1834
Captain Daniel Wright
The area’s first settler arrived in 1834 and settled on the west side of the Des Plaines River. Potawatomi landmarks like the Council Tree, a group of three trees on the riverbank, were still standing as recently as 1956.
Half Day
The Potawatomi were among the first permanent residents here. Captain Daniel Wright arrived in 1834 and settled on the west side of the Des Plaines River. The community took its name, Halfda, from Chief Aptakisic, whose name translates to “sun at its meridian,” or half of the day. An early mapmaker spelled it Half Day, and the name stuck. Laura B. Sprague opened the first school in her home in 1836, and by 1855 Half Day had a blacksmith shop, a saw mill, a country store and a church.
A getaway
After the automobile arrived, Half Day became a popular place to spend a day out, with an amusement park, a race track, a bowling alley, a dance hall and taverns. After World War I, buyers began acquiring land in the area. Edward Ryerson bought 400 acres of the original Daniel Wright property, and Adlai Stevenson also bought land nearby.
A subdivision becomes a village
In 1955 Ladd Enterprises bought 280 acres, and on August 5 of that year a subdivision called Lincolnshire was recorded. The first residents moved in in 1956, on dirt roads with septic systems and party-line telephones. They formed the Cambridge Forest Association, named for Cambridge Lane, then the only developed street. On August 5, 1957, residents voted 76 to 15 to incorporate, and Fred Balzer was elected the first mayor. Ladd Enterprises donated Spring Lake Park to the village.
Growing up
Marriott’s Lincolnshire Resort and the Marriott Theatre opened in 1975. The Village Green retail center followed in 1995, and the annexation of 65 acres led to North Park in 1999. The village grew from about 0.4 square miles at incorporation to about 4.6 today. The Fourth of July celebration at Spring Lake Park, started by the community association, lives on as Red, White & BOOM!
Source: Village of Lincolnshire: Village History · Illinois House Resolution 240 · Village of Lincolnshire: Community Profile · Marriott Theatre: About