Knollwood, Illinois - History

History

The name "Knollwood" first became associated with the area in the early 20th century. The Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee railway stop, located at the intersection of Rockland Road and Telegraph Road (now Waukegan Road), was named Creamer Corners. To the southwest of the station was a 248 acre property, consisting of two farms, owned by Mrs. Granger Farwell and Mr. A.C. Accord. This property was known as Knollwood Farm. In 1923, Knollwood Farm was purchased by a group of wealthy Chicago businessmen (Including Samuel Insull, Robert P. Lamont, Nathan William MacChesney and Thomas E. Wilson), who wished to turn the land into a country club. The following year, the Knollwood Country Club was founded, and the purchase was finalized in 1925. The community that sprang up around the club came to be known as Knollwood'

Knollwood's volunteer fire department was founded as the Rockland Fire Department and recognized by the state government in January 1947. Two years later, the department purchased their first fire engine, and a fire department building was constructed in 1951. In 1952, the Rockland Fire Department joined the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, and changed its name to the Knollwood Fire Department. The original firehouse was replaced with a modern facility in the same location in 2002, with the new building opening the following year.

Several unsuccessful referendums for annexation into the neighboring village of Lake Bluff were held in 1978, 1982, and 1996.