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This article appeared in the October 23, 1924 issue of the "LaGrange Citizen" newspaper

WHO IS BUYING FARM LANDS?

Practically Every Farm North of LaGrange

Sold Within Few Weeks

--Prices $600 to $1500

 Who is buying all the farm property north of Thirty-first street?

What industrial development is contemplated that justifies buying land at almost any price?

Why the great secrecy that surrounds the transfer of property?

These are some of the questions that are being asked by residents of that section for the purchasers of the farm lands have thrown out an effective smoke screen.

The price of property has ranged from $600 to $1500 an acre although most of the farms were bought around $900.

First one heard that Wm. Schultz had sold his 150 acre farm on Twenty-second street for $1075 an acre; then you are told that the Heidorns, north of Twenty-second had sold their extensive holdings for $985 per acre; then it develops that Mesdames A. H. Kemman, Herman Rathe, Fred Puscheck and Martha Warner had sold their eighty acres east of Puscheck road and north of the I. C. tracks for $850 an acre.  Then came the report that Henry Volberding had sold and John Miller and Louis Haas and Louis Mandel and part of the Thiele holdings--in fact the farther you inquired the more sales you heard about.

Here are the known facts:  Practically every farm west of Broadview and North Riverside along or near Twenty-second street as far west as the Cook County line has been sold within the past few weeks.

The farmers do not know the purchaser.  Different agents have handled the transactions and have told different stories, most of the reports being that the land has been bought by a New York syndicate to hold for future development.  Maybe so.  This much is certain:  the whole affair is surrounded by much mystery--and the farmers who sold at lower prices are lying awake nights figuring how much they might have cleaned up if they had known how anxious the "syndicate" was to buy.  In all cases the farmers were paid half cash and the deals were closed within a few hours after they had agreed upon a price.


This article appeared in the October 23, 1924 issue of the "LaGrange Citizen" newspaper

Last Modified:  01/01/2004