celebrating 50 years of the mchenry county historical society

8/13/2019 Celebrating 50 years of the McHenry County Historical Society

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C e l e b r a t i n gSunday, November 3, 2013

Past is Present


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CRYSTAL LAKE H HUNTLEY H M C HENRY H WOODSTOCK

AMCOMBANK.COMEqual Housing Lender Member FDIC

We are proud to support the growth and prosperity of local businesses and families as they build the

future of our vibrant McHenry County communities.

BUSINESS BANKING• PERSONAL BANKING• ON-LINE BANKINGMORTGAGE BANKING• WEALTH MANAGEMENT

McHenry County Historical Society ,Congratulations on your 50 th Anniversary

For a nonprot to survive, let alonethrive, for 50 years takes a lot of hard workand more than a little luck.

We marked our golden anniversary thisyear with an expanded schedule that includ-ed an appraisal event, Members’ Exhibit,1860 baseball game, an antique car show anda signature dinner. And that was on top ofthe regular lecture series, quilt programs,festivals and special programs we normallyoffer.

So how are we able to do it all? Theanswer is complicated, but mostly revolvesaround two major tenets: Staying focused on

our mission and encouraging like-mindedindividuals to help us make that vision areality. We clearly had the right people inthe right place early on. They laid a solidfoundation.

Since then we have worked tirelessly tobuild bridges with our constituents andwith other historical organizations acrossthe county, region and state.

We advocate for historical structures.Most recently that list includes Harmony

School in Coral Township, the Sawyer-Kelley Mill in Huntley, Camp Algonquin inAlgonquin Township and the Mineola Hotelin Fox Lake.

We educate your children. More than3,000 school children visit our museum cam-pus in Union each year, visiting our 1870main exhibit hall, 1895 one-room school and1843 log cabin.

We run a research library and serve asa resource for those looking to rediscovertheir roots, restore a historic home, pre-serve family heirlooms and learn about thepast.

And we do all of this frugally, relying on just three staff and a host of volunteers whodo everything from driving our bus to acces-sioning artifacts, sewing quilts to stitchingtogether shreds of evidence into a cohesivestory.

And we’re not done – not by a long shot!We have expanded our electronic pres-

ence, both inside and outside the museum.

We have our public prole via monthlynewspaper columns, quarterly newslet-

ters, social media and our website. We havestrived to be a relevant participant in afrank public discussion of our past … evenas we move forward into a world increasing-ly dominated by sound bites, tweets, videogames and infomercials.

One lesson I’ve learned is the next “new”thing more times than not is older than wethink. It is our challenge, moving forward,to make new generations aware of that … ifonly for the time it takes to text.

Fortunately, history is patient. We justhave to be willing to look and listen.

- Kurt Begalka

Society works to keep past alive, relevant

In 1988, the Society acquired the West HarmonySchool, an 1895 one-room school that subsequentlywas restored and now is used for circa 1900 schoolprograms at the McHenry County Historical Society’s

museum campus in Union.

On the Cover


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CONGRATULATIONS

MCHENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

AS YOU CELEBRATE 50 YEARS…

THE MCHENRY COUNTY RECORDER’S OFFICE CELEBRATES 175 YEARS OF HISTORY

THE RECORDER’S OFFICE STRIVES TO RECORD AND MAINTAIN ALL REAL ESTATERECORDS, DOCUMENTS AND PLATS OF SUBDIVISION ACCURATELY, SERVEOUR CUSTOMERS EFFICIENTLY, AND PRACTICE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.

THE MCHENRY COUNTY RECORDER IS HELPING CITIZENS OF MCHENRY COUNTYBY OFFERING A “FREE” PROPERTY FRAUD ALERT . THIS PROGRAM OFFERS

A PERSONAL NOTIFICATION TO THE SUBSCRIBER VIA E-MAIL OR TELEPHONE,IF A DOCUMENT IS RECORDED IN THEIR NAME.

PHYLLIS K. WALTERSMCHENRY COUNTY RECORDER

Walk In: McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock, IL 60098

Mail: 2200 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098Phone: 815.334.4110 Web: www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/county-recorder


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BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. bmoharris.com

BMO Harris Bank congratulates theMcHenry County Historical Society on their 50th Anniversary.

Proud supporter of:

Conservation andpreservation.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standardsfor the treatment of historic properties em-body two important goals: The preservationof historic materials and the preservationof a building’s distinguishing character.

Every old building is unique, with itsown identity and its own distinctive charac-ter. Character-dening elements include theoverall shape of the building, its materials,craftsmanship, decorative details, interiorspaces and features, as well as the variousaspects of its site and environment.

