As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago's famous Loop "L" that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America's fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Special 75th anniversary supplement issue of the Wilmette Life, published in 1947, covering the history of the village of Wilmette from its earliest settlement to 1947. 

Antoine Ouilmette : a resident of Chicago A. D. 1790-1826 : the first settler of Evanston and Wilmette (1826-1838) with a brief history of his family and the Ouilmette reservation

They are the suburban jewels that crown one of the world's premier cities. Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff: together, they comprise the North Shore of Chicago, a social registry of eight communities that serve as a genteel enclave of affluence, culture, and high society. Historian Michael H. Ebner explains the origins and evolution of the North Shore as a distinctive region. At the same time, he tells the paradoxical story of how these suburbs, with their common heritage, mutual values, and shared aspirations, still preserve their distinctly separate identities. Embedded in this history are important lessons about the uneasy development of the American metropolis.

A series of historical essays on the village, originally printed in the Wilmette Life in the 1950s. This book is also available online through the Library's Local History Digital Collection.  

From the evolution of street lighting to the railroad crossing controversy to the making of Wilmette Harbor, Dave Leach enthusiastically explored fascinating nooks and crannies of Wilmette history in his essays in the Village newsletter. This volume collects a generous helping of favorites, illustrated with photos from the Wilmette Historical Museum’s collection.

This book by Robert Shea tells about the dispute over No Man's Land, Illinois, an unincorporated strip of land in between Wilmette and Kenilworth, Illinois. The title refers to Plaza del Lago shopping center, which had been created as a revitalization of the former 'Spanish Court' shopping center during the area's rejuvenation.

Wilmette is best known for its tree-lined, brick-paved streets, nice homes, and lovely lakefront. Yet a peek beneath this placid suburban surface reveals a surprisingly lively history, ranging from the early years of hardscrabble farms carved out of dense forest to decades of conflict with German-speaking tavern owners in the culturally distinctive village of Gross Point. "No Man's Land" along Sheridan Road once sported a dazzling movie palace and a Jazz Age nightclub, along with hot dog stands, beach clubs, and speakeasies that defied Wilmette's buttoned-down reputation. The huge engineering effort to reverse the flow of the Chicago River bestowed on the village a cozy harbor and a busy lakefront park, both soon dominated by the massively incongruous but serenely beautiful Baha'i Temple. Hometown to such diverse figures as Charlton Heston, Ann-Margret, Bill Murray, Pete Wentz, and Rahm Emanuel, Wilmette has long been a fine place to grow up, as well as a bustling, civic-minded community with more than its share of surprises.

A history of Wilmette for young readers. Lively narrative, imaginative layout, "fun facts," and over 50 photographs, drawings and maps.

History of the town of Wilmette, Illinois from the first settlement by the Ouilmette family, to the year of America's bicentennial in 1976. With many photos, maps, drawings, newspaper clippings.

Wilmette at 150 is a collection of illuminating stories that feature and celebrate the people, places, and events that have shaped the village and created its unique character over the last century and a half. These stories present the grandeur of the lakefront, the turmoil of No Man's Land, the devastation wrought by a Palm Sunday tornado, the beauty of a tree memorial built for blind Judge Kolman, the final moments of notorious gangster Baby Face Nelson, the inspirational visit by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to promote racial justice and unity, and much more.

John Jacoby, a long-time Wilmette resident and former Village President (1989-1997), weaves all these stories into a fabric of village history-a history that includes success and failure, joy and tragedy, principle and pragmatism, unity and division. Wilmette at 150 is a tapestry that both honors the past and welcomes the future with insight, energy, and confidence.