Then and Now: Hawley General Store

          One of the oldest structures on the town square, the Hawley Building has prominently stood on its west side, housing some of Huntley's most recognizable businesses. The large, brick, “L” shaped building has watched the town grow for well over a century, seeing Huntley go from a small, but prosperous, dairy producer, to being one of fastest advancing villages in McHenry County. The building's humble beginnings go back to the man that constructed it; the namesake of the historic structure.

          Around 1863/1864, a young John Hawley came to America from Germany with his widowed mother. After first settling in Michigan, they moved to Crystal Lake. It was not long before Mr. Hawley began to carve out a name for himself. In the 1870s, he began to court a young woman by the name of Mina Weltzien. Mina, the daughter of Charles Weltzien, was part of a well-known and prosperous family in town, with some members in the dairy industry, and her sister marrying David Haeger, owner of Dundee Brick Yard. On January 1, 1878, John Hawley and Mina Weltzien were wed. About a year later, John Hawley would construct his mercantile business on the west end of the square.

          Prior to the Hawley Building, a two and a half story wood frame structure sat on the south-west corner of Woodstock and Coral Sts. This structure, originally owned by John Wales and later owned by Willard and Clara Cummings, was picked up and moved to Vine St. Around 1879, John Hawley finished his new building. The large two story brick structure was constructed in an “L” shape, with one storefront facing the square, and the other storefront facing Main St. John Hawley had his store on the first floor, and a barber operated in the basement of the building. The entrance for the barber was originally in the back of the building, but within a decade of being constructed, a new entrance was dug out near the front of the building on the Coral St. side. John Hawley ran his successful general store up until around 1900, when his interest shifted more to farming and being a director of the State Bank of Huntley.

         The business remained a general store after John Hawley left, and in the early 1900s, was owned by Smith and Weltzien. Later, closer to 1909, James W. Burns, who married John Hawley's daughter Edith, and Mr. Weltzien were the proprietors of the store, being named the White Front Store. James Burns, an inventive mind, created a type of conversion for a Ford truck to turn the truck into a camper or ambulance for a field hospital. His creation could be seen in the store, and the idea was well ahead of its time. However, the high cost of the conversion kit most likely hindered sales, and the idea was short lived.

         During this time, the upstairs remained as active as the business on the first floor. Prior to the construction of Pabst's Hall in 1916, basketball games were held in “Smith and Weltzien's Hall.” Other events held upstairs were dances, get-togethers, and movies. In the 1920s, due to increased enrollment at the schools in Huntley, part of the high school class was taught on the second floor in the room overlooking Main St. This would end in 1924 when the new high school was built. Later, the upstairs became a recreation hall, containing pool tables and a few bowling lanes.

         After decades as a general store, the building was sold to Henry F. Heinemann, who moved his hardware business from Main St. to this site. In 1946, Henry's son Earl joined the business, and they continued to prosper at the site until they purchased the old wood structure across Coral St. They razed the structure, then one of the oldest on the square, around 1947 and erected their new, “modern,” hardware store, which still stands today.

         Sometime after moving, the building became a grocery store. On April of 1953, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Purdom purchased the business, and ran it as Harry's Grocery. The supermarket on the square would be a staple for decades of residents doing their local shopping. On August 31, 1965, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Purdom sold the business to Donald McCollum. McCollum operated the store as Don's Super Valu. In 1972, Don was looking to sell the business. This caught the attention of Harry Purdom's son, who was also named Harry. The younger Harry was highly interested at getting the grocery store that his father once operated back, and around July of 1972, Harry Purdom purchased not only the business, but the entire building as well. Harry would renovate the building, changing the upstairs to apartments, though keeping one of the bowling lanes intact, and modernizing the grocery store on the first floor. He would continue to run the business as Harry's Super Valu until 1975, when the supplier was switched to IGA. From then through the 1980s, Harry's IGA remained a cornerstone for the businesses on the square.

