Encyclopedia of Des Plaines - User contributions [en]

Dr. John L. Gable, DSC

2026-06-24T19:04:12Z

John Lavalie:

'''John L. Gable''' (1908-1989) was a podiatrist. His office was at {{LinkToMap|1498 Miner Street}}. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club.
[[file:PS 02.png|thumb|left|1000px|1970 photograph. Gable's office was upstairs, between Sugar Bowl and [[Brumlik Shoes]]]]
[[Category:Businesspeople]]
[[Category:People associated with the Kiwanis Club]]
[[Category:People buried at All Saints Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum]]
[[Category:Businesses]]
[[Category:Miner Street]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gable, John L.}}

Elmer's Union 76

2026-06-24T18:19:04Z

John Lavalie:

'''Elmer's Union 76''' was a gas station at {{LinkToMap|1558 Miner Street}}. Steve Henquinet was manager in 1990. It was renamed '''Elmer's Auto Service'''. The station moved to {{LinkToMap|1396 Miner Street}} in 1995.
[[File:Elmer's Union 76 1977.jpg|thumb|left|450px|1977 advertisement]]
[[Category:Service stations]]
[[Category:Miner Street]]

Elmer's Union 76

2026-06-24T16:51:38Z

John Lavalie:

'''Elmer's Union 76''' was a gas station at {{LinkToMap|1558 Miner Street}}. Steve Henquinet was manager in 1990.
[[File:Elmer's Union 76 1977.jpg|thumb|left|450px|1977 advertisement]]
[[Category:Service stations]]
[[Category:Miner Street]]

George D. Egan

2026-06-24T16:14:06Z

John Lavalie: Created page with "'''George D. Egan, Jr.''' (1952-2026) was alderman of the 8th ward from 1979 to 1983. Category:Politicians Category:People buried at All Saints Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum {{DEFAULTSORT:Egan, George D.}}"

'''George D. Egan, Jr.''' (1952-2026) was alderman of the 8th ward from 1979 to 1983.
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:People buried at All Saints Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egan, George D.}}

Library board members

2026-06-22T13:20:44Z

John Lavalie:

{{#css: td:nth-child(4) { text-align: center; } {{Alt rows|odd|#ffffff}} }}
{| class="wikitable" id="libBoard"
! member !! start !! end !! president?
|-
| Kate Hood || 1906 || 1909 ||
|-
| [[Martin Behrens]] || 1906 || 1909 ||
|-
| A. R. Lambert || 1906 || 1910 ||
|-
| Henry Weber || 1906 || 1914 || yes
|-
| [[J. Hobart Allison]] || 1906 || 1924 ||
|-
| [[Arthur L. Webster]] || 1906 || 1929 ||
|-
| [[Nellie Talcott]] || 1909 || 1911 ||
|-
| Mrs. Wheller || 1909 || 1912 ||
|-
| Herman Hass || 1910 || 1916 ||
|-
| [[Matilda Smyser]] || 1911 || 1931 || yes
|-
| C.A. Wolfram || 1912 || 1915 ||
|-
| C.W.M. Brown || 1915 || 1924 ||
|-
| [[Edith Kinder]] || 1915 || 1929 ||
|-
| Amanda Leverenz || 1916 || 1923 ||
|-
| Erma Steck || 1925 || 1927 ||
|-
| Mrs. Ed Fischer || 1925 || 1927 ||
|-
| Mrs. C. L. Brobst || 1925 || 1929 ||
|-
| Mrs. Thomas Jordan || 1925 || 1935 ||
|-
| [[Erich Schalk]] || 1925 || 1938 ||
|-
| Mrs. Feldt || 1926 || 1927 ||
|-
| Dorothy Allen || 1926 || 1930 ||
|-
| Thomas R. Foulkes || 1927 || 1930 ||
|-
| Mrs. O. Gaebel || 1928 || 1929 ||
|-
| [[Garfield F. Miller, Sr.]] || 1929 || 1932 ||
|-
| [[Mary Talcott]] || 1930 || 1931 ||
|-
| Mrs. William Wolters || 1930 || 1932 ||
|-
| Ella Raymond || 1931 || 1937 ||
|-
| Mrs. H.T. Wilson || 1931 || 1937 ||
|-
| Kenneth Downing || 1931 || 1939 ||
|-
| [[Susan Poyer]] || 1931 || 1946 ||
|-
| Mrs. Erwin Umbach || 1932 || 1933 ||
|-
| Donald B. Campbell || 1932 || 1934 ||
|-
| Arthur R. McAlpin || 1933 || 1946 || yes
|-
| Peterson || 1934 || 1934 ||
|-
| Edna Shuler || 1935 || 1941 ||
|-
| William Sulzbach || 1935 || 1941 ||
|-
| [[Gilbert Rudiger]] || 1935 || 1963 || yes
|-
| [[E. David MacLuckie]] || 1937 || 1939 ||
|-
| [[Fritz Wettin]] || 1937 || 1946 ||
|-
| [[Olga M. Siede]] || 1938 || 1941 ||
|-
| Irene Stuebe || 1939 || 1941 ||
|-
| [[Keats Longley]] || 1939 || 1962 ||
|-
| Hanford C. Petzoldt || 1941 || 1943 ||
|-
| Samuel McKay || 1941 || 1943 ||
|-
| Frieda Hill || 1941 || 1954 ||
|-
| [[Madelyn Behrel]] || 1942 || 1945 ||
|-
| Ruth Lueck || 1943 || 1952 ||
|-
| [[Erich Schalk]] || 1943 || 1960 ||
|-
| Philip Paulson || 1945 || 1955 ||
|-
| Mrs. Eric Church || 1945 || 1959 ||
|-
| [[Charles Parriott]] || 1946 || 1955 ||
|-
| Lucille Scholl || 1946 || 1964 ||
|-
| June Morehart || 1952 || 1960 ||
|-
| [[Marion Kunkel]] || 1954 || 1962 ||
|-
| Hilda Wick || 1955 || 1958 ||
|-
| [[William Burfisher]] || 1955 || 1963 ||
|-
| Ann Troyan || 1959 || 1960 ||
|-
| Forrest Elleman || 1959 || 1961 ||
|-
| Elmer Passow || 1959 || 1978 || yes
|-
| Ruth Kimball || 1960 || 1963 ||
|-
| [[Savena Gorsline]] || 1960 || 1993 ||
|-
| Robert Currier || 1961 || 1964 ||
|-
| Edward R. Carlton || 1962 || 1964 ||
|-
| [[Alice Smith]] || 1962 || 1965 ||
|-
| [[Melvin Mertes]] || 1963 || 1966 ||
|-
| Melvin Vincent || 1963 || 1970 ||
|-
| [[Daniel W. Bonaguidi, Jr.]] || 1964 || 1968 ||
|-
| Frank J. Kautter || 1964 || 1970 ||
|-
| William Paul Batdorf || 1964 || 1978 || yes
|-
| Mrs. T.R. Napier || 1965 || 1970 ||
|-
| Jane Farmer || 1965 || 1974 ||
|-
| Gilbert Horn || 1966 || 1968 ||
|-
| Cayetano Santiago || 1968 || 1970 ||
|-
| [[Daniel Morava]] || 1968 || 1981 || yes
|-
| Helen Workman || 1970 || 1979 ||
|-
| Manson E. North || 1970 || 1979 ||
|-
| Austin J. Rohrman || 1970 || 1980 ||
|-
| Elmer Graebner || 1970 || 1980 ||
|-
| Patricia Dahl || 1974 || 1981 ||
|-
| Kenneth Reese || 1978 || 1987 || yes
|-
| Marilyn McDermid || 1979 || 1984 ||
|-
| Margaret Bock || 1980 || 1986 ||
|-
| Susan Burrows || 1980 || 2003 ||
|-
| Keith R. Shildneck || 1981 || 1983 ||
|-
| Robert Jacks || 1981 || 1990 ||
|-
| Stephen J. Loska, Jr. || 1982 || 1983 ||
|-
| William Vedral || 1982 || 1995 ||
|-
| Charlotte Storer || 1984 || 1993 || yes
|-
| William Prentice || 1984 || 1995 ||
|-
| Nancy Uszler || 1985 || 1990 ||
|-
| Marlan Davis || 1987 || 1987 ||
|-
| Michael Schnell || 1988 || 1996 ||
|-
| Sarah McConnell || 1989 || 1996 || yes
|-
| Blaise Arena || 1991 || 1991 ||
|-
| John Scarsi || 1991 || 1996 ||
|-
| Inara Brubaker || 1992 || 2003 ||
|-
| Betty Ritter || 1995 || 1996 ||
|-
| [[John Burke]] || 1995 || 2003 ||
|-
| Eldon Burk || 1995 || 2009 ||
|-
| John Ciborowski || 1996 || 2003 || yes
|-
| Ellen Yearwood || 1997 || 2003 ||
|-
| [[Rev. Dr. William G. Grice III|William Grice]] || 1999 || 2008 ||
|-
| Rhys Read || 2001 || 2009 ||
|-
| Noreen Lake || 2002 || 2009 || yes
|-
| Susan Weinberg || 2003 || 2006 ||
|-
| Elaine Tejcek || 2003 || 2009 ||
|-
| Mary Ellicson || 2004 || 2007 ||
|-
| Jeremiah Mahony || 2004 || 2008 ||
|-
| Susan Burrows || 2006 || 2006 ||
|-
| Maria G. Bahamon || 2007 || 2008 ||
|-
| George Magerl || 2007 || 2009 ||
|-
| [[Matthew Bogusz]] || 2007 || 2009 ||
|-
| Jeffrey A. Rozovics || 2008 || 2009 ||
|-
| Myrtle Klebe || 2009 || 2009 ||
|-
| Selma D'Souza || 2009 || 2009 ||
|-
| Dion Kendrick || 2010 || 2015 ||
|-
| Jennifer Tsalapatanis || 2013 || 2013 ||
|-
| Eugene Fregetto || 2013 || 2014 ||
|-
| Alma Perez || 2013 || 2015 ||
|-
| Rich Pope || 2013 || 2016 ||
|-
| Steve Mokry || 2013 || 2016 ||
|-
| Vince Rangel || 2013 || 2021 ||
|-
| Gregory Sarlo || 2013 || 2026 || yes
|-
| [[Rosemary Mulligan]] || 2014 || 2014 ||
|-
| Kristen Graack || 2014 || ||
|-
| Obaidur Rahman || 2015 || 2016 ||
|-
| Patricia Thompson || 2015 || 2017 ||
|-
| Earl Wilson || 2015 || 2019 ||
|-
| Denise Hudec || 2015 || 2025 ||
|-
| Bruce Lester || 2016 || 2022 ||
|-
| Umair Qadeer || 2017 || 2020 ||
|-
| Nicholas Harkovich || 2017 || ||
|-
| Christopher Renkosiak || 2018 || 2019 ||
|-
| Mindy Capper || 2020 || 2020 ||
|-
| Christine Halblander || 2021 || ||
|-
| Michelle Shimon-Huchinson || 2021 || ||
|-
| Lisa DuBrock || 2022 || ||
|-
| Nazneen Kapadia || 2023 || 2023 ||
|-
| Rachel Rice || 2023 || ||
|-
| Robert Flinn || 2024 || ||
|-
| Megan Williams || 2025 || ||
|}
[[Category:Library]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Rosemary Mulligan

2026-06-22T13:20:36Z

John Lavalie:

'''Rosemary Mulligan''' (1941-2014) was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for ten terms, representing the 55th District in the northwest suburbs of Chicago from 1993 until 2013. She was a member of the [[library board]] in 2014.
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:People associated with the library]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulligan, Rosemary}}

Library board members

2026-06-18T13:38:25Z

John Lavalie:

{{#css: td:nth-child(4) { text-align: center; } {{Alt rows|odd|#ffffff}} }}
{| class="wikitable" id="libBoard"
! member !! start !! end !! president?
|-
| Kate Hood || 1906 || 1909 ||
|-
| [[Martin Behrens]] || 1906 || 1909 ||
|-
| A. R. Lambert || 1906 || 1910 ||
|-
| Henry Weber || 1906 || 1914 || yes
|-
| [[J. Hobart Allison]] || 1906 || 1924 ||
|-
| [[Arthur L. Webster]] || 1906 || 1929 ||
|-
| [[Nellie Talcott]] || 1909 || 1911 ||
|-
| Mrs. Wheller || 1909 || 1912 ||
|-
| Herman Hass || 1910 || 1916 ||
|-
| [[Matilda Smyser]] || 1911 || 1931 || yes
|-
| C.A. Wolfram || 1912 || 1915 ||
|-
| C.W.M. Brown || 1915 || 1924 ||
|-
| [[Edith Kinder]] || 1915 || 1929 ||
|-
| Amanda Leverenz || 1916 || 1923 ||
|-
| Erma Steck || 1925 || 1927 ||
|-
| Mrs. Ed Fischer || 1925 || 1927 ||
|-
| Mrs. C. L. Brobst || 1925 || 1929 ||
|-
| Mrs. Thomas Jordan || 1925 || 1935 ||
|-
| [[Erich Schalk]] || 1925 || 1938 ||
|-
| Mrs. Feldt || 1926 || 1927 ||
|-
| Dorothy Allen || 1926 || 1930 ||
|-
| Thomas R. Foulkes || 1927 || 1930 ||
|-
| Mrs. O. Gaebel || 1928 || 1929 ||
|-
| [[Garfield F. Miller, Sr.]] || 1929 || 1932 ||
|-
| [[Mary Talcott]] || 1930 || 1931 ||
|-
| Mrs. William Wolters || 1930 || 1932 ||
|-
| Ella Raymond || 1931 || 1937 ||
|-
| Mrs. H.T. Wilson || 1931 || 1937 ||
|-
| Kenneth Downing || 1931 || 1939 ||
|-
| [[Susan Poyer]] || 1931 || 1946 ||
|-
| Mrs. Erwin Umbach || 1932 || 1933 ||
|-
| Donald B. Campbell || 1932 || 1934 ||
|-
| Arthur R. McAlpin || 1933 || 1946 || yes
|-
| Peterson || 1934 || 1934 ||
|-
| Edna Shuler || 1935 || 1941 ||
|-
| William Sulzbach || 1935 || 1941 ||
|-
| [[Gilbert Rudiger]] || 1935 || 1963 || yes
|-
| [[E. David MacLuckie]] || 1937 || 1939 ||
|-
| [[Fritz Wettin]] || 1937 || 1946 ||
|-
| [[Olga M. Siede]] || 1938 || 1941 ||
|-
| Irene Stuebe || 1939 || 1941 ||
|-
| [[Keats Longley]] || 1939 || 1962 ||
|-
| Hanford C. Petzoldt || 1941 || 1943 ||
|-
| Samuel McKay || 1941 || 1943 ||
|-
| Frieda Hill || 1941 || 1954 ||
|-
| [[Madelyn Behrel]] || 1942 || 1945 ||
|-
| Ruth Lueck || 1943 || 1952 ||
|-
| [[Erich Schalk]] || 1943 || 1960 ||
|-
| Philip Paulson || 1945 || 1955 ||
|-
| Mrs. Eric Church || 1945 || 1959 ||
|-
| [[Charles Parriott]] || 1946 || 1955 ||
|-
| Lucille Scholl || 1946 || 1964 ||
|-
| June Morehart || 1952 || 1960 ||
|-
| [[Marion Kunkel]] || 1954 || 1962 ||
|-
| Hilda Wick || 1955 || 1958 ||
|-
| [[William Burfisher]] || 1955 || 1963 ||
|-
| Ann Troyan || 1959 || 1960 ||
|-
| Forrest Elleman || 1959 || 1961 ||
|-
| Elmer Passow || 1959 || 1978 || yes
|-
| Ruth Kimball || 1960 || 1963 ||
|-
| [[Savena Gorsline]] || 1960 || 1993 ||
|-
| Robert Currier || 1961 || 1964 ||
|-
| Edward R. Carlton || 1962 || 1964 ||
|-
| [[Alice Smith]] || 1962 || 1965 ||
|-
| [[Melvin Mertes]] || 1963 || 1966 ||
|-
| Melvin Vincent || 1963 || 1970 ||
|-
| [[Daniel W. Bonaguidi, Jr.]] || 1964 || 1968 ||
|-
| Frank J. Kautter || 1964 || 1970 ||
|-
| William Paul Batdorf || 1964 || 1978 || yes
|-
| Mrs. T.R. Napier || 1965 || 1970 ||
|-
| Jane Farmer || 1965 || 1974 ||
|-
| Gilbert Horn || 1966 || 1968 ||
|-
| Cayetano Santiago || 1968 || 1970 ||
|-
| [[Daniel Morava]] || 1968 || 1981 || yes
|-
| Helen Workman || 1970 || 1979 ||
|-
| Manson E. North || 1970 || 1979 ||
|-
| Austin J. Rohrman || 1970 || 1980 ||
|-
| Elmer Graebner || 1970 || 1980 ||
|-
| Patricia Dahl || 1974 || 1981 ||
|-
| Kenneth Reese || 1978 || 1987 || yes
|-
| Marilyn McDermid || 1979 || 1984 ||
|-
| Margaret Bock || 1980 || 1986 ||
|-
| Susan Burrows || 1980 || 2003 ||
|-
| Keith R. Shildneck || 1981 || 1983 ||
|-
| Robert Jacks || 1981 || 1990 ||
|-
| Stephen J. Loska, Jr. || 1982 || 1983 ||
|-
| William Vedral || 1982 || 1995 ||
|-
| Charlotte Storer || 1984 || 1993 || yes
|-
| William Prentice || 1984 || 1995 ||
|-
| Nancy Uszler || 1985 || 1990 ||
|-
| Marlan Davis || 1987 || 1987 ||
|-
| Michael Schnell || 1988 || 1996 ||
|-
| Sarah McConnell || 1989 || 1996 || yes
|-
| Blaise Arena || 1991 || 1991 ||
|-
| John Scarsi || 1991 || 1996 ||
|-
| Inara Brubaker || 1992 || 2003 ||
|-
| Betty Ritter || 1995 || 1996 ||
|-
| [[John Burke]] || 1995 || 2003 ||
|-
| Eldon Burk || 1995 || 2009 ||
|-
| John Ciborowski || 1996 || 2003 || yes
|-
| Ellen Yearwood || 1997 || 2003 ||
|-
| [[Rev. Dr. William G. Grice III|William Grice]] || 1999 || 2008 ||
|-
| Rhys Read || 2001 || 2009 ||
|-
| Noreen Lake || 2002 || 2009 || yes
|-
| Susan Weinberg || 2003 || 2006 ||
|-
| Elaine Tejcek || 2003 || 2009 ||
|-
| Mary Ellicson || 2004 || 2007 ||
|-
| Jeremiah Mahony || 2004 || 2008 ||
|-
| Susan Burrows || 2006 || 2006 ||
|-
| Maria G. Bahamon || 2007 || 2008 ||
|-
| George Magerl || 2007 || 2009 ||
|-
| [[Matthew Bogusz]] || 2007 || 2009 ||
|-
| Jeffrey A. Rozovics || 2008 || 2009 ||
|-
| Myrtle Klebe || 2009 || 2009 ||
|-
| Selma D'Souza || 2009 || 2009 ||
|-
| Dion Kendrick || 2010 || 2015 ||
|-
| Jennifer Tsalapatanis || 2013 || 2013 ||
|-
| Eugene Fregetto || 2013 || 2014 ||
|-
| Alma Perez || 2013 || 2015 ||
|-
| Rich Pope || 2013 || 2016 ||
|-
| Steve Mokry || 2013 || 2016 ||
|-
| Vince Rangel || 2013 || 2021 ||
|-
| Gregory Sarlo || 2013 || 2026 || yes
|-
| [[Rosemary Mulligan]] || 2014 || 2015 ||
|-
| Kristen Graack || 2014 || ||
|-
| Obaidur Rahman || 2015 || 2016 ||
|-
| Patricia Thompson || 2015 || 2017 ||
|-
| Earl Wilson || 2015 || 2019 ||
|-
| Denise Hudec || 2015 || 2025 ||
|-
| Bruce Lester || 2016 || 2022 ||
|-
| Umair Qadeer || 2017 || 2020 ||
|-
| Nicholas Harkovich || 2017 || ||
|-
| Christopher Renkosiak || 2018 || 2019 ||
|-
| Mindy Capper || 2020 || 2020 ||
|-
| Christine Halblander || 2021 || ||
|-
| Michelle Shimon-Huchinson || 2021 || ||
|-
| Lisa DuBrock || 2022 || ||
|-
| Nazneen Kapadia || 2023 || 2023 ||
|-
| Rachel Rice || 2023 || ||
|-
| Robert Flinn || 2024 || ||
|-
| Megan Williams || 2025 || ||
|}
[[Category:Library]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Nugent Wenckus Studios

2026-06-17T14:33:16Z

John Lavalie:

[[File:P6814.JPG|thumb|right|400px|1994 photograph]]
'''Nugent Wenckus Studios''' was a commercial art and photography studio founded by Richard Harding Nugent in 1947
and later run by Michael Joseph Wenckus. It was at {{LinkToMap|1100 Northwest Highway}}.
[[File:Nugent Wenkus 1970.jpg|thumb|left|450px|1970 advertisement]]
[[Category:Businesses]]
[[Category:Northwest Highway]]

File:P6814.JPG

2026-06-17T14:32:23Z

John Lavalie: 1994 photograph Category:Photographs

== Summary ==
1994 photograph
[[Category:Photographs]]

Historical population of Maine Township

2026-06-16T18:59:35Z

John Lavalie: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" ! Year !! Des Plaines !! Maine Township |- | 1850 || || 548 |- | 1860 || || 1,142 |- | 1870 || 800 || 1,808 |- | 1880 || 818 || 2,316 |- | 1890 || 986 || 3,258 |- | 1900 || 1,666 || 5,161 |- | 1910 || 2,348 || 7,193 |- | 1920 || 3,451 || 20,855 |- | 1930 || 8,798 || 24,205 |- | 1940 || 9,518 || 38,953 |- | 1950 || 14,994 || 95,476 |- | 1960 || 34,886 || 140,194 |- | 1970 || 57,239 || 130,676 |- | 1980 || 41,014 || 129,010 |- | 1990 || 53,223 || 13..."

