https://www.mundelein.org/government/boards-commissions-and-committees/mundelein-historical-commission

Mundelein Historical Commission, Mundelein, IL (2026)

08/29/2026

#5 Local Cemetery

Ivanhoe Cemetery is on route 176 near route 60 adjoining Ivanhoe Congregational Church. Although it is a public burying ground, it’s history is related to that of the church. The oldest tombstone is for Esther Payne, born Sept 2, 1846 and died Feb 25, 1847. The early records of the Ladies Society of the church tell us that they raised money to “Fence Our Burying Grounds”. Meetings were held as early as 1835. Original plots sold for $2.50 each. The west tier was set aside for the “Poor and the Stranger”. There were no exact records of interment prior to 1920.

Among the early settlers buried here are Addison Partridge and his family, the Payne family and all members of the Joice family.

08/23/2026

#4 Local Cemetery #

One of the smallest graveyards in the Chicago area is the Gridley Family Cemetery, which is situated next to Highway 83 in north suburban Lake County, north of the village of Long Grove, south of Mundelein.

Except in winter, when trees are bare, the tiny graveyard is not visible from the road, and one would be very lucky to spot it without already knowing it was there.

On the west side of Illinois Highway 83 stone steps can be seen leading up into the woods. The cemetery is about thirty feet beyond the steps.

The cemetery is very small - no more than twenty feet on any side, and is surrounded by an old iron fence. Inside, the weeds grow high.

08/20/2026

In 9 days, it will be the last Saturday of August. Can you believe it!!! Where has this summer gone???? Moving on, on August 29 we will be presenting another in our collection of radio programs from the golden age of radio at the Mundelein Heritage Museum. Per request, this month’s selection is an episode of Boston Blackie. The museum opens at 1PM and the show starts at 3 and runs until 3:30 PM.

This month we have an added attraction. One of our commissioners and one of our docents will be entertaining everyone by participating in “Play Music on The Porch Day”. Jeanne and Suzzanne will be playing a variety of folk songs, and in keeping with our heritage, railroad songs. The music will begin at 1:30 and plays until 2:30 on the front porch of the museum.

We are at 601 Noel Drive in the skate park, across from Fairhaven school.

08/17/2026

#3 Local Cemetery

The historic Fort Hill Cemetery was officially established in 1847 and is located in Lake County, Illinois, in the southwest corner of Avon Township between Volo and Hainesville near the corner of Route 120 and Fairfield Road. It borders west of the St. Joseph Cemetery.

The first known burial in the Fort Hill Cemetery was that of Warren Scovill, born August 24, 1798, in Harwinton, Litchfield County, Connecticut. On February 6, 1844, Warren purchased 40 acres in Section 27, Township 45N Range 10E (Avon). On October 10, 1844, at the age of 46, Warren died. According to the “Scoville Family Records, Part III, Harwinton (Conn.) Branch”:

“Warren Scoville (Abner, Ezekiel, Ezekiel, Stephen) born at Harwinton Aug. 24, 1798; married Evelyn Bellamy, Jan. 1, 1821. She was born Mar. 24, 1799. He died Oct. 10, 1844, at Waukegan, Illinois, killed at a log raising, or felling timber. Warren went from Connecticut to New York state about 1820, settling at Portage, where he lived until 1833, and then removed farther west. In the fall of 1842 he located in Illinois, at Waukegan, or Lake City.”

Warren Scovill was buried on land that was owned by Soloman Marble. On June 23, 1847, Soloman and his wife commissioned with the County of Lake a portion of his property to provide a burial ground for the early residents and the cemetery land was deeded to the Commissioners of Lake County.

The Fort Hill Cemetery survey completed by James Anderson, Jr., County Surveyor at Lake County, Illinois dated April 4, 1902 certifies the cemetery was “surveyed, subdivided and staked under the direction of Caroline Cleveland, Mary Wilson and Mary Huson, Trustees of the Fort Hill Cemetery” Association, identifying the new portion annexed to the original cemetery established by Soloman Marble.

Why Fort Hill?

In January, 1837, there were no townships, incorporated villages or organized communities in the young county. Three early settlers of the region, Thomas H. Payne, Joseph Wood and Joel H. Johnson stood on top of a hill that January, and could see many miles of vast land around them. Payne suggested the name of the settlement to be “Fort Hill” and the others agreed. The hill, Fort Hill, was located in what is now Fremont Township on the north side of Peterson Road between Route 60 and Alleghany Road east of the Behm farm.

