Naperville Park District in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

DuPage County Centennial

1839–1939

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 16, 2025

1. DuPage County Centennial Marker

Inscription. This monument was erected by the DuPage County Centennial Association to commemorate the first centennial of DuPage County. The monument stands on the site of the first DuPage County Court House. Here was the seat of the county government until 1868.

First County Officers
Elected in May 1839
J.W. Walker, County Judge • Clark X. Lewis, County Clerk • P. Ballingall, Circuit Clerk • M. Sleight, Treasurer • D.M. Green, Sheriff • S.M. Skinner, Recorder • L. Meacham, Surveyor • E.L. Peaslee, Coroner

1939 County Officers
Win G. Knoch, County Judge • C.V. Wagemann, County Clerk • L.F. Thoma, Probate Judge • B.M. Long, Probate Clerk • R.M. Haenisch, Circuit Clerk • W.R. Youngberg, Treasurer • E.J. Hoffman, Sheriff • Lawrence Nattendorf, Recorder • A.H. Nelson, Surveyor • Paul Isherwood, Coroner • R.D. Bradlee, Auditor • L.V. Morgan, Supt. of Schools • R.W. Keeney, States Attorney

First Board of Commissioners
Josiah Strong • H.L. Cobb • T.P. Whipple

1939 County Board of Supervisors
N.W. Lies, Chairman • A.H. Almendinger • A.H. Beckman • F.J. Bogan • James Carruthers • Anton Dudek • H.P. Dunton • J.R. Foster • Leonard

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Geils • T.F. Hammerschmidt • L.C. Harner • S.T. Jacobs • C.F. Jones • C.C. Kautz • J.J. Kelly • F.N. Kidwell • Mrs. E.L. Kohley • H.E. Lynch • F.W. McCabe • L.F. Meehan • Glen Mount • D.R. Murray • C.C. Potts • H.C. Schultz • William Senf • A.L. Freu • S. Waterfall, Jr. • C.J. Weber • J.F. Tackley • H.H. Zaininger

Erected 1939 by DuPage County Centennial Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1839.

Location. 41° 46.435′ N, 88° 8.782′ W. Marker is in Naperville, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is in the Naperville Park District. It can be reached from Court Place south of Benton Avenue. The marker is on the eastern edge of Central Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 104 East Benton Avenue, Naperville IL 60540, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 16, 2025

2. DuPage County Centennial Marker

what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: DuPage County Soldiers and Sailors Monument (a few steps from this marker); Confederate Cannon (a few steps from this marker); Ronald J. Keller, Ph.D. (within shouting distance of this marker); Central Park Seating Improvements (within shouting distance of this marker); Elmer Koerner (within shouting distance of this marker); The Great Concerto (within shouting distance of this marker); The Naperville Municipal Band (within shouting distance of this marker); Baha'u'llah (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Naperville.

Regarding DuPage County Centennial. DuPage County was carved out of Cook County in 1839, and Naperville, its first municipality, was the first county seat. An 1857 effort to move the county seat to Wheaton, which is more central and sat on a major train line, failed in referendum, but after 10 years of tensions between the two cities, another referendum ended in a narrow victory for Wheaton.

DuPage County Centennial Marker in Central Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 16, 2025

3. DuPage County Centennial Marker in Central Park

Naperville did not want to give up the county's records, but they were taken during a midnight raid by Civil War veterans and brought to Wheaton, which remains the county seat to this day.

Also see . . .
1. History of DuPage County’s Courthouses. Naperville, the oldest municipality in DuPage County, was the county seat from the county's conception in 1839 until 1868, when it was taken by Wheaton after a contested election. In this article, The Journal of The DuPage County Bar Association looks at the colorful history of courthouses in DuPage County. (Submitted on December 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Encyclopedia of Chicago: DuPage County.

Excerpt: "Throughout its history, DuPage County's growth and development have been linked to Chicago and to transportation routes in northern Illinois. When American settlers began arriving in the 1830s, the area that would become DuPage County was already crisscrossed by Indian trails. By 1800 the Potawatomi Indians had established four major villages along local rivers. In the 1830s stage routes radiating out of Chicago were established, with way
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stations in the area of the DuPage River. The first Euro-American settlers in the area were Bailey and Clarissa Hobson and their five children, who came from Orange County, Indiana, by 1832. Hobson built a gristmill on the West Branch of the DuPage River, near present-day Hobson Road, in Naperville. After the 1833 Treaty of Chicago forced the Indians to move west of the Mississippi River, white settlement accelerated. During the 1830s and 1840s, newcomers first claimed land along the branches of the DuPage River and then filled in across the prairies."

(Submitted on December 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 51 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.