Decipher those features or elements thatgive the building its visual character and

you can better preserve them.A complete understanding of any prop-erty may require documentary researchabout its style, construction, function, itsfurnishings or contents; knowledge aboutthe original builder, owners, and later occu-pants; and knowledge about the evolution-ary history of the building.

A building’s character can be irrevers-ibly damaged or changed in many ways, forexample, by inappropriate repointing of

the brickwork, by removal of a distinctiveside porch, by changes to the window sash,by changes to the setting around the build-ing, by changes to the major room arrange-ments, by the introduction of an atrium, by

painting previously unpainted woodwork,etc.

Three-Step ProcessUse this three-step approach to identify

those materials, features and spaces thatcontribute to the visual character of a build-ing. It involves examining the building fromafar to understand its overall setting andarchitectural context; then moving up very

close to appreciate its materials and thecraftsmanship and surface nishes evidentin these materials; and then going into andthrough the building.

1. Identifying the overall visual characterof a building is nothing more than lookingat its distinguishing physical aspects with-out focusing on its details.

The shape of a building can be an impor-tant aspect of its overall visual character.That includes window patterns, brick color,

the shape of the entryway, the roof and itsrelated features (such as chimneys and dor-mers), porches and balconies, trim, walk-ways and the overall setting.

2. Look at the building up close to gauge

the surface qualities of the materials, suchas their color, texture and craftsmanship.Many of these details can be damaged or ob-scured by work that affects those surfaces.

3. Understand the interior character.In ofce buildings, it is the vestibules orlobbies or corridors that are important tothe interior character of the building. Achurch, with its axial plan creating a nar-

row tunnel-like space, obviously has a dif-ferent character than a sports pavilion.Closing off the openings between a hotel

lobby and the grand staircase to the ball-room can change the character. The impor-tance of interior features and nishes tothe character of the building should not beoverlooked. In relatively simple rooms, theprimary visual aspects may be in featuressuch as replace mantels, lighting xturesor wooden oors.

Treat historic structures with care

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Tricks in helping date the history of your home• Detect plaster by knocking on the wall.

Drywall offers a hollow sound. “Plaster-

board echoes, the plaster thuds.”• Use lath to date plaster. Until about 1825,

most lath was hand pslit or “riven.” Afterabout 1900 a wire mesh was introduced.After about 1920 both rock lath and plas-terboard were more frequently used. Sawnwood lath continued to be used in mostdomestic applications into the 1940s.

• Eighteenth century moldings are at-

ter, broader and lower than more modernvarieties. By the 19th Century, moldingswere lighter but with greater relief. Nowmade of wood, moldings in the 19th Centuryfrequently were made of plaster.

• The earliest doors were “batten” style,made of several vertical boards – typically

with tongues and grooves at their edges.More decorative doors, with border mold-ings and inset panels began appearing after1700. Mortise-and tenon joints rose to promi-nence in the early 18th century.

• Door jambs also provide importantclues. If the protrusion from the jamb, orstop, consists of a separate piece of woodapplied to the jamb, the doorway dates from

1850 or later. If it is cut into a solid jamb, thedoorway is older.

• Fireplaces can offer several clues. Nar-rower reboxes were used to accommodatecoal, rather than wood, in the 19th Century.

Oil heat did not become common until afterWorld War I.

• Houses in the 18th Century featuredpaneled walls around the replaces. TheAdamesque era (18th- century neoclassicalstyle) used delicate pilastered and decoratedmantels. Greek Rival mantels (1820-1860)boast bold columns and pilaster. Archedmantels were in vogue from the 1850s to1870s. Craftsman houses (late 1800s into the1930s) often used rough brick and tiles.

– “How Old Is This House? A SkeletonKey to Dating, Identifying, and Under- standing Three Centuries of the AmericanHouse” by Hugh Howard.

Heritage QuiltersLooking for opportunities to hone your

quilting skills? How about the chance towork with others on a common project thatperpetrates the quilters’ craft and supportsthe mission of the Historical Society? Per-haps you enjoy the socialization that quilt-ing in a group provides.

Consider joining the Heritage Quilterseach Wednesday morning throughout theyear at the Society’s museum, 6422 Main St.in Union.

Quilters of varying levels of experiencemeet from 9:30 a.m. to about noon to workon a rafe quilt that benets the not-for-prot Society.

