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On March 11, 1869, the Illinois legislature granted a charter to the City of Highland Park. The city was laid out in four wards, and a mayor and eight aldermen were elected on April 13. Highland Park’s first city council comprised Mayor Hawkins and Aldermen George Hammer, Thomas S. Dickerson, Milton H. Baker, Henry Mowers, George Grussing, William Osterman, Jacob S. Curtis and A.O. Fay. Mr. Fay was the first city treasurer; George Williams served as city clerk; Lucius Field, police magistrate and Jonas Steers, city assessor.

Highland Park was within the district designated in 1831 as Cook County. By March, 1837, the northern section of the county comprised the 350 inhabitants required for independent government. Highland Park was included in Lake precinct of McHenry County until March 1, 1839 when Lake County was established east of the Fox River. Early settlers, primarily Irish and German began arriving in the early 1840s, establishing farms in the open countryside west of Green Bay Road. The construction of the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad in 1856 brought new opportunities. The financial panic of 1873 brought a halt to the area’s development, and not until the 1880s the City restarted expanding economically. The population, however, continued growing from 1,154 inhabitants in 1880 to 2,163 in 1890. The creation of a literary society in 1874 that would lead weekly lectures on current issues warranted the necessity for a reading room and a library. In 1887 the city council favored a petition for a public reading room. Miss Marsalene Green was appointed the first librarian in April, 1888. The Andrew Carnegie Library served Highland Park from 1906 until 1931 when the limestone building at Laurel and St. Johns Avenues was opened to the public.

The police force was established as one of the first departments in 1869 when James Ayres was appointed marshal and Peter Hoffman was employed as the lone patrolman. During the extensive service of Chief Edward Moroney, 1919-1940, a police station was established at the City Hall; a radio system was installed at the station, and squad cars were equipped with two-way radio sets.

Highland Park’s first fire department consisted of six volunteers selected in 1889 by H. H. Edwards. The first official chief was Andrew Bock, appointed in 1889. A volunteer department at Ravinia was formed in 1910 and supervised by Lawrence Buck and George Wallace Carr.

The second city department originated in the 1870s when John Duffy was named superintendent of streets. The first paved streets, 1893, were Sheridan Road, Laurel and Prospect Avenues. Incandescent lamps were introduced in June of 1889 at Elisha Gray’s state. To illuminate the grounds, the men employed a wiring system consisting of paraffin and other materials which Professor Gray had been using for experiments with an electric printer.

Despite problems encountered by summer draughts and epidemics, citizens hesitated to undertake the expense of a water plant until 1893 when Archibald Fletcher was elected mayor. The sanitary sewer system has grown from three units, installed in 1893, to 60 miles of sewer mains which connect with five disposal plants. Prior to 1919 the collection and disposal of sewage was handled by separate sewer districts which employed such methods as partial treatment and the dumping of raw sewage into Lake Michigan.

Highland Park’s Board of Health originated in 1879 when a special meeting was called to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. James McDonald, a merchant, and Dr. Warren Sweetland, a pharmacist, were among the first board members. By March, 1837, the northern section of the county comprised the 350 inhabitants required for independent government. Highland Park was included in Lake precinct of McHenry County until March 1, 1839 when Lake County was established east of the Fox River. Early settlers, primarily Irish and German began arriving in the early 1840s, establishing farms in the open countryside west of Green Bay Road. The construction of the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad in 1856 brought new opportunities. On March 11, 1869, the Illinois legislature granted a charter to the City of Highland Park. The city was laid out in four wards, and a mayor and eight aldermen were elected on April 13. Highland Park’s first city council comprised Mayor Hawkins and Aldermen George Hammer, Thomas S. Dickerson, Milton H. Baker, Henry Mowers, George Grussing, William Osterman, Jacob S. Curtis and A.O. Fay. Mr. Fay was the first city treasurer; George Williams served as city clerk; Lucius Field, police magistrate and Jonas Steers, city assessor. The financial panic of 1873 brought a halt to the area’s development, and not until the 1880s the City restarted expanding economically. The population, however, continued growing from 1,154 inhabitants in 1880 to 2,163 in 1890. The creation of a literary society in 1874 that would lead weekly lectures on current issues warranted the necessity for a reading room and a library. In 1887 the city council favored a petition for a public reading room. Miss Marsalene Green was appointed the first librarian in April, 1888. The Andrew Carnegie Library served Highland Park from 1906 until 1931 when the limestone building at Laurel and St. Johns Avenues was opened to the public.

