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.

Then and Now: T. S. Huntley/ A. B. Brinkerhoff House

          Sitting on picturesque Woodstock St. is a home that once housed one of Huntley's most prominent residents. In fact, it housed the man after which the town was named.  Thomas Stillwell Huntley constructed this house when he moved into the town he laid out, but that wasn't until a decade after he came west to his future village.
          Born March 27, 1807, Thomas S. Huntley grew up in New York and married Eliza Fox before moving out to Grafton Township in 1846. Huntley purchased 640 acres around the northern part of the township and set up his farm. He would only gain more land thanks to his insight with the railroad.  He had caught word that the new Chicago and Galena railroad was to pass through the southern part of the township, so Huntley purchased property along the proposed route and earmarked land for businesses, churches, a cemetery, and the town square.  When the town was founded in 1851, T. S. Huntley had expanded his land holdings to 880 acres. Soon after, he would construct his new home in the fledgling village.
          Finished in 1856, Huntley's new home was a two story wood frame house constructed in the Federal Style. Two double story porches were located on the south side of the house. Huntley moved himself and his family into the new home. T. S. and Eliza had three kids, Harriet F., William, and Charles C. All three kids preceded Thomas in death. His wife Eliza also preceded him. Huntley, however, did remarry. In 1876 at the age of 69, Thomas married Emma Brinkerhoff. They had one child: Thomas. S. Huntley II. Emma passed in 1882, and T. S. Huntley passed in 1894 at the age of 87. This left T. S. Huntley II as the only heir to the house, but due to his young age, the house was willed to T. S. Huntley's brother-in-law, Abram Brinkerhoff. Abram was given the instruction that when T. S. II reached age 30, that the house would be his. The house, however, was showing its age and the notorious Woodstock street termites had taken its toll. This led Abram to have a massive renovation performed to the house.
          In 1906, after much damage had been done by termites and age, Abram Brinkerhoff commissioned the old Huntley house to be renovated. This renovation included digging a basement, replacing termite damaged beams, and doubling the size of the house. As was popular at the time, the clapboard siding gave way to stucco, and the two double story porches became single story. A large porch was also added to the Third St. side of the house. To do much of the work, Abram hired local contractor John Kalsow. Kalsow had to endure a lot to meet the Brinkerhoff's vision of perfection. For instance, Abram had Kalsow install the front staircase three times, having to rip it out twice to do it over. Kalsow also had to redo the built in China cabinets for two years before Mrs. Brinkerhoff was satisfied.  But even with tough demands, the house was finished and the "Brinkerhoff mansion" became a staple of Woodstock St.
          Since the renovation since 1906, the house remained mostly the same, although by time the current owners, Tom and Barbara Conley, purchased the house, there was a lot of work that needed to be done to bring the house back to its former grandeur. Once again, the termites had begun to take their toll, and the house needed a full restoration. And the loving caretakers did just that. The house was returned to its former glory and even placked by the Huntley Historic Preservation Commission and the McHenry County Historical Society. Today, this lovely home and its gardens sit proudly at the top of the hill on Woodstock St. for all passers-by to enjoy.

Huntley house after the addition. Circa 1912.

Huntley house today. May 15, 2013.