Wilmette

by Hussey-arntson, Kathy; Leary, Patrick

• ISBN13: 9780738593753
• ISBN10: 0738593753
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-27
• Publisher: Arcadia Pub

Summary

Wilmette is best known for its tree-lined, brick-paved streets, nice homes, and lovely lakefront. Yet a peek beneath this placid suburban surface reveals a surprisingly lively history, ranging from the early years of hardscrabble farms carved out of dense forest to decades of conflict with German-speaking tavern owners in the culturally distinctive village of Gross Point. "No Man's Land" along Sheridan Road once sported a dazzling movie palace and a Jazz Age nightclub, along with hot dog stands, beach clubs, and speakeasies that defied Wilmette's buttoned-down reputation. The huge engineering effort to reverse the flow of the Chicago River bestowed on the village a cozy harbor and a busy lakefront park, both soon dominated by the massively incongruous but serenely beautiful Baha'i Temple. Hometown to such diverse figures as Charlton Heston, Ann-Margret, Bill Murray, Pete Wentz, and Rahm Emanuel, Wilmette has long been a fine place to grow up, as well as a bustling, civic-minded community with more than its share of surprises.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 6
Introduction	p. 7
Settlement to Suburb	p. 9
Gross Point Village	p. 19
Roads and Rails	p. 35
Government at Work	p. 47
Doing Business	p. 61
No Man's Land	p. 79
On the Lakeshore	p. 91
Village of Homes	p. 103
Community Life	p. 117
About the Museum	p. 127
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