Bloomingdale

This photographic journal traces Bloomingdale's development chronologically from its earliest days through its sesquicentennial celebration. The area claimed in 1833 by the Meacham brothers, who traveled from the east in search of land and opportunities, encompassed parts of present-day Roselle, Medinah, and Cloverdale. The Meacham brothers and those who followed formed an agricultural community that thrived in its location on a major thoroughfare, the Chicago Galena Highway. Retail was an important part of Bloomingdale by the time the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad came through the northern part of Bloomingdale Township in 1873. Largely "Smalltown, USA" for a number of years, Bloomingdale came into its own in the mid-1970s with an explosion of population, business, and prosperity.

Annamarie Erickson is a librarian and historian currently serving as curator of the Bloomingdale Public Library local history room. She has a master's degree in library and information science from Rosary College and a master's degree in history from Northeastern Illinois University. Mary Ellen Johnson is a 27-year resident and editor of the village of Bloomingdale's community publication as well as a freelance writer. Both are members of the Bloomingdale Historical Society. Most of the vintage images appearing in this pictorial journey have been donated to the local history room. The rest have been gathered from longtime residents and local organizations.