The Lilac Village
About Lombard
A guide to the parks, landmarks, and local spots worth knowing, plus a short history of how Lombard became the Lilac Village.
The map
Downtown, from the Prairie Path south through Lilacia Park and the library. Tap a name below to jump to that spot. The village and the historical society also made a story map for Lombard’s 150th anniversary.
Village story map · 2019, with the historical society
A short history
After the Black Hawk War, New Englanders settled along St. Charles Road and the DuPage River. Ralph and Morgan Babcock were among the first. By 1834 the place was called Babcock’s Grove. The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad put a station here in 1849. Josiah Lombard, a Chicago banker, platted the town in 1868. Babcock’s Grove was incorporated as the Village of Lombard on March 29, 1869.
Sheldon and Harriet Peck came in 1837. Their house at 355 E. Parkside, finished in 1839, is still the oldest in town and still on its original ground. Peck was a portrait painter and an abolitionist. The homestead is a verified stop on the Underground Railroad. The historical society runs it.
Colonel William Plum and his wife Helen built the lilac collection. They named the estate Lilacia. The park district says he left the gardens to the people as a public park and the house, in Helen’s memory, as a free library. He died in 1927. That September the town voted to accept the gift, and the Lombard Park District began. Jens Jensen designed the garden that is now Lilacia Park. The lilacs are why the nickname stuck.
Two more names from the historical society: in 1891 attorney Ellen Martin voted here, the first woman to vote in Illinois, because the charter said residents over 21 and never said men. And Harold Gray, who drew Little Orphan Annie starting in 1924, lived in Lombard.
Historical societyPark district, on the lilacsChamber historyPeck Homestead
Park
Lilacia Park
150 S Park Ave
Open every day, dawn to dusk, no entrance fee. The lilac collection is the May event. The paths are the rest of the year. The old library corner at Maple and Park is fenced-off green space for now and is planned to become part of the park.
Library
Helen Plum Library
411 S Main St
Sunday 1–5. Monday–Friday 9–9. Saturday 9–5. Storytime, the Studio 411 makerspace, and programs in the meeting rooms fill the week. Phone (630) 627-0316.
Downtown
The Arch
S Park Ave and W St Charles Rd
Downtown’s corner. The farmers market sets up here on Tuesdays from mid-May through the first Tuesday of October, 3 to 7 p.m. In 2026 the last day is October 6.
Trail
Illinois Prairie Path
Through Lombard, east–west
The old Chicago, Aurora & Elgin line, now crushed limestone. Flat riding toward Villa Park one way and Glen Ellyn the other. Not the same trail as the Great Western, which sits farther north.
Museum
Sheldon Peck Homestead
355 E Parkside Ave
Built in 1839 and still on its original site, at St. Charles and Grace. A verified Underground Railroad station and the oldest house in town. Free to visit; suggested donation is $5. Run by the Lombard Historical Society.
Metra
Lombard station
Union Pacific West, at St. Charles Rd
The downtown stop. Park, library, Arch, and the Peck house are all a short walk once you are on the platform. Check the line before you count on a train.
Village
Madison Meadow
Madison Meadow Athletic Center
Home of the Village Senior Fair. The 20th is Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. — screenings and community programs for older residents.
History
Maple Street Chapel
200 S. Main St., at Maple
The chapel of First Church of Lombard, American Gothic board-and-batten. A preservation society cares for the building and posts the days it is open for tours. The chamber’s history page dates the church’s dedication to 1870.
History
Lombard Historical Society
23 W. Maple St.
The society’s office is in the Victorian Cottage. Its museum is the Peck Homestead, east on St. Charles. The society’s history page tells the town’s story in brief, and the village’s 2019 story map covers the same ground.
Village
Village Hall
255 E Wilson Ave
Home of village government: permits, village board meetings, and the civic calendar.
Mall
Yorktown Center
203 Yorktown Shopping Center
JCPenney Kids Zone is Saturday, Oct. 10, 11 to noon, second floor near Fine Jewelry. Free. Hometown Vendor Market is in the center Oct. 23–25; the market runs it, not the mall. Coffee with the village president is here Oct. 24.
Parks
Butterfield Park District
21W730 Butterfield Rd
A separate district from the Lombard Park District. Offices are open weekdays 8:30 to 4:30. Phone (630) 858-2229. The board meets the second Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Recreation & Aquatic Center, same address. The public can attend. Next is Oct. 8. The 2026 pool season ended Labor Day weekend. Fall Fest was Oct. 3 at The Pavilion at The Glen, in Glen Ellyn.
Parks
York Center Park District
1609 S Luther Ave
Also separate from the Lombard Park District. The office is open weekdays 9 to 5. The finance committee meets Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 9 a.m., according to a legal notice in the Daily Herald.
The parishes
Mass times, Knights of Columbus meetings, and parish events have their own page.
Catholic cornerWho runs the summer traditions
Cruise Nights are the Village of Lombard, presented by Tommy’s Express Car Wash. The 2026 season was the 27th, and it was free. Ten Saturdays, June 13 through August 22, on South Park Avenue, 6 to 10 p.m., with music from 6 to 9. Classic cars ran through August 15. August 22 was a concert only: Hi Infidelity, 6 to 9, stage on St. Charles just west of Main, chairs after 4, no cars. Kids’ Corner was Keeley’s Plumbing and Christopher B. Burke Engineering. Next year’s dates are not posted.
The parade is the Lombard Lilac Parade Committee, a separate group since 1929. Phone (630) 415-2079. P.O. Box 82. In 2026 it stepped off Sunday, May 17, at 1:30 p.m., from Glenbard East, 1014 S. Main. The theme was “Happy 250th Birthday America.” The village posted the parking rules for that afternoon. The committee’s next scheduled date is a marshal safety meeting, May 13, 2027, at 7 p.m., at the Log Cabin. The 2027 parade date hasn’t been announced yet.
The queen and the princesses are the Lombard Junior Women’s Club, since 2001. Five princesses, $1,500 each, from a village tourism grant. The crowning is the first Saturday in May. In 2026 that was May 2, 1 p.m., at Lilacia Park. The 2025 queen was Marisa Olas. The same club is taking new socks through Nov. 2 and is one of the groups at Pumpkin Smash.
Cruise NightsPorch notes
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