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Hillside's History |
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 1833. The Gold Rush was on in California. And back in Illinois, Frank Covell was discovering other treasure-the beautiful, rolling farmland that would one day be the Village of Hillside. For $1.25 per acre, Covell purchased his land from the government and built Hillside's first home. In later years his acreage, located on the north side of Harrison Street and one block west of Mannheim, became "O'Laughlin's Quarry", after the discovery of limestone there in 1888.
Until immigrants began to arrive from Germany, Covell's only neighbors were the Indian tribes, mainly Potawatami, who lived along the banks of the Salt Creek. With the arrival of the newcomers, social activity began to enliven the quiet, peaceful countryside. By 1858 the Germans had established Hillside's first church, Immanuel Lutheran Congregation at 22nd and Wolf Road.
A public schoolhouse was added at Hillside Avenue and Harrison Street. There, youngsters scratched away at slates and heard the latest developments in Abe Lincoln's presidential campaign.
Progress continued with the building of the Madison and Nashville Railroad, later sold to the Illinois Central Railroad. The trains provided freight and passenger service every day and brought the mail that was distributed to the villagers at the station. The Aurora and Elgin Railroad built two stations, one at Wolf, the other 51st Avenue. A ride to Chicago's Loop from Hillside was a bargain-only 25 By the turn of the century, the area had become a part of Proviso Township, known as "Cat Grove", and much of the farmland was being sold for cemeteries. Mr. Buck’s farm was purchased by the Catholic Archdiocese in 1894 to form Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Oak Ridge Cemetery opened in 1899 with Glen Oak and Queen of Heaven following. The area was often referred to as "Tombstone Territory"! But the cemeteries were important to the growth of early Hillside and greatly influenced the economic activity of the town.
People soon began to realize that food and drink establishments near the cemetery could bring in considerable wealth. Taverns mushroomed. But competition from Chicago soon moved in and racketeering became the order of the day. Tavern owners decided the only way to protect their businesses, in this unincorporated area Proviso Township, was to incorporate.
The townspeople presented there petition for incorporation to the court on November 17. 1905. At their town meeting, held in the Hillside schoolhouse on Dec. 14, 1905, the residents of the new "Village of Hillside" held their first election for public officials. The name "Hillside" was a natural choice. Old-timers say the I.C. railroad had dubbed the town Hillside when they set up their first station and nailed the "Hillside" sign over the door in reference to the steep climb up the hill to the station. (Hillside is said to be the highest point in all of Cook County.)
Even before the town's incorporation it could boast of a volunteer fire department, for a "Bucket Brigade" was organized in 1903. Volunteers "passed the bucket" for 15 years until a 500 gallon-a-minute pumper was purchased in 1918.
The Hillside Police Department was added when the infant town was only one month old. On January 19 1906, a one-man police force was installed to keep law and order. Law and order was well-kept, for the staff was not enlarged until 1948. In 1919 the proud town dedicated its first village hall, built on the same site as Hillside's present-day counterpart.
The Catholic families in Hillside began to organize in early 1916. A former office of Mt. Carmel Cemetery was secured for a church, and was moved in October; 1916 to some land on the east side of Wolf Road which had been given to them by John Wolf, the first President of the Village. The Schrieber farm on the west side of Wolf was purchased in 1922 and in 1923 the Servite Fathers took charge of what is now St. Domitilla's Parish.
Hillside's "Modern Era" began in 1925. Street lights were erected that year and two years later a village water plant was built on land behind the village hall, with water pumped from a 1600 foot well. 1928 saw the paving of Butterfield Road and the building of the Hillside Bank near Wolf Road. And, most "modern" of all, subdividers opened a new section of land and called it "Hillside Acres".
All was going well until the crash of 1929. Almost all of the banks in Proviso Township went under. But Hillside remained solvent throughout the "Great Depression" of the 1930's and the Village never missed a payroll. The depression even had some good results, for a number of Hillside's side streets were made usable through the "Works Progress Administration", a federally funded organization that gave much-needed work to men of the area during the crisis.
World War II and its post-war building boom brought an end to hard times. More subdivisions were developed and the expressway, shopping center, industries, churches and schools were built. Hillside has continued to advance. With perseverance and foresight, Hillside has emerged as a thriving, industrious community with a population nearing 10,000.
-Hillside Plan Commission
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