{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Des Plaines !! Maine Township
|-
| 1850 || || 548
|-
| 1860 || || 1,142
|-
| 1870 || 800 || 1,808
|-
| 1880 || 818 || 2,316
|-
| 1890 || 986 || 3,258
|-
| 1900 || 1,666 || 5,161
|-
| 1910 || 2,348 || 7,193
|-
| 1920 || 3,451 || 20,855
|-
| 1930 || 8,798 || 24,205
|-
| 1940 || 9,518 || 38,953
|-
| 1950 || 14,994 || 95,476
|-
| 1960 || 34,886 || 140,194
|-
| 1970 || 57,239 || 130,676
|-
| 1980 || 41,014 || 129,010
|-
| 1990 || 53,223 || 135,624
|-
| 2000 || 58,720 || 135,885
|-
| 2010 || 58,364 || 140,074
|-
| 2020 || 60,442 || 135,900
|}

Source: Census bulletins.
[[Category:Politics and government]]

Library timeline

2026-06-03T18:57:01Z

John Lavalie:

{| class="wikitable" {{Alt rows|odd|#ffffff}}
! date !! event
|-
| May 2, 1906 || first board of directors meeting
|-
| September 15, 1907 || director [[Sarah A. Weeks]] begins
|-
| October 5, 1907 || [[Des Plaines Public Library building number 1|building #1]] opens<ref>{{Library opens}}</ref>
|-
| October 14, 1915 || director Harriet B. Cook begins
|-
| July 1927 || director Neva Holmes begins
|-
| April 1, 1930 || director Mabel Eamon begins
|-
| September 1, 1931 || director [[Elsie Earle]] begins
|-
| July 15, 1933 || library closed through Sept. 18 for financial reasons
|-
| December 7, 1936 || [[Des Plaines Public Library building number 2|building #2]] opens (678 Lee Street)
|-
| June 29, 1937 || dedication for [[Des Plaines Public Library building number 3|building #3]]
|-
| July 30, 1937 || open house at building #3
|-
| August 2, 1937 || building #3 opens to the public
|-
| 1945 || director Harriet B. Cook begins
|-
| late 1945 || director [[Alice W. Smith]] begins
|-
| April 1954 || Friends of the Library founded
|-
| October 1955 || first discussion of a new building
|-
| January 22, 1957 || referendum for expansion (passed)
|-
| August 1957 || time capsule at 841 Graceland opened
|-
| September 29, 1957 || 50th anniversary (through October 6)
|-
| December 15, 1957 || new time capsule closed and cornerstone laid
|-
| November 2, 1958 || building #4 opens (841 Graceland)
|-
| July 1, 1961 || director [[Lewis Klitzke]] begins
|-
| November 1967 || LPs added
|-
| 1967 || large print books added
|-
| March 1969 || acquired microfilm reader
|-
| June 19, 1969 || first Bookmobile stop (Devonshire Park)
|-
| January 3, 1972 || director [[William J. Wiman]] begins
|-
| June 1972 || first discussion of expansion
|-
| September 15, 1974 || dedication and open house for addition
|-
| October 9, 1976 || second bookmobile's first stop
|-
| October 1, 1977 || director [[Bernard Oppenneer]] begins
|-
| October 3, 1977 || 70th anniversary celebrations (through Oct. 8)
|-
| 1977 || begin circulating jigsaw puzzles
|-
| 1977 || begin circulating cassettes
|-
| September 1978 || Sunday hours begin
|-
| 1979 || begin circulating sculpture
|-
| 1980 || begin circulating VHS tapes
|-
| May 1, 1984 || first online checkout in CCS
|-
| August 1985 || joined OCLC
|-
| September 7, 1985 || The Great Des Plaines Sesquicentennial Parade (bookworm)
|-
| January 1986 || first issue of Footnotes published
|-
| September 28, 1986 || 80th anniversary
|-
| 1986 || Night Owl Reference Service begins
|-
| 1986 || begin circulating CDs
|-
| May 20, 1990 || bookmobile's 30th anniversary celebration
|-
| May 7, 1992 || card catalog closed and recycled
|-
| October 3, 1992 || march to West School (referendum event with the bookworm)
|-
| October 1, 1993 || renewals allowed
|-
| June 19, 1994 || director Sandra Norlin begins
|-
| June 2, 1995 || Bookmobile Roundup in the parking lot
|-
| November 1995 || NorthStarNet launched
|-
| March 29, 1996 || book sale at [[Des Plaines Mall|the mall]] (through March 31)
|-
| August 1996 || new bookmobile
|-
| September 28, 1996 || book sale at the mall (through September 30)
|-
| October 1, 1996 || bookmobile #3
|-
| May 18, 1997 || [[The United Federation of Doll Clubs|The United Federation of Doll Clubs Research Center]] opens
|-
| October 5, 1997 || 90th anniversary
|-
| 1997 || joined Library Cable Network
|-
| April 15, 1999 || ground broken at 1501 Ellinwood
|-
| November 1999 || internet filters added
|-
| January 2000 || audiobooks on CD added
|-
| June 11, 2000 || ceremonial move to 1501 Ellinwood
|-
| August 3, 2000 || "One for the Books" fundraiser and preview
|-
| August 14, 2000 || 1501 Ellinwood opens
|-
| September 24, 2000 || grand opening of 1501 Ellinwood
|-
| August 14, 2001 || dppl.org registered
|-
| August 2001 || Answers Unlimited begins
|-
| September 30, 2001 || Peace Pole dedicated
|-
| September 30, 2001 || 1st anniversary at 1501 Ellinwood event
|-
| December 2001 || first televised board meeting (confirm date)
|-
| April 13, 2002 || Poet Tree opened
|-
| April 5, 2003 || Do the Dewey
|-
| April 17, 2004 || Do the Dewey
|-
| May 21, 2004 || "Young Lincoln Learning" statue dedicated
|-
| May 21, 2004 || 50th anniversary celebration for Friends of the Library
|-
| July 12, 2004 || Kevin Luthardt mural unveiled
|-
| July 2004 || Fred Nagelbach sculpture installed
|-
| July 2004 || Wi-fi installed
|-
| April 7, 2005 || demolition of 841 Graceland begins
|-
| April 7, 2005 || clock tower dedicated at the Waterford Condominiums
|-
| April 16, 2005 || Do the Dewey
|-
| April 22, 2006 || Do the Dewey
|-
| April 21, 2007 || Do the Dewey
|-
| July 20, 2007 || Harry Potter after hours event
|-
| October 7, 2007 || 100th anniversary celebrations
|-
| March 2008 || begin eliminating VHS collection
|-
| April 26, 2008 || Do the Dewey
|-
| August 2008 || RFID tagging beings
|-
| August 2008 || OSG hired
|-
| December 2008 || Enabling Park opened (site of Peace Pole?)
|-
| December 2008 || lobby remodeling begins
|-
| March 3, 2009 || sorter goes online
|-
| April 25, 2009 || Do the Dewey
|-
| April 24, 2010 || Do the Dewey
|-
| September 1, 2010 || director [[Holly Richards Sorensen]] begins
|-
| January 2011 || Language Center added
|-
| May 7, 2011 || Do the Dewey
|-
| December 17, 2011 || last mobile library stop
|-
| March 26, 2012 || desplainesmemory.org registered
|-
| April 2012 || Freegal added
|-
| October 2012 || first Pinterest page
|-
| May 2013 || begin charging for meeting room use
|-
| 2015 || Story Room expanded
|-
| October 14, 2016 || "Fast Forward" renovation complete
|-
| 2016 || The Commons opens
|-
| July 5, 2019 || director Jo Bonell begins
|-
| March 16, 2020 || closes for COVID
|-
| June 15, 2020 || open for pick up
|-
| July 20, 2020 || stacks reopened
|-
| November 17, 2020 || back to carry out only
|-
| March 21, 2025 || director Laurie Papadourakis begins
|-
| April 27, 2025 || The Canvas opens
|-
| March 12, 2026 || The Des Plaines Public Library Jo Bonell Foundation is incorporated
|}
==Notes==
<references />
[[Category:Library]]

Getting the Facts

2026-06-03T16:41:54Z

John Lavalie: Created page with "'''Getting the Facts''' is an 11-minute educational film made in 1953 by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films. "Explains the importance of collecting all available facts before making a decision which affects personal, business or community life. Describes the efforts of citizens to assemble background information so that they will be competent to deal with the problem of school expansion in the community." A brief segment was filmed at the library's Des Plaines Public Lib..."

'''Getting the Facts''' is an 11-minute educational film made in 1953 by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films.

"Explains the importance of collecting all available facts before making a decision which affects personal, business or community life. Describes the efforts of citizens to assemble background information so that they will be competent to deal with the problem of school expansion in the community."

A brief segment was filmed at the library's [[Des Plaines Public Library building number 3|third building]] with actors, not librarians.
{{#ev:youtube|a1A2UsyWU_0|description=Library segment begins at 6:53.}}
[[Category:Library]]
[[Category:Media]]

Stewart Avenue

2026-05-28T14:25:34Z

John Lavalie: Redirected page to Charles S. Stewart

#REDIRECT [[Charles S. Stewart]]

Henrich House

2026-05-26T18:55:29Z

John Lavalie:

[[File:Henrich House.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
'''Henrich House''', at {{LinkToMap|1301 Ashland Avenue}}, was built as a senior-citizen housing project. It opened June 1, 1975.

It was named for [[Otto Henrich]] after his death.

[[File:Henrich House plaque.jpg|frameless|450px]]
[[File:Henrich House 1974.jpg|thumb|left|550px|1974 photograph]]
[[Category:Homes]]
[[Category:Ashland Avenue]]

File:Henrich House plaque.jpg

2026-05-26T18:52:53Z

John Lavalie:

File:Henrich House.jpg

2026-05-26T18:52:18Z

John Lavalie:

Category:Forest Avenue

2026-05-26T18:51:17Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Forest Avenue.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
[[Category:Streets and roads]]

File:Forest Avenue.jpg

2026-05-26T18:50:51Z

John Lavalie: Category:Street signs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Street signs]]

Category:Third Avenue

2026-05-26T18:49:13Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Third Avenue.jpg|right|frameless|450px]]
[[Category:Streets and roads]]

File:Third Avenue.jpg

2026-05-26T18:48:56Z

John Lavalie: Category:Street signs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Street signs]]

Category:Henry Avenue

2026-05-26T18:47:13Z

John Lavalie:

[[File:Henry Avenue.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
[[Category:Streets and roads]]

Henry Avenue

2026-05-26T18:46:49Z

John Lavalie: Redirected page to Category:Henry Avenue

#REDIRECT [[Category:Henry Avenue]]

File:Henry Avenue.jpg

2026-05-26T18:46:25Z

John Lavalie: Category:Street signs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Street signs]]

Category:Evergreen Avenue

2026-05-26T18:45:07Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Evergreen Avenue.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
[[Category:Streets and roads]]

File:Evergreen Avenue.jpg

2026-05-26T18:44:37Z

John Lavalie: Category:Street signs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Street signs]]

Category:Streets and roads

2026-05-26T18:43:17Z

John Lavalie:

[[File:Laurel and Harding.jpg|frameless|center|250px]]
[[Category:Geography]]

File:Laurel and Harding.jpg

2026-05-26T18:42:31Z

John Lavalie: Category:Street signs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Street signs]]

Category:Everett Avenue

2026-05-26T18:41:21Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Everett Avenue.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
[[Category:Streets and roads]]

File:Everett Avenue.jpg

2026-05-26T18:40:54Z

John Lavalie: Category:Street signs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Street signs]]

John Burke

2026-05-26T15:20:52Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Library's 90th.png|thumb|right|350px|screenshot from the library's 90th anniversary celebration]]
'''John Burke''' (1940-2024) was a member of the library board from 1995 to 2003. He was president of the Historical Society's board of directors and president of the [[Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines|Kiwanis Club]].
[[file:John Burke.jpg|thumb|left|450px|2006]]{{clear}}
==Library's 90th anniversary celebration==
{{#ev:YouTube|id=v=6-gCgB_X_LY|widht=300}}
==WTTW idents with John Burke and family==
{{image table
|{{#ev:YouTube|id=25KPKA5renM|width=400}}
|{{#ev:YouTube|id=gACtLpHTo2g|width=400}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, John}}
[[Category:People associated with the library]]
[[Category:People associated with the Historical Society]]
[[Category:People associated with the Kiwanis Club]]

File:John Burke.jpg

2026-05-26T15:19:55Z

John Lavalie: 2006 photograph Category:Photographs

== Summary ==
2006 photograph
[[Category:Photographs]]

John Burke

2026-05-26T15:13:31Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Library's 90th.png|thumb|right|350px|screenshot from the library's 90th anniversary celebration]]
'''John Burke''' (1940-2024) was a member of the library board from 1995 to 2003. He was president of the Historical Society's board of directors and president of the [[Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines|Kiwanis Club]].{{clear}}
==Library's 90th anniversary celebration==
{{#ev:YouTube|id=v=6-gCgB_X_LY|widht=300}}
==WTTW idents with John Burke and family==
{{image table
|{{#ev:YouTube|id=25KPKA5renM|width=400}}
|{{#ev:YouTube|id=gACtLpHTo2g|width=400}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, John}}
[[Category:People associated with the library]]
[[Category:People associated with the Historical Society]]
[[Category:People associated with the Kiwanis Club]]

John Burke

2026-05-26T15:10:46Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Library's 90th.png|thumb|right|350px|screenshot from the library's 90th anniversary celebration]]
'''John Burke''' (1940-2024) was a member of the library board from 1995 to 2003. He was president of the Historical Society's board of directors and president of the [[Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines|Kiwanis Club]].{{clear}}
==library's 90th anniversary celebration==
{{#ev:YouTube|id=v=6-gCgB_X_LY|widht=300}}
==WTTW idents with John Burke and family==
{{image table
|{{#ev:YouTube|id=25KPKA5renM|width=400}}
|{{#ev:YouTube|id=gACtLpHTo2g|width=400}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, John}}
[[Category:People associated with the library]]
[[Category:People associated with the Historical Society]]
[[Category:People associated with the Kiwanis Club]]

The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines

2026-05-22T21:03:02Z

John Lavalie:

<center>'''The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines'''</center>
<center>written by [[Shari Caine]], 2009</center>

Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the paper prompted this brief overview of the past newspaper history in Des Plaines.

