Jefferson Township is a former

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a County (United States), county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England town, Ne ...

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1850 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. During its brief history it developed from unpopulated wildlife to a largely rural community with a number of suburban villages. However, due to infrastructure limitations, legislative incentives and the lure of better municipal services it, along with numerous adjoining townships, agreed to be annexed into the city of Chicago, creating the largest city in the United States at that time.

Description

Jefferson Township was a farming settlement located 12 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. It was also the site of the Cook County Poor Farm from 1851 to 1912. Its borders were Devon Avenue on the north,

Harlem Avenue Harlem Avenue is a major north–south street located in Chicago and its west, southwest, and northwest suburbs. It stretches from Glenview Road in Glenview to the intersection of East South Street and South Drecksler Road in Peotone, where ...

on the west, Western Avenue to the east, and North Avenue to the south. This region comprised most of what is now known as the Chicago's Northwest Side including the entirety of the following community areas: Jefferson Park, Albany Park, Irving Park, Avondale, Hermosa, Belmont-Cragin, Montclare, Portage Park, as well as parts of Forest Glen, West Ridge, Lincoln Square, North Center, Logan Square, West Town, Humboldt Park,

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, Dunning, the suburb of

Norridge Norridge is a village in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The village and its neighbor to the east, Harwood Heights, together form an enclave within the city of Chicago. Norridge is sometimes referred to as the "Island Wi ...

, the suburb of Harwood Heights, and Norwood Park.

History

From the years 1850 to 1889, Jefferson Township existed as a separate municipality from the city of Chicago. It comprised the area west of Western Avenue between North Avenue and Devon Avenue. This farming area that would later become Jefferson Township was first settled by John Kinzie Clark in 1830. After the

1833 Treaty of Chicago The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was an agreement between the United States government and the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes. It required them to cede to the United States government their of land (including reservations) in Illinois, ...

between the U.S. government and the Chippewa,

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...

, and

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

tribes, the land northwest of Chicago became available for further settlement. New settlers included John Noble, Peter Ludby and David S. Dunning. In 1850, a township was established and named Jefferson Township. The 1850 census of the area listed the population as 744. Later, the village in the center of the township was also named Jefferson. The town of Jefferson later became the community of Jefferson Park. Jefferson village was a market town and transportation hub for local farmers. It was also a convenient stopping place for travelers to and from Chicago.

County Poor Farm and Insane Asylum

In 1851, the

Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, which includes the City ...

purchased 160 acres from Peter Ludby in Jefferson Township as the location for the city's new Poorhouse and Insane Asylum. The proximity of Jefferson to a major road and distance from downtown Chicago, was an important consideration in the county board's choice. Initially, both facilities, together known as the Cook County Poor Farm, were housed in a new three-story brick building. After 1855, the complex expanded to support tuberculosis patients, and a hospital was built in 1863. In 1870, the county built a separate building for the insane asylum. In the 1880s, additional buildings were added to support more than 1000 patients, including a schoolhouse for the Poorhouse children. By 1882, overcrowding challenged the county's ability to fund and manage the growing population at the Poor Farm. In 1912, the county officially transferred the Poor Farm property to the State of Illinois.

Jefferson Township villages

The first post office established in Jefferson Township was the Jefferson post office established in 1846. The names and dates of establishment of later post offices are: Irving Park (1872), Maplewood (1872), Mont Clare (1873), Pacific (1877), Humboldt Park (1878), Avondale (1880),

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

(1882), Cragin (1882), Dunning (1883), Bandow (1884), Forest Glen (1884),

Bowmanville Bowmanville is a community of approximately 40,000 people located in the Municipality of Clarington, Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately east of Toronto, and east of Oshawa along Highway 2. Bowmanville was first incorporated a ...

(1884), Hermosa (1885), Simons (1886), and Edison Park (1890). All the Jefferson Township post offices were discontinued between 1894 and 1911 after the township was annexed to the city of Chicago in 1889. In 1872, an area was carved out of the northwest corner of Jefferson Township and became Norwood Park Township. During the 1880s, there was a surge in interest by the residents in Jefferson for new and better services in their community, including water and sewer services, police and fire protection, and sidewalks. In June 1880, voters approved annexation to Chicago of the Township of Jefferson. The township has no current governmental structure or functions, other than being used by the Cook County Assessor's office for taxation valuation and record keeping purposes.

References

{{Cook County, Illinois Townships in Cook County, Illinois History of Chicago Populated places established in 1861 Former municipalities in Illinois Former townships in Illinois Former populated places in Illinois 1861 establishments in Illinois