Maywood Company Records, 1869-1901

Maywood, Illinois, was established under the auspices of a joint stock corporation, the Maywood Company, with $75,000 capital from seven men from Vermont. The Maywood Charter was organized under special act of the Legislature of Illinois on April 6, 1869. Colonel William T. Nichols, a former Vermont state senator and state's attorney, served as president of the Maywood Company until his death in 1882. Nichols was also the president and treasurer of the Maywood Company's subsidiary commercial venture, the Chicago Scraper and Ditcher Company. Maywood was named in memory of Nichols's daughter May.

The original plat of land was located west and approximately thirty feet above the Des Plaines River, five and a half miles west of the Chicago city limits and ten miles west of the Wells Train Depot. The land, 560 acres, was one and three-quarters miles north to south and one-half mile east to west. The Chicago and Northwestern Company built a train depot in Maywood in 1870, making the area a viable suburb of Chicago.

The general suburban migration after the Chicago Fire of 1871 spurred housing construction in Maywood. The first structure built by the Maywood Company in 1871 was a two-story combination school and church. Lots were sold, and sometimes donated, to individuals who agreed to build and live in homes costing at least two thousand dollars to erect. The company set aside land for a park and planted trees. Blocks were set aside along one street for churches, as part of village planning. Growth slowed in 1873, and then between 1880 and 1890 the population of Maywood doubled. Early advertising brochures emphasized the absence of saloons in addition to citing the amenities of Maywood. The Village of Maywood was incorporated on October 22, 1881.

Materials include the Maywood Company's charter, stocks, bonds, stockholders' reports, advertising brochures, and village maps are gathered in Series I. Material from Maywood Company's subsidiary, Chicago Scraper and Ditcher Company is gathered in series II. Dates span from April 6, 1869, to 1901.

SERIESI: MAYWOOD COMPANY RECORDS. Materials arranged chronologically, with undated items following dated items.

SERIES II: CHICAGO DITCHER AND SCRAPER COMPANY RECORDS. Materials arranged chronologically, with undated items following dated items.

• Names
  • Maywood Company--Archives.
  • Chicago Scraper and Ditcher Company--Archives.
• Geographic Coverage
  • Maywood (Ill.)--Sources.
  • Maywood (Ill.)--Maps.
  • Maywood (Ill.)--Pictorial works.

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Maywood Company Records, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

Ryerson and Burnham Archives purchased this collection from Steve Finer, Rare Books, in Greenfield, Massachusetts, in 1996. An additional Maywood Company booklet was purchased by the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 2003.

The collection was processed by staff of the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1997. This finding aid was revised and expanded by Annemarie van Roessel in 2002. An additional item was added by Annemarie van Roessel in 2003.