| |
The first houses were built in 1836. That year Erastus Patterson
and his family arrived from Vermont and opened a tavern to service passengers
on the Green Bay Trail post road. The village was first subdivided in
1854 by Charles Peck and Walter S. Gurnee, President of Chicago, Milwaukee,
St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. Winnetka's first school opened in 1856.
The town was incorporated in 1869 with a population of 450.
The name
Winnetka is claimed to have been found in a book, meaning beautiful land
in a local Native American language. However, no language has been found
with a word anything resembling both Winnetka and the definition.[3]
The oldest surviving house in Winnetka is the Schmidt-Burnham House.
It was relocated in the 2003 from its original location on Tower Road
to the Crow Island Woods.[citation needed] The Crow Island School, designed
by Eero Saarinen, was declared a National Landmark in 1990. It was declared
12th among all buildings and the best architectural design of all schools.
10,000 people showed up for the opening in 1938.
The Winnetka Public Schools system (District 36) consists of three elementary
schools and two middle schools.[5] Hubbard Woods, Crow Island, and Samuel
Sewall Greeley Elementary Schools serve grades kindergarten through four.
Students in fifth and sixth grades attend The Skokie School. Seventh and
eighth graders attend Washburne School, named after educator Carleton Washburne.
Winnetka's schools were modeled after Washburne's educational philosophy
in an experiment called the Winnetka Plan. The town's schools continue
to reflect his educational philosophy. Winnetka is in New Trier Township,
and public school students who reside in Winnetka attend New Trier High
School for grades 9 through 12. |