The history of the paper is long and complex, considering the many changes it endured over the last several decades. Like many older institutions, the beginnings of the newspaper are a bit unclear. Without adequate primary sources, we are unable to confirm many of the details that have been presented over the years as part of the newspaper's history.

A brief synopsis of the history, as described by the Des Plaines Publishing Company in its 1985 anniversary publication, follows:

<blockquote>"What was to become the Des Plaines Publishing Copmany and Suburban Times was founded in 1885 by William Earle. He published a paper called the Cook County Record."</blockquote>

The article continues to elaborate on the various changes in ownership and newspaper names that ensued over the years to come. Rather than reprinting all the details here, we welcome anyone who is interested in the newspaper's history to visit the History Center and read the articles we have on file under "Des Plaines Publishing Company".

'''Cook County Record'''

The Cook County Record is rather mysterious, because we know so little about it. According to the Des Plaines Publishing Company (DPPC), the newspaper was owned by William Earle. Various anniversary articles by DPPC refer to the Record as the earliest predecessor to the Suburban Times. It is not clear who William Earle was, or where he lived. We presently have no records indicating that Earle lived in Des Plaines, though that does not prove he was not here. A look at the 1880 census shows two different William Earles in Cook County, both living in Chicago. One was the two-year old son of a medical doctor. The other was a 14-year old boy, living with his mother.

A search for the Cook County Record yielded no results. The Illinois Newspaper Project, a survey of the state's newspaper collections, does not have the Cook County Record listed among the other publications in its database, although it does show that several other newspapers in Cook County have had the name Record in the title.
Other newspapers in the northwestern part of Cook County were published as early as the 1870s. Using the Illinois Newspaper Project database, we can find records on the Palatine Herald and The Cook County Chronicle in Arlington Heights. By contrast, Chicago had its first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, in 1833; by 1850, Chicago had at least 15 newspapers; and by 1875, that number had increased to at least 100 publications, indicating that the availability of printing presses was certainly an urban advantage. Neighboring McHenry County, a largely rural county at the time, had no less than 21 papers in the latter half of the 19th century.

'''Village of Des Plaines'''

The early beginnings of the newspaper in Des Plaines coincide with the development of the Village government. The history between the two is inextricably linked, as two of the paper's earliest editors also both served as Trustees for the Village at various times.

Throughout the 1870s, Des Plaines was still establishing itself as a newly-incorporated Village, and the Village Trustees needed to do business with external agencies for posting notices of election, publishing ordinances, and printing forms and tickets. One of these agencies was the Palatine Herald, which is mentioned specifically in the Village minutes in 1874 as the publisher of a newspaper supplement containing the new Village ordinances.

In 1874, F. W. Hoffman of Des Plaines became the first elected President of the Village Trustees. Hoffman served as President until 1875, and continued serving as Trustee for the following years: 1875-1878 and 1880-1881. In 1878, the Village paid Hoffman a small fee, $2.00, for printing services. Leaving the question of potential conflicts of interest for another occasion, we do not know exactly what type of printing services Hoffman offered. However, in the 1880 census for Des Plaines, Hoffman is identified humorously enough as both 'druggist & editor, Cook County Record'. Also, in April, 1881, the Village minutes show that a payment was made by the Village to the Cook County Record for a printing. The 1880 Des Plaines census also identifies C. E. Bennett ([[Chester Bennett]]) as a 'printer' and shows that he and Hoffman were neighbors.

'''Des Plaines News and Suburban Times'''

Several anniversary articles printed by the Des Plaines Publishing Company refer to a newspaper called the Des Plaines News, and place it in the line-up of publications that preceded the Suburban Times.

There are three original issues of the Des Plaines News in the History Center's archives, from the years 1888 and 1895. There are also 12 issues preserved on microfilm from the years 1891 through 1893. In addition to this, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune published in 1897 mentions the Des Plaines News, providing an even later date for this publication. While the Des Plaines Publishing Company repeatedly suggested that the News was the immediate predecessor to the Suburban Times, there is evidence to suggest that the two papers were being published simultaneously:

#known dates for the publication of the Des Plaines News are 1885-1897
#known dates for the publication of the Suburban Times are 1891-1983
#an issue of the Suburban Times published July 25, 1896, mentions the Des Plaines News:

<blockquote>"E. D. Scott is building an addition to his cider and sorghum factory. The lower story will be used as an office and warehouse, and the upper story will be fitted up for the use of the Des Plaines News."</blockquote>

The overlapping dates of the two publications, from 1891 to 1897, is clear, based on the information we have. Since the Des Plaines Publishing Company claimed the News as a part of its history, it seems possible that the two papers were originally separate publications that later merged into one newspaper, under the name Suburban Times. Unfortunately, we have no records that tell us what actually took place.

'''C. E. Bennett, Editor'''

Chester Bennett worked as newspaper editor in Des Plaines for many years. The Bennett family moved to Des Plaines in 1872 from McHenry County. Bennett was also an active Village Trustee in 1874, 1876, 1882, and 1883, in addition to teaching school and working as a music director for a local church. An undated newspaper clipping (circa 1892) found in the Bennett family files at the History Center reported that:
<blockquote>"Chester E. Bennett has for twenty years been connected with various newspapers of Cook County. He is now with the Des Plaines News as correspondent editor and advertising and subscription agent, and has been prominently identified with official circles in this vicinity."</blockquote>

'''The Suburban Times, circa 1891 - 1923, David J. Gillespie, Publisher'''
[[file:P26-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Suburban Times building (right) and Gillespie's house (left) stood in downtown Des Plaines at the location 1488 Miner. According to Charles Frisbie, who also worked for the printer when he was younger, the Times building had a green metal exterior. In 1913, Gillespie replaced this building with a new one at the same location, a two-story structure with Tudor-revival design.]]
[[File:P3685-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Printers Frank Slama and Herman Gaede are shown operating a printing press manufactured by C. Potter Jr. & Co. Both men worked for Gillespie at the Des Plaines Suburban Times.]]
Various newspaper anniversary articles give credit to Frank Sodt for purchasing the newspaper in 1892 and changing the name to Suburban Times in 1895. However, the earliest primary source reference to the name Suburban Times that we have is in the Des Plaines Village minutes, under a list of bills recorded in 1891. Other unresolved discrepancies concerning names and dates appear throughout the anniversary articles relating to this period of time.
The earliest original issue of The Suburban Times in the DPHS collection is dated July 25, 1896, C. E. Bennett as Local Editor, publisher identified as "F. Salter" (Frank Salter, a Chicago printer).

By 1897, David J. Gillespie, a native of Richmond, Illinois, who trained as a printer in Iowa, had moved to Des Plaines and purchased the Suburban Times. Gillespie printed the newspaper from a small building on Miner Street.

The August 31, 1923, issue of the The Des Plaines Suburban Times, announced the sale of the paper to Fulle & Gaede ["Newspapers and Job Printing Plant was Sold This Week"] on the front page, showing photos of new partners Fred O. Fulle and Herman E. Gaede. Both had trained as apprentices, also known as "printer's devils", under the ownership of Gillespie. The transition in ownership included the Park Ridge Herald as well as the Suburban Times. The new name of the publisher would be The Des Plaines Publishing Company. The new owners retained the former publisher's widow Sarah Gillespie "who has been at the head of the business during the past years" on the newspaper staff, as well as several others who had been working for the newspaper.

'''The Suburban Times, 1923 - 1983, The Des Plaines Publishing Company'''
[[file:Label-1.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
The Publishing Company continued to operate from the small building on Pearson street until a new building was constructed at 1000 Executive Way in 1967. During the company's move from one building to the other, an accident occurred destroying a large collection of back issues of the Suburban Times. A managing editor for the company later wrote,
<blockquote>"our newspaper library has been greatly reduced by accidents that took place several years ago. I am told that about 35 years worth of issues were destroyed when we moved from our old office on Pearson Street to our present location at 1000 Executive Way. The truck that was moving the newspapers overturned and there was a small fire. About 40 more years of newspapers were destroyed when an overhead water pipe broke in our library. As a result, our collection of back issues is very incomplete."</blockquote>

A part of the Suburban Times' long history has been preserved on microfilm. Unfortunately, the newspaper's first three decades were not microfilmed, leaving us with only a fragmented record of this period of Des Plaines history.
[[File:P6044-1.jpg|thumb|left|400px|First location of the Des Plaines Publishing Co., {{LinkToMap|729 Pearson Street}} (later {{LinkToMap|777 Pearson Street}}), opened when [[Fred Fulle]] purchased the Suburban Times from Sarah Gillespie, following the death of David J. Gillespie in 1923. This building stood next to the telephone building on Pearson until 1979.]]
[[Category:Media]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines}}

Chester Bennett

2026-05-22T21:00:32Z

John Lavalie: John Lavalie moved page (Chester Bennett) to Chester Bennett without leaving a redirect

{{Bennett tree}}
[[Category:People buried at Town of Maine Cemetery]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Chester}}

Chester Bennett

2026-05-22T21:00:17Z

John Lavalie: Created page with "{{Bennett tree}} Category:People buried at Town of Maine Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Chester}}"

{{Bennett tree}}
[[Category:People buried at Town of Maine Cemetery]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Chester}}

The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines

2026-05-22T20:59:14Z

John Lavalie:

<center>'''The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines'''</center>
<center>written by [[Shari Caine]], 2009</center>

Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the paper prompted this brief overview of the past newspaper history in Des Plaines.

The history of the paper is long and complex, considering the many changes it endured over the last several decades. Like many older institutions, the beginnings of the newspaper are a bit unclear. Without adequate primary sources, we are unable to confirm many of the details that have been presented over the years as part of the newspaper's history.

A brief synopsis of the history, as described by the Des Plaines Publishing Company in its 1985 anniversary publication, follows:

<blockquote>"What was to become the Des Plaines Publishing Copmany and Suburban Times was founded in 1885 by William Earle. He published a paper called the Cook County Record."</blockquote>

The article continues to elaborate on the various changes in ownership and newspaper names that ensued over the years to come. Rather than reprinting all the details here, we welcome anyone who is interested in the newspaper's history to visit the History Center and read the articles we have on file under "Des Plaines Publishing Company".