         In 1989, another town square staple opened: Luigi's Pizza. The restaurant was well known for its thin crust pizza, and hosted many Huntley residents as well as out-of-towners for around 26 years. Around the corner, Shampooch and Kitty would move into the potion of the building that faces Main St., where they still remain today. In 2015, Luigi's Pizza was sold to Sal and Sue Bongiovanni, owners of Sal's Pizza in Algonquin. Since the sale, the name was changed to Sal's Pizza, and the building has undergone an extensive renovation to the exterior that has included uncovering the metal work and old transom windows that have been hidden beneath signs for over 50 years. Sal and Sue look forward to establishing themselves as an important part of this town's history and serving fine Italian food for many years to come.



Hawley general store circa 1880.

Hawley store. Circa 1890. Note the stuffed dear and barber pole.

Harry's IGA 1976. Photo taken by Gene and Norma Lindsey. Compliments the Huntley Area Public Library



Hawley general store 2013, prior to 2015 renovation.

Then and Now: Bowl-Hi Lanes

           Around 100 years after its founding, Huntley was looking to expand as time continued to advance. The decade after WWII was bringing more families out to the suburbs, and with that came a growth in business. One of the earliest examples of this is Huntley's Bowl-Hi Lanes. In a time when the village was experiencing new changes, this business paved the way for development on the north side.

            Up until the 1950s, the farthest businesses north were Art Garlieb Implement dealership (established in 1931), and Little America tavern (established in 1936). But the mid-century brought new life to a prime area of town. In the second half of the 1940s, Algonquin Black Top (now Algonquin Road) was continued from Ruth Road to Rt. 47. Prior to this, drivers had to turn on to Ruth and subsequently on to Main St. to get in to town. The new extension, however, created what would become a vibrant new corner. The first business to realize this possible new boom was Dairy Mart, which saw construction around 1955 at the south-east corner of Rt. 47 and North Street. Soon after, business began to boom on the north side.

            Following the construction of the Dairy Mart, ground was broken for a new structure on the north-east corner of Rt. 47 and the recently extended Algonquin Black Top. Prior to this, the property was part of one of Edwin Deicke's farms, but the corner was prime for development, being a main connecting point between the south-east side of the county and one of the main arteries running north and south through Illinois. Harry Weltzien saw this, and in 1956 constructed Bowl-Hi Lanes. This new bowling alley featured 12 automatic lanes, as well as a restaurant on the south-east corner and a bar on the north-east corner. Before Bowl-Hi, Huntley's only bowling alley was a four lane alley and bar located in the old Smith & Weltzien's Hall on the square (now apartments above Sal's Pizza). The new Bowl-Hi Lanes was state of the art, no longer needing people to set pins like the former bowling alley, as well as being an air-conditioned building. For many years, the alley remained in the Weltzien family, being managed Harry and his son, Wendell (Windy) Weltzien. During this time, the restaurant saw many recognizable tenants for the restaurant, such as Joe Rizzo, who operated the Bowl-Hi Restaurant starting around 1957 through 1962, and Meta Tessmer, a long time restaurant operator and owner who owned the Bowl-Hi Restaurant from 1962 through the mid-1960s. The restaurant was sold to Jasia and Adolph Polkehn in 1965, and later closed in late 1966. After closing, the equipment was sold to Beverly Kubis, who used it in her new restaurant on the square called the Village Inn.

            With the old restaurant portion vacant, Wendell and his father decided to use the space for a clothing store. Here they sold suits, sport coats, slacks, shoes, and other types of clothing. The business was doing so well that they began to use part of the basement for a continuation of their showroom floor.

            On August 1^st, 1972, ownership of Bowl-Hi changed. Harry and Wendell Weltzien sold the business to Charles Hanson and Lenny Zielinski. Windy moved the clothing store from the old restaurant space and in 1974, constructed Weltzien's Country Store immediately north of the bowling alley. Since that time, more restaurants have called the corner spot home, with one of the most recognizable being Mona's Restaurant.

