Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

counties in the U.S. state of

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 ...

, and is a south-west suburb 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 ...

. The population was 17,629 as of the 2020 census. The village is situated on a hillside along the south banks of the

Des Plaines River The Des Plaines River ( ) is a river that flows southward for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois''American H ...

. It overlooks Waterfall Glen's Midwestern Bluff Savanna on the opposite side. Lemont is home to

Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Lemont, Illinois, Lemont, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1946, the laboratory is owned by the United Sta ...

and other heavy industrial sites, and has a substantial European immigrant population.

History

Before European settlers arrived in Lemont, Native Americans traveled the

in birch bark canoes on trading trips between the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

. The native Potawatomi lived off the land in this area, directly using natural resources for food, shelter, clothing and medicine. In the 18th century, French voyageurs traveled down the Des Plaines River, trading Native Americans metal, beads and cloth for animal furs. Lemont was originally known as ''Keepataw'' (after a Potawatomi chief) and a post office was established in 1840 as ''Keepatau''. After that, it was named ''Athens'' and then ''Palmyra''. The name ''Lemont'' (literally, 'the mountain' in French) was chosen in 1850 at the suggestion of Lemuel Brown, the postmaster and justice of the peace, or perhaps by his brother Nathaniel Brown. Established in 1836, the village of Lemont stands as one of the oldest American communities in northeastern Illinois. It is historically significant for its role in transforming the northern region of the state from a sparsely settled frontier to a commercial, agricultural, and industrial region that supplied Chicago and areas beyond with commodities. Lemont is also unique in boasting an authentic historic district that remains intact and has been continually used since the 19th century. In 2016, the Lemont Downtown Historic District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Both Lemont's history and architectural uniqueness connect to the

Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago ...

(I&M Canal). Construction of the I&M Canal began in 1837 and stands as one of the last major canal undertakings in the United States (the Hennepin Canal opened in 1907). When it was completed in 1848, it provided a continuous waterway stretching from New York (through the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan to Chicago, then through the I&M Canal for entering the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

at LaSalle, Illinois, to the Mississippi River, to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

) to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. Immigrant workers, mostly Irish, settled in Lemont to work on the canal and later moved along the corridor of the canal, improving farms within the many communities that sprang up along it. In digging, workers discovered Lemont yellow dolomite, a harder and finer grained version of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. This delayed digging of the canal, but was the start of the area's second industry, quarrying. By the mid-19th century, limestone quarrying took over as the main economic factor in Lemont and sustained its growth. The town's important major buildings were faced with the Lemont limestone, abundant in local quarries. Today, 38 of those buildings remain as the Lemont downtown district. Lemont limestone was used to build the Chicago Water Tower, a building that "gained special significance as one of the few buildings to survive the destructive path of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871". In the early years, this stone was known as " Athens Marble" as a nod to its place of origin. An 1859 item in the ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' had this to say: “The Athens and DesPlaines quarries, situated on the Illinois and Michigan canal, embrace 335 acres of the finest stone in the West, known as “Athens Marble”. This stone has a high reputation for color, durability and beauty, which renders it quite an article of commerce”. Cargo and passengers were transported on the I&M until the early 20th century, when the wider, deeper Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was built parallel to it. The Sanitary Canal is still used today as part of the Illinois Waterway system. Lemont's motto is "Village of Faith", and its church spires reflect the many ethnic groups who came here to quarry stone, dig the Sanitary and Ship Canal and work in other industries. Lemont is credited with being the largest recruiting station for the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and the Old Stone Church, built in 1861 of limestone, was used as a recruiting depot. It served as the Lemont

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

for 100 years, from 1861 until 1970, when it became home to the Lemont Area Historical Society. The oldest building in Lemont, it now serves as a museum and is listed on the

. During the Civil War, Lemont was required to sign up 33 soldiers, the village recruited 293 soldiers; only 63 returned. The Lemont Civil War Memorial Committee was formed to build a memorial to honor Lemont's Civil War veterans. The monument was dedicated in 2008 in Legion Park at the east end of Main Street, opposite the Metra Station. Of the 293 soldiers sent to fight in the war, only 243 names of the enlisted soldiers are known. Among them is Cpl. John Warden, the only Lemont resident ever awarded the Medal of Honor. By 1854, railroads transported goods faster than water, and the I&M became obsolete as Lemont evolved into a railroad community; the village was incorporated on June 9, 1873. Increasingly, the canal was used to carry wastes away from Chicago. In 1900, the larger Sanitary and Ship Canal went into operation, carrying both wastes and larger, more modern

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

s. All use of the I&M Canal ended in 1933, with the opening of the canal's modern successor—the Illinois Waterway. By about 1920, the quarries declined as styles changed and builders began to use Bedford limestone from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

and less expensive materials like concrete. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Metallurgical Laboratory of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

moved into the nearby Argonne Forest preserves to carry out Enrico Fermi's work on nuclear reactors for the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...

. After the war,

was designated as the first national laboratory in the United States on July 1, 1946. In 1984, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

signed legislation establishing the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor as the nation's first National Heritage Corridor. The status recognizes the historic importance of this region and the waterway that connected Lake Michigan and the Illinois River. Today, it is a cultural park between Chicago and LaSalle/

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, representing an ongoing partnership between the public and private sectors created to achieve a successful mixture of preservation, public use and industrial activity. Sacred architecture is a strong suit of Lemont, whose skyline is dominated by two landmark religious edifices: the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Temple of Greater Chicago and SS. Cyril and Methodius church in the Polish Cathedral style. Both are situated on the sides of hills, giving an even more dramatic backdrop to their monumental architecture.

