Early Settlement

• What is now Hanover Park was first inhabited by various Native Peoples. These tribes included the Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk), the Kaskaskia, the Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi), the Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux), the Myaamia (Miami), and the Peoria.

1832

• The results of the 1832 Black Hawk War in northern Illinois, along with earlier battles, forced Native Americans to give up their ancestral lands and move west of the Mississippi River.

1836

• July 4: Farmers created a rough road between Elgin and Meacham’s Grove (now Bloomingdale). This road is now Lake Street (or Highway 20).

1844

• Edwin Bartlett arrives from Massachusetts and becomes the first recorded landowner in the area.

1846

• June 12: Ringgold Post Office was established in southeast Hanover Township. It was probably named after Major Samuel Ringgold, who died in the Mexican-American War.

1850

• April 2: Hanover Township was organized as a civil township at Abraham Leatherman’s Inn.

1872

• Around 1872, the Harmening family moved to the property that was located on what is now Lake Street and Greenbrook Boulevard. They lived on this property for many years, building a large home on their farm.

1873

• Edwin Bartlett donated land for a Chicago & Pacific Railroad depot.

• Fred Heine built the community's first general store. The building was used as Anna Marek’s law office in the 20th century.

• December 20: A post office was commissioned and was located in the newly built train depot along the tracks. Edwin Bartlett was appointed first Postmaster.

1874

• April 7: Edwin Bartlett platted the village of Ontario (later Ontarioville). The name Bartlett was already taken by a neighboring village (Bartlett, Illinois), so he called the village Ontario. He named it Ontario after the legend that an Indian trail went through the land, a trail that ran from Lake Ontario to Green Bay.

1875

• What is now Prairie Station Pub and Grill was built around 1875. It was first a dairy co-op run by Sidney Wanzer, who later established a very successful dairy in Chicago.

1876

• Edwin Bartlett built a grain elevator, which later became Hill-Behan Lumber Company in the 20th century.

• Church Road was created in order to move Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church (now known as Community of Hope Church) to its new location. The church was moved by a team of horses from Fisher Road to its current location in Ontarioville.

The Ontarioville Era

1903

• Around the year 1903, William Kruse built a dairy co-op. The Executive House was also built next door to home the dairy executives. This brick building still stands on Ontarioville Road, across the street from the Prairie Station Pub and Grill.

• A Sears mail-order kit home was constructed in Ontarioville.

1918

• The international flu epidemic hit Ontarioville hard, with one family losing five sons.

1920

• The population of Ontarioville counted about 250 people.

• In the 1920s, Lake Street (later U.S. Route 20) developed into a major regional transportation corridor, shifting growth patterns.

1921

• Emil and Frieda Rinne opened their store on Lake Street. It was a candy store first, then a tavern. The tavern was later known as “Bill and Hazel’s” and “Lee B.’s.”

1923

• Around this year, electricity came to Ontarioville.

1925

• The Lyons Family Farm was subdivided as Grant Highway subdivision. The name originated from an old name for Lake Street: Grant’s Highway. It was not until after World War II that this subdivision grew from only a few houses.

1926

• Illinois Pet Cemetery was created. It would later move to its current location on County Farm Road in 1930.

• The building that would later become Benner’s Cash & Carry Grocery Store was built around this year. This building is currently the Raiz Salon on Devon Avenue.

1928

• April 3: The Ontarioville Volunteer Fire Department was established, providing the area's first organized fire protection.

• December 5: Ontarioville Elementary School held a dedication ceremony. The new building was built at Elm and Center Streets.

1929

• October 29: The stock market crash that happened this day did not affect Ontarioville immediately, but soon the village felt the impact of the Great Depression. Many families brought their horses and buggies out of retirement, as cars and even train tickets were too expensive.

1950s-Incorporation & Early Governance

1953

• Area residents vote to join Elgin Unit School District 46.

1955

• The railroad ceased automatic stops in Ontarioville due to declining ridership. The station was boarded up except for the waiting room.

1958

• August 14: To avoid getting swallowed up by neighboring communities, the residents voted to incorporate the Village of Hanover Park. It became official on August 14, and Ontarioville was not included.