08/14/2026

#2

In 1853 the residents of Vernon and the SW part of the Town of Libertyville and vicinity of Diamond Lake formed “Union Cemetery Association”. Meetings were held at the Diamond Lake Schoolhouse. First meeting was Feb 17, 1854. The original land was purchased from Joshua Pelton for $50.80. Four grave plots were sold $1 per parcel. The oldest stone is for Altha Moore, dated 1815. Her grave was originally on the Pelton family farm and moved to Union Cemetery. The first original burial here was for Owen S. Bennett in 1853, before the association was officially established. There are some tombstones dated earlier than 1853 and those are graves moved from family grave sites at a later date. About 1900 the cemetery was recorded as the “Diamond Lake Cemetery”. It was incorporated in 1917. In 1902 perpetual care was offered for an additional cost of $20.00 per grave. By 1927 all plots were sold with perpetual care which, of course raised the price of the plots. In 1964 the cemetery purchased an additional 1 ¼ acres from Gordon Clavey. In 1966 Diamon Lake Cemetery was annexed to the Village of Mundelein.

Between 1928 – 1929 the State of Illinois paved Townline road, then known as route 59A. To do this they had to tear down the hill in front of the cemetery. This resulted in the center archway gate being high above the road. The state offered and the cemetery accepted additional land; 50 feet on both the west and east ends of the cemetery and 60 feet on the south end. The state also installed a new road, 16 feet wide, all around the original plot with two exits on to the highway. The first sexton was Charles Tibbetts, 1855. At this time the grass was mowed with a scythe. This duty fell to Samuel Darby.

In 1868 an osage hedge was planted around the cemetery. This hedge fence was pulled out in 1897.

In 1869 6 plots were saved on the west side of the cemetery for the “Benefit of Strangers and Transient Persons”. In 1903, this “Potter’s Field” was given up and the lots were put up for sale.

In 1874 more land was obtained from Rufus Pelton. There was no money available for this purchase so this land was staked off into plots and sold at auction. The money raised was used to pay Rufus Pelton for the land for necessary cemetery repairs. Pelton was paid $25 for this land in 1879. In 1915 additional land was purchased from Henry Helfer.

The first gateway arch was erected in 1892 and was made of wood. (This gateway arch was replaced with an iron one in 1906.)

A ladies association was very active in fund raising, making improvements to and maintaining the cemetery. They were responsible for getting a well dug, shrubs and trees planted, flower beds planted, and extensive landscaping. The association had a comfort station and tool shed installed in the cemetery in 1919. The ladies raised money by holding socials, oyster suppers, picnics and by making and raffling quilts.

08/11/2026

A local farmer donated land that was to be Ascension Cemetery. The Kristan Family of Kristan Funeral Home in Mundelein, goes back to the beginning of the cemetery. Leo Kristan was the first employee of the cemetery when it opened in 1928. Leo Kristan’s job was supposed to be temporary. However, he continued working at the cemetery until his retirement in the late 1950’s. His son, “Pete” grew up on the grounds of Ascension. Another son, Robert Kristan, was the sexton at Ascension Cemetery in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

08/11/2026

Mission Statement
The purpose of the Mundelein Heritage Museum is to preserve and promote our community’s natural, native, and historical culture for the benefit of the public and to inspire excitement and curiously about the past and appreciation for its relevance today.

08/05/2026

https://www.westshoreland.com/uploads/8/1/9/6/81968882/article_about_memorial.pdf

08/04/2026

Some more modern history:

Some Early History

When the Wisconsin Central Railroad decided to build through the area known as Mechanics Gove to Chicago in 1880, local farmer John Holcomb donated land for a station and village plat, which he named after himself. To honor the line's most notable stockholder, the railroad renamed the station after William Rockefeller.(1) This first depot opened in 1896 to carry passengers from Chicago through Mundelein and into Minnesota. It was located on Seymour, just south of Maple. The “new” building was constructed in 1926 and was located at Park and Morris.

Modern History

In October 1980, Leonard Schmitt, the president of the Historical Society of the Fort Hill Country, learned that the abandoned Soo Line Depot in Mundelein was scheduled for demolition. He suggested moving the depot to be used as a local history museum. Mr. Schmitt wrote a letter to the president of Soo Line requesting that they lease the depot to the historical society for $1 a year. Response was you can have it for nothing but you must move it.
After three years of delays due to regulatory red tape, the depot was relocated over the course of two days starting on August 1, 1983. The building was divided into two sections, approximately 50 ft. each. Roughly 30 Ft of the building was removed as the entire building would not fit on the available space at the new site. Lake County Carpenter’s Union donated the labor to divide the building.
Residents of Mundelein watched as slowly and carefully, workers from Advanced Moving Contractors Inc. began the long process of moving the depot to its new home at Lions Field. This site was donated by the Mundelein Park District and was located on Noel Drive across from Fairhaven School.

