The village of Lemont began during the planning and construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal (I&M Canal), in the mid 1800s. The location of the town of Lemont is just west of the originally planned location of a town on the I&M Canal to be called "Athens". The town of Athens was never built, due to the proximity of the village of Lemont. The town provided support services for construction of the canal, providing housing as well as a red light district known as "Smokey Row". Many of the original buildings of this era still exist in the downtown area. The historic central business district, adjacent to the I&M Canal, contains numerous examples of architectural styles of the mid 1800s. Many of these buildings are constructed of locally quarried limestone, which at the time of mining was termed "Athens Marble". One famous historic structure which is constructed of this material is the Chicago Water Tower (the only structure to survive the Great Chicago Fire).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemont,_Illinois