in his living room forbible study. the group grew in number, and onSeptember 2, 1928 moved into a church build-ing at the present address of 946 Thacker St.The present day church was dedicated in Sept-ember, 1973.

Evangelical Free Church of Des Plaines -The Evangelical Free Church of Des Plaineshas it's roots in the Salem Evangelical FreeChurch in Chicago. About twenty-five years agoseveral families moved into the suburbs andbegan meeting together to study God's word onWednesday nights. On February 21, 1964, Sundayservices began, and later that year serviceswere held in Devonshire Elementary School.On January 14, 1968 the current property waspurchased and meetings were held in the farmhouse on the property. The new church wasdedicated on December 17, 1972, at 55 W.Oakton St.

First Congregational Church -The Congregationalist's of Des Plaines cantrace thier origins back to the 1840s and atiny prairie church located on Smith's Ridgesome six miles S.E. of Des Plaines. By 1869,a small group of individuals formed the DesPlaines Congregational Church. In 1872, abrick church was built on the southwest cor-ner of Prairie St. and Graceland Ave. Thischurch served well until 1929, when a massivenew church was constructed at Graceland andMarion.

First United Methodist Church -The first religious services of any kind inthe Des Plaines area were conducted in the fallof 1836 by a young Methodist circuit riderwho is remembered today simply as Mr. Colson.

It was not until 1871, that twenty Methodistfamilies in Des Plaines combined to form andthen build thier own brick church on Lee St.where the Immanuel Lutheran Church now stands.In 1884 a new church was built at Lee St. andPark Place and served until 1950 when thierpresent church was built on the N.W. cornerof Prairie Ave and Graceland

Methodist Campgrounds -The first meetings were held on land ownedby Socrates Rand along the bank of the DesPlaines river near the present day Rand Rd.bridge in 1860. In 1865 land was purchased atthe campground's present location on AlgonquinRd. east of the Des Plaines river. This isthe oldest continuously operated MethodistCampground in the U.S.A.

Immanuel Lutheran Church -The origins of Immanuel Lutheran Church canbe traced back to the short lived GermanEvangelical Lutheran St. Stephen's congre-gation which was organized in 1868. Unfortu-nately, St. Stephen's was destined to survivefor only a short time - until 1871. One weekafter it's demise, the German EvangelicalLutheran Church of Immanuel was organized. Thefirst church was built in 1876 and replacedby the present church in 1956. This structurewas dedicated in 1957 and is located at Lee St.and Thacker St.

St. Martin's Episcopal Church -Episcopalians are mentioned in Des Plaines'history as early as 1837 and are representedby such family names as; Rand, Kennicott,Deerlove, Thacker, Jefery and Kinder. But itwas not until after W.W.II that Des Plaineswas considered as a fertile field for anEpiscopal Church. Prayer meetings and fellow-ship gatherings were initially held in thehome of Harrison "Tat" Kennicott Sr. at 1599Thacker St. about 1947. In June , 1950, ground

was broken for a new church at Thacker andMargret Streets. Dedication occured duringthe Christmas season by Bishop Wallace E.Conklin of Chicago. One of the traditionsof St. Martin's is the Shove Tuesday pancakesupper. The recipe for the "sourdough" pan-cakes was brought back from Alaska by notedarea naturalist and explorer, Robert Kennicott.

St. Mary's Catholic Church -A small wooden mission church was brought toDes Plaines from Arlington Hts by R.R. flatcar in 1880 to serve as the first St. Mary'sChurch. The structure once stood near thepresent day Central School on Thacker St.This building was replaced by a brick build-ing in 1906-07. A new church was built at794 Pearson St. in 1970.

Trinity Lutheran Church -Initial meetings were held in the "old" Mas-onic Temple at Miner St. and Lee St. By May,1926, the congregation was organized and wasmeeting in a storefront building on EllinwoodSt. More space was needed and the congregationmoved to the American Legion Hall on PearsonSt. where the Des Plaines Mall parking lotis now located. A lot was purchased on RoseAve. near Second Ave. where a portable chapelwas erected in 1927. In 1939, the First Con-gregational Church at Graceland and Prairiewas purchased.

NOTES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Des Plaines Historical SocietyCity of Des PlainesDes Plaines Sesquicentennial Commission

Research: Donald S. JohnsonJames R. WilliamsPhilip LindahlThe 1984-85 Heritage Roundtable,Deis Plaines Historical Society

Typing: Anna Sorlie

Graphics: Henry McAlevy

Patch Design: Jim Acker, 1974 "CitizenshipAward"

Mike Provenzano, 1979"Deis Plaines Historical Hike"

Special Thanks: Jim Acker, Troop 12 B.S.A.Mike Provenzano, Troop 22B.S.A.

Please Note!!

Respect the property of othersProtect your environment - don't litter!

Please cross all street in a safe manner