The Creation of Lake Ellyn
The Village of Glen Ellyn owes a debt of gratitude to Thomas E. Hill and Seth Baker who envisioned building a lake in town and spearheaded a drive to collect funds to build it. In fact, the Village of Glen Ellyn owes its name to this lake. Lake Ellyn was created in the summer of […]
How many names has Glen Ellyn had?
The most common answer is seven, although there is some disagreement about what the seven names should be. Here is the chronology of what we know.
Early History of Glen Ellyn
The first European-American settlers in this area arrived in 1833 when three Babcock brothers took claim to a large tract of land that included what is now the five corners intersection of St. Charles Road, Geneva Road and Main Street on the north side of Glen Ellyn. The large area they claimed was called Babcock’s […]
Ice Skating to Lisle
In the 1800s, before heavy use of municipal water wells drew down the aquifers beneath Glen Ellyn and surrounding communities, there were many springs bubbling to the surface, spawning creeks here and there. One such creek originated in the vicinity of what today is the Glen Ellyn Public Library. That small stream ran northeast right […]
How Did That Cow Get on the Roof of the Church?
At Halloween time 100 years ago, boys in Glen Ellyn seemed to be more interested in doing pranks than in collecting treats. By 1920 they were competing to see who could do the wildest prank, which led to this interesting story. One morning after Halloween, the town awoke to discover a cow tied up on […]
