Village of Thornton Historical Society
	114 North Hunter Street Thornton, IL 60476 (708) 877-6569
Gen. William. F. Thornton	Our museum is open on Saturdays, May through September, 1 - 3 p.m. and the balance of the year by appointment only. Call 877-6310.
	Society meetings are held at the museum on the 4th Monday of September, October and February through June at 7:00p.m.  Everyone is welcome, watch The Shopper for program information.. Don’t miss out on our interesting programs! You can receive our flyers by joining the Historical Society. Just send your name, address, phone number and a check for $5 to Thornton Historical Society, P.O. Box 34, Thornton, IL 60476. The Historical Museum is located at 114 North Hunter Street and is open Saturdays May through September from 1-3 pm, or by appointment. Call 877-6310. MEETING AND PROGRAM DATES Next Meeting is Monday, January 28, 2008 - 7:00pm Program: TBA Membership Dues are $5.00 per person.  If you are unable to attend a meeting, please mail your dues to:  Thornton Historical Society - P.O. Box 34 - Thornton, IL 60476.
HELP - INFORMATION NEEDED The Historical Society is looking for information (pictures or verbal) on the Brown Derby, Roadhouses on Thornton-Lansing Road, Curve Inn, and Quarry housing. (Pictures will be copied and returned at your request). Please call us at 877-6569 if you can be of help.

History of the Village of Thornton

The Village of Thornton, the oldest settlement in Thornton Township, is built atop a 400-foot deep deposit of limestone which is about 410 million years old, and was once the bottom of a warm water sea. Gurdon Hubbard opened a quarry there in the 1830s, and others followed. By 1938, all were owned and operated by the Material Service Corporation.

Thornton is located on the plain created by glacial Lake Chicago. Thorn Creek flows through the Village from the south and empties into the Little Calumet River. In 1835, Thorn Creek was 40-feet wide with an average depth of five feet. It was navigable, and was noted for its pure spring-fed water.

Native Americans lived along Thorn Creek. Artifacts dated to 1400 have been found at the Hoxie Site. Potawatomi Indians, who left by 1838, told Europeans that ruins along Thorn Creek were once a French fort.

Thornton was named in honor of General William F. Thornton, Commissioner of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. William Woodbridge was the first European settler. Afterward, a settlement developed where Hubbard’s Trace, the Old Vincennes Trail, crossed Ridge Road.

John H. Kinzie platted Thornton in 1835. In 1836, Kinzie, Hubbard and John Blackstone established a sawmill on Thorn Creek. Lumber from their sawmill was used to build Thornton’s first schoolhouse.

In 1852, John S. Bielfeldt established a brewery on the bank of Thorn Creek. Beer was first brewed in a log cabin purchased from Gurdon Hubbard. The Bielfeldt family sold the brewery at the onset of prohibition. Some beer making continued in the 1920's despite Prohibition, and Federal agents conducted several raids during that time. The brewery now houses a restaurant.

Railroad freight and passenger service came in 1869.

The Great Depression caused the Village’s bank to move to Blue Island in 1934. The Works Progress Administration built a library, and constructed sidewalks, curbs and sewers. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp in Sweet Woods. During World War II, the camp housed German Prisoners of War. Afterward, Girl Scouts used the camp until the cabins were removed in 1988.

In the early 1950s, Thornton experienced its greatest growth, with the building of several subdivisions north and east of the traditional "Four Corners" area of Margaret and William Streets.