South Cook Explore

Historic Landmarks on Google Maps

Click any link below to use. These maps can be used on any browser, but intended for mobile use with Google Maps app [iOS or Android, but not Apple Maps.] Each map contains varying levels of historic information tagged to each location. Open any link below and your phone becomes an instant, free walking tour app.

(Note: these links may initially launch in a mobile web browser, but should prompt to view in Google Maps app if not initially opened in iOS app)

Chicagoland Historic Landmarks and Districts

Maps in this section vary from official municipality local landmarks to suggested walking tours from local historical societies to republished lists of historic homes. Added descriptions are included in each map's link description when available. Most of these maps are able to be walked or biked, but some include landmarks that may require driving.

Cook County

Arlington Heights - historic homes around the Dunton settlement near Northwest Highway

Blue Island - Prehistoric glacial island with over 50 historic landmarks

Chicago Heights - Chicago Heights Historic Preservation Advisory Committee historic landmarks *note CHHPAC's Landmarks page is incomplete

Dolton - Former Dolton Historical Society's locations from a hand-drawn map, pre-1980

Evanston- National Historic Landmark apartments and more on the North Shore

Flossmoor - Illinois Central's golf capital along Dixie Highway (ongoing, awaiting results from The Foundation for the Preservation of Flossmoor History)

Harvey - @SouthCookExplore creation including a proposed historic district and pinned landmarks in Downtown Harvey (ongoing)

Homewood - Homewood Historical Society's official landmarks

La Grange - La Grange Area Historical Society's Walking Tours #1-5, consolidated into one list

Lansing - Notable locations near Ridge Road and Pennsy Greenway

Lemont - National Historic District near the limestone quarries of the Des Plaines River Valley (ongoing, requires listing descriptions)

Matteson - Matteson's Historical Society's Old Matteson landmarks and more

Maywood - Maywood's 17 National Historic Landmarks, and local landmarks

Midlothian- Midlothian Historical Society's list of historic landmarks and other notable structures near the Sibley and Rock Island intersection

Oak Lawn - Historic Preservation Commission's official landmarks near 95th Street and Wabash Railroad

Orland Park - Orland Historical Society's walking tour PowerPoint of historic sites, includes notable locations

Park Ridge - originally Pennyville, these are the designated landmarks of Chicago's north side brick city

Palatine - upcoming landmarks with plaques and historic homes collection

Palos Park - Four official landmarks and collection of 16 locations [mostly residential] taken from Images of America: Palos Park

Riverdale - Village adjacent to Little Calumet River and Chicago community of the same name

River Forest- Historic District featuring multiple Frank Lloyd Wright homes (ongoing)

Riverside - National Historic Riverside's Historic First Division walking tour from the Riverside Museum, and more (ongoing)

Schaumburg - Olde Schaumburg Centre's landmarks and contributing structures

South Holland - South Holland Historical Society Dutch wooden shoe markers on local homes and businesses and more (ongoing)

Thornton - Collection of historic buildings and markers in Thornton, using data from the extensively detailed Thornton Historical Society (ongoing)

Tinley Park - Chartered as the Bremen Historical Society of Tinley Park - village's official historic sites

Worth - The Friendly Village's historic homes and locations near 111th and Harlem Avenue

South Cook County - includes locations in Alsip, Burnham, Chicago Ridge, Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest, Richton Park, Sauk Village, Steger, and Willow Springs

Will County

Crete - Historic homes and businesses along Dixie Highway and Exchange Street

Frankfort - Notable landmarks and locations from the 1996 National Register designation survey

Joliet - Over 100 landmarks in the City of Stone, including several National Historic Landmarks and Districts (ongoing)

Lockport - National Historic District along I&M Canal

Manhattan - Intersection of US 52 and the Wabash Railroad (ongoing)

Mokena - Oldest Rock Island Railroad stop between Blue Island and Joliet with various notable locations listed

