West Harmony School (1895)

The West Harmony Schoolhouse is now located on the McHenry County Historical Museum property.

Originally located at 19114 Harmony Road in Marengo, the school closed in 1955  and later was moved to Riley Center behind the Riley Methodist Church and used for storage.

In 1988 the McHenry County Historical Society moved the building to its museum campus in Union. Following two years of restoration, it was dedicated and open to the public on Sept. 9, 1990.

Rural schools were spaced so that students did not have to walk more than two miles.  School terms divided into winter, spring, and summer sessions. The school features separate entrances for boys and girls, as was customary at the time. Such 19-century school also featured a compact design to better accommodate a range of human voices so students could hear. West Harmony measures 25 feet wide by 36 feet long.