Historical society to remember Lemont's rowdy days as a village of taverns

LEMONT – Despite its quiet nature today, Lemont was once notorious for the number of taverns within its boundaries.

The Lemont Area Historical Society will revisit that history with the program "Historic Hangouts in Lemont" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Tom's Place, 110 Stephen St., Lemont.

"(The taverns are) a very real part of Lemont's history, as it was known as one of the rowdiest towns in the United States at the turn of the century," said historical society President Susan Roy.

Starting in the 1890s, the addition of the Sanitary and Ship Canal led to the establishment of several saloons, brothels and gambling houses.

Roy said that because of the shame some residents feel about this era in Lemont, certain stories of the village's history are rarely told.

Many of Lemont's older bars have closed, but others remain open, including Tom's Place.

Milan Laketa, the bars' retired owner, will share his memories at the program.

His father, Tom, opened the bar in 1924. Though this was past the turn-of-the-century Smokey Row days, it was still during the prohibition era.

Milan said his father at one time got his liquor supply from a man with Al Capone's organization.

Now 84, Milan started working at the bar in 1953. His son, Mark, took over the business eight years ago.

As a lifelong resident of Lemont, Milan can name many of the bars that used to be downtown.

He got to know a lot of the other longtime owners and see the bars change hands.

"Everybody was friendly," he said. "There was no bad feelings."

Representatives from the Carousel and Alex and Ray's are also expected to be at the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own photos and memorabilia of old Lemont hangouts.

Admission is free and refreshments will be available.

Roy said she hopes having the meeting at Tom's Place will draw people who do not normally go to historical society meetings.

"Sometimes it's a lot easier to bring the history to the community than have the community come to you," she said.

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If you go

What: "Historic Hangouts in Lemont"
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Tom's Place, 110 Stephen St., Lemont
More information: 630-257-2972, www.lemonthistorical.org