- Source: Mundelein, Illinois
Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and a northern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 31,560, making this the fourth largest town in Lake County. The village straddles Libertyville Township and Fremont Township, and borders Grayslake, Ivanhoe, Diamond Lake, and Libertyville. The village lies 33 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop.
Mundelein was first settled by European settlers in 1835, and was incorporated in 1909 after a spur line connected the village to the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. The University of Saint Mary of the Lake opened in 1921, and in June 1926 the village hosted the closing events of the 28th International Eucharistic Congress, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the town. Four name changes happened throughout the village's history, including two after incorporation.
History
= Pre-incorporation
=Native Americans of the area, such as the Potawatomi people, were trading with French trappers as early as 1650. The Potwatomi had settled on a camp on the south end of Diamond Lake. Natives lost possession of land in the area in 1836 and were forced west of the Mississippi River. Peter Shaddle was the first European settler in 1835, and built a log cabin which is now owned by University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He later sold his claim to settlers from New York.
Later settlers from England named the town "Mechanics Grove", due to the settler's occupations of millwrights, wheelwrights and carpenters. The town's first school opened in 1837 and a church the following year.
The town name changed to "Holcomb" in the early 1850s, for a settler named John Holcomb. He migrated from New York in 1847 and was a civic and spiritual leader in the community through his participation in the Methodist Episcopal Church and for his service in township offices. In 1885, he donated 20 acres of land to the Wisconsin Central Railroad. In the same year, the town name was changed to Rockefeller, after American businessman William Rockefeller Jr., who was a major stockholder in the Wisconsin Central Railroad. Rockefeller was incorporated on February 1, 1909 in a referendum in anticipation of an economic boom after the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad built a spur line terminating in Rockefeller in 1904. Residents from nearby Diamond Lake, Illinois were included in the vote in order to meet the minimum resident requirements at the time, although they later withdrew from the village.
= Post-incorporation
=1909 to 1925
The village was renamed from Rockefeller to "Area" in July 1909. The name came from a sales technique school located in the village called Sheldon School, which had the motto of "Ability, Reliability, Endurance, and Action". In 1909, Sheldon purchased 600 acres (2.4 km2) of land for the construction of the school. His property contained a lake named Mud Lake, which was dammed and renamed Lake Eara. Sheldon had previously opened another business school in Chicago in 1902. Classes first began at the school in 1910, with students from Nicaragua, Australia, Mexico, and Germany. At the school's peak, the school had over 10,000 students. Sheldon's business failed, with the Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago suggesting that the failure was a result of World War I. Sheldon later sold his estate, which was purchased by the Archbishop of Chicago George Mundelein to open University of Saint Mary of the Lake in 1921.
On December 10, 1924, the Village Board held a special meeting with representatives from the Soo Line Railroad, who requested that the board change the village's name to Mundelein (for the cardinal). The board voted to make the change and asked the Illinois Secretary of State to make the name change. They received permission in April 1925, and the Village Board passed an ordinance changing the village's name to Mundelein.
28th International Eucharistic Congress
The closing events for the 28th International Eucharistic Congress were held in the University of Saint Mary of the Lake on June 24, 1926. Approximately half a million people came to the campus, including 10,000 nuns, 8,000 priests, 390 bishops, 64 archbishops, and 12 cardinals. Trains were used to commute people to the village every 30 minutes before mass. A temporary terminal was built to accommodate the events at the current site of Carmel High School, which existed until the Great Depression. 18,000 cars went through Mundelein on that day, and thousands of National Guard troops were sent to control traffic after the event. In total, 820 trains went through the Mundelein station from dawn to midnight on that day.
Two events were scheduled for the Seminary, a Solemn Pontifical Mass at 10:00 am, and a Procession at 2:00 pm. During the procession, a violent thunderstorm passed the seminary, leaving people at the procession "tired and soaked to the skin". The seminary was left with litter and damaged lawns after the event.
