Historical Commission Invites Community to Mundelein History Day
The Mundelein Historical Commission cordially invites the community to "Mundelein History Day! The event takes place on Saturday, August 26, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Heritage Museum, 601 Noel Drive, across from Fairhaven School. This year, the Historical Commission is celebrating The Impact of Railroads on Mundelein History AND the 40th Anniversary of Moving the Mundelein Depot from North Seymour Street to Noel Drive.
The Museum is open for self-guided tours per usual. Additional docents will be on-hand to discuss the museum exhibits and role of the Mundelein Historical Commission.
History Day will feature several special features at the museum, including:
• The screening of 2 Silent movies from the 1920's: The Importance of Railroads in America on Passenger Travel and Transporting Freight; and The Mundelein Eucharistic Congress of 1928. This Eucharistic Congress put Mundelein on the map!
• 1982 Radio Interview with Mundelein Historian, Leonard Schmidt, regarding the train station relocation project.
• Display of Railroad Artifacts retrieved from Diamond Lake
• Display on the Importance of the Caboose in Railroading
• StoryCorps Booth-Learn how you can preserve your personal stories and share your Mundelein stories. Story Corps is on a mission to Preserve and Share Humanity's Stories.
• Free Popcorn and Refreshments
Here is a preview of some of the rich and interesting history Mundelein Railroads:
The first railroad, the Soo Line (now the Canadian National) laid tracks through town in 1885. Over the decades numerous industrial businesses grew up along the Soo Line. Until the 1980's dozens of Mundelein businesses between Rt. 176 to Rt. 60 utilized a railroad siding for shipping and receiving.
In the early 1900's, the Soo added a branch line to serve the tourist and ice industries around Diamond Lake. It operated for about 20 years. Passenger service on the Soo ended in the 1970's. In 1996 Metra began Mundelein commuter service once again.
In 1888, the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway (known as "The J") began operating between Gary, Indiana, and Waukegan. It passed along the south end of town. Several industrial businesses between Diamond Lake Road and Butterfield depended on rail access for operations. The J ended passenger service in 1907. It was acquired by the Canadian National in 2009 and still operates today.
In 1905, the North Shore Electric Line came to town. Officially, the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Electric Railroad, it operated passenger and freight service between Chicago and Milwaukee, with branch lines to Lake Bluff and Mundelein. The North Shore Line stopped service in 1963. It is now the North Shore Bike Trail.