Local History (McHenry County and surroundings): 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.