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History of Darien
The first people to settle here came from the New England
States. They traveled here via the Erie Canal and the Great
Lakes. Among the first to arrive was the Thomas Andrus family.
They settled along an old stage coach line which was roughly
where I-55 was in 1835. Mr. Andrus opened up the Andrus Inn
which served the 15 stage coaches that traveled the stage
coach line. Andrus Inn was located right about the entrance to
Carriage Way West subdivision.
The Inn included a
tavern and a post office and Mr. Andrus named the area Cass.
He was Justice of the Peace and served as the Town Clerk,
Assessor, and County Commissioner. His son, Edger, would ride
his horse to the Illinois and Michigan Canal and swim across
to get the mail.
Thomas Adrus and Father Beggs built
the first Cass Church, which was a log cabin design. The
church’s cemetery, located west of where the church stood
(west of Bailey Road and north of Frontage Road), can still be
seen today. The church was also used as a schoolhouse.
Elisha and Eliza Smart settled here in 1838 with their 10
children. Elisha got gold fever and left for California,
returning 7 years later as a very rich man. He bought more
land and the Smart family donated the land on which a new Cass
Church was built in 1870.
John and Hannah Oldfield came
to Cass in 1850. Mr. Oldfield raised cattle and increased his
land holdings to 2000 acres.
Franklin Blanchard opened
his cheese factory in 1881 – the location of the cheese
factory being where McDonalds is today.
Martin Madden
was an Irish immigrant who arrived at the Cass area during the
late 1800’s. He became a member of the Chicago City Council
and later was elected to the House of Representatives and
served in the United States Congress. In 1903, Mr. Madden
built a home to look like the White House in Washington, D.C.
He called it Castle Eden. Today Castle Eden is part of the
Aylesford Retreat Center of the Carmelite Fathers.
A
group of German Lutherans from Europe came to the area near
67th and Clarendon Hills Road in 1859. They built the first
St. John Lutheran Church and laid out the cemetery behind the
church. Today the cemetery is still located at 67th and
Clarendon Hills Road. In 1899, a new church was built on the
northeast corner of Cass and 75th Street. The Church was
located where Taco Bell and Royal Shield Restaurant now sit.
In 1969 the second church was torn down and the present St.
Johns Lutheran Church was built west of Cass and north of 75th
Street.
A school was built on the northwest corner of
Cass and 75th street in 1860. It was the first Lace School. It
is now a museum which is open on the first Sunday of each
month from 2pm to 4pm.
By 1890, the Village of Lace was
established. The important location at that time was the
triangle bordered by Cass Avenue, Plainfield Road and 75th
Street. It was called “The Point.” The Point included the Town
Hall, General Store, Blacksmith Shop and the office of Dr.
Roe. A Post Office had been established at the Point in 1884.
The City of Darien was originally part of these two
communities – Lace and Cass. The idea to incorporate came from
a desire of some of the residents of four subdivisions to
unite into one city. Those subdivisions were Marion Hills,
Brookhaven, Clairfield and Hinsbrook.
The City of
Darien was incorporated in 1969. When the Incorporation
Committee reached an impasse on an acceptable name of the new
city, Acting Mayor Sam Kelley suggested the name “Darien”.
(Kelly had visited Darien, Connecticut, and found it to be a
very pleasant and attractive community.) Today Darien is known
as “A Nice Place to Live”.
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