La Grange was incorporated in 1879, and La Grange Park in 1892. Both areas were farmland before being developed as residential communities. Today, a large section of La Grange is a National Register Historic District, and this area is dominated by large Victorian and early-twentieth-century homes. In fact, the most striking feature of La Grange and La Grange Park is the well-preserved state of their vintage housing. Both villages have maintained a small-town look and feel that has attracted many families to the area. During World War I, the Marx Brothers, in order to avoid military service,...