            The restaurant, owned by Mona Wickersheim and her family, opened in the remodeled former Sinclair gas station in 1982 and operated on that site until around 1990. After that, it was announced that Mona would move her restaurant into the open space at Bowl-Hi. Mona's Hometown Restaurant opened in early 1990 and had their grand-opening on March 18^th, 1990. Here, Mona was able to continue her well-loved business for the community. By the mid-1990s the restaurant was owned by Sam Abdullai, who renamed the business as Flora's Cafe and operate it      until 2004.

            A scary moment occurred in September 12, 1998, when a small fire broke out in the basement below the restaurant. The fire was spotted in the morning by an employee at the cafe, and the fire department was quickly called. If the fire had found its way to the main level, where the oiled wooden lanes were, the entire building would most likely have been destroyed. Luckily, the quick action of the Huntley Fire department, as well as the other eight fire and rescue crews that arrived, kept the fire contained to a downstairs storage area. Due to the quick response, the bowling alley itself was able to reopen before the end of the month.

            Since Flora's Cafe, there has been multiple restaurants in the space. But Bowl-Hi's ownership has remained constant. Today the bowling alley is managed by Don Zielinski, the third generation to operate the bowling alley. Throughout the more than forty years under the Zielienski's ownership, as well as the early time with Harry and Wendell Weltzien, Bowl-Hi has been a community landmark, hosting hundreds of bowling leagues, many tournaments, fundraisers, and events for all. As time continues, the future only looks brighter and brighter for the family owned bowling alley. And though the town may continue to change, this early north side business shows no signs of stopping.

 

Bowl-Hi Lanes, circa 1960

Bowl-Hi Lanes, 1976. Photo taken by Gene and Norma Lindsey, courtesy of the Huntley Area Public Library.

 

Then and Now: Cornell Bros./ Catty Corp.

