Elise Kabbes

Flossmoor, Illinois Elise Kabbes

The Village of Flossmoor, Illinois, was incorporated in June 1924. The vote was the result of a movement that began in the furnace room of the new Leavitt Avenue school, where the men gathered for a "smoke" during a PTA dinner. At the time of incorporation, the population of Flossmoor was 265 and the Village encompassed almost two square miles. The settlement of Flossmoor, leading up to incorporation, was the outgrowth of three distinct movements. German immigrants fleeing political upheaval in the 1840s were the first European settlers in the area. The commercial ventures of the Illinois Central Railroad make up the second significant factor in the development of Flossmoor. The Flossmoor train depot was, and is, the hub of Flossmoor. The extension of the train line and the settlement of Flossmoor had one final impetus--golf! This year, the Flossmoor Country Club celebrates its 100th anniversary, still nestled in the original neighborhoods of Flossmoor with street names bearing witness to the founders' love of golf, including Evans, Caddy, Bunker, Brassie, and Hagen.