The depot was raised on 12 hydraulic jacks. Two steel beams were then placed lengthwise under the building, a set of wheels was installed under each steel beam. A semi-tractor and a caterpillar were required to pull the building out of the dirt that had been loosened when the foundation was removed, but for most of the trip, the semi-tractor pulled the 80-ton load alone. High power lines were covered with insulating material and held clear of the building by workers standing on the roof of the moving depot. Several corner street signs were removed. (2)
At one point a hydraulic winch was used to tug the two structures up an incline on Rouse Avenue. Several trees had to be removed, branches had to be trimmed. (3)

The move cost upwards of $16,000, (Adjusted for inflation, $16,000.00 in 1983 is equal to $42,126.89 in 2020.) not including the extensive renovations that were required. After almost five years of work, the Fort Hill Heritage Museum, housing a diverse collection of historical artifacts from Mundelein and Lake County, opened its doors to the public on July 4, 1987.

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Some who donated time or money to the project:

Soo Line donated the building (on the condition that it be moved)

Lake County Carpenter’s Union

Mundelein Paint Center 41 gallons of paint

A group of young boys and girls primed the structure

Bel Rae Painters of Wauconda Painted the building – no charge

Mr. & Mrs. Harold Blackwell of Lake Zurich matched $5,000 in contributions

New roof – Local Roofing of Libertyville – gratis

Engineers of Abbott Labs of North Chicago

Architect Robert Parker Coffin of Barrington donated his architectural services

Mundelein Park District donated the land

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(1) The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago © 2005 Chicago Historical Society
(2) Mundelein Review August 4, 1983
(3) Mundelein Independent Register August 4, 1983

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Following is a description of the display. Enclosed are pictures from the display for reference.)

1. First Poster is a collage of pictures, most from moving day.

a) “Soo Line Depot Restoration Project. These pictures are from moving day, August 1, 1983. The depot is moved from its original location at Park and Chicago Avenues. The depot now serves as the Historical Society of Fort Hill.” Now, of course, it is the Mundelein Heritage Museum.

b) “Soo Line engine 2719 stopping for water at Dresser, Wisconsin, August 18, 1957. Scenes such as this were common even in Mundelein during the age of steam engines.”

c) Next picture, the depot is on the truck. “Left to right: George Kane, Fort Hill Society member, Robert Rode, engineer Abbott Laboratories, and Leonard Schmitt, Fort Hill Society.”

d) Another picture with the depot on the truck in the background. “Left to right: Michael Gustafson, engineer Abbott Laboratories, Leonard Schmitt, Fort Hill Historical Society, and Robert Rode, engineer Abbott Laboratories.”

e) The next picture shows “Spectators watching the overhead wires being protected during the Soo Line depot’s move.”

f) Next are two pictures of folks involved in the project. “Left to right: Larry Lee, Abbott Laboratories senior vice president. Lee’s support of the depot restoration resulted in five Abbott engineers assisting in the depot’s move; and Robert Parker Coffin, who was involved in the restoration project.” The name may be familiar as there is a road in Long Grove named after Mr. Coffin.

g) The next picture is another view of the depot on the truck as it moves from its original location to its new home. “Peter Friesen, front left, supervised the move of the Soo Line depot.”

2. Picture titled “Give The Past A Future”. A picture of the depot as it was. Note the name of the town then was Rockefeller. Circa 1924

3. The depot as it looked in the early 1980’s.

4. These pictures are of the depot after it was restored.

5. The next poster in the back is a collage of pictures taken on moving day, August 1983. “Tracks for the Wisconsin Central Railroad were laid, and first depot was built on Seymour /St. just South of Maple Avenue in 1885. The first train came through Mundelein (then called Holcomb) in 1886. This building was built in 1926.

The depot provided freight service to local businesses and passenger service to and from town until the 1970’s. By 1980 the depot was dilapidated, and scheduled for demolition.
In October, 1980, Leonard Schmitt, President of the Historical Society of the Fort Hill Country, suggested moving the depot for use as a local history museum.

It took three years of planning and negotiation to finalize the deal. On August 1, and 2, 1983, workers from Advanced Moving Contractors, Inc. relocated the depot to this site, donated by thew Mundelein Park District, then known as Lion’s Field.

