March Dates in Wheaton’s History

March 2, 1966
Chicago Aurora & Elgin station at Main and Liberty was demolished. It had been rental property after passenger service ended in 1957 and freight service stopped in 1959.

March 3, 1928
Death of James Foulis, Jr. Wheaton golf great, inventor of the mashie-niblick (7 iron) and golf course designer. He is buried in Wheaton Cemetery.

March 5, 1982
Death of John Belushi, actor and comedian. He was raised in Wheaton and attended Wheaton Central Hush School. John was a member of the football team and was Homecoming King his senior year in 1967. John briefly attended the College of Du Page.

March 5, 1902
Warren Wheaton celebrated his 90th birthday in his home. He was quoted as saying “I am well and strong for 90. If necessary, I could go out to do manual labor for a living.”

March 6, 1812
Birth of Warren Lyon Wheaton, one of the original founders of Wheaton, in Pomfret, Connecticut.

March 6, 1945
Death of Robert Foulis, Wheaton golf great and golf course designer. He is buried at Wheaton Cemetery.

March 7, 1914
On March 7, 1914, the home of prominent Wheatonite and former Mayor J.S. Peironnet was completely destroyed by fire. A defective chimney was thought to have been the cause.

March 7, 1967
On March 7, 1967, one of the most horrific fires in Wheaton history took place, when fire destroyed St. Mark Catholic Church's rectory, 303 E. Parkway Drive, killing a priest, Father William Kirk.

March 9, 1930
Death of Henry Dann Compton, Wheaton resident and builder of Trinity Church. He fought in the Civil War, Company F, 105th Illinois Infantry. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member of the G.A.R. in Wheaton. He is buried at Wheaton Cemetery.

March 11, 1899
The Aurora, Chicago & Wheaton Railway Company was incorporated. Its name was changed in 1901 to the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Company (AE&C).

March 18, 1874
Death of Susan Abiah Vallette, wife of Eratus Gary. She is buried at Wheaton Cemetery

March 18, 2002
On March 18, 2002, St. Michael Catholic Church was discovered to be consumed with flames. The fire was set by an arsonist; the fire completely destroyed the sanctuary.

March 19, 1845
Death of Lyman Butterfield, one of the first settlers of Milton Township (about 1831).

March 21, 1899
Wheaton residents James and David Foulis received a patent (Patent # 30,378) for the Foulisgolf ball (dimple pattern) - also known as the American Eagle

March 22, 1945
The USS Wheaton was christened in Los Angeles, California. The ship was named after Wheaton College and was used to bring troops home after WWI. Later refrigeration would added and it was used to transport the bodies of soldiers killed in action.

March 24, 1875
Birth of Frank Earl Herrick, an American poet, judge, and prohibitionist. A member of the student Prohibition Club while at Wheaton College, Herrick later stood as the Prohibition candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois at-large in 1934 and 1936. He had been heavily involved in Prohibition Party politics and activities for many years. In 1916 he toured the country stumping for the party's local and national candidates. The author of thousands of poems, many created for special occasions like congratulating newlyweds or soldiers, Herrick was called the "Poet Laureate of Wheaton," a title officially bestowed upon him on his seventieth birthday by the city council in 1941. from LibriVox

March 24, 1913
Fire from a lightning strike destroyed the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago administration building at Main & Liberty, diagonally across from the new train station. It was formerly the 3-story brick Wheaton Hotel. All that was left were brick walls and three chimneys; the railroad's records were completely destroyed. The ruins continued to stand until early 1916.

March 26, 1943
Birth of Bob Woodward, Wheaton Community High School graduate, class of 1961. In 1972 he was a young reporter working at “The Washington Post when five men broke into the democratic National Committee headquarters. He was assigned to cover the break-in and went on to write a series of stories that helped trigger the investigation that eventually led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. He is also co-author of “All the President’s Men”.

March 27, 1813
Birth of Jesse Childs Wheaton, one of the original founders of Wheaton, in Pomfret, Connecticut.

March 2002
Wheaton was chosen as the site of the first Illinois Barnes & Noble store, in Town Square. Beginnings of this large bookstore chain can be traced to Reverend Charles M Barnes’ small book business from his home in Wheaton.

These dates were provided by the City of Wheaton Historic Commission. If you have any comments, corrections or additions to the list, please contact us at:
wheatonhistoriccommission@gmail.com. Thank you!