Other municipalities have history. Essex has prehistoric history.

Essex is a home of the Tully Monster, Tullymonstrum Gregarium, the official state fossil of Illinois. Essex was once big in coal mining, so a lot of earth has been moved in that area of Kankakee County.

The Tully Monster was a small marine creature, 6-8 inches long, that swam of the Sea of Illinois 300 million years ago. It had a toothy claw at the front end and an airplane-like fin at the back end. It was unearthed by and named for Francis Tully, a pipefitter from Lockport. Tully, an amateur fossil hunter, had found the creature’s remains in 1955. The first attempt to name it the state fossil was vetoed, but it passed on a second attempt in 1989.

Essex deserves notoriety, too, for a more modern trend. It is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, growing communities in the Kankakee County area. The Census of 1970 showed it with 364 residents. By 2020 it had more than doubled to 841.

Gerald Hakey is the current mayor of Essex, having served in that role for 20 years. He is a retired contractor, who now works in grounds and maintenance for the South Wilmington

The mayor before him was Dave Dvorak, who held the position for 35 years. Once known as the youngest mayor in the state, Essex thought so much of him that they created Dave’s Park, with a slide and modern playground equipment, within eyesight of the village hall.

The village clerk is Emily Dockery, a native to the town. She describes Essex as a place with a strong commitment to family life.

They say that a combination of reasonable taxes and the strong appeal of the Reed-Custer school district have fueled the growth. It is also one of the areas that has attracted developers, beginning with the Kurtenbach lots in the 1970s and then proceeding to the Schott Development, the construction around the High Point Golf Course and Essex Landing.

Though rising interest rates have slowed things a bit, Essex is still a place where you would not be alone in buying a lot and building your dream home.

There are businesses in town. You can dine at the Red Bar, the Essex Inn or 1885, a name the celebrates the incorporation of the community. There is also the golf course and a Dollar General. Alas, while there were once as many as five gas stations in town, there are none now.

Improvements are on the way. Main Street has just been repaved, a Kankakee County project, since it is a county road. The village hall is in the process of being remodeled, with new windows and doors.

Some drainage work is coming and an asphalt walkway is in the works that will help tie the town together. That will take advantage of an old railroad bed.

Essex was once held a railroad crossroads. The Wabash ran southwest to northeast. The Cleveland and Cincinnati ran northwest to southeast. Both are gone now. Dvorak remembers taking the train to Chicago as a boy, going Christmas shopping with his aunt. In the past, there was both passenger service and the necessity of hauling coal out.

These days folks haul themselves out as commuters. You can hop onto Interstate 55 or the Peotone Road to head to jobs. The current and former mayor say that several Essex residents work at the refineries in Joliet or at the Constellation nuclear plants.

Fire and ambulance services are provided by the Essex Township Volunteer Fire Protection District. The town has its own police department, one officer, who patrols for speeders. Real crime is rare.

There are two parks, the aforementioned Dave’s Park, which includes a pavilion; and Veterans Park, which was organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. Veterans Park holds the town’s three ball diamonds, which can be used for baseball and softball. There are also soccer fields. Off and on, over the years, the town has had youth sports. Right now, officials are hopeful that a group of parents will come forward and get things organized. There is an active 4-H club.

Essex contracts out its trash pickup, which also includes recycling. The village has its own sewer system. Water, however, is provided by individual wells.

A lot of nearby lakes and ponds provide great fishing. It is an area rich for fishermen, swimmers and boaters. The state record Northern Pike, they say, was pulled out of nearby Monster Lake. Every day, Dvorak says, is like a holiday.

The town has two cemeteries, which both have Grand Army of the Republic memorials remembering the men who served in the Civil War. Churches included the United Methodist and the Catholic St. Lawrence O’Toole.

While there is no library, there is a historical society that has converted the old schoolhouse from 1897 into a small museum. The village hall has a collection of scrapbooks from the past, including the minutes of the very first village meeting and the records of the PTA from the 1940s and 1950s.

Halloween is a big date on the Essex calendar, with hot dogs and a bonfire. Mayor Hakey would love to bring a town celebration back. The dedication of Dave’s Park in May was a good celebration. He’s hoping for a spring event with games and music.

Village board meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month. Dvorak remembers a time, many years ago, when he joked that they had to pass the hat to come up with enough money to keep the lights on.

That’s not the case now.

Being the village president is a case of providing a service, but it also has given both Dvorak and Hakey a sense of purpose and the reward of helping others.

“There is satisfaction in knowing you are helping,” Hakey says.