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Copied from: Winfield, Illinois to determine changes needed.

History
The Village of Winfield was incorporated as a village in 1921, but has roots from the 1830s. The earliest settlers, Erastus and Jude P. Gary came to Winfield in 1832. Winfield was originally known as Gary's Mill after these early settlers, and later, Fredricksburg, owing to a significant German-speaking population. In the late 1800s, the settlement’s name was changed again to Winfield after the war hero Winfield Scott.

Winfield was home to one of the oldest taverns in the Chicago suburbs, John's Restaurant and Tavern (formerly John's Buffet), founded in 1921 by immigrant John T Karwoski. It closed its doors in December 2017. John Karwoski was instrumental in the political and economic development of Winfield, and it was his guidance and leadership that took a fledgling prairie town clinging to existence after the railroad boom went bust, and turned it into a viable and livable village. Mr Karwoski became the first Chief of the all-volunteer Winfield Volunteer Fire Company in 1935. 45 years later, his son John Karwoski II was made Chief of the expanded Winfield Fire Protection District in 1980.

Winfield was served by The Winfield Glimpses newspaper from October 1947 to October 1976. The Glimpses changed its name to the Winfield Examiner in November 1976 and ran until February 1992. A full collection of these newspapers is available on microfilm at the Winfield Public Library.

Winfield originally attempted to become an incorporated village in 1884 under the town name 'Frederick Park.' However, the motion was denied as the town did not have 300 residents as was required for incorporation. When the village was finally incorporated in 1921, the town had a population of 310 people. Not all of these residents wanted to become an incorporated town. When the town voted on incorporation, it was passed by 72 to 61.

Hedges Station
Hedges station is the oldest train depot in Illinois. It was built in 1849 on the west side of Church Street, where the police station is currently standing. In 1977 Winfield Township bought the station after all the owners had died. Their plan to demolish the building to construct a parking lot and more village offices was opposed by citizens who wanted the oldest building standing in Winfield to be turned into a historical site instead. After many arguments, the Township decided to move into another location. In 1981 Hedges station was moved to Winfield road, where it is currently located, and is now a museum.

The Samuel and Eleanor Himmelfarb Home and Studio
The Samuel and Eleanor Himmelfarb Home and Studio was constructed in the wooded outskirts of western Winfield, IL in 1942 by the modernist artists. The design was heavily influenced by the Usonian architectural styles of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Schmidt's Pond
Winfield is also home to another remnant of the past, called Schmidt's Pond. In the late 1800s, Peter Schmidt dug a pond to provide a place to harvest ice in the winter. Schmidt used the ice for his meat market, but also provided ice to the village in general. The property which is located between Park Street and Summit Avenue, just south of Town Center Winfield, also featured an ice house to store the harvested ice. While the ice house has since been turned into a private residence, the pond survives. The pond all but disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s due to lowering water tables, but has since returned, thanks in part to the village hooking up to Lake Michigan for its primary water use and a rising water table. The pond is home to many ducks, geese, muskrat, crayfish, frogs, toads and fish, and while the pond is on private property, it can be seen from Park Street and Summit Avenues. ~

Walking History
On May 28, 2012, YouTube user Morris2112 uploaded a video titled "Walking Tour Winfield Historical Society" in which the viewer goes on a virtual tour of familiar places within Winfield and what they used to be. Within this video, it is discussed how the barber shop on Jewell Rd (across from the train station), used to be a blacksmith shop.

Chicago-Winfield Sanitarium
In 1897 a rest home was constructed in Winfield. This rest home was owned by Jessie P. Forsythe until she retired in 1908 and sold it to Emanuel Mandel. In 1909 the home was reconstructed into the Chicago-Winfield Tuberculosis Sanitarium. As tuberculosis became a curable disease, the Sanitarium saw a decrease in patients and eventually all were transferred to Michael Reese in Chicago. Then, in 1962 the Sanitarium was purchased by the Central DuPage Hospital Association.

Parks and Forest Preserves
There are a total of 15 parks within the Village of Winfield. Of these, 11 have playgrounds, 9 have picnic tables, 7 have access to some type of shelter, 5 have trails, and 4 have restrooms. Of all of these, Oakwood Park and Wynwood Fields offer the most amenities.

Oakwood Park, located at 0N555 Winfield Rd, offers baseball fields, picnic tables, restrooms, tennis courts, volleyball, basketball courts, fishing, in-line hockey, playground, shelter, and a trail.

Wynwood Fields, located at 0S060 Wynwood Rd, offers a badmitton court, baseball fields, batting cages, concessions, nature area, picnic tables, restrooms, sledding hill, bags court, basketball courts, pickleball court, playground, shelter, and a spray park.

Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve
Winfield is home to the Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve, named after the native american mounds contained within the forest preserve. It spans across 359 acres and offers fishing and trails.

Between 2016 and 2018 trail construction was carried out on the Winfield Mounds Trail Segment of the West Branch DuPage River Trail. This segment goes through Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve, downtown Winfield and West DuPage Woods Forest Preserve. This system will link The Illinois Prairie Path with existing trails to the southwest Naperville trail system creating a north-south connection that will provide recreational users more route options.

Golf
Klein Creek Golf Club offers a 6,701 acre golf course with 18-holes and many ponds along the way. The golf course was built in 1994 by architect, Dick Nugent.

St. John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was approved to be built on February 21, 1867. The residents of Winfield gathered their efforts and the church was erected later that year. The church even had its first baptism in 1867. On August 17, 1906 the church burned down in a thunder storm after it was struck by lightening. According to Louise Spank, "only the alters, pews. stations of the cross, and communion rail could be saved." The church was completely rebuilt within a year.

Winfield Community United Methodist Church
In 1925 a church for Protestants was formed. They met in a public school until land was purchased on the corner of Beecher and Summit in 1927. They started building the church in 1938 and finished it nearly a year later. The church held its first service later that day on Christmas Day.

Faith Baptist Church
The church was informally started in December 1963. By 1964 their first meeting place was purchased. The church became affiliated in 1965. In 1970, they started meeting in the church at Beecher and Summit (Winfield Community United Methodist Church), and in 1975 they moved into their new building on Parkway where the church is still located.

Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church
This congregation was originally called the Winfield Lutheran Church. Their first service took place at Central DuPage Hospital in December, 1963. On April 8, 1964 the congregation changed its name to Christ our Savior Lutheran Church. The construction of their church was completed on May 10, 1970.