          A devastating fire crippled production at the Cornell Bros. creamery in 1907. After their facility burned to the ground, they had to choose between rebuilding or moving. This set the stage for history at one of Huntley's oldest factories. Known as the "Catty building" the large brick structure was initially constructed in the 1800s or early 1900s, though its exact date of construction is not known. It is rumored that a short two story section near the middle of the site predates the rest of the structure, and one source states that as early as 1905 the facility was operated as Hezel's milk factory, but all this has been pure speculation, as much of the earliest history of the site remains unknown.
          The known history picks up in 1907. After the fire and with much support from the community, the Cornell Bros. purchased land from Keating across the tracks from their former site. They demolished the ruins of their old factory and used much of the material as infill at the new site. The façade design was similar to the creamery they operated in Maple Park, IL, and on January 6th, 1908, the new Cornell Bros. creamery was open for business. Considered one of the best equipped facilities in northern Illinois at the time, the new facility had a capacity of 75,000 pounds of milk that it could handle daily. The modern creamery featured a large hill at the front of the building parallel to Church St. and an open loading dock at the rear of the building along the tracks. The brothers continued a successful business until the 1910s, when money became a major issue. After filing for bankruptcy, all of the facilities owned by the Cornell Bros. were sold, including this structure. In 1912, both the Huntley and Harmony plants were sold to John F. Jelke, whom would become the last major dairy producer in Huntley until the construction of Dean Milk in 1946.
          By the time of purchase of the old Cornell building, Jelke had built a strong reputation in the dairy industry with their "Good Luck Margarine," which had the slogan "the finest spread for bread." In the 1920s Jelke constructed two major additions to the structure, with a two story addition to the north and a one and two story addition and new smoke stack to the south. Successful operations of this and the Harmony facility continued up through much of the 1920s. However by the late 1920s, a declining market, as well as higher milk prices in Huntley, resulted in Jelke announcing it would close the Huntley facility on February 1, 1930. Jelke found it more profitable to open a facility in Hillsboro, where prices per hundred pounds of milk were between $1.75 and $1.95, below the Huntley market of $2. This brought much distraught to local farmers, whom would now be left with no market to sell their milk, as Jelke was the last milk producer left in town. After negotiations between the farmers and Jelke, it was announced that Jelke would remain open an extra 60 days and the farmers would take a reduced rate of $1.55 per hundred pounds. This allowed the McHenry County Pure Milk Association to help find a new outlet for the farmers, which resulted in a contract with Bowman to ship milk into their Chicago facility. Thus on April 1, 1930, Jelke moved out of the structure, leaving it empty.
          When the United States repealed Prohibition in 1933, Huntley saw the creation of new brewery by a well known and shady family. The company was started by George Druggan and his uncle, Edward Riggs. Both were well known in Chicago as being part of the Druggan Clan. George's brother, Terry, was the head of the Chicago based Druggan-Lake gang during Prohibition time, and produced beer that was used throughout the area. One interesting event with the Druggan-Lake gang occurred east of Huntley in Fox Lake, IL, on June 1st, 1930. Gangsters from Bugs Moran's gang at the Manning Hotel opened fire on opposing members from Druggan's gang and Capone's gang. Three were killed and one member, George Druggan, was severely injured. George would survive this massacre, and in August of 1934 opened the Huntley Brewing Company. For the grand-opening, the brewery gave out free beer to the residents to sample, a day many would not forget. Members of the Huntley American Legion Post and Auxiliary helped with the festivities. When opened, the facility was fitted with the some of the best equipment for brewing beer, and had a capacity of producing 125 barrels a day with the possibility of upgrading equipment in the future to allow a capacity of 500 barrels. The entire brewing company was a community effort, with the employees having stock in the company, operating it as a cooperative. Huntley's first brewery was in business and began producing their signature "Huntley 'Maid' Beer."
          Excitement did not last long, however, and the business struggled, never reaching its full potential. Shady deals and a transfer of the company to an unknown recipient or recipients also contributed to the fall of the brewery. By August of 1935, just a year after opening, the company was bankrupt. Adding insult to injury, the owners, possibly with the help of members from the Druggan Clan, stripped some of the equipment and fixtures out of the structure in secret or at night. This brought legal suits against the company and the owners. The troubled company would see little relief over the next year. By October of 1935, only part of the assets were sold, bringing a price of $5500. Prior to this, announcements for the sale of the assets were sent out, hoping to attract potential buyers. But only one person put in a bid, too small to accept. It was believed that the unusual circumstances surrounding the company, as well as its ties to the Druggan Clan scared away potential bidders. Liquidation of the property would last well into 1936, as U.S. Marshals had great difficulty in tracking down Terry Druggan for questioning. After over a year since the bankruptcy filing, however, just about all the company had been liquidated, and by August of 1936 the company was looking to reopen under new management. Products from the reopened company included Bel [sic] Boy beer and Copperhead lager. The exact amount of time and the extent of production, however, is unknown, but by April 1937 the government was looking to dissolve the corporation, which they believed was already shuttered. At this point the company was known as both Copperhead Brewing Co. and the Huntley Brewing Co., and the last mention of the defunct company was in tax assessments in 1938, but by this point, the structure was likely already empty.
          In 1937, the south wing saw brief occupation by Harry Weltzien. On Friday, March 12, 1937, Weltzien's implement business burned to the ground. Up to that time the business was located at the north-west corner of Main St. and Rt. 47. The building was a one and a half story wood frame structure owned by John Donahue. At around 7:30 that morning, a fire was spotted in the structure and quickly spread. By the time the volunteer fire department arrived the structure was heavily involved. In the end about $10,000 in damages was caused by the fire, including the loss of a new tractor, parts, and supplies. While the structure was being rebuilt, Harry Weltzien moved his business into the south wing of the brick factory, and once the new store was constructed, relocated back to his original location.
          1941 saw new life breathed into the old structure. Wm. Fencil Gasket Co., a producer of gaskets for products like refrigerators and automobiles, moved into the structure and began production.  During the war time, the company also constructed a fuze plant south of town on what is now known as Powder Park Rd.  Due to their Church St. plant and the fuse plant, Wm. Fencil became one of the largest employers in the area, bringing employees in from not only McHenry County but also other surrounding counties.  In 1945, Fencil purchased the old Borden plant and began to construct a new wing to the north. After completion Fencil moved production from the Church St. facility to the new facility off Rt. 47.
          After moving, Fencil sold the old structure to H. D. Catty Corp. in 1946. Catty was a producer of cellophane and aluminum foil for food packaging, later adding blister packs for prescription drugs to their repertoire. In the 1960s, all Catty plants consolidated to the Huntley facility, where work would continue up into the 2000s. After decades of growth, Catty needed to expand their facility to accompany the increase in production. Their solution was to purchase a new facility in Harvard, which they moved their equipment to in 2006. After the move, the structure has remained mostly vacant, with it being used as storage from time to time. In early 2017, however, the Village of Huntley purchased the abandoned structure for redevelopment. This involves the Village looking at ways to reuse the building and create a focal point for the redeveloped downtown.



