Home History Plans Progress Support Programs Events Press Pack

Mount Prospect Fire Department
www.mountprospect.org/services/fire_department/fire.html
At the turn of the century, the small community  of Mount Prospect had great hopes. In 1912, the town consisted of approximately 20 houses, two stores, two taverns, a bank, and the Central School, but the community had big expectations. In the next year, a group of citizens formed Saint Paul Lutheran Church to care for the spiritual needs of Mount Prospect. In that year, they also formed the Mount Prospect Volunteer Fire Department to look out for their property, because as the town developed, it became clear that there needed to be an organized group to respond to fires. A group of community leaders sat down together on September 29^th, 1913 in the Central School and formed the Volunteer Fire Department. During this first meeting they wrote the constitution and bylaws and submitted them for consideration. They sat down again on November 8^th of 1913 and adopted the constitution. They then elected C.D. Busse the First Chief; John Pohlman, Secretary; L.H. Haberkamp, Treasurer; and A.E. Busse Engineer, Herman Meyn, Christ Wille and Albert Wille were also members of the first Fire Department.

This small group started to collect the materials that they needed. By 1914 they had eight buckets, two axes, two pike poles, an extension ladder, and a roof ladder. In September of 1914, or about a year after they had been organized, they purchased a hand pumper and a fire bell. In 1917, with the incorporation of Mount Prospect, the first subscription service was set up to help pay for the Volunteer Fire Department.

The community did expand over the years and as the population grew the fire service grew with it. By 1930, the Volunteer Fire Department had purchased an American LaFrance pumper, two soda acid extinguishers, and a siren. However, it was not until 1946 that the fire department had its own building and there was any pay for the firefighters. It was not until 1960 that the fire department hired full time firemen. In the succeeding years, the Mount Prospect Fire Department has developed into a fully professional and high tech department that works extensively with the neighboring communities and has an overwhelming approval rating in the community.

Mount Prospect Public Library
www.mppl.org
    The Mount Prospect Public Library today is an award winning local library with a huge collection of books, as well as high speed internet connections, a video collection and many multi-media resources for the public. The Library has come a long way from its humble beginnings.
    Seventy five years ago the entire library fit on one cart, which was stored in one of the coat rooms in the Central School. The library was founded in the early days of the Great Depression by members of the Mount Prospect Woman’s Club. The collection of books numbered around 300, and was kept in the Central School in its original location at the corner of Emerson Street and Central Road. The Library was staffed by volunteers from the Woman's Club and was only open on Thursday afternoons for a few hours.
    In 1932 the Library had gained enough support from the community to expand into a larger space. The ever growing collection moved to the old Mount Prospect State Bank building on the northeast corner of Busse and Main Streets. Martin Hasz, the first teacher at Saint Paul Lutheran School, as well as members of the Village Board, pitched in to help build the shelves for the new location. Originally, the library was staffed by volunteers, but in this new location, the library employed Irma Schlemmer at $0.25 an hour to keep the library open for eight hours a week.
    Members of the Woman’s Club continued to control the Library and raised the operating expenses by going from door to door in Mount Prospect asking for donations. The money raised was used to heat the old bank building, pay the librarian, and buy books for the collection. Originally, most of the books in the collection were for children. Many of the children’s books had been donated, but with the town growing and the creation of the first Summer Reading Club, the borrowers multiplied and the Library had to begin buying more children’s books. The library also worked to serve the adults in the community. The Woman’s Club would purchase two adult books each month to add to the shelves.
    In 1943 the Mount Prospect Public Library moved to the next stage in its development. Its budget became stable and much larger when a referendum was passed enabling the foundation of a tax-supported Village Library. The population was close to 3,000 at this time, or just over twice as many people as when the Library was first founded. The new Library was aided by the Chicago Public Library which donated professional consulting, furniture and books. The two libraries worked closely together for over twenty years.
    In 1944 the Library moved again to a larger location. The site was a store front at 115 S. Main Street. The Library worked out of this storefront for the following six years. In 1950 at the start of Mount Prospect’s largest population growth, the first Library building was erected at the corner of Busse and Emerson (14 E. Busse Avenue). The land for the first building constructed to be a library was raised through donations from individuals and organizations while the building was constructed with funds raised by a bond referendum. This building was added to a couple of times during the1960s until it became clear that a larger building was required to continue to serve the rapidly growing community.
    In 1974 the village board voted to purchase the land for the current library. At that time, the population had grown to over 46,000 people and a new library was badly needed. In 1975 the Central Standard School, or the school that had replaced the original Central Schoolhouse, was demolished and the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Library was held on April 19, during National Library Week. The new library was dedicated two years later on January 23, 1977.
    In the following years, the Mount Prospect Public Library has continued to innovate and expand. With a collection of over 200,000 books the library also offers microfilm and microfiche resources, internet access, a music collection, video and DVD movies, federal government documents, and numerous special collections. The Library has recently expanded its building; adding a second floor, redesigning the interior, and expanding the available space. This new facility brings the whole history of the Library full circle as the building stands on the location of the Central Schoolhouse, the first home of the library.