Beginners are very welcome. Learn toquilt while making new friends. For moreinformation phone (815) 923-2267 or email [email protected]

Quilt speakers bureauAnn Wasserman - Evanston. www.an-

nquilts.com or [email protected] repairs and conserve quilts and acceptart quilt commissions. She lectures andteaches workshops in quilt history, quilt res-toration and conservation, art quilt design,and the anthropology of quilts, including“Nineteenth Century American Quilts asWomen’s Art,” “Quilts Reinterpreted,” “Artor Craft? One Quilter’s Journey,” and “Careand Repair of Antique Quilts.”

Betty Suiter - Racine, Wis. 262-639-4575,[email protected], www.bet-

tyekernsuiter.com. One-hour lectures:“Tips on Making a Blue Ribbon Quilt” and“Stitched By Hand.” Discover the important

details the judge is looking for so your nextquilt will wear a blue ribbon and make yourquilt come to life. This digital presentationoffers ideas ondesign, dye fabric, hand appli-

qué, hand quilt and show you how to blocka quilt. She also teaches three- to six-hourclasses ranging on topics from handquilt-ing, appliqué, trapunto to dye sticks.

Sandy Schweitzer - AQS Certied Ap-praiser, Crystal Lake. 815-459-5545, www.quiltappraisalsplus.com. One hour lec-tures include “trunk show”: “Shoot ‘em toProtect ‘em”-preservation & care; “Quilt

Restoration;” Women Speak with Thread &Needle” – women’s political views & issuesthrough quilting 1830-present; “Quilts that

Work!” – utility quilts; Art Quilts: From thebed to the wall!” – mid-1800 quilts as well asnew; “Crib Quilts”-historical perspective ofquilts & children with quilts from mid 1800s;

“Doll Quilts” – 1870s through the present;“Feed Sacks aka: Textile Bags” – history andtrunk show of everything made with feedsacks. Other topics:

• “Aprons? You say you wear an apron?”• “The Great Depression”• “Memorial Quilts: The Healing Art of

Quilting”• “Let’s Talk About Long-Arm Quilting”

Sandy leads a quilt appraisal program,typically in August, each year to benet theSociety.

The McHenry County Historical Society Heritage Quilters dedicated this quilt to “friend and supporter” Nancy Irwin. Group president Jan Knight noted that Irwin, like the donated quilt top, had been at the Soci-

ety’s museum awhile. They praised Irwin for her dedication: “She can be counted on to be there for us, helpsout when we need her, lls in when needed, is generous with her time and always has a gentle look forothers.” Iwrin, of Woodstock, retired as of ce manager/volunteer coordinator in March. Pictured (from left)are Rosemary DiGiovanni, Nancy Fike, Cindy Thompson, Nancy Irwin, Grace Moline, Judy Ames and

Mary Ott.


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McHenry County Libraries Local History Collections


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Algonquin Area Public Library2600 Harnish Drive, Algonquin847-458-6060www.aapld.orgContact: Kristin McCallum

Newspapers: Cardunal FreePress (April 20, 1966 - Dec 31,1985) and the Northwest Herald(from Jan 2, 1986). Collectionincludes local Algonquin andcounty history books, Harry D.Jacobs High School yearbookssince 1977, and McHenry CountyVital Records & Indexes onmicrolm. Of special interest isthe Algonquin History EventsDatabase: Searchable Index andAbstracts to Local Newspapersfrom early 1830s (CD-ROM thatinclude obituary abstracts. TheAlgonquin Area Obituary & Ge-nealogy Index is an incompleteindex of obituaries and engage-ment/anniversary/wedding no-tices appearing in several localnewspapers since 2005.

Cary Area Public Library1606 Three Oaks Road, Cary847-639-4210www.caryarealibrary.info

No archived newspapers inany format but has many localhistory items in various formatsand conditions. They include:Cary Women’s Club meetingminutes, 1941-1981; Cary Wom-en’s Club nance records 1933-1970; “My Eight Years as Mayorof Cary, 1961-1969 by RaymondA. Moehler.

Crystal Lake Public Library126 W. Paddock, Crystal Lake 815-

459-1687www.crystallakelibrary.orgContact: Alice Hayes

Newspapers on microlm dat-ing from the Nunda Advertiserin 1876 which became the NundaHerald in 1880 and the CrystalLake Herald in 1909. In 1986 itbecame the Northwest Herald.

Map Files include McHenryCounty plat maps, 1927 to 2013,and McHenry County Atlases,

1862 (framed on wall), 1872, 1892and 1908. Maps include: city ofCrystal Lake, 1915 to 2012, plusNunda Township, Crystal LakePark District and school District155. Local history collection

includes newspaper clippingsof Crystal Lake Obituaries, IceHarvesting and other topics.Indexes to marriages, weddingannouncements, death noticesand other articles in Nunda Ad-vertiser starting in 1875 and theCrystal Lake Herald 1908-1979.Houses half of the McHenry

County Genealogical Societycollection.

