The tribes of the Potawatomi Indians who lived here had amicably ceded the land to the farmers of Northern Europe who were arriving in the mid-1800s, and well past the turn of the Century, the immigrants settling in the area were still arriving from Ireland and Sweden, followed by English, German and other Northern European cultures.

That was about to change.

In the 1920s, Highwood experienced an influx of Italians, many from the downstate coal mines, looking for work, and an affordable place to live and raise families. They were followed by family members and friends from Italy, and settled in the area known as Highwood.

The timing was right. The need was great. Many found work as manual laborers, stone masons, carpenters, wood and stone artists, landscapers and gardeners. Many of the women and girls found work as laundresses, maids and housekeepers for the newly wealthy living in nearby villages and cities.

But, I digress. This page is supposed to be about trivia, so here goes...

According to genealogist, historian and author Joseph Battaglia, here is a list of the most common Italian surnames in the United States, as reported in the U.S. World Herald:

(There MUST be a tie-in with Highwood in there somewhere, but I seem to have gotten myself a bit lost.)