'''Cook County Record'''

The Cook County Record is rather mysterious, because we know so little about it. According to the Des Plaines Publishing Company (DPPC), the newspaper was owned by William Earle. Various anniversary articles by DPPC refer to the Record as the earliest predecessor to the Suburban Times. It is not clear who William Earle was, or where he lived. We presently have no records indicating that Earle lived in Des Plaines, though that does not prove he was not here. A look at the 1880 census shows two different William Earles in Cook County, both living in Chicago. One was the two-year old son of a medical doctor. The other was a 14-year old boy, living with his mother.

A search for the Cook County Record yielded no results. The Illinois Newspaper Project, a survey of the state's newspaper collections, does not have the Cook County Record listed among the other publications in its database, although it does show that several other newspapers in Cook County have had the name Record in the title.
Other newspapers in the northwestern part of Cook County were published as early as the 1870s. Using the Illinois Newspaper Project database, we can find records on the Palatine Herald and The Cook County Chronicle in Arlington Heights. By contrast, Chicago had its first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, in 1833; by 1850, Chicago had at least 15 newspapers; and by 1875, that number had increased to at least 100 publications, indicating that the availability of printing presses was certainly an urban advantage. Neighboring McHenry County, a largely rural county at the time, had no less than 21 papers in the latter half of the 19th century.

'''Village of Des Plaines'''

The early beginnings of the newspaper in Des Plaines coincide with the development of the Village government. The history between the two is inextricably linked, as two of the paper's earliest editors also both served as Trustees for the Village at various times.

Throughout the 1870s, Des Plaines was still establishing itself as a newly-incorporated Village, and the Village Trustees needed to do business with external agencies for posting notices of election, publishing ordinances, and printing forms and tickets. One of these agencies was the Palatine Herald, which is mentioned specifically in the Village minutes in 1874 as the publisher of a newspaper supplement containing the new Village ordinances.

In 1874, F. W. Hoffman of Des Plaines became the first elected President of the Village Trustees. Hoffman served as President until 1875, and continued serving as Trustee for the following years: 1875-1878 and 1880-1881. In 1878, the Village paid Hoffman a small fee, $2.00, for printing services. Leaving the question of potential conflicts of interest for another occasion, we do not know exactly what type of printing services Hoffman offered. However, in the 1880 census for Des Plaines, Hoffman is identified humorously enough as both 'druggist & editor, Cook County Record'. Also, in April, 1881, the Village minutes show that a payment was made by the Village to the Cook County Record for a printing. The 1880 Des Plaines census also identifies C. E. Bennett [[(Chester Bennett)]] as a 'printer' and shows that he and Hoffman were neighbors.

'''Des Plaines News and Suburban Times'''

Several anniversary articles printed by the Des Plaines Publishing Company refer to a newspaper called the Des Plaines News, and place it in the line-up of publications that preceded the Suburban Times.

There are three original issues of the Des Plaines News in the History Center's archives, from the years 1888 and 1895. There are also 12 issues preserved on microfilm from the years 1891 through 1893. In addition to this, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune published in 1897 mentions the Des Plaines News, providing an even later date for this publication. While the Des Plaines Publishing Company repeatedly suggested that the News was the immediate predecessor to the Suburban Times, there is evidence to suggest that the two papers were being published simultaneously:

#known dates for the publication of the Des Plaines News are 1885-1897
#known dates for the publication of the Suburban Times are 1891-1983
#an issue of the Suburban Times published July 25, 1896, mentions the Des Plaines News:

<blockquote>"E. D. Scott is building an addition to his cider and sorghum factory. The lower story will be used as an office and warehouse, and the upper story will be fitted up for the use of the Des Plaines News."</blockquote>

The overlapping dates of the two publications, from 1891 to 1897, is clear, based on the information we have. Since the Des Plaines Publishing Company claimed the News as a part of its history, it seems possible that the two papers were originally separate publications that later merged into one newspaper, under the name Suburban Times. Unfortunately, we have no records that tell us what actually took place.

'''C. E. Bennett, Editor'''

Chester Bennett worked as newspaper editor in Des Plaines for many years. The Bennett family moved to Des Plaines in 1872 from McHenry County. Bennett was also an active Village Trustee in 1874, 1876, 1882, and 1883, in addition to teaching school and working as a music director for a local church. An undated newspaper clipping (circa 1892) found in the Bennett family files at the History Center reported that:
<blockquote>"Chester E. Bennett has for twenty years been connected with various newspapers of Cook County. He is now with the Des Plaines News as correspondent editor and advertising and subscription agent, and has been prominently identified with official circles in this vicinity."</blockquote>

'''The Suburban Times, circa 1891 - 1923, David J. Gillespie, Publisher'''
[[file:P26-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Suburban Times building (right) and Gillespie's house (left) stood in downtown Des Plaines at the location 1488 Miner. According to Charles Frisbie, who also worked for the printer when he was younger, the Times building had a green metal exterior. In 1913, Gillespie replaced this building with a new one at the same location, a two-story structure with Tudor-revival design.]]
[[File:P3685-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Printers Frank Slama and Herman Gaede are shown operating a printing press manufactured by C. Potter Jr. & Co. Both men worked for Gillespie at the Des Plaines Suburban Times.]]
Various newspaper anniversary articles give credit to Frank Sodt for purchasing the newspaper in 1892 and changing the name to Suburban Times in 1895. However, the earliest primary source reference to the name Suburban Times that we have is in the Des Plaines Village minutes, under a list of bills recorded in 1891. Other unresolved discrepancies concerning names and dates appear throughout the anniversary articles relating to this period of time.
The earliest original issue of The Suburban Times in the DPHS collection is dated July 25, 1896, C. E. Bennett as Local Editor, publisher identified as "F. Salter" (Frank Salter, a Chicago printer).

By 1897, David J. Gillespie, a native of Richmond, Illinois, who trained as a printer in Iowa, had moved to Des Plaines and purchased the Suburban Times. Gillespie printed the newspaper from a small building on Miner Street.

The August 31, 1923, issue of the The Des Plaines Suburban Times, announced the sale of the paper to Fulle & Gaede ["Newspapers and Job Printing Plant was Sold This Week"] on the front page, showing photos of new partners Fred O. Fulle and Herman E. Gaede. Both had trained as apprentices, also known as "printer's devils", under the ownership of Gillespie. The transition in ownership included the Park Ridge Herald as well as the Suburban Times. The new name of the publisher would be The Des Plaines Publishing Company. The new owners retained the former publisher's widow Sarah Gillespie "who has been at the head of the business during the past years" on the newspaper staff, as well as several others who had been working for the newspaper.

'''The Suburban Times, 1923 - 1983, The Des Plaines Publishing Company'''
[[file:Label-1.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
The Publishing Company continued to operate from the small building on Pearson street until a new building was constructed at 1000 Executive Way in 1967. During the company's move from one building to the other, an accident occurred destroying a large collection of back issues of the Suburban Times. A managing editor for the company later wrote,
<blockquote>"our newspaper library has been greatly reduced by accidents that took place several years ago. I am told that about 35 years worth of issues were destroyed when we moved from our old office on Pearson Street to our present location at 1000 Executive Way. The truck that was moving the newspapers overturned and there was a small fire. About 40 more years of newspapers were destroyed when an overhead water pipe broke in our library. As a result, our collection of back issues is very incomplete."</blockquote>

A part of the Suburban Times' long history has been preserved on microfilm. Unfortunately, the newspaper's first three decades were not microfilmed, leaving us with only a fragmented record of this period of Des Plaines history.
[[File:P6044-1.jpg|thumb|left|400px|First location of the Des Plaines Publishing Co., {{LinkToMap|729 Pearson Street}} (later {{LinkToMap|777 Pearson Street}}), opened when [[Fred Fulle]] purchased the Suburban Times from Sarah Gillespie, following the death of David J. Gillespie in 1923. This building stood next to the telephone building on Pearson until 1979.]]
[[Category:Media]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines}}

The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines

2026-05-22T20:58:57Z

John Lavalie:

<center>'''The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines'''</center>
<center>written by [[Shari Caine]], 2009</center>

Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the paper prompted this brief overview of the past newspaper history in Des Plaines.

The history of the paper is long and complex, considering the many changes it endured over the last several decades. Like many older institutions, the beginnings of the newspaper are a bit unclear. Without adequate primary sources, we are unable to confirm many of the details that have been presented over the years as part of the newspaper's history.

A brief synopsis of the history, as described by the Des Plaines Publishing Company in its 1985 anniversary publication, follows:

<blockquote>"What was to become the Des Plaines Publishing Copmany and Suburban Times was founded in 1885 by William Earle. He published a paper called the Cook County Record."</blockquote>

The article continues to elaborate on the various changes in ownership and newspaper names that ensued over the years to come. Rather than reprinting all the details here, we welcome anyone who is interested in the newspaper's history to visit the History Center and read the articles we have on file under "Des Plaines Publishing Company".

'''Cook County Record'''

The Cook County Record is rather mysterious, because we know so little about it. According to the Des Plaines Publishing Company (DPPC), the newspaper was owned by William Earle. Various anniversary articles by DPPC refer to the Record as the earliest predecessor to the Suburban Times. It is not clear who William Earle was, or where he lived. We presently have no records indicating that Earle lived in Des Plaines, though that does not prove he was not here. A look at the 1880 census shows two different William Earles in Cook County, both living in Chicago. One was the two-year old son of a medical doctor. The other was a 14-year old boy, living with his mother.

A search for the Cook County Record yielded no results. The Illinois Newspaper Project, a survey of the state's newspaper collections, does not have the Cook County Record listed among the other publications in its database, although it does show that several other newspapers in Cook County have had the name Record in the title.
Other newspapers in the northwestern part of Cook County were published as early as the 1870s. Using the Illinois Newspaper Project database, we can find records on the Palatine Herald and The Cook County Chronicle in Arlington Heights. By contrast, Chicago had its first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, in 1833; by 1850, Chicago had at least 15 newspapers; and by 1875, that number had increased to at least 100 publications, indicating that the availability of printing presses was certainly an urban advantage. Neighboring McHenry County, a largely rural county at the time, had no less than 21 papers in the latter half of the 19th century.

'''Village of Des Plaines'''

The early beginnings of the newspaper in Des Plaines coincide with the development of the Village government. The history between the two is inextricably linked, as two of the paper's earliest editors also both served as Trustees for the Village at various times.

Throughout the 1870s, Des Plaines was still establishing itself as a newly-incorporated Village, and the Village Trustees needed to do business with external agencies for posting notices of election, publishing ordinances, and printing forms and tickets. One of these agencies was the Palatine Herald, which is mentioned specifically in the Village minutes in 1874 as the publisher of a newspaper supplement containing the new Village ordinances.

In 1874, F. W. Hoffman of Des Plaines became the first elected President of the Village Trustees. Hoffman served as President until 1875, and continued serving as Trustee for the following years: 1875-1878 and 1880-1881. In 1878, the Village paid Hoffman a small fee, $2.00, for printing services. Leaving the question of potential conflicts of interest for another occasion, we do not know exactly what type of printing services Hoffman offered. However, in the 1880 census for Des Plaines, Hoffman is identified humorously enough as both 'druggist & editor, Cook County Record'. Also, in April, 1881, the Village minutes show that a payment was made by the Village to the Cook County Record for a printing. The 1880 Des Plaines census also identifies C. E. Bennett [[[Chester Bennett]]] as a 'printer' and shows that he and Hoffman were neighbors.

'''Des Plaines News and Suburban Times'''

Several anniversary articles printed by the Des Plaines Publishing Company refer to a newspaper called the Des Plaines News, and place it in the line-up of publications that preceded the Suburban Times.

