The Village of Midlothian Historical Society consists of volunteers that are dedicated to the preservation of Midlothian's history. The Historical Society Museum is housed in Midlothian’s old Library building across from Springfield School.
Our hope is to maintain an awareness and appreciation of the history of the place we call home. The Historical Society is open the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM.
Until the turn of the century, the area now known as the Village of Midlothian - named for an ancient borough in Scotland - was little more than a milk stop along the Rock Island Railroad serving a few area farmers. In 1900, a group of wealthy Chicago industrialists, looking for respite and retreat from the crowded city, discovered the green knolls and rolling fairways of the new Midlothian Country Club and golf course. Deciding they needed faster transportation, they petitioned the Rock Island to build a spur track, and soon passenger trains were speeding people from Chicago to the quiet little village.
By 1927, there were so many people living in the area that community leaders decided it was time to formally organize the community and incorporate it. On March 17, it was incorporated as the Village of Midlothian, taking its name from the golf club around which the community had grown and prospered. The following month, John H. Hamilton was elected as the village's first president.
In 1949 Midlothian's present Village Hall was built at 148th and Pulaski. It provided a permanent home for the village staff. The facilities have been expanded and recently renovated; the Village Hall complex now houses the administrative staff, public works offices and garages, the fire department administrative offices and Station 1, the police department administrative offices, records, communications and investigative resources, a conference room and meeting room used by residents as well as staff, and the Village Board Chambers. Monthly hearings for parking tickets and housing-code violations are also held in the Chambers.