You may not know the name Theodore J. Schmitz but you definitely know of his legacy.
It was the Elgin man’s idea to mark the center of roads with yellow paint as a means of dividing traffic and keeping cars in the proper lanes, a concept first applied on the streets of Elgin.
It’s his story and six others that will come to life Saturday and Sunday during the 38th annual Bluff City Cemetery Walk presented by the Elgin History Museum. Actors portray the people featured in the walk and dress in costume.
The theme of this year’s walk are local people who made innovations in transportation, a fitting concept given that U.S. 20 marks its 100th anniversary this year, walk co-chair John Devine said.
Schmitz, a 28-year employee of the Elgin National Watch Co., became interested in automobiles early on and would go on to help establish the Elgin Motor Club and become an advocate for road safety measures like speed limits. He also helped ensure that Route 20 went through Elgin.
But his lasting impact came with the concept of a simple painted line — later known as the “Illinois line” — to keep car drivers on the right side of the road to reduce collisions.
“(It was) quickly adopted by the state of Illinois, the U.S. and then around the world,” Devine said. “People who know their transportation history have heard the story, but for a lot of people it will be an eye-opener.”
Another of the people to be featured on the walk this year is Alice Byrd Potter, the first woman to drive from Chicago to New York.
“The best way to describe her is a renaissance woman, a modern renaissance woman,” Devine said.
Born and raised in Elgin, Potter taught dance and piano and was known for her involvement in the arts.
“When the automobile age arrived, she was tremendously interested,” Devine said. “So much so that she learned how to be her own mechanic to maintain her own car.”
When she and two friends decided in 1908 to take a road trip to the East Coast — unheard of at the time for women — people greeted her along the route and newspapers wrote articles about her, he said.
Potter had just one flat tire during the journey, and she changed it herself.
“She was really a remarkable person, taking that kind of risk and initiative,” Devine said. “It’s a pretty special achievement.”
The other prominent Elgin residents included on this year’s walk are:
David McBride, an inventor and early car dealership owner;
Leo McGrath, who founded three car dealerships and built the first freestanding Honda dealership in the Chicago area;
Clarence W. (C.W.) Helm, who helped open Elgin’s first airport and flight school;
Charles Harrison Burnidge, Elgin Township’s first road commissioner;
Frank Wood, credited with bringing the Elgin National Road Races to the city.
Tour guests will see a rare 1927 Buick sedan, an Elgin Sweeper and a cutout of the “Elgin Piston Pin Special,” a race car entered in the 1940 Indy 500.
The cemetery walk is held rain or shine, Devine said, and has had an attendance of about 600 in recent years. Interest among people under age 40 is growing, he said.
“I think part of it is just an interest in being involved in the community,” he said. “Also, we’ve had a few actors under 40. Of course, they invite their friends, and they discover what a warm-hearted event the cemetery walk is.”
Learning the history of some of Elgin’s more prominent residents is appealing because it helps guests appreciate the town in which they live, but there’s also the “quiet beauty of Bluff City Cemetery, which is something very special,” he said.
The walks, which last about 90 minutes, will be held at 3 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. A tram is available but space is limited.
Tickets are $20 for museum members and $25 for guests. They can only be purchased online at www.elginhistory.org/2025-cemetery-walk.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.