Grayslake in Lake County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Story of This Land
Photographed by Tom Blasius, June 15, 2026
1. The Story of This Land Marker
Inscription.
In 1886 this land was part of the newly platted subdivision of Grays
Lake. The first buildings at this location were built in the early 1890s.
There were two buildings both made of wood and two stories high.
The building closer to the corner was a meat market with several
different owners including J. E. Bixler, who gave the building its name,
the Bixler Building. Around 1930 "Doc" Hildebrandt had his drug
store here for two years. The last business in the building was a fish
market. In 1937, the building was torn down and its wood used in
another structure.
The building next to it became known as the Behm building as
Barney Behm purchased the building and rented it to a succession of
businesses including a furniture making and undertaking
establishment, a milliner, a painter and painter supplies, a harness
shop, a newspaper publisher, a bakery, an ice cream shop and several
tailors. Behm sold his building to Bixler in 1917 who three years later
sold it to Mary Paullsen. Paullsen moved the structure to North Lake
Street near Hillside Avenue where it became a two-flat residence.
The building was razed to
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make room for high school development.
With both buildings gone, this corner lot became vacant. It was on
this vacant land where citizens of Grayslake enjoyed camivals in the
summer. Movies were projected on the wall of the neighboring
building. In winter the volunteer fire department flooded the land for
a skating rink.
This site became a bank comer in 1958 when the Lake County
Savings and Loan was organized and opened. Since then it has been
the location of a series of banking institutions.
Erected by Grayslake Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.
Location. 42° 20.666′ N, 88° 2.408′ W. Marker is in Grayslake, Illinois, in Lake County. It is at the intersection of Center Street and North Whitney Street, on the right when traveling west on Center Street. Marker is on the northeast corner. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grayslake IL 60030, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally,
Photographed by Tom Blasius, June 15, 2026
2. The Story of This Land Marker
it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2026, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2026, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.