A Chicago Northwestern rail car sits at the loading dock. Circa 1909.

Track view of the Cornell Bros. creamery. Circa 1908



Cornell Bros. creamery. Circa 1909.

John F. Jelke Co. Circa 1914.

John F. Jelke Co. Circa 1915.

Huntley Brewing Co. truck advertising Huntley "Maid" Beer. 1934.

Cornell Building 07/02/2014.

Then and Now: Huntley Public School (1875)

          As towns grow, the need for learning must expand. Though the buildings changed, one site in Huntley remained the center of learning for almost a century. From 1860 until 1955, the land just east of the First Congregational Church on Main St. was home to two different public schools. Expanding the knowledge of some of Huntley's finest young minds, the first wood structure and the later brick structure served to educate ninety-five years of small town residents.
          Decades after the first school was constructed west of town, 1860 saw the construction of a single story wood frame structure located on Main St.  Just one year later, the school had a second story constructed, due most likely to increased enrollment. From then until the 1870s, this structure served as the home of learning to the residents of the growing community.
          By the 1870s, the industrious community had grown and the small wood school could no longer accommodate the residents.  The town decided a new school must be constructed. To do this, they looked to an Aurora architect by the name of Joseph P. Mulvey.  Mulvey designed a two story brick structure consisting of two spiral staircases, four classrooms, and a cellar.  Once approved, the two structures on the site of the future school, the old wood school and a small wood house, were sold for a price of $294.80 and moved. The two story wood school was moved around the corner where it remains today as apartments at 11006 Church St. The small wood house was moved to an unknown location, though it may be possible that it was combined with the wood school on the south wall.
          The new brick school was finished in 1875, and at the time was considered the "neatest school in McHenry County."  A solid brick and masonry structure, the two spiral staircases were located at the front of the school and the four classrooms were separated evenly with two on each floor split by a central hallway. Huntley continued to grow, however, and in the early 1900s the school was running out of room. A new addition was planned and proposed for the residents to vote on. To help the residents visualize the new addition, a painting of the proposal was set up in the lobby of the State Bank of Huntley. Residents agreed with the plan and the addition was approved. Finished in 1909, the addition added two more classrooms, a sick room, and a large staircase in the back.  Due to how steep the front spiral stairs were, students were eventually told to only using the stairs at the rear of the structure for safety. Bathrooms were eventually moved indoors to the basement, though the arrangement was only one step up from an outhouse.
          In 1920, Huntley became the first town in McHenry County to consolidate its rural schools with the town school, creating Dist. 158. It was at this time that the school purchased its first school buses to bring in students from the farms. The new buses were Model T Fords that had rows of bench seats along the sides. At one point, senior year students were used for driving the buses. Because of the influx of students from the rural schools, the old brick school once again became too small. To remedy this, high school classes were moved to the upper level of the Hawley building that faced Main St. (above Shampooch and Kitty now). This remained the situation until 1924, when the new high school was finished next door to the old brick school.  After the high school opened, the old brick school became the elementary school until 1956, when a new school was constructed on Rt. 47 to house all grades.
          After closing, the old brick school became apartments, as it remains today. In the 2000s, the old school, called Huntley Apartments, was purchased by the First Congregational Church as land for a future expansion. Although its future is in doubt, the old brick school still stands as a corner stone for not only the downtown, but also to Huntley's rich past.