Fox River Grove Library407 Lincoln Avenue, Fox RiverGrove 847-639-2274www.frgml.orgContact: Linda Stengele

General items on Fox RiverGrove, Algonquin Township,Cary and McHenry County his-tory, including clippings, photos,historic books, interviews, and

documents. Materials about theFox River Grove school bus/METRA train accident, NorgeSki Club, Illinois Turner Camp,Windy City/Eagle’s Nest balloonport, obituary clipping les and

cemetery records.Harvard-Diggins Library

900 E. McKinley Street, Harvard815-943-4671www.harvard-diggins.orgContact: Holly Haupt

The Harvard Independentand Harvard Herald newspapersare available on microlm from1867 to 1986 and many issues are

available on the library’s web-site link “Harvard Newspapers.”The digitization of all of the oldnewspapers is in progress.

Huntley Area Public Library11000 Ruth Road, Huntley847-669-5386www.huntleylibrary.orgContact: Nancy Bacheller

Huntley Farmside newspa-

The McHenry County Historical Society wishes to thank the publicand our partners in historic preservation for a half century of support! Please join us at these upcoming events:

Nov. 13 – Wednesday• 1:30 p.m. – Quilt designer and author Kathleen Tracy of Deereld will discuss her latest book, “The Civil War Sewing Circle,” and talk about the

impact of quilting during the Civil War era as well as show off examples of her quilts made using reproduction fabrics. The drawing for the HeritageQuilters’ rafe quilt will follow. Donations appreciated to offset the cost of this free program.

Dec. 4 – Wednesday• 1 to 3 p.m. – Thank You Luncheon for Historical Society Volunteers.

Dec. 7 – Saturday• 1 to 4 p.m. – Free Holiday Open House. Christmas Open House featuring another Dave Harms special Christmas exhibit. Journey back to a pic-

ture-perfect, circa 1950s Main Street around Christmas. Make your own early American Christmas ornament with William Scarlet. Enjoy holidaymusic, homemade cookies, browse our bake sale and search for unique gifts in the gift shop.

Thank you to our SponsorsAmerican Community Bank, Bettendorf Castle, BMO Harris Bank, Brown & Co., Classic Cinemas, Illinois Railway MuseumMcHenry County Clerk, McHenry County Recorder, Nor thwest Herald.Anniversary Dinner:Outta Sight – Alliance Contractors; Northwest Herald; Studio 2015 JewelryFar Out – AptargroupGroovy – Benjamin Edwards; Intren; Nor thern Trust; Starline Factory; Tellenar

Fab – Baxter & Woodman; Centegra Health System; Fox River Glass; Franks, Chuck and Dale Follett;Gerkin, McKenna Law Firm; Hearthstone Communities; Law Ofce of David R. Gervais; Mercy Health System;McHenry Savings Bank; Sage Inc.; Sen. Pamela Althoff; UniCarriers Americas Corp.In-kind sponsor – Wonderwave

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racy o r scuss er a es oo , e vs well as sho ff exa s of her quilts made using reproduction

appreciated to ffset the this f re ro ram.

r Histori ocie y Volunteers.

ou s . ristmas Open House featuring another Dave Harms special ri hibit. Jree un r s mas. a e your own ear y mer can r s mas ornase our ake sale and search f u ifts i t op.

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6422 Main St., Union. For info go to www.GotHistory.org

McHenry County Libraries Local History Collections

See LIBRARIES, page 11

11 www.muld.org and Irish Genealogy Interest 1985, when it was folded into the•LIBRARIES


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Congratulations toMcHenry County

Historical Society on your Golden Anniversary!

1700 S. Eastwood Dr. (S. Rt. 47)Woodstock, IL 60098

BROWN & CO.,LLP

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

AND CONSULTANTS

815-338-1200www.browncocpas.com

Thank you for 50 years of providing and collectinghistory for the folks of McHenry County.

We too, are celebrating our 50th year in business atBrown & Co., LLP ! It’s been our pleasure to serve

you and all of our clients and friends, best wishesand continued success.

From all of us at Brown & Co., LLP

pers (June 30, 1960 - 2000) areavailable in the building andonline through Illinois DigitalArchives. Local history bookcollection includes Huntleyyearbooks, Oliver Statler books,

information about local hous-es, and various Huntley andMcHenry County histories.