Mount Prospect Woman's Club
    In 1927, a group of women met over cups of coffee in a meeting place heated by a coal stove and with an outside pump as its only source of water - the Central School.  Under such miserable conditions, a constitution was formed, a president was elected, and the Mount Prospect Woman's Club was born.  Initially founded as an independent organization, in the 1930s, the club became affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs.  In 1940, members decided to further expand their allegiance to include the National Federation. 
    While its members have been known to sing "America" and "Home, Sweet Home" at meetings, the club is a serious philanthropic organization, focused on improving Mount Prospect through mutual helpfulness.  From organizing a "Beautify Mount Prospect" program to awarding college scholarships to students, the club has strived to service the community and its inhabitants.  Perhaps its greatest contribution to the village is the Mount Prospect Public Library.  Established in 1929, the library was dependent on  members who willingly volunteered their time to collect books and funds for its operation.  The club continued to operate the library until it became tax-supported in 1943.  Throughout its existence, the organization has donated money to the Mount Prospect Public Library, Mount Prospect Fire Department, Mount Prospect Police Department, Mount Prospect Historical Society, etc.

Saint Paul Lutheran Church
www.saint-paul.org/
    On July 7, 1912, various members of the Mount Prospect community assembled in the Central School to sign a charter for the creation of a Lutheran church, specifically Saint Paul Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Mount Prospect.  For the following months, the group continued to meet in the Central School while planning their new church. Nine months after the historic signing, in March 1913, the first church building was dedicated; however, it was not until the following January that Reverend J. E. A. Mueller became the church's first resident pastor.  A mere eight days following his installment, Reverend Mueller organized and taught at the Saint Paul Lutheran School.  He continued to be the sole teacher until 1917 when the school hired its first full-time instructor, Martin Hasz. 

Saint John's Episcopal Church
www.stjohns-mtprospect.org/
    The first service for Saint John's Episcopal Church was held on April 24, 1938 with the blessing of then-Bishop Stewart of Chicago.  For the twenty people who received communion that day, a drinking glass served as the chalice, a cream pitcher as the cruet, and a saucer as the paten.  In 1939 with the gift of two lots by realtors Krause and Kehe, Saint John's was able to purchase the Central School, and move the building to the property.  Despite having financial difficulties, the church managed to survive through the community's collective efforts and support. 
    In 1946, following the end of World War II and amid the suburban living boom, Saint John's welcomed Father Dean Howard Ganster.  Three years later, Thomas Chaffee was received into the church as its first resident Priest-in-Charge.  However, it was not until 1953 that Saint John's was formally recognized and invited into the Diocese as a parish. 

Boy Scouts Troop 23
This History is taken from the Troop 23 web site at www.troop23.org/
The Troop was originally chartered in the spring of 1931, when several Mount Prospect members of the American Legion Post 525 felt that Mount Prospect deserved its own Boy Scout Troop, according to Ralph Hauptley, one of 16 charter members of Troop 23 and its first Eagle Scout. So, a group of Legionnaires formed the Troop and John Babb served as its first Scoutmaster. For years the Scouts met at the old Central School, which is where the Mount Prospect Public Library now stands. The American Legion Post 525 served as the Troop's sponsor and continues to do so today. The Troop continued through the height of the Great Depression, and there was much camaraderie among the boys. That enthusiasm was maintained throughout the Depression and World War II, even though several alumni of the Troop lost their lives in the war. Troop 23 also boasted a drum and bugle corps in the early days. Troop 23 continues to prosper and will continue to prosper through active participation of parents and interested adult leaders.


