Note: There is a great deal of confusion of roads because at various times two major thoroughfares in New Lenox Township both, in part, have been known as "Maple Street." Wherever possible following "Maple" the modern equivalent whether U. S. 6 (Southwest Highway) or U. S. 30 (Lincoln Highway) will be indicated in brackets to distinguish between them. Other sites will also be indicated by present day locations in brackets.
Native Americans lived in the area as early as 10,000 years ago. The native populations lived along Hickory Creek in long houses constructed of tree limbs and wattle. Even today the careful seeker can find arrowheads and other stone tools of these Native Americans. Tall grass prairies and clusters of hickory, birch, oak and maple trees were left relatively undisturbed by these tribes, despite the evidence that they hunted, trapped and fished as well as planted small amount of corn and used indigenous clay to make pots and reeds to make baskets. Over time the cultures changed from Early Archaic (9000 to 6000 B. C.) to the Mississippian Period (1000 A. D. to 1600 A.D.).
Two Indian burial sites are located at Gougar's Crossing [within Pilcher Park and on the property of the Gougar home], one of which was there when the Gougars arrived. In the mid 1990s at the site of the Sanctuary Golf Course [Marley Rd. north of U. S. 30] remains were found dating from the Late Woodland (400-1000 A.D.), Mississippian (1000-1600 A.D.) and Proto-Historic (1600-1673 A.D.) Periods. In the Proto-Historic Period the names of the tribes varied due in part to the displacement of tribes to the east moving west. Among the last tribes in the area were the Pottawatomie. Their chief Shabbona often visited in the Gougar home, preferring to sleep on the floor while his wife slept in the bed.
While Native Americans were still living the area, French explorers and then French fur traders came to the area. In the 1730s the French built a fort between the Indian trails which Routes U. S. 30 and 6 now follow. A reconstruction of the Old French Fort can still be seen [Francis Rd., east of Gougar Rd.].
The French and Indians Wars (1754-1763), which were fought between the French and the British, shifted nominal control of the area from the French to the British, who passed control to the young United States in 1783. The Illinois Territory was carved out of the 1787 Northwest Territory in 1805 and Illinois statehood was granted in 1818. Settlement in Illinois was nearly all in the southern third of the state along the Ohio, Wabash, Mississippi and Sangamon Rivers. New Lenox area permanent settlement came more than 10 years after statehood.
Aaron Friend and Joseph Brown established an outpost along Hickory Creek in 1829, making it one of the earliest settlements in Will County [Gougar Rd, north of Hickory Creek]. Along with Brown and Friend was a Col. Sayre who remained until 1832 when he built a sawmill about a half mile away in Joliet Township. After Brown died in 1830, Friend remained only a few years in the area, moving west with the Native Americans after the Blackhawk War of 1832.
William Rice, Sr. and William Rice, Jr. came in 1830, began farming and built a log cabin [Gougar Rd., north of Hickory Creek]. In the fall of that same year they sold their land to John Gougar who purchased the land on behalf of his father William Gougar. The William Gougars stayed and eventually flourished. In 1832 Gougar established a post office at his farm. Residents in the area went to "Uncle Billy Gougar's" for mail. The Gougar farm became the center of activity in the area.
Lewis Kercheval arrived in 1830 and led the farms established along Maple [U. S. 6, west of Clinton]. Other arrivals that same year included Samuel Russell, John I. Davidson, and Joseph Norman, who opened the second sawmill in 1833. Norman was also the father of the first child born in New Lenox Township, Elizabeth Norman in 1832. Abraham Francis came in 1831 [427 W. Francis Rd.]. Cornelius C. Van Horne became the first postmaster in 1832 and in 1833 the first school teacher. Joseph Reynolds settled in 1833. Other early arrivals included Michael and Jared Runyon, Isaac and Samuel Pence, Joseph, Alfred and James Johnson. Henry Higinbotham became a partner in Sayre's sawmill in 1834. Samuel Haven with sons Dwight, Carlos, Rush and Alvin established his farm in 1835 [U. S. 30, east of Schoolhouse Rd]. Isaac Hine came in 1836. Some of these came with wives and children; others married after arriving here. All came from the United States, most from Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
The first winter of 1830-1831 has often been referred to as the winter of the "Deep Snow." Not only were many early settlers unprepared for a severe winter because they had arrived late in the summer, but the first killing frost occurred in September and deep, deep snow and severe cold persisted throughout the winter. Most of the livestock was lost. However, a different kind of challenge faced the settlers soon after their arrival. Blackhawk, a Sac Indian chief, who repudiated an 1823 treaty which had ceded Indian lands in Illinois to the U. S. Government, returned to the disputed land with his followers who started planting corn. A peace representative was shot causing a brief war known as the Blackhawk War. Some wives and children were sent to area forts for protection, including Fort Dearborn in Chicago. Apparently a simple stockade was built near Gougar Crossing. The War begun in April was concluded by August, and the Native Americans were gone from the Township. The temporary stockade was torn down.
