The residents of Olympia Fields take great pride in Welcoming you to learn more about their community located just 25 miles south of the Chicago Loop. The President and Board of Trustees hope that you find this community a wonderful place to live and raise your family. This HomePage was designed to answer many of the questions commonly raised about the history, services, and governance of Olympia Fields.
Residents of Olympia Fields enjoy an easy commute to and from Chicago, Joliet and the surrounding suburbs via the Calumet Expressway (I-94), the Tri-State Tollway (I-80/94) I-57 and U.S. Route 30. Commutes into and out of Chicago take less than an hour. For those who would rather not drive, METRA Trains provide full, 24 hour service. Two METRA stations service the community at both the north and south end of town, which make the Chicago commute a pleasant experience. Abundant parking is also available at the station located at Kedzie Avenue and Lincoln Highway.
In the autumn of 1913, a man with a dream left the Illinois Central train at Flossmoor, Illinois, and began traveling on foot in a southeasterly direction. All afternoon he wandered through the inviting woodlands and terrain of what in now the Village of Olympia Fields, musing that this could be the location for not one, but several, golf courses, and a village to serve a growing community of individuals interested in nature and sports.
On the third day he invited a friend to explore the location and
by night, there were two enthusiasts instead of one. These two men
were Charles Beach, the founder of the Olympia Fields Country Club
and the first president of what was to become, 14 years later, the
incorporated Village of Olympia Fields; and James P. Gardner,
destined to become the second president of the future 72-hole
Country Club. From the onset, the history of the Village has been
linked with the Country Club.
Alonzo Stagg, the first president of the Country Club and famed football coach of the University of Chicago, proposed the name "Olympia." It was suggestive of ancient Grecian people, customs, and athletic skill. The Woodland setting, farmland, and country club made the name "Olympia Fields" seem most appropriate. It is also interesting to note that all streets in early subdivisions had Greek names-Athens, Corinth, Hellenic, Parthenon, Sparta, etc.
1927 was an active and prosperous year at the Olympia Fields Country Club. It was decided that for orderly growth, it would be best to incorporate the community. but state law required a minimum population of 150.
During the summer months, many families lived in tent colonies (canvas and frame houses) around the greens of the Country Club. The Illinois Central Railroad also housed employees in work trains alongside the tracks in Olympia Fields. The organizing group registered both groups to vote, thereby establishing their residency and facilitating a referendum. When the votes were counted, there were 42 votes for incorporation and 16 against.
The logo for Olympia Fields depicts the Greek God Hermes, messenger and herald. Hermes was also the giver of increases to herds, guardian of boundaries, roads and commerce, and god of science and invention.