Captain Daniel Wright who built a cabin in 1832 on land now owned by Lutheran General Hospital is believed to be the first settler of the area known at that time as Smith’s Ridge. When George Penny came to the area in 1853 looking for clay that could be used in brick making, Smith’s Ridge became Pennyville.
By the time the first train pulled into the village in 1856, the village had been renamed Brickton because George Penny was too modest to have the town named after him. Penny, along with his business partner Robert Meacham ran the successful brickyard that supplied many of the bricks used in the rebuilding of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871. Brickton bricks may have helped rebuild Chicago, but the Chicago returned the favor because many people burned out in that fire relocated in Brickton and became our first commuters.
OUR HISTORY
A parade through Park Ridge, moving south along Prospect Avenue. Photo courtesy of the Park Ridge Historical Society
In 1873, Brickton became Park Ridge when the 403 citizens voted to change the name and adopt a village form of government. The name Park Ridge reflected not only the location on one of the highest points of land in the area, but also the park-like settings for its homes. As the local clay supply
dwindled, the brickyard gradually went out of business and toward the end of the 19th century a greenhouse industry developed supplying fruits, vegetables, poultry and flowers to Chicago.
Before the turn of the century, the beauty of the area also attracted many artists who located in the area of Clinton and Grant Place. The Kalo Arts and Crafts Community House,
established by Clara Barck Welles, helped train hundreds of aspiring artisans. Today, 20 of the best known companies in the world of Arts & Crafts silver trace their roots back to the Kalo House. Among many other artists of note who called Park Ridge home were Alfonso Iannelli, an Italian-American sculptor, artist and designer who helped design the Pickwick Theater and was an instrumental force in bringing
about the modernist design movement in Chicago, Albert Krehbiel, who was named the Illinois State Historical Artist for the murals that he painted on the walls of the Illinois Supreme Court Building, Grant Wood, best known for his painting “American Gothic,” and Eugene Romeo, who was also a prominent Italian-American sculptor.
Since its incorporation as a city in 1910, Park Ridge has continued to grow and prosper. To find out more about our town, call the Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce to book a Historic Tour of Park Ridge. Find out about some of her most famous citizens including Hillary Rodham Clinton and visit some of her most famous sites such as Pickwick Theatre, a nationally recognized Art Deco movie palace. From the asteroid strike
15,000 years ago through pioneering days to Captain Kangaroo’s Mr. Greenjeans, the Blues Brothers and Harrison Ford, learn how Park Ridge came to be and how the town has evolved through the years as you discover fascinating people, places and events have left their legacy on this informative and entertaining ride through history.
THE PARK RIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 721 N. Prospect Ave. | 847-696-1973
www.pennyville.org
The mission of the Park Ridge Historical Society is to collect, preserve and display artifacts of our colorful history, to promote pride in the accomplishments and heritage of the people of Park Ridge, and to celebrate the unique places and events in Park Ridge history that make our town a special place to live. The Society was located for many years in a house at 140 Euclid Avenue built in 1905 by Fred I. Gillick, whose first Real Estate Office was located in a carriage house at the rear. Ten years later, in 1983, the Society moved to a Victorian-era house at 41 South Prairie Avenue. Display rooms were devoted to depicting a way of life that has long since left Park Ridge, with display cases changed on a regular basis to appeal to Park Ridge history buffs. The Society moved in October, 2009 from the Prairie Avenue address and embarked on its History on the Move project, relocating in the Hannah Solomon Cottage on Prospect Avenue. The Cottage, on the grounds of the Park Ridge Youth Campus, has the distinction of being one of only two Park Ridge buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Renovation of the structure will provide not only a place for display of Park Ridge artifacts in a historically significant building, but also a contemporary space with movable partitions to accommodate special displays, lectures, scout and student visits, receptions and on-going programs.
While awaiting Cottage renovation, the Society continues to offer programs of interest to all Park Ridgers, including speaking programs, tours of the Town of Maine Cemetery and classroom visits.
pennyville.org.
Please visit the Society website www. Kobow’s Grocery Store, 138 Park Ave., circa 1916. Photo courtesy of the Park Ridge Historical Society
32 Park Ridge Chamber 2012
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