Society of the Divine Word Hands Over Historic Road

The Village of Northbrook officially took over Founders Dr. from the society of Catholic missionaries at a ribbon cutting Tuesday.

With scissors and a red ribbon, the Village of Northbrook officially took over what was once a missionary trail through the prairie in a ceremony Oct. 12.

The Society of the Divine Word, a Catholic mission that owns several hundred acres of real estate in the Techny area of Northbrook, handed over the mile-long Founders Drive as part of a public-private partnership with the village.

"The Society has made an enormous investment in planning the use of its land, and in developing the infrastructure needed to support it," said Northbrook President Sandra Frum. "Taxpayers did not have to pay to build Founders Drive, but its benefits are shared now by all Northbrook residents."

Named for the saints who founded the order of the Divine Word in Techny, Founders Drive cost the society $2.5 million to build; construction began in 2005. The road is just one small portion of the now-developed 700 acres that the society annexed to the village in 1988 in return for police protection and access to water. Today, that land includes leased real estate, like the shops of Willow Festival and the headquarters of Crate and Barrel, as well as Techny Park and Prairie, which was donated to the park district.

In her address at the ribbon cutting, Historical Society President Judy Hughes carried attendees back to the time when Techny was open prairie inhabited by Native Americans. The first settlers bought the land from the U.S. government for $1.25 an acre in 1843, Hughes explained, and the Divine Word Society founded the first American home for its missionaries in Techny in 1899.

"The footsteps of many traveled back and forth between the Techny property and the railroad station on a road cut through the prairie," Hughes said. "While the footfalls and horse hooves are now replaced by mechanical modes of travel, the silent footsteps echo still."

Today, Founders Drive provides access from Waukegan Rd. to the shops of Willow Festival and to the homes behind it, avoiding traffic at the intersection of Waukegan and Willow roads.

"This is another step in the evolution of this land," said the Rev. Sunny Francis, who is board president of the Techny Land Corporation, which administers the Society's real estate. "Over a century ago, this was farm land that helped support our community. Today, it is part of a diverse development that has brought tremendous benefit to the community and remains an important resource for the Society to support our mission work around the world."

The Society of the Divine Word has missionaries in 70 countries around the world and includes 6,000 priests and brothers, Francis said.