That happened on Milwaukee Avenue?!

Milwaukee Avenue is the main drag through Libertyville and the center of Illinois’ newest National Register Historic District. From Native American trail to a cruising strip between McDonald’s on the north and the Dog ‘n Suds on the south, Libertyville life has centered around this street. But there are a couple of specific historical events that tickle my funny bone.

1918

In May 1918, Red Cross members and the local Home Guard  collaborated to erect a “toll-gate” across Milwaukee Avenue to stop motorists and solicit donations. The gate was in place from 10 a.m. on a Saturday until midnight Sunday and raised a good sum, catching many people on the way north to the lakes for the weekend. Home Guard members halted drivers while Red Cross “fair maidens beseeched them to open their purses…”  [1]. The Libertyville Independent reported that most people were happy to give. But according to memories shared at a 1958 reunion of Home Guard members, not everyone complied. When one motorist tried to drive around the toll bar, Cpl. Raymond Bristow pulled the rope holding the toll bar down taught across the street. The driver ran in to it and his windshield was damaged [2].

1959

Some people in town may remember Frontier Days, a forerunner of today’s Libertyville Days festival. As the name suggests, Frontier Days revolved around a Wild West theme. Merchants and employees were encouraged to dress in western garb. Special activities included a quick draw contest and a mock stage coach robbery.

But the top promoted event was a so-called “shoot out” between two station wagons. At high noon (of course) spectators would witness a race between Ray Bernard of Bernard Chevrolet and Ed Kennedy of Hanlon Motors (Ford). Driving the newest model station wagons from their respective Milwaukee Avenue showrooms on either end of downtown, Bernard would head south while Kennedy would head north. The first one to Cook Park would win [3].

The following week’s newspaper reported that an estimated 35,000 people visited Libertyville during the three-day event, but there was no recap of the station wagon duel, so we can only assume the challenge occurred. We do know that Hanlon Motor’s Ed Kennedy won the festival’s quick draw contest [4]. If his foot was as quick as his draw, perhaps he and his metal steed were also victorious.

1963

Independent Register business manager Bob Amman looked back at his 244 months with the newspaper in a multi-page feature in the April 14, 1977 issue. One particular event stood out to him. He recalled that on a gray February 1963 day, someone looked out the window and said “you could fire a cannon up this street [Milwaukee Avenue] and not disturb anyone.” Amman, Ed Hanson, and Don Traynor took up the challenge. The three men sourced a Civil War Napoleon twelve pounder cannon and set it up at the intersection of Milwaukee and Cook Avenues. Hanson and Traynor served as “powder monkeys.” Amman, dressed in a kepi and his U.S. Marine dress jacket, rammed in the powder and lit the fuse.

The theory was disproved. Apparently shooting off a cannon in downtown Libertyville was quite noticeable. The hardware store lost a window and the “switch board at the police station lit up like Times Square.” Amman assured the reader of his look back article that he had village approval for the stunt, but he was pretty confident they wouldn’t approve a similar event ever again [5].

Explore views of Milwaukee Avenue through the years in the Libertyville Historical Society’s digitized photographs and postcards available through the Illinois Digital Archive.

Selected collections:
Life Before the Great War, circa 1915
Cizek Collection, mid 1950s
Libertyville Township Assessor collection, mid 1970s

The following Cook Memorial Public Library Local History files were referenced for this post: Libertyville Days, World War I, Businesses – Independent Register.

Sources:

1. “Toll-gate stopped autoists as they hit town.” Libertyville Independent 30 May 1918, p. 1. Cook Memorial Public Library Local History File – World War I
2. Report on October 27, 1958 Home Guard reunion organized by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society. Typed manuscript on file at the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society.
3. “Uncork Rip-Snortin’ Wild West Weekend.” Independent Register, July 9, 1959, p1. Cook Memorial Public Library Local History File – Libertyville Days.
4. “35,000 Visit Our Frontier.” Independent Register, July 16, 1959, p.1. Cook Memorial Public Library Local History File – Libertyville Days
5. Amman, Bob. “Looking back with Bob Amman.” Independent Register, April 14, 1977, p1B. Cook Memorial Public Library Local History File – Businesses – Independent Register