Tornadoes

On June 13, 1976, at 5:18 PM, a killer

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

struck Lemont and took three lives. 23 were injured, 87 homes were destroyed and 82 more were damaged. Damage to the high school alone was estimated at $500,000 (). Many people reported watching neighbors' homes explode, implode, shattering before their eyes. Cited as an unusual tornado, it backed up on its path before heading North, somewhat parallel to its path of origin. See

Tornadoes of 1976 This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1976, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear sign ...

for more information on the outbreak. On March 27, 1991, Lemont was again hit by a tornado. See Tornadoes of 1991 for more information on the outbreak.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Lemont has a total area of , of which (or 95.71%) is land and (or 4.29%) is water. The village has 10 exclaves.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 17,629 people, 5,911 households, and 4,606 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 6,773 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 89.29%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.91%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.11% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.38% from other races, and 5.83% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 7.12% of the population. There were 5,911 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.64% were married couples living together, 7.58% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.08% were non-families. 18.74% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.06% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 2.85. The village's age distribution consisted of 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $114,509, and the median income for a family was $133,456. Males had a median income of $75,542 versus $43,283 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $45,675. About 4.4% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Sports

In 2006, the Lemont Little League All-Star team traveled to the 60th

Little League World Series The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children (primarily boys) aged 10 to 12 years old, held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for th ...

in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The team, which represented the Great Lakes region, received 4th place after losing to the Beaverton, Oregon, team and was the only team to beat the champions from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Upon returning home, the Lemont team received a parade down State Street in honor of their achievements. The BMW Championship (PGA Tour), and the prior

Western Open The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour. The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the ye ...

, were held in unincorporated Lemont township between 1991 and 2007, and 2009 to 2011. Cog Hill Golf & Country Club has subsequently rejected incorporation into Lemont and has agreed to incorporate into Palos Park. The tournament was played at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, which was founded in 1927. The Ruffled Feathers Golf Club is located in Lemont. In 2008, the girls' 11-year-old Lemont Little League All-Star team traveled to Beardstown, Illinois, for the state tournament and won the state title. In 2009, a new group of 11-year-old All-Stars from Lemont won the State Championship for a second consecutive year. The Lemont High School varsity cheerleading team placed first at the IHSA State Championships in the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017. In 2020, the Lemont High School wrestling program won the 2020 IHSA Class 2A Dual Team State Championship and set a school record for wins.

Education

Three National Blue Ribbon Schools are located in Lemont, recognized by the US Department of Education for excellence in student achievement. Lemont High School received the Blue Ribbon award in 2017. Saints Cyril and Methodius School received the Blue Ribbon award in 2019. Public schools in Lemont include: * River Valley Elementary School * Oakwood Elementary School * Central School * Old Quarry Middle School * Lemont High School Private/parochial schools: * St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick * SS. Cyril & Methodius: * Everest Academy *Montessori School of Lemont *Žiburėlis Lithuanian Montessori School *Polska Szkoła Jana Pawła II Polish School

Media

Productions filmed in Lemont include: * '' Save the Last Dance'' *'' The Hunter'' (1980) *'' Straight Talk'' (1992) *'' Children on Their Birthdays'' (2002) *''

Witless Protection ''Witless Protection'' is a 2008 American crime film, crime comedy film written, and directed by Charles Robert Carner, and starring Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy. Distributed by Lionsgate Films, Lionsgate, the film was theatrically re ...

'' *''

Chain Reaction A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events. Chain reactions are one way that sys ...

'' (1996)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Lemont has a station on

Metra Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...

Heritage Corridor The Heritage Corridor (HC) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its southwestern suburbs, terminating in Joliet, Illinois. While Metra does not refer to its lines by colors, the Heritage Corridor appears on Metra timetables as ...

, which provides weekday rail service between Joliet and

Chicago Union Station Chicago Union Station is an Inter-city rail, intercity and commuter rail terminal station, terminal located in the West Loop neighborhood of the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago. Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest, Uni ...

. In 2007, the Interstate 355 tollway extension opened, providing Lemont with more direct access to the Chicago expressway system. An interchange is located on 127th Street.

Notable people

* Diablo Cody, writer of the film '' Juno'', raised in Lemont * Scott Darling, former goaltender for the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

* Clayton Fejedelem, safety for the Miami Dolphins and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. * Coby Fleener, former tight end for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

and

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

, born in Lemont * Garrett Gilkey, former NFL offensive lineman, born in Lemont * Steve Grand, country/rock singer; childhood resident of Lemont * Tyler Jay, pitcher, first-round pick of 2015 MLB Draft * Marius Katiliškis, prominent Lithuanian exile novelist * Michael Katzban, state legislator in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, born in Lemont * David Molk, former center for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

* Angel Reese, forward for the Chicago Skyhttps://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/16/chicago-sky-angel-reese-lemont/ * Jerry Taft, weathercaster for ABC 7 news in Chicago * Christian Vande Velde, cyclist, fourth place 2008 Tour de France finisher, born in Lemont

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control 1836 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1836 Villages in Cook County, Illinois Chicago metropolitan area Villages in DuPage County, Illinois Villages in Will County, Illinois Villages in Illinois