1864
The Burlington arrives
Like many towns along the line, Clarendon Hills got its start with the railroad. The Burlington tracks, built in 1864, gave early settlers a way out of crowded 19th-century Chicago.
A railroad stop on the prairie
The area was rolling prairie when the Burlington line came through in 1864. Passengers and florists called it the Daisy Fields, and Chicagoans came out by train to picnic and pick flowers.
Streets that follow the land
Most older villages in the township copied the straight street grid of Downers Grove. Clarendon Hills took its cue from Riverside, the park-like suburb designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, with long streets that curve with the natural contour of the land.
A downtown takes shape
By 1880 the village had 14 families and 66 residents. Edward Mochel opened a brick general store and post office at Railroad and South Prospect avenues in 1911, and the building is still in use downtown.
Village and parks
Clarendon Hills incorporated in 1924, and the park district followed in 1946. The historical society, which grew out of the Friends of the Library, keeps the village’s story alive.
Source: Clarendon Hills Historical Society: About · Clarendon Hills Historical Society: Gallery · Clarendon Hills Park District: About Us · Wikipedia: Clarendon Hills, Illinois