Because William Gougar established a firm presence in the area [Gougar Road at Hickory Creek], the farm and its environs continued to be called Gougar Crossing for many years. The name Gougar lasted even longer on the school established there and the name continues today on the road. At various times settlers used the designation Van Horne's Point because C. C. VanHorne was the postmaster and schoolmaster there although it more commonly designated the area where the village of New Lenox was eventually located. VanHorne later moved to Joliet and became its first mayor. The post office was called the Young Hickory post office. In addition the area from the Des Plaines River to Hickory Creek was also known as Yankee Settlement, covering the much larger area from Lemont south to central New Lenox Township. The designation Hickory Creek Settlement was also used for the settlements along Hickory Creek in New Lenox Township.
The "Old Brick Tavern" on the far east of the Township [U.S. 30 and Illinois Highway], built ca. 1842, served the travelers through the area. First it was a stagecoach stop and later any traveler could stop for the night and receive food, drink and a bed to sleep in. The building was unique because it was brick, not a common building material when wood was so common for other buildings in the area. The bricks were made with clay dug from the backyard of the inn. An unauthenicated story is told that Abraham Lincoln once stayed there when he was a young lawyer working for the Illinois Central Railroad. The tale continues that Lincoln stopped for the night and set out the next morning in a wagon to go to the Illinois Central stop much further east. However, the snow was too deep for the wagon, so the Lincoln group returned to the Old Brick Tavern for one more night.
The coming of the Rock Island Railroad in 1852 changed the settlement of the Township considerably. Previously farmers could do "cash crop" farming by hauling the products to the I & M Canal or by wagon all the way to larger cities like Chicago. The presence of the railroad brought distant markets to the farmer. Eventually New Lenox Township was served by three additional railroads: the Wabash, the Michigan Central, and the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern.
The area to the east of Gougar Crossing presented a more promising area along the railroad tracks to build a town and thus the town of New Lenox began. The village was platted in 1858. The town was laid out between Cedar Road on the east and the campgrounds on the west, between Walnut [Haven] Avenue on the south and Hickory Creek on the north.
Although the name Tracy was the name listed on the original plat to honor the general superintendent of the Rock Island Railroad, Tracy requested that another name be found. Earlier the first supervisor for New Lenox Township J. Van Duser had named the Township New Lenox from the town of Lenox, New York, which was Van Duser's home town. In 1863 the name for the new settlement officially became New Lenox after the Township.
Religion came early to the area. Before permanent settlement began, the Methodist circuit rider visited the Native Americans. Later he began holding services in cabins and barns. This continued until a church was built in 1853. This first church known as the 1853 Bethel Church was on the border between New Lenox and Frankfort Townships to serve both areas. By 1863 the congregation was large enough to have separate churches so the church was dismantled and parts used to build the first Methodist Church in New Lenox on Hickory St. east of Pine St. in 1863.
In the 1870s the town had three stores, three blacksmiths, a grain warehouse, two wagon shops, one hotel, a tin shop and a physician. Other services were provided from homes. The general stores were operated by M. Knickerbocker, Tunis Lynk, and George Hilton. J. B. Saulsbury's butter factory processed up to 5000 pounds of milk daily. The first residence was built by Mr. Robinson. The principal business of the town remained agriculture. The Grace Episcopal Church was organized in 1868 (meeting in the Methodist Church) and began holding services in its new facility at the corner of Pine and Hickory in 1870.
Before and during the Civil War (1861-1865) the Underground Railroad which helped slaves escape to Canada operated in Will County, including New Lenox Township. Dwight Haven on his farm in the eastern part of Will County received escapees from areas to the west, hid them and passed them on to areas to the east. Other probable locations where escaping slaves were hid may have been the Abel/Bliss farm [Gougar Rd. at Haven Av.] and the Haines farm [Cedar Rd. at Hickory Creek]. Although slaves were transported hidden in wagons, it is also believed that they traveled along Hickory Creek.
