North Aurora Illinois History

North Aurora Illinois HistoryThe Village of North Aurora was founded in 1834 when John Peter Schneider constructed a sawmill along the Fox River in order to process lumber harvested from the surrounding wooded river valley. Along with McCarty’s Mill in Aurora, Schneider’s Mill became one of the first structures in the area and the first known commercial North Aurora real estate structures. Schneider’s Mill was responsible for producing building materials used in the area’s earliest homes and businesses. As the lands were cleared, farmers settled in the area, planting corn and grains in the rich river valley soil. J.P. Schneider was one of the first settlers to the area to dam the Fox River in order to provide power for his mill. A modern dam is now constructed near the remains of the original and not far from the Schneider Family built the community’s first residential North Aurora real estate structure – a cabin on a small hill near the present-day intersection of Route 25 and Butterfield Road.

Later, Mr. Schneider added a second mill – a grist mill for processing flour from the crops grown on the cleared land. The wood and flour produced by his two mills provided raw materials that would aid in the growth of the community. For this reason, John Peter Schneider is considered one of North Aurora’s most important early economic pioneer. When the US Postal Service founded an office in the community, it recognized John Schneider’s early influence, naming the office “Schneider’s Mills” (or “Schneider’s Crossing” according to some sources). In 1868 the name was officially changed to North Aurora and the town was later incorporated in 1905.

North Aurora Real Estate
In 1850, a branch of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad was extended to the area and aided in the rapid economic development of the area. In 1868, a conglomeration of local businessmen collectively called the North Aurora Manufacturing Company purchased the sawmill and surrounding North Aurora real estate from the Schneider family and used the wood produced by it to start a local sash, blind and door factory. In later years, the land was purchased by the Village of North Aurora and is now the present location of the police station and village hall. Later, in 1873, a cremery was established across from the grist mill to process local dairy into cream cheese that was shipped as far away as England.

Through the 20th Century, the Village of North Aurora has held on to its quaint small-town atmosphere. Today, North Aurora has adopted the motto, “The Village with a view to the future…” and continues to place an emphasis on community and industry by attracting new residents and new business. North Aurora shares a school district with the City of Aurora – school district 129 – and a small percentage of homes feed into Kaneland schools (district 302) and Batavia schools (district 101). The Village of North Aurora is also split between Aurora Township and Batavia Township. Despite this, North Aurora maintains a very independent identity and is currently experiencing a new influx of homes as well as retail along the Randall Road corridor. The Village of North Aurora also maintains a public library – the Messenger Public Library North Aurora and has recently constructed a new police station. A renovation of Village Hall is in the works and is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. Much of North Aurora real estate is located around the area first founded by John Peter Schneider including several historic structures.