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It was the water that made pre-historic Libertyville a camping ground for Indians. The Pottowatamies stayed here because they found a certain spring along the west bank of the Des Plaines River whose waters were said to have curative powers. This spring is known as Forest Medicinal Spring and is located a few feet north of the bridge on Rockland Road and is marked by an engraved rock. It was named "Vital Water" and was known to have a living, almost creative force. This water was strongly filled with sulphurated hydrogen gas, which made it unsuitable for table use; it was locally known as "skunk water."
There were at least a dozen springs in Libertyville. The springs flowed freely with water that was known to heal. One of the springs was located on Newberry Avenue. It was named Abana Springs after a famous well in the Holy Land. Another spring was located on Park Place, behind St. Joseph Church. The water from these wells was suitable for table use and was bottled and sold by the Libertyville Mineral Springs Company until 1915, when the wells dried up.
The water was tested and found to be absolutely pure, with no trace of organic matter at all. It was rich in minerals, and not only cured various diseases, but also encouraged the formation of new tissue, and greatly increased body weight.
In the early 1830's, English settler George Vardin and his family arrived in what is now Libertyville. The small settlement which soon developed was known as "Vardin's Grove." In 1836, during the Independence Day celebration, area residents voted to call their town "Independence Grove." Mail service from Chicago to Milwaukee was established in 1836, prompting area residents to petition for a post office. The request was granted and the first post office was established in the former Vardin cabin on April 16, 1837. The Village was also registered under the name "Libertyville" on that day because an Independence Grove post office already existed in the state at that time. The name of the Village was changed again when, with the creation of Lake County in 1839, Libertyville was made the county seat. The new name, "Burlington," lasted until the county seat was moved to Little Fort (now Waukegan) in 1841. At that time, the Village reclaimed the name "Libertyville." In 1881, the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (now the Metra Milwaukee District North commuter line) was extended to Libertyville. Rapid expansion of the Village resulted, with schools, churches, stores, mills, lumber yards and homes being built. The Village was incorporated in 1882, with John Locke as its first president.
The Village of Libertyville is located in south central Lake County, approximately 37 miles from Chicago and seven miles west of Lake Michigan. The Village is an established residential community and has traditionally served as a major market and service center for central Lake County. The population of the Village, approximately 20,000 in 1997, has more than doubled since 1960, as the Village has shared in the economic growth that has come from the expanding Chicago metropolitan area. An ongoing effort to restore and preserve historic Libertyville contributes to the traditional home town atmosphere in the Village.
Horses once lined up for harness races held on a one-mile track deep in the heart of Libertyville. The track existed on what is now a subdivision west of Garfield Road, south of Route of 176 and east of Dawes. The horses drew thousands of spectators from throughout the region.
A huge steel grandstand was built that contained a restaurant and a covered paddock. It cost $40,000 to build and provided a view of the entire track. It was capable of seating 5,000 people. Libertyville's population at the time was 800.
In 1904, the racing season was in September. It switched to July for 1905 and then in 1906 the racing season was moved back to September
During the track's last few years of existance, race car drivers sped around the one-mile oval.
Then in 1918, Samuel Insull, who was a Libertyville resident, secretary to Thomas Edison and founder of Commonwealth Edison and People's Gas, purchased the track and then promptly shut it down. Insull's father was a preacher in the temperance movement and did not think gambling was good for the common people of Libertyville.