The move cost about $16,000, not including the extensive renovations required to refurbish the building. After nearly four years of work, the Fort Hill Heritage Museum opened to the public on July 4, 1987.

Thanks to Leonard Schmitt’s vision and tremendous community support Mundelein was able to preserve its past for future generations.

6. This is a picture of how a school room would have looked in the early 1900’s. This was one of the displays in the “new” museum.

7. The last picture is of Dottie Watson at a Fourth of July celebration in front of the Fort Hill Historical Society museum. Dottie held 4th of July celebrations here for many years.

The End (for now)

07/28/2026

More history of Mundelein from Cook Library.

Tragedy on the Tracks
Written by Thomas Hillier

In the early 1920s Lake County was witness to several horrible train accidents on the Soo Line. The Soo Line was part of the Canadian Pacific Railway and ran through western Canada and much of the Midwest, including downtown Mundelein. While the railroad helped bring prosperity and supplies to the area, it also brought tragedy. With heavy machinery moving at a high rate of speed, a train wreck could be quite catastrophic. Here are the stories of two train accidents which led to injuries, death, and destruction. In both cases it was human error, not system or mechanical failure, were to blame.

In March 1923, a train on the Soo Line heading west through Area (now Mundelein) had stopped, waiting to get orders to proceed. Strangely, a flagman was not sent to warn oncoming trains of the train stopped ahead. To make matters worse, the train had stopped on a part of the track that was somewhat obscured from view from any train approaching from the east. It wasn’t long before another train did in fact come along. The approaching train’s conductor didn’t see the stopped train until it was too late. The conductor, the engineer and the brakeman all jumped from the swiftly moving train when it became apparent that a collision was inevitable. The engineer and the conductor survived relatively unscathed, with minor cuts and bruises. Unfortunately the brakeman, Frank Herbert, wasn’t so lucky. He suffered a severely broken leg along with several bumps and bruises. Initial reports feared that Herbert’s broken leg was a possible life-threatening injury; however, Herbert recovered enough after being treated by Dr. Martin of Libertyville to return home to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

The wreckage was a sight to behold: 16 cars had been tossed across the area from the impact of the collision, creating about 400 feet of debris. The moving train had been traveling at about 35 mph. This explains why the crew of the train didn’t jump until they had to, as leaping from a fast moving train was an only slightly better option than being on one when it rammed another. A fire started from a stove that had overturned in the caboose when it was hit by the oncoming engine. The Area fire department was called and quickly put out the blaze. The collision caused several hours’ delay to the railroad schedule while wreckage was removed from the accident site.
(Near Mundelein)

In August of 1925, the Soo Line saw an even worse wreck, this time just outside of Grayslake. A northbound train was stopped to give a southbound train approaching room to pass. However, the northbound train was positioned in such a way as to not leave enough room for the clearance of the oncoming train. As the southbound train approached down the opposite track heading for Chicago at about 30 to 35 mph, Edward Mulligan, fireman for the southbound train, saw the train and realized that a collision was imminent. He then warned the engineer, Arthur Davis, and both proceeded to jump from the moving train. When the two trains collided, momentum sent both of them into a ditch. The trains were loaded with grain, oats and other goods, which were scattered in every direction. Arthur Davis fractured his leg and the train’s brakeman, Arthur Mayround, broke his arm. Both men received prompt medical attention and were sent home. Sadly Edward Mulligan, the one who warned the others of the impending crash, was killed instantly when he hit the ground. He was found shortly after the crash with a fractured skull and broken neck.

Train traffic ground to a halt for about 12 hours after the crash while trains and material were moved off of the tracks. In total two engines and 13 cars were involved in the accident. At the point of the collision, debris was piled about 20 to 35 feet high. In an interesting note, none of the northbound train’s crew was hurt as they realized there was going to be a collision and were able to get away, since their train was already stopped.

Sources
“Canadian Pacific Limited.” International Directory of Company Histories. Ed. Adele Hast. Vol. 5. Chicago: St. James Press, 1992. 429-431. U.S. History in Context. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
“Freight Trains in bad wreck at Area this noon. “ Libertyville Independent. Mar. 1, 1923, p. 1.
“Two Long Freights on Soo Line Pile Up; Brakeman Suffers Injuries Which May Prove Fatal.” Lake County Independent. March 1, 1923 p. 1.
“1 dead on Soo Ry. Saturday evening.” Libertyville Independent. August 27, 1925, p. 1, 4.
“One Killed; Two Hurt in Train Wreck.” Lake County Independent. August 27, 1925, p. 1.

Mundelein Historical Commission

08/29/2026

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