Someone's personal photo of their "Alma mater" 1908.

Another view of the school. Circa 1908

Public School. Circa 1908

 

Another fine view with students posed near the basement entrance. Circa 1910.

Another person's personal photo after the addition. Circa 1910.

Public school after the addition. Note "Wendt" is misspelled as Wedt" Circa 1910

After Wendt received copyright, he had his cards hand colored. Circa 1910

Students lean out the windows on an obviously nice day. Circa 1909

School with trees in full bloom. Circa 1912

The old public school today. 10/02/2013

Old Public School. 10/02/2013



Looking north-west, this view shows how the school would have originally looked (minus the bell and dental molding).




 





Then and Now: Bordens Condensery/ Union Special

          At the turn of the twentieth century, Huntley had the claim of being the milk capitol of the world, producing more dairy products per capita than any other place on the globe. One of the main facilities in this small town was Gail Borden's condensery. Constructed in 1907 with a reported cost of around $100,000, the new structure was known as the "Queen of the West." This nickname was given to the facility due to its updated dairy processing. Gail Borden ransacked the corners of the Earth to find the best and most updated ways to handle milk. He applied this knowledge to the Huntley facility, setting it apart from the others of his fleet. 
          The large structure was constructed of cream colored brick with 7 cupolas and a large smokestack. A hill stood on the south side of the building where the milk was dropped off from local farmers.  Rocks spelled out the name "Bordens" in the hill for all to see. The north side of the structure contained a large loading dock on the ground level.  Later, the overhang for the loading dock was dismantled and reconstructed on the Marlowe Feed and Hatchery building.  Just south of the structure was the office building, constructed of the same cream colored brick.  Later a large wood water tower was constructed behind the office.
          Bordens remained at the site until the mid 1910s, when the site was purchased by Victor Mey, who previously had a creamery on Mill St. Mey operated his creamery at the site until March of 1925, when he sold to Ira J. Mix, another dairy producer. Mix already had an abundance of milk, so the Huntley facility was not needed. This resulted in the sale of the building. 
          In 1926, the structure became a short lived furniture factory. Huntley Furniture Industries Inc. lasted only about four years before an auction for the dissolution of the corporation was held in 1930. Later, according to 1930s Sanborn Maps, the structure was supposedly owned by Elgin Stove Company, though whether they used the site or not is still unknown. Even the old office found a different purpose, serving as a short lived residence to the Schwartz family in the late 1930s.  It wasn't until the WWII that the entire facility had new life breathed into it.
          In the 1940s, Wm. Fencil Gasket Co. started operation at the site. Previously, they were located near the downtown in the old Cornell building (Catty Co. later).  Fencil was a producer of gaskets for automobiles and refrigerators, among other products.  In 1945, Fencil added a large addition to the structure. Around the same time in the 1940s, Fencil operated a fuze factory south-east of town for the war effort. Even though both sites were owned by the same company, the brick factory did not deal with the fuzes, advertising "no powder here" in a 1945 McHenry Plaindealer newspaper.  Due to both of the facilities being in operation, Fencil was a major employer in McHenry County, attracting employees from neighboring counties as well.
          In 1948, Wm. Fencil left the site, and the facility was purchased by Union Special, an industrial sewing machine company. Union Special already had a long history of production, with their first facility opening in Chicago in 1881. Production at the Huntley site began on May 3, 1948, and from the '50s through the '80s, the facility kept expanding. One of the main reasons for the constant expansion was from operations in Chicago being moved to Huntley. In the 1980s, all of the operations from Chicago were consolidated and the Chicago plant closed.  With this consolidation, the Huntley facility saw its final addition, bringing it to its current size. This left the Huntley facility as the last of Union Special's factories in the United States.
          Along with the main factory, Huntley saw a new training school constructed in the 1970s.  The school was located at the end of 4th St. on the north side.  Here people were taught how the machines were constructed and how they operated for easy maintenance. When someone graduated they received a diploma and a belt buckle.  Across the street, Union Special purchased the old brick bungalow constructed by the Seiler family. The company renovated the home and added more bedrooms in the attic, transforming the structure into a rooming house for foreign students at the school.
          Like many large companies, manufacturing transferred overseas due to lower production costs. This left the large factory in less need than in the mid century. Union Special began renting parts of the building to other small businesses. The old training school was rented for offices and even a driving school before becoming vacant in the 2010s. Much of the old factory is rented out, however Union Special still maintains the site and continues small operations there. The future of the site is uncertain, but as long as Union Special remains, the historic Bordens plant will always have a purpose.




