Lombard is located in northeastern Illinois in
DuPage County north of
Interstate 88 and west of
Interstate 294 just east of
Wheaton. The population estimate for July 1, 1998 was 42,215, an increase of 2,807 since 1990.
One of the facsinating attractions is the Dr. William LeRoy House, an Italianate architectural style home built in 1881. Dr. LeRoy specialized in making artificial limbs for Civil War veterans. A second noted inhabitant of the house was Harold Gray, creator of the Little Orphan Annie cartoon strip.
Aromatic Lilacia Park was once Col. William R. Plum's lilac garden. Plum was a volunteer telegrapher during the Civil War and later an attorney. A trip to Europe exposed him to the beauty of the lilac and hence brought several varieties back with him. It is not clear how the rank of colonel was attained.
