Kate's Brief History

William and George Knoch were a couple of young go-getters who ran a cigar factory and tobacco shop in town. The Holland’s editor praises W...

The 1886 Holland’s Directory lists three hotels in Naperville: American House, Pre-Emption House, and Washington House. All of them were on...

At the time when Holland’s Business Directory was published in 1886, Dr. Hamilton Daniels and his son William operated a drug store on Washi...

Founded in 1831, Joseph Naper’s settlement prospered and in 1857, Naper became the first president of the newly-formed Village of Naperville...

In 1853, the Peter and Eleanore Beckman family emigrated from Bavaria with three daughters and four sons. One of the teenaged sons was Phili...

1920 was the first year that America’s population tipped toward an urban rather than rural majority. DuPage County and the surrounding area ...

In just a few short years, the automobile displaced the horse and wagon, even in still-rural Naperville. These two images from Sanborn Map...

Today one can "walk" down the street of a town half a world away thanks to Google Maps. While the results are not quite as sophist...