1929 to present
Floods in 1936 and 1937 severely damaged the village. The first flood occurred on September 27, 1936, after 1.33 inches of rain fell onto the village, damaging businesses. The second occurred in June 1937, flooding the village's main road and causing further damage to adjacent neighborhoods and businesses.
By the 1970s, the community was largely residential with a little light industrial development. Ranches and tri-level houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s in the center of town, with larger, two-story houses in the village's periphery built from the 1970s.
A major employer of the village, Ball Glass, closed in the early 1980s. The village saw economic and industrial growth during the 1990s, gaining over 10,000 residents between the 1980 and 1990 United States census.
Mundelein greatly expanded in size in 2022 with the annexation of over 700 acres of land owned by the Wirtz family; the owners of the Chicago Blackhawks. The plan was to develop 1,200 houses and 600 townhomes following the annexation.
Geography
Mundelein is located 33 miles (53 km) northwest of the Chicago Loop. The area of the village is 10.12 square miles (26.2 km2), 0.45 square miles (1.2 km2) of which is water. The elevation of the village is 742 feet (226 m). Mundelein borders Hawthorn Woods and Vernon Hills to the south and east, and is primarily located within the Indian Creek watershed in Lake County.
= Climate
=Under the Köppen climate classification, Mundelein is a Humid continental climate zone (Dfa) under the hot summer subtype with cold winters and warm to hot summers. Since 1999, the record high was 103°F in July 2012 during the 2012 North American heat wave, while the record low was -26°F in January 2019 during the January–February 2019 North American cold wave.
= Diamond Lake
=Diamond Lake is a 153-acre glacial lake in south Mundelein. It is primarily used for fishing and swimming and has been settled by Europeans since the 19th-century. The maximum depth of the lake is 23.56 feet, with an average depth of 7.65 feet. The lake is primarily used for swimming, fishing, and boating, and drains into the Des Plaines River.
Demographics
= 2020 census
=Mundelein's population is 31,560, making it the fourth largest village in Lake County, according to the 2020 United States census.
= Income
=The median income for a household in the village was $69,651, and the median income for a family was $75,083. By 2017, median incomes were estimated at $86,336 per household and $96,813 per family. Males had a median income of $50,290 versus $34,087 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,280. About 3.0% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Mundelein's government consists of a board of trustees of made up of six members and a mayor. The current mayor of Mundelein is Steve Lentz, who has held that position since 2013, being elected to three terms.
= Fire department
=The fire department of Mundelein is called the Mundelein Fire Department, and before 1956, the Mundelein-Countryside fire Department Corporation. The first fire station in Mundelein was opened in 1947 south of the downtown area, being initially built with four bays, but later expanded to six bays. The department had no full-time employees until 1960. Five additions were added to the station between 1952 and 1961, including a second story to the building. The department moved into its current building on Midlothian Road in 2000.
Cardinal Mundelein donated the village its first new fire truck, a 1925 Stoughton. The fire truck was officially turned over to the village at a ceremony held at the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary on July 17, 1925. The fire truck, nicknamed "Old No. 1", was restored in 2008.
= Law enforcement
=Mundelein Police Department is the law enforcement agency of Mundelein. Initially stationed in the now-demolished village hall with a one-man police force, the department got its own police station in 1964 on Seymour Avenue and Division Street, before moving into its current building in 2002. The site of the original station is now a water retention area.
= Parks
=The park district of Mundelein is the Mundelein Parks and Recreation District. The organization won three awards in October 2021 from the Illinois Association of Park Districts, two of which were from business partnerships. The district runs an outdoor pool named Barefoot Bay. The park district opened in 1954 and manages over 700 acres and over 30 parks.
= Post Office
=The first post office of Mundelein was established in 1887, in a building which is now used a store. The current facility was opened in 1976 across from the location of the former village hall.
Places
= Mundelein Heritage Museum
=Mundelein Heritage Museum is a museum owned by the Mundelein Historical Commission. The museum opened in 1983 in a train facility, which been intended for the Soo Line Railroad in the 1920s. The Historical Society of Fort Hill Country, founded in 1983, previously ran the museum as the Fort Hill Museum, until the society disbanded in 2018 due to low membership. The museum was closed from 2018 to 2020, as operations of the museum were transferred to the Mundelein Historical Commission.