Monee - Old Egyptian Trail - now Governors Highway rural town's proposed landmarks and district in cited PDF

New Lenox - New Lenox Area Historical Society's collection of official landmarks

Peotone - Historic District adjacent to Illinois Central tracks (ongoing)

Plainfield - Will County's oldest town with historic district borders Lincoln Highway and Route 66

Wilmington - Historic downtown on Route 66 and Kankakee River (ongoing)

DuPage County

Downers Grove - The official landmarks and sites of the Downers Grove Historical Society and recent walking tour locations in downtown [Sears Homes found here]

Glen Ellyn - Designated landmarks around the original Stacy's Corners (ongoing)

Hinsdale - Includes local and national landmarks, as well as two historic districts

Lisle - Layers for Museums at Lisle Station Park, historic homes and more (ongoing)

Lombard - The Lilac capitol of DuPage County (ongoing)

Naperville - Collection of landmarks, locations within historic district and the Naper Settlement Outdoor History Museum (ongoing)

Warrenville - Home collection predating 1866

Wheaton - County seat of DuPage County's 160+ local landmarks

Chicago

Chicago - All local landmarks within Chicago; Historic Districts included

Beverly / Ridge Historical Society - unique RHS markers for the former largest historic district in America (ongoing)

Edgewater - Edgewater Historical Society's local landmarks in the Andersonville and Bryn Mawr Historic Districts

Pilsen - Historic 19th century Czech district in Chicago's vibrant artistic Hispanic community

Pullman - The Pullman National Monument and Chicago neighborhood landmarks (ongoing)

Illinois

Alton- Western Illinois city famous for Lincoln / Douglas Debates overlooking The Mississippi River

Aurora - Illinois' second largest city's designated landmarks collection

Champaign - Historic downtown district near University of Illinois

Danville - Vermilion County's textile capitol on Dixie Highway (ongoing)

Elgin - List of 22 of Elgin's historic landmarks and multiple historic districts

Galena - Historic northwest Illinois town, home of President / General Grant

Geneva - Official landmarks and historic district near the Fox River (ongoing)

Kankakee - Kankakee Downtown Historic District's complete 73-structure listing

LaSalle - The southern terminus of the I&M Canal, original map made by city of LaSalle

Moline - Plow City's historic landmarks within Quad Cities

Momence - Historic downtown district at Dixie Highway and the Kankakee River

Morris - I&M Canal town with historic downtown area

Oswego - Historic district located along the Fox River

Peoria- Industrial and agricultural central Illinois town along the Illinois River (ongoing)

Rockford - Historic landmarks and districts in Winnebago County's largest city

Rock Island - Illinois' Arsenal Island located along the Mississippi River

Ottawa - The gateway to Starved Rock, located at the confluence of the Fox and Illinois Rivers

Springfield - National Parks District to local landmarks in the Illinois State Capitol (ongoing)

St. Charles - Historic downtown district on Main Street along Fox River

Urbana - Home to University of Illinois, and many local to national landmarks

Waukegan - Lake County's north suburb on Lake Michigan with local landmarks

Woodstock- The county seat of McHenry County

Northwest Indiana

Beverly Shores - Historic structures and the Century of Progress Architectural District

Crown Point - Crown Point Courthouse Square Historic District's inventory for listings on National Register of Historic Places

East Chicago - Landmarks near The Twin Cities along Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal

Gary - Steel City's historic landmarks and districts

Miller Beach - Gary's northernmost neighborhood and beachfront landmarks

More coming soon! email SouthCookExplore@gmail.com for suggestions!

Themed Walking Routes
Maps in this section vary in origin, and credit is provided to those not created by SouthCookExplore in descriptions. These are intended to be used as biking or walking guides by theme, including catalog homes, historic neighborhoods and districts, and more.