There are three original issues of the Des Plaines News in the History Center's archives, from the years 1888 and 1895. There are also 12 issues preserved on microfilm from the years 1891 through 1893. In addition to this, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune published in 1897 mentions the Des Plaines News, providing an even later date for this publication. While the Des Plaines Publishing Company repeatedly suggested that the News was the immediate predecessor to the Suburban Times, there is evidence to suggest that the two papers were being published simultaneously:

#known dates for the publication of the Des Plaines News are 1885-1897
#known dates for the publication of the Suburban Times are 1891-1983
#an issue of the Suburban Times published July 25, 1896, mentions the Des Plaines News:

<blockquote>"E. D. Scott is building an addition to his cider and sorghum factory. The lower story will be used as an office and warehouse, and the upper story will be fitted up for the use of the Des Plaines News."</blockquote>

The overlapping dates of the two publications, from 1891 to 1897, is clear, based on the information we have. Since the Des Plaines Publishing Company claimed the News as a part of its history, it seems possible that the two papers were originally separate publications that later merged into one newspaper, under the name Suburban Times. Unfortunately, we have no records that tell us what actually took place.

'''C. E. Bennett, Editor'''

Chester Bennett worked as newspaper editor in Des Plaines for many years. The Bennett family moved to Des Plaines in 1872 from McHenry County. Bennett was also an active Village Trustee in 1874, 1876, 1882, and 1883, in addition to teaching school and working as a music director for a local church. An undated newspaper clipping (circa 1892) found in the Bennett family files at the History Center reported that:
<blockquote>"Chester E. Bennett has for twenty years been connected with various newspapers of Cook County. He is now with the Des Plaines News as correspondent editor and advertising and subscription agent, and has been prominently identified with official circles in this vicinity."</blockquote>

'''The Suburban Times, circa 1891 - 1923, David J. Gillespie, Publisher'''
[[file:P26-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Suburban Times building (right) and Gillespie's house (left) stood in downtown Des Plaines at the location 1488 Miner. According to Charles Frisbie, who also worked for the printer when he was younger, the Times building had a green metal exterior. In 1913, Gillespie replaced this building with a new one at the same location, a two-story structure with Tudor-revival design.]]
[[File:P3685-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Printers Frank Slama and Herman Gaede are shown operating a printing press manufactured by C. Potter Jr. & Co. Both men worked for Gillespie at the Des Plaines Suburban Times.]]
Various newspaper anniversary articles give credit to Frank Sodt for purchasing the newspaper in 1892 and changing the name to Suburban Times in 1895. However, the earliest primary source reference to the name Suburban Times that we have is in the Des Plaines Village minutes, under a list of bills recorded in 1891. Other unresolved discrepancies concerning names and dates appear throughout the anniversary articles relating to this period of time.
The earliest original issue of The Suburban Times in the DPHS collection is dated July 25, 1896, C. E. Bennett as Local Editor, publisher identified as "F. Salter" (Frank Salter, a Chicago printer).

By 1897, David J. Gillespie, a native of Richmond, Illinois, who trained as a printer in Iowa, had moved to Des Plaines and purchased the Suburban Times. Gillespie printed the newspaper from a small building on Miner Street.

The August 31, 1923, issue of the The Des Plaines Suburban Times, announced the sale of the paper to Fulle & Gaede ["Newspapers and Job Printing Plant was Sold This Week"] on the front page, showing photos of new partners Fred O. Fulle and Herman E. Gaede. Both had trained as apprentices, also known as "printer's devils", under the ownership of Gillespie. The transition in ownership included the Park Ridge Herald as well as the Suburban Times. The new name of the publisher would be The Des Plaines Publishing Company. The new owners retained the former publisher's widow Sarah Gillespie "who has been at the head of the business during the past years" on the newspaper staff, as well as several others who had been working for the newspaper.

'''The Suburban Times, 1923 - 1983, The Des Plaines Publishing Company'''
[[file:Label-1.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
The Publishing Company continued to operate from the small building on Pearson street until a new building was constructed at 1000 Executive Way in 1967. During the company's move from one building to the other, an accident occurred destroying a large collection of back issues of the Suburban Times. A managing editor for the company later wrote,
<blockquote>"our newspaper library has been greatly reduced by accidents that took place several years ago. I am told that about 35 years worth of issues were destroyed when we moved from our old office on Pearson Street to our present location at 1000 Executive Way. The truck that was moving the newspapers overturned and there was a small fire. About 40 more years of newspapers were destroyed when an overhead water pipe broke in our library. As a result, our collection of back issues is very incomplete."</blockquote>

A part of the Suburban Times' long history has been preserved on microfilm. Unfortunately, the newspaper's first three decades were not microfilmed, leaving us with only a fragmented record of this period of Des Plaines history.
[[File:P6044-1.jpg|thumb|left|400px|First location of the Des Plaines Publishing Co., {{LinkToMap|729 Pearson Street}} (later {{LinkToMap|777 Pearson Street}}), opened when [[Fred Fulle]] purchased the Suburban Times from Sarah Gillespie, following the death of David J. Gillespie in 1923. This building stood next to the telephone building on Pearson until 1979.]]
[[Category:Media]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines}}

Template:Bennett tree

2026-05-22T20:57:29Z

John Lavalie:

{{chart top|Bennett family|background=yellow}}
{{Tree chart/start|align=center}}
{{tree chart|FW|v|EJ||CB|v|AT| FW = [[Franklin Whitcomb|Franklin Whitcomb (1830-1909)]] | EJ = Elizabeth Jones (1832-1900) | CB = [[Chester Bennett|Chester E. Bennett (1835-1916)]] | AT = Adelia Thomas (1842-1899)}}
{{tree chart||||`|.||||,|-|-|'}}
{{tree chart||||EW|-|HB | EW = Elda Whitcomb (1871-1945) | HB = [[Harry T. Bennett|Harry Thomas Bennett (1870-1949)]]}}
{{Tree chart/end}}
{{omit}}
{{chart bottom}}
<noinclude>[[Category:Family trees]]</noinclude>

Harry T. Bennett

2026-05-22T20:57:07Z

John Lavalie:

[[File:Bennett Place.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
'''Harry Thomas Bennett''' (1870-1949) was [[List of mayors|village president]] from 1923 to 1925. Bennett Place is named for him.
{{Bennett tree}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Harry T.}}
[[Category:Politicians]]

Franklin Whitcomb

2026-05-22T20:56:58Z

John Lavalie:

[[File:Whitcomb Avenue.jpg|frameless|550px|right]]
'''Franklin Whitcomb''' (1830-1909) was [[List of mayors|village president]] in 1874. Whitcomb Avenue is named for him.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitcomb, Franklin}}
{{Bennett tree}}
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:People buried at Town of Maine Cemetery]]

Template:Bennett tree

2026-05-22T20:56:34Z

John Lavalie: Created page with "{{chart top|Bennettfamily|background=yellow}} {{Tree chart/start|align=center}} {{tree chart|FW|v|EJ||CB|v|AT| FW = Franklin Whitcomb (1830-1909) | EJ = Elizabeth Jones (1832-1900) | CB = Chester E. Bennett (1835-1916) | AT = Adelia Thomas (1842-1899)}} {{tree chart||||`|.||||,|-|-|'}} {{tree chart||||EW|-|HB | EW = Elda Whitcomb (1871-1945) | HB = Harry T. Bennett|Harry Thomas Bennett<br..."

{{chart top|Bennettfamily|background=yellow}}
{{Tree chart/start|align=center}}
{{tree chart|FW|v|EJ||CB|v|AT| FW = [[Franklin Whitcomb|Franklin Whitcomb (1830-1909)]] | EJ = Elizabeth Jones (1832-1900) | CB = [[Chester Bennett|Chester E. Bennett (1835-1916)]] | AT = Adelia Thomas (1842-1899)}}
{{tree chart||||`|.||||,|-|-|'}}
{{tree chart||||EW|-|HB | EW = Elda Whitcomb (1871-1945) | HB = [[Harry T. Bennett|Harry Thomas Bennett (1870-1949)]]}}
{{Tree chart/end}}
{{omit}}
{{chart bottom}}
<noinclude>[[Category:Family trees]]</noinclude>

The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines

2026-05-22T20:41:35Z

John Lavalie:

<center>'''The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines'''</center>
<center>written by [[Shari Caine]], 2009</center>

Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the paper prompted this brief overview of the past newspaper history in Des Plaines.

The history of the paper is long and complex, considering the many changes it endured over the last several decades. Like many older institutions, the beginnings of the newspaper are a bit unclear. Without adequate primary sources, we are unable to confirm many of the details that have been presented over the years as part of the newspaper's history.

A brief synopsis of the history, as described by the Des Plaines Publishing Company in its 1985 anniversary publication, follows:

<blockquote>"What was to become the Des Plaines Publishing Copmany and Suburban Times was founded in 1885 by William Earle. He published a paper called the Cook County Record."</blockquote>

The article continues to elaborate on the various changes in ownership and newspaper names that ensued over the years to come. Rather than reprinting all the details here, we welcome anyone who is interested in the newspaper's history to visit the History Center and read the articles we have on file under "Des Plaines Publishing Company".

'''Cook County Record'''

The Cook County Record is rather mysterious, because we know so little about it. According to the Des Plaines Publishing Company (DPPC), the newspaper was owned by William Earle. Various anniversary articles by DPPC refer to the Record as the earliest predecessor to the Suburban Times. It is not clear who William Earle was, or where he lived. We presently have no records indicating that Earle lived in Des Plaines, though that does not prove he was not here. A look at the 1880 census shows two different William Earles in Cook County, both living in Chicago. One was the two-year old son of a medical doctor. The other was a 14-year old boy, living with his mother.

A search for the Cook County Record yielded no results. The Illinois Newspaper Project, a survey of the state's newspaper collections, does not have the Cook County Record listed among the other publications in its database, although it does show that several other newspapers in Cook County have had the name Record in the title.
Other newspapers in the northwestern part of Cook County were published as early as the 1870s. Using the Illinois Newspaper Project database, we can find records on the Palatine Herald and The Cook County Chronicle in Arlington Heights. By contrast, Chicago had its first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, in 1833; by 1850, Chicago had at least 15 newspapers; and by 1875, that number had increased to at least 100 publications, indicating that the availability of printing presses was certainly an urban advantage. Neighboring McHenry County, a largely rural county at the time, had no less than 21 papers in the latter half of the 19th century.

'''Village of Des Plaines'''

The early beginnings of the newspaper in Des Plaines coincide with the development of the Village government. The history between the two is inextricably linked, as two of the paper's earliest editors also both served as Trustees for the Village at various times.

Throughout the 1870s, Des Plaines was still establishing itself as a newly-incorporated Village, and the Village Trustees needed to do business with external agencies for posting notices of election, publishing ordinances, and printing forms and tickets. One of these agencies was the Palatine Herald, which is mentioned specifically in the Village minutes in 1874 as the publisher of a newspaper supplement containing the new Village ordinances.

In 1874, F. W. Hoffman of Des Plaines became the first elected President of the Village Trustees. Hoffman served as President until 1875, and continued serving as Trustee for the following years: 1875-1878 and 1880-1881. In 1878, the Village paid Hoffman a small fee, $2.00, for printing services. Leaving the question of potential conflicts of interest for another occasion, we do not know exactly what type of printing services Hoffman offered. However, in the 1880 census for Des Plaines, Hoffman is identified humorously enough as both 'druggist & editor, Cook County Record'. Also, in April, 1881, the Village minutes show that a payment was made by the Village to the Cook County Record for a printing. The 1880 Des Plaines census also identifies C. E. Bennett [Chester Bennett] as a 'printer' and shows that he and Hoffman were neighbors.

'''Des Plaines News and Suburban Times'''

Several anniversary articles printed by the Des Plaines Publishing Company refer to a newspaper called the Des Plaines News, and place it in the line-up of publications that preceded the Suburban Times.