Borden's milk factory looking north. Note the men in the doorway. Circa 1909

Borden's. circa 1908

Borden's looking north-east. The Garlieb farm is in the background. Circa 1912.

Borden's. Hand colored postcard. Circa 1908

Union Special, showing the 1945 addition constructed for Wm. Fencil Co. Circa 1951

Borden's plant, now Union Special. 04/16/2013

The current Union Special entrance. The Fencil addition is the cream brick section near the middle of the photo. 04/16/2013.







Huntley in 1990

          It is hard to believe that in just over 20 short years, a town has grown so much. But Huntley has been growing and changing rapidly, going from around 2,400 residents in 1990 to around 24,000 residents in 2013. Even one simple aerial photo shows the major changes that have taken place. The following is a comparison of Huntley in 1990 and Huntley in 2013.

1990: The farm at left was bustling, still producing products needed throughout the area.
2013: Today, the house is abandoned and falling into disrepair. The barn was burned down by vandals and the red pole barn has since been razed.

1990: Main St. flowed easily into Huntley/Dundee Blacktop with an extra cut over that was common in a few roads in and outside of Huntley. The old Latimer farm house still stood at this odd intersection.
2013: Traffic has been now rerouted to a new section of road east of the old intersection. Today, the old section remains little more than a driveway for the water treatment plant. The farm was razed long before the road changed and remains empty minus a few trees.

1990: The water treatment facility on Huntley/Dundee Blacktop was the only one for the town, and was smaller in comparison. Within the late 1980s, Huntley residents finally topped the 2000 mark, and any major subdivisions were not even in the planning stage yet. 
2013: Due to the higher amount of residents flooding into the town in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the facility needed to expand, and with the addition of Del Webb's Sun City, a second water treatment facility was constructed west of town.

1990: The old 1924 high school had just been razed, due to "structural issues." Right before demolition, it was owned by A. E. Robinson Co. The house to the east of the old school was still standing, a fine example of architecture on Huntley's main drag.
2013: Not only is the site of the old school still empty, but due to a dispute with the village, the owner of the house hastily demolished the structure, saddening many in the town. All that remains is the crumbling sidewalk that once led to the wrap around porch.

1990: The skeleton of the old water tower still stood behind the businesses on Main St. Rendered unnecessary in the 1970s, the legs and base for the tank loomed over the town, keeping a watchful eye of the tracks and all activities in the village.
2013: All that remains are a couple of the footings of the old wooden water. The structure collapsed in a windstorm, erasing it off the map for good.