• September 27: Hanover Park had 125 registered voters and all but one person cast their ballots. The election made Gordon Jensen Hanover's Park's first Village President, along with members of his "People's Party," who were elected to the remaining positions in the Village.

• October 16: The first meeting of the Hanover Park Board of Trustees was held at Roy Schneider’s Grill, a restaurant that opened in 1951.

• November 14: Clyde West was appointed as first police chief.

1959

• February 22: Acting police chief Carl Ahlstrand was killed in the line of duty.

• October 1: The first census was taken showing a population of 330 residents.

1960s-Foundational Growth

1960

• According to the 1960 national census, Hanover Park’s population was 451.

1961

• October 28: Hanover Park held a dedication ceremony for the new village hall.

1962

• February 24: The Hanover Park Lions Club was presented its club charter.

• Construction began on Hanover Builders’ second subdivision, Hanover Park Estates. This was located on the former Finke farm.

• October 25: Laurel Hill School held their dedication ceremony.

• November 14: Gromer Supermarket held its grand opening. Along with Pic-N-Pay Walgreen Agency Drug Store, Gromer’s was one of the first two shops in the new Park-N-Shop Shopping Center. This shopping center is now referred to as Hanover Square.

• People began moving into the Hanover Highlands subdivision near the end of 1962.

1963

• June 23: Ahlstrand Fieldhouse was dedicated. The fieldhouse, and the park on which it is located, was named after Carl Ahlstrand, who was a trustee and Hanover Park's second police chief. He was killed on duty in 1959 by a semi-truck whose driver had lost control, an event also resulting in the deaths of two young children. "Rinne" was later added to the fieldhouse's name. This honored Emil Rinne, who was one of the founding fathers of Hanover Park.

1964

• February 10: Hanover Highlands Elementary School opened.

• Building for the Longmeadows subdivision began along Longmeadow Lane.

• May: The Hanover Park Park District formed. Emil Rinne was named first Park Commissioner.

• Hanover Park held its first annual "I Am an American" parade.

1965

• April 20: Eugene Domingue was elected Village President, replacing Gordon Jensen.

1966

• April 19: Hanover Park Junior Women's Club began hosting meetings. Events and activities done by the Women's Club over the years included Christmas parties, blood draws, senior lunches, donating toys and food baskets, Halloween parties, environmental projects, a child fingerprinting and videotaping program run with the police department, a baby picture contest, and their annual fashion show.

1967

• September 5: Anne Fox Elementary School opened.

• October 29: Ontarioville School held an open house for its new expansion, gaining eight new rooms and a gymnasium. The school originally opened in 1928.

1969

• April 16: Richard Baker is elected Village President, replacing Eugene Domingue.

• Tradewinds Shopping Center is completed. It was located at the northeast corner of Barrington Road and Irving Park Road.

1970s-Expansion & Community Building

1970

• According to the 1970 national census, Hanover Park’s population was 11,916.

• February 6: President Richard Nixon visited the Metropolitan Sanitary District's new sewage treatment plant in Hanover Park, which was the first major tertiary wastewater treatment center in the nation.

1971

• Parkwood Elementary School opened.

1973

• April: Lou Barone was elected Village President, replacing Richard Baker. Hanover Park’s first female trustee, Janice Smith, was also elected.

• The Hanover Park-Ontarioville Historical Society was founded and Beth Carpenter was appointed to serve as its first chairwoman.

• Greenbrook Elementary School opened.

1974

• Albert Einstein Elementary School opened. The school was most likely the very first building in Hanover Park to have an elevator.

1976

• The Hanover Park Park District Community Center at Walnut Avenue and Church Street opened. At the time of its completion, it was the largest park district facility in the state of Illinois (at 105,000 square feet).

1977

• March 5: A little-known band named Cheap Trick played their first of two nights at the nightclub "The Camel's Hump" on Jensen Boulevard (the building had previously housed the nightclub called "Concept One"). Cheap Trick released their first album in 1977 and later gained mainstream success. Their hits include "Surrender," "I Want You to Want Me," "Dream Police," and "The Flame."

• Hanover Park held its first Hanover Park Harvest Fest.

• October 31: Horizon Elementary School opened.

1980s-Maturity & Recognition

1980

• According to the 1980 national census, Hanover Park’s population was 28,850.

