Mill leads to early establishment of area now known as Shorewood

This article is the 2nd in a series of short histories of the Shorewood area.   Although many residents have always known the name of their village as Shorewood, those with family that helped settle the area may remember it was once called Troy.

Families with a long-standing history in the community might recall an area called Grinton. According to a Rural Historic Structural Survey of Joliet and Troy Townships, created for the Will County Land Use Department and Will County Historic Preservation Commission, Grinton became the nucleus for a resort and fishing community, incorporated as the village of Shorewood in 1957.

According to the report, Grinton developed around a mill on the DuPage River. William Grinton, an early settler, constructed a three-story water-powered flour mill in 1845.  The mill would have been located behind where the old Ski and Bike Chalet used to be, 308 E. Jefferson St., in Shorewood.     

Nearby the mill were two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, a horeshoe shop and two saloons. The report stated that while the area was known as Grinton, it was also sometimes called Grintonville or Grinton's Mill, even after Grinton sold it to J. I. Mather.

The area was also home to a factory for converting wool into cards, built by the McEvoys in 1848 or 1849, according to a history of Troy Township and its schools, compiled by Carol Hanan.

In the late 1880s, when use of the Illinois and Michigan Canal slowed and more freight traffic began using railroads, Grinton struggled and eventually failed, according to the report. By the 1920s, plat maps identified the small settlement of Grinton as Troy, after the township. Remains of Grinton still exist along the river under the Route 59 bridge.

Hammel Woods Forest Preserve, part of the Forest Preserve District of Will County, is located at the site of the historic Grinton Mill.

Deb Olson | 815-955-0428 | DebOlsonSellsHomes.com | Spring Realty, 852 Sharp Dr., Suite N, Shorewood, IL