Mount Prospect Historical Society

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Archives for July 2012

Wille Coal and Lumber

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Wille Street and Northwest Highway

Is building standing: No. Demolished in 1959

What is at site: Parking Lot

When was business founded: Circa 1902

Is business still operating: No Closed late 70s early 80s (Wille Hardware)

Who owned business: Albert and Louis Wille

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Albert Wille and his brother Louis started a business in coal, feed, salt, brick, and sand in 1902 at the intersection of Northwest Highway, Busse Avenue, and Wille Street. A few years later Wille Lumber was founded, a business that provided building materials for many of the homes built in town. The Wille family was very involved in the development of Mount Prospect. William Wille, Albert Wille’s father, built the Central School, Wille Hall, Wille Tavern, and many houses in town. Albert and his brothers were all involved in the business community and the local politics of Mount Prospect.

Wille Cheese Factory

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Wille Street and Northwest Highway

Is building standing: No

What is at site: Northwest Highway

When was business founded: 1880

Is business still operating: No. Closed 1902.

Who owned business: William Wille

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Founded in 1880 the Wille Cheese Factory operated for over twenty years at the corner of Northwest Highway and Wille Street. William Wille would buy milk from local farmers, turn the milk into cheese and butter and then take wagon loads of cheese and butter to Chicago for sale. In a 1977 interview, William’s son, Adolph, remembered going to Chicago with his father in the spring when the roads were muddy. He recounted how the wagon would get stuck in the mud and the cheese and butter would have to be taken off, the wagon freed and then all the cargo reloaded. After years of doing this, William Wille, got tired of the hassle and closed the factory in 1902. The building was demolished in 1928 when Northwest Highway was widened.

Van Driel’s Medical-Surgical Supplies

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: 100 E Northwest Highway

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Van Driel’s

When was business founded: 1942

Is business still operating: Yes

Who owned business: Originally, Herb Van Driel

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Herb Van Driel moved to Mount Prospect in the early 1940s. He bought an existing drug store at the corner of Emerson and Northwest Highway. The Drug store had first been started by George Englbom who sold the store to F. O. Merrill and Dr. Burda, who sold it to Herbert Van Driel. When Van Driel came to Mount Prospect, the two doctors in town already had an agreement with another pharmacist. So Van Driel branched out and added a lunch counter, serving ham sandwiches and home made pies. He said that in the first few years most of his business was in food. While there was rationing during World War Two, Van Driel was a distributor for different foods and cigarettes and was able to establish himself as one of the important businesses in town. He later went on to be one of the founding members of the second incarnation of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce (originally founded in 1926, dissolved in 1932 then founded again in 1947). In 1968 he sold the business, although it still maintains his name. He died in 1970.