There are three original issues of the Des Plaines News in the History Center's archives, from the years 1888 and 1895. There are also 12 issues preserved on microfilm from the years 1891 through 1893. In addition to this, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune published in 1897 mentions the Des Plaines News, providing an even later date for this publication. While the Des Plaines Publishing Company repeatedly suggested that the News was the immediate predecessor to the Suburban Times, there is evidence to suggest that the two papers were being published simultaneously:

#known dates for the publication of the Des Plaines News are 1885-1897
#known dates for the publication of the Suburban Times are 1891-1983
#an issue of the Suburban Times published July 25, 1896, mentions the Des Plaines News:

<blockquote>"E. D. Scott is building an addition to his cider and sorghum factory. The lower story will be used as an office and warehouse, and the upper story will be fitted up for the use of the Des Plaines News."</blockquote>

The overlapping dates of the two publications, from 1891 to 1897, is clear, based on the information we have. Since the Des Plaines Publishing Company claimed the News as a part of its history, it seems possible that the two papers were originally separate publications that later merged into one newspaper, under the name Suburban Times. Unfortunately, we have no records that tell us what actually took place.

'''C. E. Bennett, Editor'''

Chester Bennett worked as newspaper editor in Des Plaines for many years. The Bennett family moved to Des Plaines in 1872 from McHenry County. Bennett was also an active Village Trustee in 1874, 1876, 1882, and 1883, in addition to teaching school and working as a music director for a local church. An undated newspaper clipping (circa 1892) found in the Bennett family files at the History Center reported that:
<blockquote>"Chester E. Bennett has for twenty years been connected with various newspapers of Cook County. He is now with the Des Plaines News as correspondent editor and advertising and subscription agent, and has been prominently identified with official circles in this vicinity."</blockquote>

'''The Suburban Times, circa 1891 - 1923, David J. Gillespie, Publisher'''
[[file:P26-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Suburban Times building (right) and Gillespie's house (left) stood in downtown Des Plaines at the location 1488 Miner. According to Charles Frisbie, who also worked for the printer when he was younger, the Times building had a green metal exterior. In 1913, Gillespie replaced this building with a new one at the same location, a two-story structure with Tudor-revival design.]]
[[File:P3685-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Printers Frank Slama and Herman Gaede are shown operating a printing press manufactured by C. Potter Jr. & Co. Both men worked for Gillespie at the Des Plaines Suburban Times.]]
Various newspaper anniversary articles give credit to Frank Sodt for purchasing the newspaper in 1892 and changing the name to Suburban Times in 1895. However, the earliest primary source reference to the name Suburban Times that we have is in the Des Plaines Village minutes, under a list of bills recorded in 1891. Other unresolved discrepancies concerning names and dates appear throughout the anniversary articles relating to this period of time.
The earliest original issue of The Suburban Times in the DPHS collection is dated July 25, 1896, C. E. Bennett as Local Editor, publisher identified as "F. Salter" (Frank Salter, a Chicago printer).

By 1897, David J. Gillespie, a native of Richmond, Illinois, who trained as a printer in Iowa, had moved to Des Plaines and purchased the Suburban Times. Gillespie printed the newspaper from a small building on Miner Street.

The August 31, 1923, issue of the The Des Plaines Suburban Times, announced the sale of the paper to Fulle & Gaede ["Newspapers and Job Printing Plant was Sold This Week"] on the front page, showing photos of new partners Fred O. Fulle and Herman E. Gaede. Both had trained as apprentices, also known as "printer's devils", under the ownership of Gillespie. The transition in ownership included the Park Ridge Herald as well as the Suburban Times. The new name of the publisher would be The Des Plaines Publishing Company. The new owners retained the former publisher's widow Sarah Gillespie "who has been at the head of the business during the past years" on the newspaper staff, as well as several others who had been working for the newspaper.

'''The Suburban Times, 1923 - 1983, The Des Plaines Publishing Company'''
[[file:Label-1.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
The Publishing Company continued to operate from the small building on Pearson street until a new building was constructed at 1000 Executive Way in 1967. During the company's move from one building to the other, an accident occurred destroying a large collection of back issues of the Suburban Times. A managing editor for the company later wrote,
<blockquote>"our newspaper library has been greatly reduced by accidents that took place several years ago. I am told that about 35 years worth of issues were destroyed when we moved from our old office on Pearson Street to our present location at 1000 Executive Way. The truck that was moving the newspapers overturned and there was a small fire. About 40 more years of newspapers were destroyed when an overhead water pipe broke in our library. As a result, our collection of back issues is very incomplete."</blockquote>

A part of the Suburban Times' long history has been preserved on microfilm. Unfortunately, the newspaper's first three decades were not microfilmed, leaving us with only a fragmented record of this period of Des Plaines history.
[[File:P6044-1.jpg|thumb|left|400px|First location of the Des Plaines Publishing Co., {{LinkToMap|729 Pearson Street}} (later {{LinkToMap|777 Pearson Street}}), opened when [[Fred Fulle]] purchased the Suburban Times from Sarah Gillespie, following the death of David J. Gillespie in 1923. This building stood next to the telephone building on Pearson until 1979.]]
[[Category:Media]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines}}

The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines

2026-05-22T20:41:18Z

John Lavalie:

<center>'''The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines'''</center>
<center>written by [[Shari Caine]], 2009</center>

Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the paper prompted this brief overview of the past newspaper history in Des Plaines.

The history of the paper is long and complex, considering the many changes it endured over the last several decades. Like many older institutions, the beginnings of the newspaper are a bit unclear. Without adequate primary sources, we are unable to confirm many of the details that have been presented over the years as part of the newspaper's history.

A brief synopsis of the history, as described by the Des Plaines Publishing Company in its 1985 anniversary publication, follows:

<blockquote>"What was to become the Des Plaines Publishing Copmany and Suburban Times was founded in 1885 by William Earle. He published a paper called the Cook County Record."</blockquote>

The article continues to elaborate on the various changes in ownership and newspaper names that ensued over the years to come. Rather than reprinting all the details here, we welcome anyone who is interested in the newspaper's history to visit the History Center and read the articles we have on file under "Des Plaines Publishing Company".

'''Cook County Record'''

The Cook County Record is rather mysterious, because we know so little about it. According to the Des Plaines Publishing Company (DPPC), the newspaper was owned by William Earle. Various anniversary articles by DPPC refer to the Record as the earliest predecessor to the Suburban Times. It is not clear who William Earle was, or where he lived. We presently have no records indicating that Earle lived in Des Plaines, though that does not prove he was not here. A look at the 1880 census shows two different William Earles in Cook County, both living in Chicago. One was the two-year old son of a medical doctor. The other was a 14-year old boy, living with his mother.

A search for the Cook County Record yielded no results. The Illinois Newspaper Project, a survey of the state's newspaper collections, does not have the Cook County Record listed among the other publications in its database, although it does show that several other newspapers in Cook County have had the name Record in the title.
Other newspapers in the northwestern part of Cook County were published as early as the 1870s. Using the Illinois Newspaper Project database, we can find records on the Palatine Herald and The Cook County Chronicle in Arlington Heights. By contrast, Chicago had its first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, in 1833; by 1850, Chicago had at least 15 newspapers; and by 1875, that number had increased to at least 100 publications, indicating that the availability of printing presses was certainly an urban advantage. Neighboring McHenry County, a largely rural county at the time, had no less than 21 papers in the latter half of the 19th century.

'''Village of Des Plaines'''

The early beginnings of the newspaper in Des Plaines coincide with the development of the Village government. The history between the two is inextricably linked, as two of the paper's earliest editors also both served as Trustees for the Village at various times.

Throughout the 1870s, Des Plaines was still establishing itself as a newly-incorporated Village, and the Village Trustees needed to do business with external agencies for posting notices of election, publishing ordinances, and printing forms and tickets. One of these agencies was the Palatine Herald, which is mentioned specifically in the Village minutes in 1874 as the publisher of a newspaper supplement containing the new Village ordinances.

In 1874, F. W. Hoffman of Des Plaines became the first elected President of the Village Trustees. Hoffman served as President until 1875, and continued serving as Trustee for the following years: 1875-1878 and 1880-1881. In 1878, the Village paid Hoffman a small fee, $2.00, for printing services. Leaving the question of potential conflicts of interest for another occasion, we do not know exactly what type of printing services Hoffman offered. However, in the 1880 census for Des Plaines, Hoffman is identified humorously enough as both 'druggist & editor, Cook County Record'. Also, in April, 1881, the Village minutes show that a payment was made by the Village to the Cook County Record for a printing. The 1880 Des Plaines census also identifies C. E. Bennett [Chester Bennett] as a 'printer' and shows that he and Hoffman were neighbors.

'''Des Plaines News and Suburban Times'''

Several anniversary articles printed by the Des Plaines Publishing Company refer to a newspaper called the Des Plaines News, and place it in the line-up of publications that preceded the Suburban Times.

There are three original issues of the Des Plaines News in the History Center's archives, from the years 1888 and 1895. There are also 12 issues preserved on microfilm from the years 1891 through 1893. In addition to this, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune published in 1897 mentions the Des Plaines News, providing an even later date for this publication. While the Des Plaines Publishing Company repeatedly suggested that the News was the immediate predecessor to the Suburban Times, there is evidence to suggest that the two papers were being published simultaneously:

#known dates for the publication of the Des Plaines News are 1885-1897
#known dates for the publication of the Suburban Times are 1891-1983
#an issue of the Suburban Times published July 25, 1896, mentions the Des Plaines News:

<blockquote>"E. D. Scott is building an addition to his cider and sorghum factory. The lower story will be used as an office and warehouse, and the upper story will be fitted up for the use of the Des Plaines News."</blockquote>

The overlapping dates of the two publications, from 1891 to 1897, is clear, based on the information we have. Since the Des Plaines Publishing Company claimed the News as a part of its history, it seems possible that the two papers were originally separate publications that later merged into one newspaper, under the name Suburban Times. Unfortunately, we have no records that tell us what actually took place.

'''C. E. Bennett, Editor'''

Chester Bennett worked as newspaper editor in Des Plaines for many years. The Bennett family moved to Des Plaines in 1872 from McHenry County. Bennett was also an active Village Trustee in 1874, 1876, 1882, and 1883, in addition to teaching school and working as a music director for a local church. An undated newspaper clipping (circa 1892) found in the Bennett family files at the History Center reported that:
<blockquote>"Chester E. Bennett has for twenty years been connected with various newspapers of Cook County. He is now with the Des Plaines News as correspondent editor and advertising and subscription agent, and has been prominently identified with official circles in this vicinity."</blockquote>

'''The Suburban Times, circa 1891 - 1923, David J. Gillespie, Publisher'''
[[file:P26-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Suburban Times building (right) and Gillespie's house (left) stood in downtown Des Plaines at the location 1488 Miner. According to Charles Frisbie, who also worked for the printer when he was younger, the Times building had a green metal exterior. In 1913, Gillespie replaced this building with a new one at the same location, a two-story structure with Tudor-revival design.]]
[[File:P3685-1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Printers Frank Slama and Herman Gaede are shown operating a printing press manufactured by C. Potter Jr. & Co. Both men worked for Gillespie at the Des Plaines Suburban Times.]]
Various newspaper anniversary articles give credit to Frank Sodt for purchasing the newspaper in 1892 and changing the name to Suburban Times in 1895. However, the earliest primary source reference to the name Suburban Times that we have is in the Des Plaines Village minutes, under a list of bills recorded in 1891. Other unresolved discrepancies concerning names and dates appear throughout the anniversary articles relating to this period of time.
The earliest original issue of The Suburban Times in the DPHS collection is dated July 25, 1896, C. E. Bennett as Local Editor, publisher identified as "F. Salter" (Frank Salter, a Chicago printer).

By 1897, David J. Gillespie, a native of Richmond, Illinois, who trained as a printer in Iowa, had moved to Des Plaines and purchased the Suburban Times. Gillespie printed the newspaper from a small building on Miner Street.