Cal-Sag Trail From a way-finding Blue Island PDF. The Cal-Sag Trail was intended to have informational signage along the trail

Downers Grove Sears Homes - Over 150 Sears homes were delivered along the BNSF to Downers Grove, 25 are included here

Dimmitt's Grove Historic House Walk - Bloomington's National Register of Historic Places district's homes

Flossmoor Park's Centennial House Walk - Foundation for the Preservation of Flossmoor History's guide on homes build in 1924 and created for the village's one-hundredth anniversary.

Flossmoor Sculpture Gardens - Sculpture collection locations both on permanent and rotational display (ongoing)

George Grant Elmslie in Aurora, IL - Largest collection of the architect's work as five commercial buildings

Glendale Park Historic District - Hammond's National Historic District of 16 homes

Homewood's Richard Haas Murals - Collection of 15 large, illusion murals from 1980's to today

La Grange Catalogue Homes - La Grange Area Historical Society's eight of twelve homes made by Sears, Sterling, and more

Longwood Drive Historic District - Walking tour of historic Chicago homes on the north side of the Blue Island Ridge

Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park - Located at Governors State University, 'the Nate', is a 30+ sculpture art gallery on 100 acres of prairie landscape

Riverview Historic District - Kankakee's historic homes along the Kankakee River

Robert Seyfarth's Blue Island Homes - All eight of Blue Island's Robert Seyfarth-designed homes

More coming soon! Requests available at southcookexplore@gmail.com or Instagram @SouthCookExplore

SouthCookExplore Maps as Directories
Are you driving somewhere new? Taking a train to a new location this weekend? Want to visit your local historical society's museum? Check out these maps and see what's a car or train ride away!

Auto Trail Triangle (State-Wide) - Lincoln Highway, Dixie Highway and Route 66 murals and informational signs in Illinois (ongoing)

Chicagoland Art Centers and Galleries - Created for the Hairpin Arts Center in Chicago, a quick guide to Chicagoland studios and galleries

Chicagoland Historic Train Depots - A collection of Metra depots and CTA stations over 100 years old (ongoing)

DuPage County Historic Landmarks - All DuPage County National Historic Landmark locations

Elgin Bungalow Thematic District - Bungalows across Elgin!

Environmental and Nature Centers of Chicagoland - Dedicated nature centers throughout Chicagoland

Grundy County Historic Landmarks - All Grundy County National Historic Landmark locations

Haunted Chicagoland- By popular demand! (ongoing)

Kendall County Historic Landmarks -All Kendall County National Historic Landmarks and Districts

Kankakee County Historic Landmarks - All Kankakee County National Historic Landmarks and Districts

Lake County, IL Historic Landmarks - All Lake County, IL National Historic Landmarks (districts to be added later)

Lake County, Indiana Historic Landmarks - All Lake County, IN National Historic Landmark locations

Chicagoland's Historical Societies + Museums - All area historical societies and museums [ongoing - will include updated hours for every location!]
2023 Modernism Road Rally - 13 Flossmoor and Olympia Fields Mid-Century Modern homes from the 2023 tour, presented by National Trust for Historic Preservation, Edith Farnsworth House, and The Foundation for the Preservation of Flossmoor History

South / Southwest Breweries - Dixie Highway Brewery Trail, I&M Canal Bike & Brew, Rock Island District Brew Line Tour

Underground Railroad locations - various current and former sites freedom seekers used fleeing Chicagoland for Detroit / Canada [ongoing]

Will County Centennial Committee Markers - with no documentation online, this is an attempt to document all of the 1936 centennial committee's markers throughout Will County (ongoing)

Will County Historic Landmarks - All Will County Local Landmark locations

Requests available at southcookexplore@gmail.com or Instagram @SouthCookExplore

Midwest / Great Lakes Maps

By request, new maps of non-Chicagoland metro areas outside of Illinois are being added here

St Louis, MO City Landmarks - The gateway to the west, exploring all designated city landmarks

Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis/St. Paul and others coming soon!

Requests available at southcookexplore@gmail.com or Instagram @SouthCookExplore

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