= Memorial Point
=Memorial Point is a triangle-shaped war memorial located at the intersection of Hawley Street and Illinois Route 176. The monument was built in 1969 and contains an artillery anti-tank gun, a flagpole, and an engraved granite monument listing residents of the town who died in war. Plans were made in 2015 to relocate the memorial to Kracklauer Park in the south of the town but were abandoned after public backlash.
= Community Protestant Church
=The Community Protestant Church in Mundelein first opened in 1889 with 16 members. The initial building for the church was built on the junction of Illinois Route 176 and U.S. Route 45 in 1896. The church moved to its current position in 1949 and was nicknamed "the church on the hill" due to its location. The building was renovated from 1957 to 1958 to build an education wing, including a library and a nursery. The church hosted an annual Christmas dance in the 1940s.
= Fremont Public Library
=Fremont Public Library was established on Park Street and Lake Street in the village in 1955, before later being moved to a larger site on Midlothian Road in 2001. The old site, which was previously used as a barbershop, was sold to Mundelein Elementary School District 75 where it has been used as an administration building. The property was considered for a sale in 2018.
= Village Hall
=The current village hall was completed and opened in 2014. The building is a 10-acre, 32,000-foot building located next to the Metra station in the center of the town, and cost over $10 million to build.
The original village hall, which was built and dedicated in 1929, cost the village $36,000 to construct. The building, which was described as "Tudor-style" and "Alpine-style", was also previously used as a fire station, municipal jail, and a community center. The building was demolished in 2019 for commercial development.
= Model Farm
=Model Farm was a prototype farm used to demonstrate new farming technology in the 1920s. The property included a six-room farmhouse and an exhibit hall. The 80-acre farm was opened in 1928 by the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois, which was a company run by businessman Samuel Insull. The property was sold to a cattle breeder in 1940 and was partially used as the site for the construction of Mundelein High School.
Events
Mundelein hosts an annual four-day event called the Mundelein Community Days for recreation around Independence Day. Events have included carnivals, live music, parades, and beauty pageants.
An outdoor music festival titled "Miracle in Mundelein" was held on September 9th, 2023. The event was notable for allowing people to use cannabis recreationally, although the drug was not sold on-site. The festival featured hip hop, reggae, and EDM, and featured the rock band Joe Russo's Almost Dead. The event was held adjacent to a cannabis dispensary.
= Races
=Annually on Independence Day, a 5K run called the Freedom Classic 5K is held. The race was first held in 1979.
Mundelein hosts an annual amateur and professional bike race called the Mundelein Grand Prix. The race is part of the Intelligentsia Cup Chicago series. The race was first held in 2021.
Economy
Top employers
According to Mundelein's 2022 comprehensive annual financial report, the top employers in the village are:
Education
The first school in Mundelein was called Mechanics Grove School and opened in 1837. The school was located on the roads that would become Maple Avenue and Route 176. Mundelein is currently served by five elementary school districts.
= Public schools
=For the history see Arthur Zilversmit, Changing schools: Progressive education theory and practice, 1930-1960 (University of Chicago Press, 1993).
Diamond Lake School District 76
Diamond Lake School District was established in 1847. The district includes three schools: Diamond Lake school from kindergarten through second grade, West Oak Elementary Schools from third to fifth grade, and West Oak Middle School from grades six to eight. Fairhaven School was previously a part of the district, and is now a special education school.
Fremont School District 79
Fremont School District 79 (previously Fremont Center District 79) includes Fremont Elementary School, Fremont Intermediate School, and Fremont Middle School. The District annexed Ivanhoe School District 77, Swan School District 78, Maple Grove School District 80, and Murray School District 81 in 1955.
Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73
Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73 primarily serves the nearby village of Vernon Hills. The school district contains four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a bilingual school.
