The Village of Lincolnwood

Settled in the late 1830s and incorporated as Tessville in 1917, Lincolnwood was founded by emigrants from Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, the United Kingdom, and multiple other European countries. From a prairie land, these European arrivals created a small-town rural community filled with greenhouses and restaurants. During Prohibition, Tessville gained an air of infamy as a haven for gambling dens and speakeasies. However, with the election of Mayor Henry A. Proesel in 1931, the village set out to restore its image. Aided by the construction of the Edens Expressway, the area saw a boom in real estate, education, and industry, growing into the Chicago suburb that is today’s Lincolnwood. Over the last quarter-century, many families moved to the suburbs, leading to the diverse community that Lincolnwood has become.