Early Churches
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EARLY CHURCHES
The first German church in Niles Township was built on Telegraph Road, about 100 rods south of Dempster Street. At that time, according to Honorable George Conrad Klehm, pioneer and public-spirited man, who has done more for Niles Centre, together with Henry Harms, than is realized by the present generation. To these grand men and to their loving patience and thoughtfulness are due the present conveniences. At this time the township was one grand primeval forest of fine, stately old trees. It was at the above spot, where stood the first real store. Here old settlers would gather and plan for the future. The sawmill of old man Miller's was on the North Branch of the Chicago River, and there was a dam where it crossed what is now Dempster St., where is now located August Weber. At this point the roads branched out in all directions, to Gross Point and Winnetka, to Milwaukee Ave., to Jefferson, to Oakton Street, and what is now Main St. Miller's Mill Road is now changed to Lincoln Avenue Oakton Street leads from Calvary to Park Ridge. Lincoln Avenue was opened up by Henry Harms about 1866 and at that time terminated at Niles Centre. East Prairie was then called the "Little Fort Road." He built the diagonal plank road and was toll gatekeeper; collected toll all the way to the city limits. He finally sold out to Cook County. Toll roads at that time were Elston Avenue, Milwaukee Avenue, Higgins Road, Clark Street to Evanston. The first managers of the Milwaukee Ave. plank road was Gould and Martin Kimbell. Asa Bradley was the first surveyor, and laid out Milwaukee Avenue from Kinzie Street to Jefferson and Wheeling; he made the plat for Niles Center the official subdivision called Peter Blameuser's. In 1882 the river was swollen to such a height that there was not one bridge in entire Niles township. All had been swept and washed away. This was on Dempster, Oakton, Church and Hart's Road. Hon. Klehm was at that time highway commissioner, and induced Cook County to rebuild and pay one-third of the cost. It was always his contention that because the river from Edgebrook was so serpentine, that it should be straightened out, in order to relieve the water pressure, especially at such a time.