The origin of Hinsdale’s street names contains a great deal of Hinsdale history.
Unlike many towns, Hinsdale does not have a Main Street today, however, it once did. Main Street was renamed Garfield Avenue in 1880 to honor the election of President Garfield. The Republicans had displayed a partisan banner at the South Side School–now the site of the Hinsdale Middle School–during the election campaign. The Republican party also controlled Hinsdale’s town hall at the time.
Pictured here around 1915, Washington Street (South from Maple Street), this iconic street is recognizable to today's Hinsdale residents, yet how things have changed! Note by the railroad tracks the tower for the gatekeeper, the brick street paving, and the building on the southwest corner of Hinsdale Avenue, which still stands but has been remodeled. The building between the tracks and Chicago Avenue was an auto repair shop. Washington Street was of course named for the country's first president George Washington.
Many streets on the north side of town were named by and for the Walker family who owned extensive property in that area as part of their farm. Walker Road was named for Alfred Walker. The Lane was originally the cow path Alfred Walker’s cows used to commute between the barn and their pasture. Mrs. Lillian Walker Hopkins, Alfred’s daughter, chose trees for the street names when their land was platted and annexed to Hinsdale. These include Hickory, Elm, Oak, Maple, and Walnut. There was also Pine Street, now known as Park Avenue. Though some residents protested the change, city fathers must have thought Park was more dignified.
A side note: apparently whoever was in charge of sign fabrication needs a dictionary.
Streets with Interesting Names
Stough Street (pronounced to rhyme with “cow”) is named for Oliver J. Stough, who developed and sold the land on the west side of town. We originally thought he was responsible for all the names in the area, but the property that was developed in his time followed the scheme of naming roads for past presidents and trees (Chestnut).
Thurlow, Bodin, and Bruner are shown as unnamed alleys on the early maps but appear as streets in the 1920s. We know that Paul Thurlow owned some of the original lots in Stough’s subdivision and that C. D. Bruner was one of Stough’s associates. Possibly Bodin was another crony.
Town Place which runs along Stough Park parallel to the tracks is thought to be named for A. N. Towne who owned a large tract of property south of Chestnut Street along what is now Route 83 as shown on the 1875 map (which also shows the street “Towne Place”). Over the years the original spelling was lost.
Anson Ayers was another early resident remembered in a street name. His mansion was (and still is) on Ayers where Washington intersects. He owned property from Chicago Avenue to Ogden. Fuller Road was named for Benjamin Fuller of Fullersburg fame.
Radcliffe Way was taken from the maiden name of Mrs. Arthur Sweet who lived there at the time.
Several streets were given names describing the physical features of the land. Orchard reminds us that an orchard was once there. Ravine Road was a connecting path between Hinsdale and Western Springs (before the tollway was built) that followed a ravine with a creek.
Where is Rosalie Court? I know because it's across Chestnut Street from my house. Since I have lived there, it has been paved. It serves as alley access for some of the houses on the 100 block of both Monroe and Adams Street. There is also a house that was built at the end with a cul de sac. There is a path along the Burlington that connects with Ehret Park and serves as an access point to Rosalie if you are on foot. Ehret Park was named for the family who donated the lot to the village after their home burned down on New Year's Day 1971.
A Note on Hinsdale's Address Numbering System
The address numbering system in Hinsdale changed in 1933. Before the change, the system was North and South from the tracks and East and West from County Line Road. The new system involved quite a change for the East and West homes in direction, but not so much for the North and South addresses–however, most addresses were renumbered. People not familiar with the town find the numbering from Chicago Avenue confusing because of the jog over the tracks at Garfield. During the Great Depression, the Village made an offer to unemployed veterans to help with getting all the houses renumbered, which was a good deal.
Hinsdale’s history is in the streets we use every day. Now we know some of the story.
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