Joseph and Betty Kettlestrings

Joseph and Betty Kettlestrings. . , In 1837, Joseph and Betty Kettlestrings paid $215.98 for 173 acres of land west of a nascent Chicago. It is unlikely they could have envisioned that their settlement would evolve into the Village of Oak Park; now a thriving community of 52,000 residents and internationally known for its architectural heritage, cultural tolerance and diverse population., Born in 1808 in Newton, Yorkshire, England, Joseph Kettlestrings married Betty Willis in 1832 and immigrated to America with their two young children. After landing in Baltimore, they set out in a covered wagon for Chicago, where their journey led them to a broad-topped ridge with a grove of mature oak and beech trees. Here the family rested atop the hill which now lies in modern day Scoville Park. In 1835, the Kettlestrings built a small log cabin on Lake Street just east of Harlem Avenue, establishing themselves as Oak Park's first permanent settlers. The Kettlestrings' residence was one of the few along the stagecoach route from Chicago to Galena and became an inn, charging 50 cents for supper, bed, and breakfast., In 1837 Joseph Kettlestrings officially purchased the tract of land now bordered by Chicago Avenue and Lake Street, and Oak Park and Harlem Avenues. Originally referred to as "Kettlestrings Grove," the community grew in size, soon developing into Oak Ridge and then into Oak Park in 1871. The Kettlestrings' belief in temperance and their support of local churches and schools were also espoused by those to whom they sold land: the Gales, the Austins, and the Scovilles, whose parcel of land purchased in 1857 from the Kettlestrings would become Scoville Park in 1912., SCOVILLE PARK, Scoville Park celebrated its centennial in 2012 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. For more information, please visit www.pdop.org. , These paintings of Joseph and Betty Kettlestrings are courtesy of the collection on display in the Oak Park Public Library's Main Library (located in the building on your right). ,