The Book Of THoTH

History of Darien

The first people to settle here came form the New England states. They traveled here via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. Among the first to arrive was the Thomas Andrus family. They settled along an old stagecoach line which was roughly where I-55 was in 1835. Mr. Andrus opened up the Andrus Inn which served the 15 stage coaches that traveled the stagecoach line. Andrus Inn was located right about the entrance to Carriage Way West Subdivision....

...A group of German Lutherans from Europe came to the area near 67th and Clarendon Hills Road in 1859. They built the first St. John Lutheran Church and laid out the cemetery behind the church. Today the cemetery is still located at 67th and Clarendon Hills Road. In 1899, a new church was built on the northeast corner of Cass and 75th Street. The Church was located where Taco Bell and Royal Shield Restaurant now stand. In 1969, the second church was torn down and the present St. John's Lutheran Church was built west of Cass and north of 75th Street.