1981

• October 13: Spring Wood Middle School opened.

• October 15: Hanover Park artist Buck Warren unveiled his 25-foot-tall wooden “Pasadena Rose” sculpture. The sculpture would later stand in front of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

1982

• April 15: Hanover Park officials approved Ontarioville’s annexation into Hanover Park.

• Elsie C. Johnson Elementary School opened.

1985

• April 2: Sonya Crawshaw is elected Village President, replacing Lou Barone.

• December 7: The "People Tree" flag of Hanover Park is introduced. The tree represented the village working together and growing towards the future.

1990s-Connectivity & Cultural Identity

1990

• According to the 1990 census, Hanover Park’s population was 32,895.

• Turnberry Lakes Business Park opened.

1991

• September 22: Poplar Creek Public Library District’s Hanover Park branch opened to the public. It was later renamed after late Village President Sonya Crawshaw.

1992

• July 19: Hanover Park became a sister city with Cape Coast, Ghana.

• July 22: The entirety of the village was linked together when Barrington and County Farm Roads were connected via an underpass under the Metra tracks.

• Church Road was extended towards Barrington-County Farm Road.

1993

• November 2: Elgin O’Hare Expressway opened.

• Schaumburg Library District’s Hanover Park branch opened to the public. A new building would later open in 2006.

1995

• In 1995 and 1996, County Farm Road between Ontarioville Road and Schick Road was widened.

• June 1: Filming for the movie Normal Life, starring Ashley Judd and Luke Perry, took place in Hanover Park in June. The film tells the story of husband-and-wife bank robbers who at one point lived in Hanover Park. The film premiered October 25, 1996.

• November 16: Metra station improvements were completed on the Milwaukee District West Line. The ribbon cutting for the new Metra commuter station was held.

1997

• April 1: Irwin Bock is elected Village President, replacing Sonya Crawshaw.

2000s & 2010s-Modern Services & Leadership

2000

• According to the 2000 national census, Hanover Park’s population was 38,278.

• July: Ontarioville Volunteer Fire Department merged into the Village, creating Hanover Park's first municipal fire department.

2006

• March 9: Village President Irwin Bock passed away. Robert Packham had been serving as interim mayor since Village President Bock became ill.

• July 22: The village held the grand opening of its new multi-million dollar fire station at 6850 Barrington Road. The station was dedicated in honor of Irwin Bock.

2007

• May 17: Rodney S. Craig was sworn in as Village President.

2008

• Village celebrates its 50th anniversary with a four-day community festival.

2010s

2010

• According to the 2010 national census, Hanover Park’s population was 37,973.

• September 10: Hanover Park became a sister city with Valparaiso, Zacatecas, Mexico.

2012

• November 11: Veterans Memorial Plaza in front of Village Hall was dedicated. It is dedicated to the veterans of the United States. The eternal flame statue in the plaza was designed by Kenneth Griesemer and sculpted by Bruce A. Niemi.

2017

• May 29: The War Dog sculpture was dedicated in Memorial Plaza. It honors all canines that have served in the U.S. armed forces. The statue was cast by Renee Bemis.

• December 17: The "America's Global Village" logo and flag were introduced at a board meeting. The multi-colored globe represents the different cultures of the people living in Hanover Park.

2018

• Al-Huda Academy was established in 2007 and opened its doors in Hanover Park in 2018.

2020s - Present

2020

• January 1: According to the 2020 national census, Hanover Park’s population was 37,470.

• March 13: COVID-19 pandemic impacts schools, businesses, and Village operations.

2021

• June 23: A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the new Ontarioville Plaza on Ontarioville Road.

2023

• December 30: Hanover Barber Shop on Barrington Road closed its doors sixty years after Antonio Perri opened it.

Sources used:

• Articles from the Daily Herald, accessed through NewspaperArchive
• From Camelot to Metropolis: A Chronicle of Ontarioville and Hanover Park, Illinois, by Ralph Feeley
• Hanover Harvesters, by Nancy Gher and Jennifer Leo
• Hanover Township: Rural Past to Urban Present, by E. C. Alft
• Ontarioville: Its Past and Its People, by Marilyn J. Gallagher

All sources can be found at Poplar Creek Public Library.