News and Events
Heritage Fair Pie Baking Contest 2018
A slice above
Judy Link of Marengo received top marks for her blackberry pie. Abe Lincoln, as portrayed by Gary Cooney of Huntley, picked this year's grand champion based on appearance, taste and crust composition. Winners, by category, were: Berry – Judy Link; Fruit: Mary Argall, Union (peach); Other: Nora Wagner, Marengo (peach/raspberry). Special thanks to our judges (and past winners) Jean Turner of Huntley and Jim Ratway of Woodstock, as well as Mary Ann Miller of Crystal Lake. Helpers were Pam Althoff of McHenry and Mary Ann Enright.
Preserving a bridge to the past can be tricky
Caption: Former Allendale Road bridge in McHenry County
Having had trucks strike the McHenry County Historical Society’s 1843 log cabin and 1885 town hall (twice), I can appreciate the angst gripping the Long Grove Historical Society.
We all put on our pantaloons one leg at a time
The April 24, 1913, edition of the Woodstock Sentinel proudly touted the community’s “base ball” team, noting that team captain, Randall, was putting his players through their paces.
“Should a little bird happen to whisper in your ear that the Woodstock Baseball club would not be among the top-notchers this season, kindly inform the said bird that the report is all a mistake,” the paper wrote.
Church marks 150 years ... and counting
Back in the day, your local church and the one-room schoolhouse that your children attended were focal points of society. And, as such, they wielded significant influence within the community.
Museum opening
Pistakee Panache
The McHenry County Historical Society marked its 55th museum year with an opening soiree Friday, May 4, at the museum.
The openiing featured a wine tasting, light refreshments, live music by the Corner Boys, a raffle basket (won by Gail Hayes!!) and an appearance by Bald Knob Hotel
proprietor Sven Mellin (as portrayed by Ed O'Brien) as we celebrate the second year of our fun-filled "Waterways and Getaways: Resort Life in McHenry County" exhibit.
A moment in the present to honor children of the past
Inexplicably, within two weeks of each other in March 1917, 10 children died and were buried directly behind the mausoleum in Woodstock’s Oakland Cemetery.
Why so many children died in 1917 and 1918 remains a mystery. Were they struck down by an influenza epidemic that swept the nation in 1917? The few death certificates from that time that include a child’s name detail no cause of death. Two exceptions are Jennie Lawton, foster daughter of Ervin and Marguerite Kelsey – who died of measles in 1913 at the home – and infant Edward Mosel, who died in 1926 of ileocolitis.
Riverside hotel highlighted in MCHS' resort exhibit
Riverside was go-to destination
In the heyday of the Chain O’ Lakes, Pistakee Bay and the Fox River resort scene, the Riverside House in McHenry was at its epicenter.
“This was the destination in town for decades,” said Jay Bomberg, president of Bomberg Property Management, and new owner of the landmark hotel.
Ag Day at fairgrounds
Historic Ag Day
More than 1,500 third- and fourth-graders visited the McHenry County Fairgrounds April 10, 11 and 12 to learn about agriculture's role in their daily lives – and the lives of their forefathers. The expo has been held on alternate yearss since 1988 and has reached more than 42,000 students.
Looking history in the eye can make you blink
Thanks to the village of Huntley for allowing a bunch of us history types to do a short walk-through of the former H.D. Catty Corp. building on Church Street. Even to the most casual observer, the development potential is apparent.
The former H.D. Catty Corp. building at 11117 S. Church St., built about the turn of the century, is among the oldest buildings in Huntley. But its future remains very much in doubt, as the village weighs development proposals that could involve leveling the entire 33,100-square-foot structure.
Corn is more than meets the ear
Corn perfect fit for prairie
Despite winter-like temperatures, a full house listened intently to food historian Cynthia Clampitt April 16, as she delivered the last of four Sampler Series lectures.
Corn, which began as a weedy grass growing in Mexico, possesses a strange trait known as a “jumping gene.” Over time it transformed itself into a cereal grass that we’ve come to know as maize, and then as corn.
"From the time of the first contact, there have been more than 2,000 varieties of corn," Clampitt said. "It keeps doing stuff. It keeps mutating."
Hopped up over historic Huntley plant's possible reuse
Let’s be honest. Can you ever really have too many local craft breweries?
Huntley certainly doesn’t think so.
If all goes as planned, Sew Hop’d Brewery hopes to open its doors later this year at Route 47 and Borden Street.
From Our Own Back Yard: A Woman Empowered
McHenry County was home to an extraordinary number of women who made a difference in American history.
They include Elizabeth Shurtleff, an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and Dr. Myrtle Shaw, who assisted Jonas Salk in the development of the life-changing polio vaccine. But there was another woman, in her own way equally instrumental in the fight against polio.
Her name was Lillian Keating Donovan.
Ex brewery bubbles with redevelopment options
The former H.D. Catty Corp. building at 11117 S. Church St., built about the turn of the century, is among the oldest buildings in Huntley. But its future remains very much in doubt, as the village weighs development proposals that could involve leveling the entire 33,100-square-foot structure.
Quilt Basting Day
The Heritage Quilters met March 14 at the museum for Basting Day – using long stitches to hold the the top, batting and backing of a quilt together while the quilting is done. It was followed by a "brown bag" potluck,
In a diary written during 1861 by an 18-year-old girl - McHenry County resident Adelia Thomas, she makes many references to piecing, quilting, gathering with other friends and neighbors – even sewing on a machine for others. But Adelia also wrote about many male acquaintances who signed up and marched off to serve in the Civil War.
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