The August 31, 1923, issue of the The Des Plaines Suburban Times, announced the sale of the paper to Fulle & Gaede ["Newspapers and Job Printing Plant was Sold This Week"] on the front page, showing photos of new partners Fred O. Fulle and Herman E. Gaede. Both had trained as apprentices, also known as "printer's devils", under the ownership of Gillespie. The transition in ownership included the Park Ridge Herald as well as the Suburban Times. The new name of the publisher would be The Des Plaines Publishing Company. The new owners retained the former publisher's widow Sarah Gillespie "who has been at the head of the business during the past years" on the newspaper staff, as well as several others who had been working for the newspaper.

'''The Suburban Times, 1923 - 1983, The Des Plaines Publishing Company'''
[[file:Label-1.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
The Publishing Company continued to operate from the small building on Pearson street until a new building was constructed at 1000 Executive Way in 1967. During the company's move from one building to the other, an accident occurred destroying a large collection of back issues of the Suburban Times. A managing editor for the company later wrote,
<blockquote>"our newspaper library has been greatly reduced by accidents that took place several years ago. I am told that about 35 years worth of issues were destroyed when we moved from our old office on Pearson Street to our present location at 1000 Executive Way. The truck that was moving the newspapers overturned and there was a small fire. About 40 more years of newspapers were destroyed when an overhead water pipe broke in our library. As a result, our collection of back issues is very incomplete."</blockquote>

A part of the Suburban Times' long history has been preserved on microfilm. Unfortunately, the newspaper's first three decades were not microfilmed, leaving us with only a fragmented record of this period of Des Plaines history.
[[File:P6044-1.jpg|thumb|left|400px|First location of the Des Plaines Publishing Co., {{LinkToMap|729 Pearson Street}} (later {{LinkToMap|777 Pearson Street}}), opened when [[Fred Fulle]] purchased the Suburban Times from Sarah Gillespie, following the death of David J. Gillespie in 1923. This building stood next to the telephone building on Pearson until 1979.]]
[[Category:Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines}}

File:P6044-1.jpg

2026-05-22T20:35:49Z

John Lavalie: Category:Photographs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Photographs]]

File:P3685-1.jpg

2026-05-22T20:33:43Z

John Lavalie: Category:Photographs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Photographs]]

File:P26-1.jpg

2026-05-22T20:31:02Z

John Lavalie: Category:Photographs

== Summary ==
[[Category:Photographs]]

File:Label-1.jpg

2026-05-22T20:28:22Z

John Lavalie:

The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines

2026-05-22T19:41:05Z

John Lavalie: Created page with "<center>'''The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines'''</center> <center>written by Shari Caine, 2009</center> Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the pa..."

<center>'''The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines'''</center>
<center>written by [[Shari Caine]], 2009</center>

Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the paper prompted this brief overview of the past newspaper history in Des Plaines.

The history of the paper is long and complex, considering the many changes it endured over the last several decades. Like many older institutions, the beginnings of the newspaper are a bit unclear. Without adequate primary sources, we are unable to confirm many of the details that have been presented over the years as part of the newspaper's history.

A brief synopsis of the history, as described by the Des Plaines Publishing Company in its 1985 anniversary publication, follows:

<blockquote>"What was to become the Des Plaines Publishing Copmany and Suburban Times was founded in 1885 by William Earle. He published a paper called the Cook County Record."</blockquote>

The article continues to elaborate on the various changes in ownership and newspaper names that ensued over the years to come. Rather than reprinting all the details here, we welcome anyone who is interested in the newspaper's history to visit the History Center and read the articles we have on file under "Des Plaines Publishing Company".

'''Cook County Record'''

The Cook County Record is rather mysterious, because we know so little about it. According to the Des Plaines Publishing Company (DPPC), the newspaper was owned by William Earle. Various anniversary articles by DPPC refer to the Record as the earliest predecessor to the Suburban Times. It is not clear who William Earle was, or where he lived. We presently have no records indicating that Earle lived in Des Plaines, though that does not prove he was not here. A look at the 1880 census shows two different William Earles in Cook County, both living in Chicago. One was the two-year old son of a medical doctor. The other was a 14-year old boy, living with his mother.

A search for the Cook County Record yielded no results. The Illinois Newspaper Project, a survey of the state's newspaper collections, does not have the Cook County Record listed among the other publications in its database, although it does show that several other newspapers in Cook County have had the name Record in the title.
Other newspapers in the northwestern part of Cook County were published as early as the 1870s. Using the Illinois Newspaper Project database, we can find records on the Palatine Herald and The Cook County Chronicle in Arlington Heights. By contrast, Chicago had its first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, in 1833; by 1850, Chicago had at least 15 newspapers; and by 1875, that number had increased to at least 100 publications, indicating that the availability of printing presses was certainly an urban advantage. Neighboring McHenry County, a largely rural county at the time, had no less than 21 papers in the latter half of the 19th century.

'''Village of Des Plaines'''

The early beginnings of the newspaper in Des Plaines coincide with the development of the Village government. The history between the two is inextricably linked, as two of the paper's earliest editors also both served as Trustees for the Village at various times.

Throughout the 1870s, Des Plaines was still establishing itself as a newly-incorporated Village, and the Village Trustees needed to do business with external agencies for posting notices of election, publishing ordinances, and printing forms and tickets. One of these agencies was the Palatine Herald, which is mentioned specifically in the Village minutes in 1874 as the publisher of a newspaper supplement containing the new Village ordinances.

In 1874, F. W. Hoffman of Des Plaines became the first elected President of the Village Trustees. Hoffman served as President until 1875, and continued serving as Trustee for the following years: 1875-1878 and 1880-1881. In 1878, the Village paid Hoffman a small fee, $2.00, for printing services. Leaving the question of potential conflicts of interest for another occasion, we do not know exactly what type of printing services Hoffman offered. However, in the 1880 census for Des Plaines, Hoffman is identified humorously enough as both 'druggist & editor, Cook County Record'. Also, in April, 1881, the Village minutes show that a payment was made by the Village to the Cook County Record for a printing. The 1880 Des Plaines census also identifies C. E. Bennett [Chester Bennett] as a 'printer' and shows that he and Hoffman were neighbors.

'''Des Plaines News and Suburban Times'''

Several anniversary articles printed by the Des Plaines Publishing Company refer to a newspaper called the Des Plaines News, and place it in the line-up of publications that preceded the Suburban Times.

There are three original issues of the Des Plaines News in the History Center's archives, from the years 1888 and 1895. There are also 12 issues preserved on microfilm from the years 1891 through 1893. In addition to this, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune published in 1897 mentions the Des Plaines News, providing an even later date for this publication. While the Des Plaines Publishing Company repeatedly suggested that the News was the immediate predecessor to the Suburban Times, there is evidence to suggest that the two papers were being published simultaneously:

#known dates for the publication of the Des Plaines News are 1885-1897
#known dates for the publication of the Suburban Times are 1891-1983
#an issue of the Suburban Times published July 25, 1896, mentions the Des Plaines News:

<blockquote>"E. D. Scott is building an addition to his cider and sorghum factory. The lower story will be used as an office and warehouse, and the upper story will be fitted up for the use of the Des Plaines News."</blockquote>

The overlapping dates of the two publications, from 1891 to 1897, is clear, based on the information we have. Since the Des Plaines Publishing Company claimed the News as a part of its history, it seems possible that the two papers were originally separate publications that later merged into one newspaper, under the name Suburban Times. Unfortunately, we have no records that tell us what actually took place.

'''C. E. Bennett, Editor'''

Chester Bennett worked as newspaper editor in Des Plaines for many years. The Bennett family moved to Des Plaines in 1872 from McHenry County. Bennett was also an active Village Trustee in 1874, 1876, 1882, and 1883, in addition to teaching school and working as a music director for a local church. An undated newspaper clipping (circa 1892) found in the Bennett family files at the History Center reported that:
<blockquote>"Chester E. Bennett has for twenty years been connected with various newspapers of Cook County. He is now with the Des Plaines News as correspondent editor and advertising and subscription agent, and has been prominently identified with official circles in this vicinity."</blockquote>

'''The Suburban Times, circa 1891 - 1923, David J. Gillespie, Publisher'''

Various newspaper anniversary articles give credit to Frank Sodt for purchasing the newspaper in 1892 and changing the name to Suburban Times in 1895. However, the earliest primary source reference to the name Suburban Times that we have is in the Des Plaines Village minutes, under a list of bills recorded in 1891. Other unresolved discrepancies concerning names and dates appear throughout the anniversary articles relating to this period of time.
The earliest original issue of The Suburban Times in the DPHS collection is dated July 25, 1896, C. E. Bennett as Local Editor, publisher identified as "F. Salter" (Frank Salter, a Chicago printer).

By 1897, David J. Gillespie, a native of Richmond, Illinois, who trained as a printer in Iowa, had moved to Des Plaines and purchased the Suburban Times. Gillespie printed the newspaper from a small building on Miner Street.

[photo caption: Printers Frank Slama and Herman Gaede are shown operating a printing press manufactured by C. Potter Jr. & Co. Both men worked for Gillespie at the Des Plaines Suburban Times. ]

[Identified in this photo are: 'printer's devils' (apprentices) Walter Brasel and Fred Fulle, owner and publisher David J. Gillespie (and his dog), Robert Reudy, Ed Gage, Ed Fritz, and Richart Weidenmiller. (in what order?)]

The Suburban Times building (right) and Gillespie's house (left) stood in downtown Des Plaines at the location 1488 Miner. According to Charles Frisbie, who also worked for the printer when he was younger, the Times building had a green metal exterior. In 1913, Gillespie replaced this building with a new one at the same location, a two-story structure with Tudor-revival design.

The August 31, 1923, issue of the The Des Plaines Suburban Times, announced the sale of the paper to Fulle & Gaede ["Newspapers and Job Printing Plant was Sold This Week"] on the front page, showing photos of new partners Fred O. Fulle and Herman E. Gaede. Both had trained as apprentices, also known as "printer's devils", under the ownership of Gillespie. The transition in ownership included the Park Ridge Herald as well as the Suburban Times. The new name of the publisher would be The Des Plaines Publishing Company. The new owners retained the former publisher's widow Sarah Gillespie "who has been at the head of the business during the past years" on the newspaper staff, as well as several others who had been working for the newspaper.

'''The Suburban Times, 1923 - 1983, The Des Plaines Publishing Company'''

First location of the Des Plaines Publishing Co., {{LinkToMap|729 Pearson Street}} (later {{LinkToMap|777 Pearson Street}}), opened when [[Fred Fulle]] purchased the Suburban Times from Sarah Gillespie, following the death of David J. Gillespie in 1923. This building stood next to the telephone building on Pearson until 1979.

A label from the publishing company, circa 1945.

The Publishing Company continued to operate from the small building on Pearson street until a new building was constructed at 1000 Executive Way in 1967. During the company's move from one building to the other, an accident occurred destroying a large collection of back issues of the Suburban Times. A managing editor for the company later wrote,
<blockquote>"our newspaper library has been greatly reduced by accidents that took place several years ago. I am told that about 35 years worth of issues were destroyed when we moved from our old office on Pearson Street to our present location at 1000 Executive Way. The truck that was moving the newspapers overturned and there was a small fire. About 40 more years of newspapers were destroyed when an overhead water pipe broke in our library. As a result, our collection of back issues is very incomplete."</blockquote>

A part of the Suburban Times' long history has been preserved on microfilm. Unfortunately, the newspaper's first three decades were not microfilmed, leaving us with only a fragmented record of this period of Des Plaines history.

Category:Brown Street

2026-05-22T19:24:10Z

John Lavalie:

[[file:Brown Street.jpg|frameless|right|450px]]
'''Brown Street''' was named after Ira J. Brown.
[[Category:Streets and roads]]