William Dunton

William Dunton's Statue is located on the corner of Arlington Heights Road and Northwest Hwy. This is very close to the spot where his home once was.

William Dunton.mp3

William Dunton

1819-1897

Statue of William Dunton

On corner of Arlington Heights Road and Northwest Highway

Map of Bradley

Who was William Dunton?

Born in 1819

William Dunton was born in Oswego, New York in 1819. He was the son of Asa and Lois Dunton.

Moved to Illinois in 1836

In 1836, William came to Illinois with his family. He was 17 years old. Early in his life, he learned the stone-cutting trade, just like his father.

Land Claims 1837

In 1837, William's father, Asa Dunton, staked out three land claims. One claim was for himself, the other two were for his sons, William and James.

Built Home and Farm in 1844

In 1844, William Dunton, now 25 years old moved to his land on the prairie and built a house beside an old Potawatomi Indian trail. William was the first person to live in what would become Arlington Heights. It was the first house ever built on the site. It was of dressed lumber, not logs.

Wedding 1845

He married Almeda Wood who was a school teacher on December 24, 1845. Theirs was the first house in the future village of Arlington Heights. Together they had 5 children.

The Railroad comes to town in 1854

William Dunton thought it would be a good idea to have the railroad run through town. In 1854, he sold some of his land to the railroad company for $250. Now farmers could bring their products, including vegetables, milk, cattle and grain, right to the railroad to be transported and sold.

Bradley, Illinois 1854

In 1854, William Dunton created a map of the new village from the Dunton family’s land. The new town was 8 blocks long and 4 blocks wide. William wanted it to be called Bradley after his good friend Peter Bradley.

Dunton, Illinois 1854-1874

Bradley was already the name of a town in Illinois. So William Dunton had to change the name. He chose the name Dunton in honor of his family. After all, it was William’s father, Asa Dunton who chose to settle here.
Dunton remained the name of our town for 20 years until 1874.

Arlington Heights, 1874

Our town’s name changed one last time. In 1874, the name Arlington Heights was chosen as the new name of the village.

William Dunton's Legacy

Throughout his life, William Dunton took an active role in his growing community:

He served as a justice of the peace and notary public.
He was Wheeling township treasurer for more than 20 years.
He was the supervisor of Cook County for two terms.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, he was also one of its trustees and elders.

What Happened to His Home?

William Dunton lived in his same home the rest of his life. It was moved a few times:

In 1905, it was moved to 112 E. Wing Street to make room for a new large brick home for his son, George.
In 1935, when State Road was widened to four lanes, the house was moved again to 705 E. Hintz Road.
In 1968, after 123 years, it was torn down to make way for a housing project.

William Dunton passed away in November 1897.

He was 78 years old.

William Dunton's Statue

In 2001, a statue honoring William Dunton, the founding father of Arlington Heights was installed on the Northeast corner of Arlington Heights and Northwest Hwy. The statue is placed near where his home once stood along the railroad tracks that went through his land.

William Dunton was the founding father of Arlington Heights.

References:

Pictorial History of Arlington Heights: 1836-1936. Published by Historical Society of Arlington Heights, September 1990,Chicago Tribune article: "Sculptor's tenacity gets his statue a 2nd Chance"https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2001-08-06-0108060241-story.html

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