Village of Mount Prospect
www.mountprospect.org
Mount Prospect has developed into the suburb we know today over the past 150 years. The first community that was established here was a group of German immigrant farmers who were collected around Saint John Lutheran Church, which was founded in 1848. Later, in 1873, the downtown triangle was developed by a Chicago developer names Ezra Eggleston and the name Mount Prospect was coined. However, Eggleston was not much of a businessman and went bankrupt within a few years of founding the town. The real development of the village came at the end of the nineteenth century.

First, the Moehling family moved to town and purchased the general store. They were followed by the Wille family and the Meyn Family. William Busse moved into town in 1894 and brought with him a keen sense for both business and regional politics. He was first person in Mount Prospect that really began to think of the community’s involvement with the larger state politics. William Busse originally lived on the Busse family farm in Elk Grove. However, he was not happy living on a farm and went to work in a local creamery. In 1890 at the age of 26, he was offered a position as a Deputy Sheriff. From here he became increasingly involved in political and business circles. He aspired to a future in politics and believed a location closer to the train would allow him to do this more easily. In 1894 he built his first home in Mount Prospect (now located at 808 E. Central), and soon began to forge his political future.

One of the first things that Commissioner Busse set out to do when he moved to Mount Prospect was to create a public school. Busse thought then, as people still believe today, that the community could not attract residents and development without a good school system. Mount Prospect, at that time, was divided into five different school districts in three different townships. William Busse negotiated with the other school districts and was able to carve out the first school district in Illinois to cross township lines, this is School District 57. Once the district had been created the location of the school had to be worked out. William Wille, a friend of Busse and a supporter of the new school district, donated a plot of land for the site. William Busse then bought a second plot and donated it. The voters in Mount Prospect were then presented with the two existing plots and asked to approve the purchase of two more adjacent lots to create a small campus for the students, and to approve the construction of the school. This vote was passed and William Wille, a local carpenter, was hired to build the school. The successful creation of School District 57 and the construction of the Central School was a major political accomplishment for a relatively young man and it propelled William Busse into regional politics.

In 1900, William Busse was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and his political career and role in the development of Mount Prospect was in full swing. In 1911 he was involved in the founding of the Mount Prospect Improvement Association, a group that acted as an unofficial village government for six years. The Improvement Association was responsible for collecting funds for civic improvements and helping the small town to develop. They recruited people with specific skills and encouraged them to move to town, had the dirt roads graded and put in the first street lights in Mount Prospect. The Improvement Association met weekly in the Central School, which was then one of two public buildings in Mount Prospect. Eventually, it became clear that the Improvement Association needed to take the development of the community to the next level; they needed to have the Village incorporated. The improvement Association worked to gain public support for incorporation. In 1917, all the community support had been garnered and necessary legal paper work had been gathered, so the Improvement Association met at the Central School, and signed the Letters of Incorporation, legally creating The Village of Mount Prospect.

After the incorporation of the town, William Busse became the first mayor of Mount Prospect. Busse served for many years. There have been ten mayors of Mount Prospect since Busse, each of whom has had their own interests and improvements for the community. Herman Meyn, the local blacksmith, was Mayor through the Great Depression. Inge Besander took Mount Prospect through World War II. Between Maurice Pendelton and Theodore Lams the population of Mount Prospect grew over 700% in the post war boom. Clarence Schlaver extended the village, both through annexations and offering increased services for the growing community. Daniel Congreve offered the opposite approach, being the only Mayor in Mount Prospect history who did not extend the village boundaries. Robert Teichert dealt with the social unrest of the late 1960s and 70s, while also refocusing Mount Prospect's attention to deal with an aging community and the need for different services. Carolyn Krause brought a new sense of professionalism to local government and brought Mount Prospect to the state of a mature municipality. Gerald Farley was the longest serving mayor in Mount Prospect. He saw the community develop into a much more diverse town and worked to develop the downtown and local businesses. The current Mayor, Irvana Wilks is dealing with a community that is ten times larger in land size and has a population that is one hundred and eighty times larger than the farming community that William Busse worked to have incorporated.