After the Civil War the campgrounds on the western edge of town were purchased by Methodists and renamed the Centenary Campgrounds. In 1868 the first camp meeting was held. During these summer camp meetings people came from surrounding communities to hear the preachers and participate in the hymn sings and other events. Some came on a daily basis, other camped out in tents. Later a dining hall, bath house, tabernacle (1876), which provided a speaking platform from its porch, some cabins and other buildings were erected. The camp meetings were held for over 40 years. At first people came on horseback, in wagons or by train. Later the trolley and the automobile brought worshipers.
Also after the Civil War New Lenox began to draw new residents from Europe, especially England. Herbert and Sydney Batson were the first of many brothers and sisters who immigrated from England. Also from the same town came Archie Corp and his family. The Grange Hall was built in 1876. The grange was a national, quasi-political group which promoted farmers' interests.
The most prominent citizen of New Lenox at the turn of the century was H. N. Higginbotham. Although Mr. Higginbotham's home was located in New Lenox, he was more important and famous in Chicago where he was a partner in Marshall Field's, a banker, and the organizing and supervising force behind the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. He was a colleague and friend of most of Chicago's leaders, including George Pullman, Marshall Field, and the Palmers.
Growth for the village of New Lenox remained slow, but steady. By 1899 the Methodists relocated to a larger church at Church and Haven and tore down the old church. The new church was the first building to have gas lights. The old dance hall which was in the straight path of Maple Street [U. S. 30] to the east was moved to the southeast corner of Cedar and Maple. (In the 1940s it was converted to a bowling alley.) The advent of the automobile in the early 1900s made it evident that gravel roads would be needed. A gravel pit began operation north of Hickory Creek and west of Vine St. Citizens could work in the gravel pit in order to pay poll taxes (a fee to vote.) In 1907 the trolley began operation between Joliet and Chicago Heights. By 1923 the trolley had ceased to operate because of competition from the automobile.
The automobile was rapidly adopted by the people of New Lenox. Businesses changed as a result of this development. Blacksmiths shops and other businesses which served the "horse trade" either closed or converted to other uses. Many corners, especially along U. S. 30, became locations for service stations and/or mechanics shops.
In 1898 the first rural telephone company in Illinois set up business in New Lenox. By 1905 there were 132 subscribers. The switchboard was located in homes so that 24 hour service could be given to customers to handle emergencies. The Deadmore home at 221 Haven Avenue was the first location for the switchboard. Rural mail service also began in 1902. Mail was delivered on horseback at first.
Gradually the town expanded. The New Lenox Lumber & Hardware, built north of Hickory Creek on Cedar Road in 1927 opened the area north of Hickory Creek to residences in the Brookwood subdivision. Adjacent to the lumberyard a gas station and grocery store were also constructed along Cedar Road by the mid-1930s. A new bridge built over Hickory Creek on Cedar Road also assisted this development in 1933.
In 1927 the New Lenox State Bank, the first bank, opened on Maple Street [U.S. 30] in the heart of town. The bank prided itself on the security of the facility because bank robberies were common at that time. At this time many people in the community began to work in other communities thus making the first New Lenox commuters.
The 1930s brought economic hardships to New Lenox as it did to all of the United States. Many of the cabins in the campgrounds were converted to year-round housing. Some chicken coops and other farm buildings were similarly changed to accommodate those in need. In 1936 the Ladies Club organized the first town library. For a small fee residents could obtain a borrower's card.
The post office moved around town, usually located in stores. Prior to the post office coming under Civil Service Administration, it was a political appointment. In what store the post office was located depended in part on the political affiliation of the store owner, the person appointed postmaster. Finally in the 1960s the first building solely for postal use was built on Cedar Road at Hickory St.
The 1940s saw a large portion of the adult male population "go off to war." Homefront activities were undertaken including civil defense and service clubs to support the troops. Following World War II in 1945 another period of dramatic change began.
In 1946 the Village was incorporated. The Fire Prevention District was founded.
An army surplus fire truck was added to the first fire truck so that fighting fires did not depend upon whether a train was across the Cedar Road tracks. Volunteers continued to run the fire department. Because water service was not added until the 1970s tankers had to carry water to the fires. Sewer service was begun in the 1960s. All these developments as well as the post-war baby boom produced a population expansion. The village has continued its growth, doubling in size each last four decades of the 20th Century.
The growth brought about a great change in education. The Haven School built in 1927(replacing the two-story wooden structure at Oak and Hickory) was unable to cope with the growth in student population and schools were built to accommodate the rise in school population: Oakview (later named Oster-Oakview)1949, Haines 1964, Bentley 1973, Tyler 1979, Martino 1995, Cherry Hill 1998 (replacing the earlier Cherry Hill), Nelson Prairie 1999, Nelson Ridge 1999, Liberty 2002. Along with this school consolidation took place closing the "country" schools which had existed from the earliest times: Marley, Lynk, Gougar, Reiter, Spencer, Schmuhl, and Francis. Students received their high school education at Joliet Township High School until Lincoln-Way High School opened in 1954. In addition St. Jude Catholic Church which was founded in 1934 opened a school in 1950. Providence High School (Catholic) opened in 1962.
