1835
The first settlers
The first settlers arrived from Ireland in 1835. Michael Meehan built a log cabin near what’s now the northwest corner of Hilltop Lane and Telegraph Road, and over time he acquired 283 acres.
Before the village
The first settlers came from Ireland in 1835. Michael Meehan built a log cabin near today’s Hilltop Lane and Telegraph Road and gradually acquired 283 acres of farmland.
William Aitken’s plan
William Aitken, an architect and builder born in Scotland, brought modern real estate development to the area. His master plan covered 110 acres of “country estates” for people who wanted a genteel, country style of living, and he used the name Bannockburn for his own home and for his subdivisions. The first homes were built in 1924.
Thirty families
By 1929 there were 30 families in the community, and they applied to incorporate. Those early residents served as trustees, organized the Bannockburn school, wrote the zoning rules that still shape the village and started a garden club. Aitken’s large lots have been protected ever since, and the original one-acre minimum lot size has grown to two acres.
Growing carefully
Over the years the village grew to its current 1,318 acres. The Tri-State Tollway came through in the 1950s, business parks followed along the northern edge from the late 1960s, and the first commercial zone opened along Route 22 in 1984. Village Hall was built in 1992.
Keeping it green
In 1996 the village bought land next to Village Hall, and between 2000 and 2002 a state grant helped turn about 7 acres into the Village Open Space, with a playground and shelter. A pathway program begun in 2001 links neighborhoods with natural, meandering trails. William Aitken’s idea of homes on large lots amid natural landscapes and open space is still very much alive.
Source: Village of Bannockburn: Village History · Village of Bannockburn: Comprehensive Master Plan · Wikipedia: Bannockburn, Illinois