Editing Lindenhurst, Illinois (section)

== Incorporation ==

=== Housing ===
The village of Lindenhurst grew out of the farm of a wealthy landowner in northern Illinois. The [[Ernst E. Lehmann]] farm, known as Lindenhurst, was acquired by developer Morton "Mort" Engle, who bought it from Lehmann family friend Edna Siebel. The name Lindenhurst came from the two rows of [[tilia americana|linden]] trees outlining the original farmhouse. Engle subdivided the {{convert|600|acre|km2|adj=on}} farm in 1952, and in 1953, the first homes were built behind what is now Linden Plaza. Engle Homes at the time cost $12,000–$15,000, roof extra. "The idyllic family homes of Lindenhurst offered the perfect solution for a home-hungry nation," states local historian Joseph Brysiewicz.  In 1961, Ted Flanagan was elected mayor, and 200 houses were being built each year, under the control of Engle.  After building an estimated 2,000 homes, Mort Engle sold his remaining {{convert|250|acre|km2}} to the U.S. Home Corporation and {{convert|200|acre|km2}} to the Federal Life Insurance Company and moved to [[Arizona]]. {{convert|550|acre|km2}} were annexed into the village, and the growth of Lindenhurst brought up school and public safety issues.

=== Education ===
The first school was completed in September 1958. Built on land from the Howard Bonner farm and redistricted from the Millburn school district to Lake Villa District 41, the school was named B.J. Hooper School after District 41 school board president and prominent Lake Villa citizen B.J. Hooper.

=== Business Development ===
Lindenhurst's first business, Thor's Shell, stood at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Lindenhurst Drive. By 1960, the first major commercial development in Lindenhurst was the building of Linden Plaza, featuring Slove Bakery, Village Laundry, Linden Cleaners, and [[Piggly Wiggly]]. Other businesses established in Lindenhurst included Linden [[Texaco]], Linden Barber Shop, [[Ben Franklin Stores|Ben Franklin Variety Store]], and Stretch-A-Dollar Clothing Store. The Lindenhurst Civic Center built its own facility in 1961 using the remains of the original Lindenhurst Farm ice house to anchor its building. It served as a meeting place for groups and organizations, card parties, socials, polling place, wedding receptions and family reunions. A school for the old Lindenhurst farm served as [[Village hall|Village Hall]] until it burned down, and the offices moved to Linden Plaza. By 1970, the village numbered 3,141 people. The village offices couldn't be crammed into Linden Plaza any longer, and the new village hall that was built in 1974 housed office space, the mayor, the police department, the building inspector, and the village garage.

=== Public Safety ===
The Lindenhurst police force was all-volunteer at first, buying their own uniforms and using their own cars; fundraisers were held to pay for salaries and a patrol car. A full-time police position was created in 1963, and the village acquired a reputation as a "[[speed trap]]", due to radar use by the police. Lindenhurst became front-page headline material on November 27, 2006, when the village's first [[homicide]] in over nine years took place. A [[Burger King]] manager was killed in an apparent robbery at the national fast-food chain's Lindenhurst franchise.

In  1965, the village created its first sanitary district, replacing individual [[septic system]]s with a [[sanitary sewer|sewer system]]. Streets were paved and gutters installed during this period as well. Ted Flanagan was reelected mayor in 1969 and served until 1983.

=== Community ===
Besides the village's 25th anniversary, the 1980s brought the village, [[cable TV]] access, [[fast food]], and a budget of $1.5 million. Lindenfest was founded by volunteers in 1983. It grew out of tents and booths set up by local clubs and organizations in the village hall parking lot. Today it has a [[carnival]], games, contests, marathons, and music. Other additions to Lindenhurst in recent years include Victory Lakes, the Lindenhurst-Lake Villa Chamber of Commerce, and the Lindenhurst Park District.

The population in 1990 was 8,044 and is over 14,000 today. In a 1999 ''Lake Villa and Lindenhurst Review'' article, Village Administrator James Stevens said that Lindenhurst "has been able to keep the small town flavor, in large part, through selective land annexation, and by carefully choosing developers for high quality but diversified housing types, including single family, town homes and condominiums. And all the housing types have to be integrated with the lakes, marshes, open space and forested areas of the village." The Lindenhurst motto is "Developing Today for Tomorrow".