1990: McHenry County FS was still in full swing. Since the town was still mostly farming, the business was still relevant to the town's economy. Across the tracks, H. D. Catty Corp. was running as strong as ever. Since moving to the town in the mid 1900s, the business had been working hard at supplying foil for wrapping products like Klondike Bars.
2013: Gone with the times, both businesses have since disappeared. McHenry FS would not last much longer after being photographed, and the buildings would sit vacant for years. The dilapidated fertilizer building just west of the water tower was the first to go. Later Dean Foods would purchase the main property and raze the old mill and the tractor dealership. H. D. Catty Corp. moved to a new facility due to their need for more space. The building stands empty today.

1990: Rt. 47 was just a two lane road. It is hard to tell if lights had been installed by this point or not, but in the mid '80s, it was just a four way stop. The businesses were still all occupied and regularly visited. Little had changed since the road's completion in 1936.
2013: Rt. 47 has been widened to four lanes and a median after decades of talk on expansion. Because of the widening, many businesses, including all that are pictured, were razed due to being in the path of the right-of-way. Marlowe Feeds, which stood prominently in the 1990 photo, was dismantled. All the sites are empty today, with the exception of Pfaff Auto, which is now the new welcoming sign for the village.

These details are just a few of many things that have changed as time has raced forward. There are even more differences in the photo that I did not touch on. See if there is anything that looks different from just a couple decades back than what exists today. You'll be shocked!

Then and Now: Wood & Weltzien/ Cornell Bros. Creamery

          In the fledgling years of Huntley's economy, dairy was one of the most popular forms of making a living. The low wetlands made it perfect to raise dairy cattle. With the boom of dairy cattle, many independent and big name creameries set up shop in Huntley. One of the earliest constructed was a large wood frame creamery by Delmont E. Wood in 1875 and 1876. According the 1877 McHenry County Directory and the 1885 McHenry County History Book, the creamery was one of the largest in the country and was supposedly the largest in the county. in 1877, the facility produced 100,000 lbs of butter and 600,000 lbs of cheese annually.
          In 1876, Wood partnered with John F. Weltzien in the ownership of this and four other creameries. Two of their other creameries included one that was located in Harmony, and one that was located at the corner of Conley and Haligus roads. The latter, which was constructed in 1874, was accountable for producing 30,000 lbs of butter and 150,000 lbs of cheese annually.
          A large fire destroyed the Huntley creamery in March of 1892, heavily disrupting business. Around this time, D.E. Wood left the partnership, and Weltzien partnered with Charles Cornell in 1893. A new wood and brick facility was constructed on the site, fitted with modern milk equipment. Once reopened, Weltzien and Cornell wasted little time and began producing large quantities of milk and butter. Records show that in the month of January, 1896, 1,106,243 pounds of milk were produced . In that year, John Weltzien sold his interest in the company to Cornell Bros., whom continued to operate the facility.
          Around 2 AM on May 7, 1907, a devastating fire broke out at the creamery. The entire structure was burned to the ground, with little more left than the charred remains of the equipment and the brick addition. Cornell Bros. would purchase land directly east across the tracks to rebuild. They demolished the ruins of their burned out structure, and used the debris as fill for the new structure.
          The old site would remain vacant and would eventually be incorporated into the grounds for Enos Conley's feed business.  Today the land is owned by Dean Foods and is used as a parking lot for their trucks and trailers.


This early envelope is from around 1876 when the Huntley plant was constructed.



An early view of the rebuilt facility looking north-west. Circa 1890. Courtesy Karen and Curtis Meyer.




RPPC of the plant closer to when the structure burned a second time. Circa 1906. Courtesy Karen and Curtis Meyer.




Postcard of the creamery while owned by Cornell Bros. Circa 1907. Courtesy Karen and Curtis Meyer.



After the devastating fire at 2 AM on May 7, 1907. Courtesy Karen and Curtis Meyer.



Today, nothing but trailers occupy the site. 06/09/2013.