In 1950, the Chamber of Commerce held a contest to choose a slogan that best described Mount Prospect. The winner, Elmer Bussert, won the contest with his slogan, “Where Town and Country Meet.” This slogan for Mount Prospect was used until 1965 when the Chamber felt it no longer applied due to the expansion of the town. A new contest was held and “Where Friendliness is a Way of Life,” submitted by Delores Wells, was chosen to represent Mount Prospect. It remains our town’s motto to this day.
Breaking News
Mount Prospect Train Derailment
In the early morning hours of October 21, 1959, Mount Prospect experienced a crisis like never before. 24 freight cars spanning from Main Street to School Street derailed off the Chicago and North Western tracks due to a hot bearing box. A local patrolman had been driving down Northwest Highway and saw the flames shooting from the wheels of one of the freight cars. He tried racing to the front of the train to warn the engineer but before he could reach the engine, the cars derailed.
Freight cars and pieces of track were strewn everywhere and even the train station sustained damage from train cars that had jumped onto the platform. Around 15,000 commuters were late for work and traffic was at a standstill in suburbs neighboring Mount Prospect. However, if this crash would have happened any later in the morning, there would have been hundreds of commuters on the train platform resulting in a major tragedy instead of an inconvenience. Wreckage on the tracks in downtown Mount Prospect was cleared by the evening and the undamaged train cars were sent on their way.
Hapsburg Inn
Does MPHS have photographs: Yes
Address: 600 River Road
Is building standing: No
When was it built: Unknown
What is at site: Townhomes
When was business founded: 1934
Is business still operating: No
If no, when did it close: 1984
Who owned business: Original owner was William Bahnmaier and his daughter, Rosemary Scala, took over in the mid-1970s
Interesting stories, facts, history:
Forest River, nicknamed Mudville because it was one of the last places to have paved roads, is an unincorporated part of Mount Prospect. In the mid-1800s, a large part of this land was occupied by the Coons-Nagel farm. As the farm transformed into a subdivision during the 1930s, one of the barns opened as the Hapsburg Inn restaurant in 1934.
William Bahnmaier and his wife purchased the barn and set out to make it a restaurant. They kept the original barn structure and transformed the inside into a dining room and bar. Hapsburg Inn was known for their Half Fried Chicken but also served a variety of German and American favorites. Many diners remember the covered porch with a wishing well and outdoor beer garden.
The Hapsburg Inn stayed open until 1984 and many locals have fond memories of dining there. In 1984, the Hapsburg Inn became Ox-Yoke Farm, and by 1986, Kathryn’s Banquets occupied the building. The barn was demolished in the early 2000s and the land is now a townhome development.
