Patch Passport: Travel Back In Time

It all began with the lake. William M. Gray moved to an unnamed lake in western Lake County in 1840. Other farmers came to the area in the mid- to late-1840s, according to Grayslake and Avon Township. The history of the community and surrounding towns was written by local historian Charlotte Renehan of the Grayslake Historical Society.

Then the railroad came through. When the Wisconsin Central Railroad built a line from Chicago to Fond du Lac, Wis., an 1880s development occurred. Sub-dividers purchased a farm, sold part of the land to the railroad, and made a community on the rest of the land in 1885. The railroad built a station in July 1886, naming it Gray’s Lake.

Gray’s Lake started out as a small village, and was incorporated on May 9, 1895, by a vote of 61 to 18 in favor of incorporation. The community had 325 residents at the time. Grayslake, which is rumored to have changed its name to one word due to Post Office regulations, has become a thriving town in the 21st century. A special census in 2003 determined there were 20,330 residents, according to the website www.illinois.com/details/city/Grayslake.

The Village of Grayslake's website notes that the town's current population, according to the 2010 US Census, is 20,957.

We can see many notable changes from yesterday to today. In 1870, there was a one-room frame schoolhouse at Lake Street and Route 120. In 1895, it was moved to the current location of Grayslake’s Heritage Center and Historical Society property at 164 Hawley Street. It was raised 10 feet and had 10 feet added to the front of the building to be used as the Village Hall.

In 1891, church services were held in the Congregational Church, now called Grayslake Masonic Temple, at Lake and Center streets. See the photos of what it looked like in the 1940s, and how it looks today.

In 1946, high school classes were held in the (then) Village Hall for two months, while the Grayslake Community High School was built. There were even wrestling meets upstairs. The Chamber of Commerce was in the building, and Village Hall moved out in 1992.

A well-known landmark to Grayslake residents is the Last Chance Saloon, 129 Center Street. The structure originally was built in 1902 at 133 Center Street. While many businesses occupied the building, it was in 1941 that the structure became a variety “5&10c Store.” The store had a famous penny-candy counter that today is displayed at the Heritage Center in Grayslake.

The building has been changed, but residents and historians will recognize the remaining roofline’s distinguishable omega-shaped design at the center.

Everywhere you look around Grayslake, from the Last Chance Saloon to the Historical Society, to many other buildings such as the Police Station, the Post Office, and the library, you can see a village rich in history.

For more information and photos on how the community has grown and thrived, visit the , open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.