No Malaria Here! In 1889, realtor E. Percy Maynard proclaimed Winnetka “the finest suburb in Cook County” and offered lots for sale for as low as $150. For the first time, Winnetka became a suburb lauded for its beauty and accessibility. Maynard highlighted the newly forged Sheridan Road and improved railroad connections as commuter routes […]

Communication Contraption In the late 18th and early 195h centuries, fires were a menacing threat to all Winnetka. The Winnetka Fire Department could respond more quickly to local emergencies using a device like this one. The J.H. Bunnell & Co. pen register, much like a tickertape recorder, used telegraph signals to relay urgent messages in […]

Get out the Vote Descended from Samuel Maverick, the rancher who refused to brand his cattle, Lola Maverick Lloyd lived up to the Maverick name. Her ex-husband William Bross Lloyd was the son of muckraker Henry Demarest Lloyd, but she was a progressive in her own right. As an impassioned pacifist, Lola Maverick Lloyd helped […]

War Effort Victory Gardens While WWII raged overseas, Winnetkans on the Home Front went to work. Over 2,000 households registered Victory Gardens in 1943. Policeman Bethel “Tiny” Schultz of 796 Green Bay Road was a particularly patriotic gardener. He worked the night shift, so during the day he tended neighbors’ gardens and raised bees and […]

Speak Up and Speak Out This handmade poster announced a panel discussion for teens and adults held at the Winnetka Community House on May 22, 1969. This was one of several initiatives which addressed the youth rebellion in the 1960s. In those years, the counterculture movement was in full force. Winnetka was not immune to […]

Rummage, Rummage, Rummage The Winnetka Rummage Sale, sponsored by The Congregational Church and held annually at the Community House, is a big deal–and always has been. Each year, thousands line up hours prior to opening to take advantage of bargains galore. This hand-knit sweater made from donated yarn was worn by Madolyn Fraser. As Chairman […]

Talented Tailor The spectacle of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago drew visitors from around the world. Winnetka’s own tailor, Frank Heinig, owned a farm-like property on Green Bay Road. He submitted this innovative and award-winning “Promenade Suit and Overcoat” which was acclaimed for its “originality” and “skill in workmanship.”

A Spell is Cast When author J.K. Rowling visited Winnetka at the height of “Harry Potter fever,” the line to see her stretched around the block on Elm Street. The Book Stall hosted a book signing “all-nighter” and attendees made such a ruckus that complaining neighbors called the police! Rowling signed her name to 2000 […]

Circle of Giving Julie Hall (1933-2016) began teaching at North Shore Country Day School in 1976. She became the first female Head of School in 1993. Reading to Lower School students as “Mother Goose” was just one way Hall contributed to this circle of giving, impacting thousands of young people during her long career.