The village was incorporated on November 27th, 1957. Formerly known as Troy, Shorewood's roots date back to the 1830's when its mills and sheep farms were the primary source of commerce and economic welfare.

By the early 20's Shorewood had developed into a fishing and resort community with several summer cottages along the DuPage River. During the 1950's, during it's incorporation, the village name of Troy was dropped due to an existing community of the same name and Shorewood was adopted as the new village name.

Today, Shorewood still provides the scenic beauty and serenity that vacationers sought in the 20's, but it also carries thriving commercial, industrial, agricultural, and retail industries geared for growth and progress. The once small town of 358 has grown to over 10,000 full-time residents over the past 50 years and anticipates potentially quadrupling that number over time.

From the village's website at www.vil.shorewood.il.us "Shorewood is ready and willing to accommodate expansion while maintaining the integrity of a municipality devoted to the needs and comforts of its residential citizens through carefull planning".