Roselle

On March 11, 1833 the first settlers, Silas L. Meacham and his brothers Harvey and Lyman, arrived in Bloomingdale Township. The Meacham's claimed about 1200 acres of timber land - some of the land was granted by the government and some was purchased for $1.25 per acre. 

In 1837, Deacon Elijah Hough and his wife Electa came to the Bloomingdale area with their 10-year-old daughter Cornelia, and their two sons, Oramel and Rosell. After spending three years in the Bloomingdale area, Rosell and Oramel went to Chicago for work.

From 1855 to 1856, Rosell was elected to serve as a Chicago alderman. He joined the Union Army in 1861 and worked his way up the ranks to colonel. After the Civil War, Colonel Hough became the first president of the Chamber of Commerce in Chicago.

In 1868, at the age of 48, Rosell retired from business in Chicago and returned home. He discovered Roselle was the thriving center of a rich farming district and purchased land to grow flax. He opened the Illinois Linen Company on the northwest corner of Roselle and Irving Park Roads.

Rosell Hough was the first president of the fledgling Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company and he was in a position to influence the route of the railroad. He saw future growth for his linen mill if the train route would come through Wood Dale, Itasca, Medinah, and Roselle instead of Addison and Bloomingdale. It is rumored that he paid $10,000 to have the survey changed so the train line would go through Roselle.

Old newspaper clippings state that the Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company named the station stop Roselle after its first president. It may be that the railroad, when printing the initial train schedule, misspelled Hough's first name, thus giving the town the Roselle spelling we know today.

At this time, the citizens of the Roselle section of Bloomingdale also realized they were paying a large portion of Bloomingdale's taxes due to their increased population and business growth. Because of these and other issues, Roselle residents decided it was time to become independent of Bloomingdale. In the summer of 1922, the last joint Village meeting was held with Bloomingdale. Roselle incorporated and received its charter on October 7, 1922. Herman Thiemann was voted the first Village President. 

Source: Village of Roselle

Roselle features a bed and breakfast suitable for a fun or relaxing weekend away and a select-service hotel where you can extend your stay.

Roselle’s quaint Main Street showcases restaurants with fresh seasonal ingredients covering American, Chinese, Japanese and Italian dishes.

You'll find yourself walking Main Street from Lynfred Winery to Pollyanna Brewing Company - Roselare.  Stopping along the way for unique shopping and dining along…