After 1833
Joel Sherman’s 159 acres
The Potawatomi, under Chief Shabbona, lived here until the 1833 treaty ceded the land. Joel Sterling Sherman then bought 159 acres at $1.25 an acre, land that’s now the heart of the central business district.
Before the village
The Potawatomi lived on this land under Chief Shabbona until the 1833 treaty that ceded it. Joel Sterling Sherman bought 159 acres at $1.25 an acre, and that land is now the village’s central business district. The settlement took its name from Frederick Schermer, who donated land for the first railroad station.
Brickyards and a roadhouse
After the Chicago Fire of 1871, the brickyards here prospered supplying the city as it rebuilt. Around 1894 an inn opened at Shermer and Waukegan roads. The Bartelme family bought it in 1901, and for decades the Northfield Inn drew crowds for its chicken dinners, dance pavilion and bowling alleys.
Shermerville to Northbrook
Shermerville incorporated in 1901 after a close referendum, with about 60 homes and 311 residents. In 1921 the village held a contest to choose a new name, and Edward Landwehr’s entry, Northbrook, was adopted in 1923, when about 500 people lived here.
Growth after the war
Northbrook had 1,265 residents in 1940. A Lake Michigan water line helped spur growth, and the population reached 11,635 in 1960 and 25,422 in 1970.
Keeping the history
The Northfield Inn closed in 1973. That October, residents organized the Northbrook Historical Society, which incorporated in March 1974 and bought the inn for $1. The building was moved on January 17, 1975, and opened as the Northbrook History Museum on July 4, 1976, at 1812 Chapel Court.
Source: Village of Northbrook: About the Village · Northbrook Historical Society: History of the Northfield Inn