The second city department originated in the 1870s when John Duffy was named superintendent of streets. The first paved streets, 1893, were Sheridan Road, Laurel and Prospect Avenues. Incandescent lamps were introduced in June of 1889 at Elisha Gray’s state. To illuminate the grounds, the men employed a wiring system consisting of paraffin and other materials which Professor Gray had been using for experiments with an electric printer.
Despite problems encountered by summer draughts and epidemics, citizens hesitated to undertake the expense of a water plant until 1893 when Archibald Fletcher was elected mayor. The sanitary sewer system has grown from three units, installed in 1893, to 60 miles of sewer mains which connect with five disposal plants. Prior to 1919 the collection and disposal of sewage was handled by separate sewer districts which employed such methods as partial treatment and the dumping of raw sewage into Lake Michigan.

Highland Park’s Board of Health originated in 1879 when a special meeting was called to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. James McDonald, a merchant, and Dr. Warren Sweetland, a pharmacist, were among the first board members.

The League of Women Voters was established in Highland Park in 1928. Its beginning objectives were to promote education in citizenship, work for efficient administration of government, support the legislative program of the league, and to retain a non-partisan identity. The League promoted registration, community involvement, education, physical health, and city preservation among other things.

*Further information on the League of Women Voters can be found in "Highland Park The First Hundred Years"

Ravinia was originally created as an amusement park when A.C. Frost purchased it in 1904. It was intended to lure people to the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad. The amusement park had a baseball diamond, an electric fountain and a casino building that could be used for dining and dancing. By 1910, Ravinia went into receivership; as the amusement park was not able to lure enough people to the railroad. A group of residents, convinced of the value of the park, purchased it and formed the Ravinia Company. The park re-opened in 1911, as a summer venue for classical music, under the leadership of Louis Eckstein. In 1912, opera was added to the concert program and was a main attraction throughout the “Golden Age” of opera until the 1930s. Many of opera’s biggest names performed at Ravinia. During the Depression, the park closed from 1932-1936. Louis Eckstein died in 1935; his widow donated the park to the festival association in 1944. In May 1949, the original wooden pavilion burned down. Six weeks later, the park opened on schedule ready to proceed with its summer programming. The first music director, Seiji Ozawa, was appointed in 1964. During the 1970s, concert opera performances returned. By the 1980s, the festival expanded to include a professional studies division, the Steans Music Institute. During the 1990s, Zarin Mehta, CEO of Ravinia pioneered the jazz festival-within-a-festival and oversaw the renovation of many of the park’s physical facilities. By the late 1990s, the summer music program was expanded. By the turn of the 21st century, Welz Kauffman, the president and CEO of Ravinia, created a music theater initiative which sought to recognize influential composers of music theater. A new music theater branch was added to the Steans Music Institute, focusing on the role of an orchestra in Music Theater. Most recently, Ravinia has focused on community outreach and providing educational opportunities. The festival runs educational programs throughout Chicago public schools. In 2003, One Score, One Chicago was introduced to promote interest in classical music. Today, Ravinia continues to bring many different types of great music to the community, both through great performances and educational opportunities.

Resource: http://www.ravinia.org/History.aspx.

In 1969, construction for a modern hotel began on a 4.5 acre parcel of land in Highwood, Illinois. The hotel opened in 1970 as a Ramada Inn franchise. Between 1972 and 1985, the Ramada Inn changed hands several times and becomes the Highwood Inn. In 1985, local restaurateur William Pigati purchased the Highwood Inn and renames it the Hotel Moraine.