Glen Ellyn holds a genuinely unusual local record — the village has been known by seven different names since its earliest settlement in 1833: Babcock's Grove, DuPage Center, Stacy's Corners, Newton Station, Danby, Prospect Park, and finally Glen Ellyn in 1885. Each change tells a small piece of the village's history, from postal mix-ups to a deliberate rebrand around a new man-made lake. See the current Glen Ellyn to O'Hare fare →
Seven Names, One Village
Few towns in the region can claim as many identities as Glen Ellyn. The area was first settled in 1833 as Babcock's Grove, named for early settlers Ralph and Morgan Babcock. Over the following decades it went through DuPage Center, then Stacy's Corners, then Newton Station — renamed again to Danby in 1851 after a new postmaster from Danby, Vermont, discovered another Illinois town already using the Newton Station name. In 1874, Danby's postwar reputation had grown "rowdyish" enough that village leaders rebranded it Prospect Park, hoping a fresh name would help its image.
Why the Name Finally Stuck in 1885
The name that finally lasted came from a deliberate act of civic marketing. In the mid-1880s, village founders Thomas E. Hill and Seth Baker built a man-made lake in town, and the community renamed itself around it — Glen Ellyn, combining "glen" for the wooded valley setting with "Ellyn," the Welsh spelling of Ellen, in honor of Hill's wife. The lake and the new name helped position the village as a resort destination for Chicagoans looking to escape the city, a reputation that helped shape Glen Ellyn's identity as it grew into the walkable, tree-lined suburb it is today.
The Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta
Modern Glen Ellyn keeps a lighter connection to its lake-town history alive each July with the Cardboard Boat Regatta on Lake Ellyn — a community event where homemade boats built entirely from cardboard race across the water, to predictably mixed and often entertaining results. If your travel dates land on regatta weekend, expect a bump in local foot traffic and parking demand right around the lake and downtown area, similar to any well-attended community festival.
Route and Timing to O'Hare
Glen Ellyn-area trips to O'Hare typically route via I-88 (Reagan Memorial Tollway) and I-294. Under normal conditions, that's about 30 minutes. A few things that change it:
- Weekday rush hour (roughly 6:30–9:00am and 3:30–6:30pm) can add 10–15 minutes.
- I-88 and I-294 are fully electronic tollways. With I-PASS, tolls typically run a few dollars each way; without a transponder, expect a mailed bill at a higher rate. Rates are set by the Illinois Tollway and are subject to change — confirm current pricing at illinoistollway.com.
- Cardboard Boat Regatta weekend can add local delay near downtown and the lake, separate from normal highway traffic.
General buffer guidance: arrive about 2 hours before boarding for domestic flights and about 3 hours before boarding for international flights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Glen Ellyn really have seven different names?
Yes — Babcock's Grove, DuPage Center, Stacy's Corners, Newton Station, Danby, Prospect Park, and finally Glen Ellyn in 1885, an unusually long list of renamings for one village.
Why did the village change its name so many times?
Reasons varied — a postal conflict with another town of the same name, a deliberate effort to improve the community's reputation, and finally a marketing-driven rebrand around a newly built lake.
Is the Cardboard Boat Regatta open to spectators?
It's a community event held on Lake Ellyn each July, and it draws local spectators along with the participants — worth checking current-year dates if your travel plans might overlap.
Does regatta weekend affect the drive to O'Hare?
Mainly just local traffic near downtown and the lake — the highway portion of the trip isn't significantly affected.
Is Lake Ellyn the same lake the village is named after?
Yes — the lake built in the 1880s by Thomas E. Hill and Seth Baker is the same one that gave the village its final, lasting name.
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Historical details referenced in this guide are drawn from publicly available local history sources. Route and toll information is general and subject to change — confirm current toll rates at illinoistollway.com before your trip.
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