Johnsburg Public Library3000 W. Johnsburg RoadJohnsburg 815-344-0077www.johnsburglibrary.orgContact: Judy Robel

The library subscribes to theNorthwest Herald archives viaNewsbank starting is January2005. Other materials includeFreund family immigration in-formation and a video about his-toric Johnsburg. The pamphlet“Historically Yours” has photosand descriptions of buildings inJohnsburg.

Marengo-Union Public Library200 S. State Street, Marengo815-568-8236

Newspapers include Maren-go-Republican News (Jan.13, 1872- June 24, 1981) andMarengo-Beacon News (January1979-December 1980). Telephonedirectories, Marengo Commu-nity High School yearbooks, andvarious church directories.

McHenry Public Library809 N. Front Street, McHenry815-385-0036Contact: Katie Sherwood

Earliest newspaper McHenryPlaindealer, Aug. 11, 1875. Allissues from 1875 to the North-west Herald through April 30,2012 are available on microlm.

The local history collectionincludes town histories, platbooks, census indices, cemeteryindices, some obituary indicesand family histories not onlyfrom all the towns in McHenryCounty, but also from all IllinoisCounties and many neighboringstates. McHenry Library houseshalf of the McHenry CountyGenealogical Society collectionand the collection of the British

Group of Wisconsin and Illinois(BIG-WIL). Local history collec-tion has more than 2,000 items,and the new digital archive,http://cdm16712.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/, includes 180 imagesscanned from glass-plate nega-tives.

Nippersink District Library5418 Hill Road, Richmond815-678-4014www.woodstockpubliclibrary.org

Some local history items con-cerning the villages of SpringGrove and Richmond. Booksinclude: “Village of SpringGrove Centennial History 1902-

2002” and “Northeast McHenryCounty.” There also are plan-ning and other documents fromthe villages.

Woodstock Public Library414 W. Judd Street , Woodstock815-338-0542Contact: Maggie Field Crane

The earliest local newspa-per is the Woodstock Sentineldated July 1856. The Sentinelwas published until September

Northwest Herald. All issues ofthe Sentinel, Northwest Heraldand the Woodstock Independentare available on microlm andrecent newspapers are alsoavailable online to card holdersvia Newsbank or ProQuest onthe website. The local historycollection on the upper level hascounty histories, atlases andplat books, Woodstock regionaldocuments and les, and a sur-name index that is also availableonline. Other useful materialsinclude telephone directoriesfrom 1948, city directories since1913, and yearbooks from Wood-stock and Marian Central Catho-lic high schools. There are spe-cial collections on Todd School(Orson Welles) and the movie“Groundhog Day.” The webpageis the gateway to historic pho-tographs on Flickr, and www.LookAtIllinois.info has digitalversions of county and local his-tory books and documents.

LIBRARIEScontinued from page 10

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co.mchenry.il.us/departments/countyclerk

Please REMEMBERto vote in 2014!March 18, 2014

General Primary ElectionNovember 4, 2014General Election

★ Vital Records (Birth, Death, Marriages)★ Issuance of Marriage Licenses★ Notary Public Registry ★ Assumed Name Business Registration★ Keeper of Claims Against County ★ Clerk For County Board★ Keeper Of All County Board Records★ County Yearbook ★ Tax Extension:

Tax Levies Tax District Maps Tax Rates

★ Delinquent Tax Redemption★ Economic Interest Statements★ Campaign Disclosure★ Elections:

McHenry County Clerk’s Ofce Serving You Since 1837

We can assist you regarding the following:

Early VotingBallot LayoutBallot CombinationsTabulation Programming All Election Day ProceduresCanvassing of ElectionsDiscovery and Ofcial Election Recounts

Election Precinct Boundaries Voter Registrat ionPetition FilingsElectoral Board Hearings All Procedures Leading Up To An ElectionElection Judges Absentee Voting

From all of us at the McHenry Clerk’s Office

“Congratulations onYour

50th Anniversary!”

F AST F ACTS

• 1837 to 2013 (176 years

• 17 individuals haveserved as County Clerk

• First election held on Ju

• March 1, 1839 Legislatu

approved the currentboundaries of McHenry

• Current Townshipsestablished in 1850

• County Assessed Valuat1855 $6,947,5372012 $7,886,571,742

• County Population1850 14,9782010 308,760

• Votes cast at an election1855 3,143Nov. 2012 134,550

• School Districts in McH1938 1352013 22

• Marriage Licenses throu2012 101,572

• Voting Systems1837-1968 Paper Ballot

1968-2000 Punch Card2000-present Optical Sc2006-present Touch Scre

Did you know?

celebrating 50 years of the mchenry county historical society

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