| Chicago Heights
is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The
population was 31,373 at the 2005 census.
The first European settler in
the area was Absalom Wells in 1833. He built a log cabin
where the Vincennes Trail crossed Thorn Creek, but then
moved farther west to where Chicago Road is now. The
first permanent settlers were Adam and Phoebe Brown
who built an inn at the intersection of Sauk Trail and
the Vincennes Trace. In 1835, a large group from Ireland
arrived. At this time, the town was known as Thorn Grove.
The first school was built in
1836. The Reformed Presbytherian Church of Thorn Grove
was formed in December 1843. The Batchhelder and McCoy
homes in Thorn Grove were stops on the Underground Railroad.
The first railroad arrived in 1853. The village was
renamed Bloom. It was then renamed again in 1892 to
Chicago Heights and incorporated as a village. In 1897,
the village had twenty factories. By 1901, Chicago Heights
had a population of over 5,000 and became a city. Its
population nearly tripled in the next ten years.
At the time of its incorporation
as a city in 1900, the original residents of Chicago
Heights were German settlers. In following years, the
city became a haven for Italian, Polish, and Irish immigrants.
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