Libertyville School District 70
Libertyville's school district was founded c. 1850. The school district includes four elementary schools: Adler Park School, Butterfield School, Copeland Manor School, Rockland School, and one middle school (Highland Middle School).
Mundelein Elementary School District 75
Mundelein School District was founded with the establishment of Lincoln School in 1894. The school district comprises Washington Early Learning Center from Kindergarten to second grade, which opened in 1951, Mechanics Grove Elementary School from third to fifth grade, which opened in 1970, and Carl Sandburg Middle School from sixth through eighth grade, which is named after American writer Carl Sandburg who dedicated the building in 1959.
The district's boundary changed significantly in 2003–2004, in response to studies indicating sharp disparities in ethnic makeup among various schools in the district.
Mundelein High School
The public high school for Mundelein is Mundelein High School. It was built in 1960 and started classes in 1961 and split its own school district in 1964. The campus was renovated in 1987, 1997, and 2016.
= Private Schools
=University of Saint Mary of the Lake
University of Saint Mary of the Lake is a seminary in Mundelein. The seminary was designed by architect Joseph W. McCarthy. The charter for the school was initially granted in 1844, and the first version of the school was opened in Chicago. The seminary closed in 1866 due to financial problems, and the building was destroyed in 1871 in the Great Chicago Fire. The Archdiocese of Chicago started purchasing land in Mundelein in 1915, and the school opened in 1921. The seminary is the third largest employer in the village,. The village namesake, George Mundelein, is buried in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on campus.
Carmel High School
Carmel High School is a private Catholic high school in Mundelein. The site of the school was formerly occupied by a railroad terminal for the 28th International Eucharistic Congress. Carmel High School for boys opened in 1962, and the sister school Carmel High School for girls opened in 1963. The schools merged in 1988.
Santa Maria del Popolo School
Santa Maria del Popolo School previously served as a private Catholic school. The four-room school opened in 1950 with 187 enrolled students. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago announced the closure of the school in January 2014, which by then only enrolled approximately 80 students. The school was previously a K–8 school, and later, an elementary school.
Transportation
= Public transportation
=Mundelein has a station on Metra's North Central Service, which provides weekday rail service between Antioch and Chicago Union Station. The station opened in 1996 after a thirty-three-year hiatus after commuter rail service was shut down in 1963. The tracks that the North Central Service ran on were bought out by CN in 2001 after the railway acquired Wisconsin Central Ltd.
Pace provides bus services on Route 574 connecting Mundelein to Grayslake, Vernon Hills, and other destinations.
The town is near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, O'Hare International Airport, and Midway International Airport.
= Major streets
=Lake Street
Illinois Route 60
Illinois Route 83
Maple Avenue
Midlothian Road
Hawley Street
Interstate 94 is located five miles east of Mundelein.
Media
The Chicago Tribune provides coverage for Mundelein, and runs the local newspaper Mundelein Review through its ownership of Pioneer Press. Mundelein is also provided news coverage by Daily Herald, based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and FOX 32 Chicago.
Notable people
Cardinal George Mundelein, the namesake of the town, died of coronary thrombosis in his Mundelein residence in 1939
= Sports
=Zaire Barnes, American football linebacker for the New York Jets
Ryan Borucki, professional baseball pitcher
Charlie Campbell, soccer player
Courtney Frerichs, track and field athlete and Olympic medalist
Johnny McCarthy, professional baseball first baseman
Sean McGrath, American football tight end and coach
Brienne Minor, American tennis player
Bud O'Rourke, professional basketball forward
Andy Sabados, American football guard
= Politics
=Al Salvi, former member of the Illinois House, US Senate candidate, managing partner of Salvi & Maher, LLC
Ed Sullivan Jr., Republican politician
Penny Bernard Schaber, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Further reading
Mundelein: A history by Cook Memorial Library
History of Mundelein on archive.org
References
Works citied
Killackey, Shawn P (2009). Mundelein. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738577326.
Further reading
Arthur Zilversmit, Changing schools: Progressive education theory and practice, 1930-1960 (University of Chicago Press, 1993).
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