The first supermarket opened in the 1954 in the Lincoln-Way Shopping Center on the west edge of town, also a first. The first discount store Braun Sales open in the the same shopping plaza in 1956. This development was the forerunner of a trend that spelled the end of the corner grocery store and the introduction of chains and franchise operations.
The Interstate 80 section through New Lenox was completed in 1968. Later the Rock Island Railroad passenger service was reorganized under Metra to handle the growing commuter traffic to Chicago Thus New Lenox became more accessible to a wider area.
In 1830 Charles Snoad came down the Indian trail with other settlers, purchasing land. In 1860 missing trees along the trail and on his farm, he purchased maple saplings in Michigan and planted them in a straight line along the road, known for generations as Maple Street [U. S. 6].
Chester Herman Marshall in 1833 purchased land along this same narrow road, coming from New York with his wife Permelia and one son George. His other son, Rollin came the next year with his wife, Ann Burrill Marshall, and three sons, Chester Herman, George Nelson and Jacob Burrill. Ann died soon after her arrival.
Some of Chester's eight brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, came from the East and purchased land from Chester or from others nearby. Some of the relatives attended the O'Plain Baptist Church at Hadley, the predecessor of the Marley Community Church.
In 1859 at age eighty, Chester died and was buried at the cemetery named Marshall, near the early Marshall log schoolhouse, built in 1837. Although the settlers of the area did business in Hadley in Homer Township which had two general stores, a church, a blacksmith, sawmill and post office, over time the community at Hadley dwindled.
Marley was born in 1881 when the Wabash Railroad, cut through the wooded hill on the southeast corner of George Haley's farm leaving a triangular tract of land laid out by the surveyor as the village of Maple Street. It consisted of five blocks of land with 111 lots, four streets along with five alleys by which to reach the barns.
In 1879 Griffin Marshall had built a two-story frame house to serve as a store and post office downstairs and a home on the second floor. When asked to name the post office, Griffin took the suggestion of a young Haley lad of Mar(shall.) + (Ha)ley. Marley had a depot, pump house, coal chutes, section house, granary, stockyard, and blacksmith. Marley became a milk-shipping station to Chicago. In 1893 the store, now owned by C. F. Haley, was moved to Maple Street and converted it to a nine-room residence. In its place he erected a new larger store with a large hall above, which provided space for all kinds of community activities. There were three public wells, and a board sidewalk between the depot and the residences. The Baptist Church was built in 1899 [now the Marley Community Church] and has remained an important asset of the community.
A serious freight derailment in 1932 damaged the station and other facilities. The railroad buildings were never rebuilt. This brought a serious slow down in population growth. Marley has never incorporated and business was gradually taken away to the communities of Mokena and New Lenox.
The Village of Spencer was platted in 1856, the earliest mapped community in New Lenox Township. A storage structure was built that same year and a grain elevator the following year. A line of the Michigan Central Railroad was immediately available to area farmers for shipment of agricultural products. A post office was established in 1857 and lasted until 1913. By 1878 several businesses were operating at Spencer: two general stores (one operated by the Knapp brothers and one by N. P. Holmes), a saloon, blacksmith, shoe shop and grain business. A frame one-room school house provided education for area pupils until the middle of the 20th Century. This apparently marked the high point of business in the area; gradually as transportation improved, business was diverted to the larger communities of Frankfort, Mokena and New Lenox. People have continued to reside and farm in the area, but Spencer as a community never experienced the growth of other communities or formally organized.
At the end of the 20th Century the Village of Mokena, which is located mainly in Frankfort Township, extended its boundaries into the northeast corner of New Lenox Township. Similarly the City of Joliet, which is principally in Joliet Township, extended into the northwestern area of New Lenox Township. The stories of these communities are better told by the historical societies of Mokena and Joliet, respectively.
It is likely in the Twenty-First Century, possibly as early as 2030 the population of New Lenox Township will exceed 75,000 to 85,000. The farms which spawn the settlement of this township will be converted to housing and business properties. This process was well underway in the final decades of the Twentieth Century. Only a few vestiges of that rural life which lasted well into the mid-Twentieth Century will remain.
The Township could very well become one town stretching from Homer Glen on the north to Manhattan on the south, from Joliet on the west to Frankfort/Mokena on the east.