Lombard, "The
Lilac Village", is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage
County, Illinois. The population was 42,322 at the 2000
census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the
population in 2004 to be 42,975.
Originally part of Potawatomi Indian
lands, the Lombard area was first settled by Americans
of European descent in the 1830s. Lombard shares its
early history with Glen Ellyn. Brothers Ralph and Morgan
Babcock settled in a grove of trees along the DuPage
River. In what was known as Babcock's Grove, Lombard
developed to the east and Glen Ellyn to west.
In 1837, Babcock's
Grove was connected to Chicago by a stagecoach line
which stopped at Stacy's Tavern at Geneva and St. Charles
Roads. Fertile land, the DuPage River, and plentiful
timber drew farmers to the area.
Sheldon and Harriet
Peck moved from Onondaga, New York, to this area in
1837 to farm 80 acres (320,000 m2) of land. In addition,
Peck was an artist and primitive portrait painter who
traveled to clients across northeastern Illinois. The
Peck house also served as the area's first school and
has been restored by the Lombard Historical Society.
|