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.

Rev. Louis Baumgaertner

          In the history of the German Evangelical Lutheran church in Huntley, one name has stood out: Baumgaertner. Starting from the earliest period of the church through major transitions, the Baumgaertner name had been of high importance of the development of the German Evengelical Lutheran church, known as the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran church. Though the Baumgaertner name is first seen in 1876 with the Rev. John E. Baumgaertner, it was one of his sons that would become one of the most recognized leaders of the church.
          One of four kids, Louis Baumgaertner was born August 17, 1877, to Rev. John E. Baumgaertner. Rev. John Baumgaertner had come to the German Evangelical Lutheran church in Huntley in 1876 to become the second pastor in the church's then short history. He would remain the leader of the church until 1886 when he took a position as the pastor of a church in Nebraska.
          Even with his father transferring to Nebraska, Louis remained in Illinois. After graduating college in 1903 and marrying Margret Schroeder on May 10, 1905, Rev. Louis Baumgaertner took charge of the German Evangelical Lutheran church in October of 1910. In addition to heading the church, Rev. Baumgaertner taught in the parochial school from 1910-1914, when a new full time teacher was hired. In 1912, while Baumgaertner was still teaching, a new brick school was constructed across from the church due to the influx of students. He later returned to teaching when the full time teacher left.
          Although Baumgaertner ended teaching at the school in 1923, he continued to lead the church through some of its greatest changes. During his time as pastor, the church saw its first generation parishioners, who spoke mostly German, dwindle, while second and third generations, who spoke more English, increase. This brought in the need to do more sermons and marriages in English. Baumgaertner organized the first Sunday School in English, and performed marriages in English, as well as German. Baumgaertner also organized the Junior and Senior Walther League, which remained popular for many years.
          While being pastor of the Lutheran church, Baumgaertner and his wife raised five children. There were two boys (John and Martin) and three girls (Marguerite, Clara, and Mary Louise). During his tenure the family lived in the parsonage on Myrtle St. until the church sold the property, which they then moved into a large brick home on the south-west corner of Main and Lincoln Sts. Rev. Baumgaertner retired in 1947 after 37 years with the church. His two sons followed in his footsteps to both become reverends, with Martin becoming a Chaplin for the United States Military.
          Rev. Louis Baumgaertner passed in 1961, and his wife Margret passed on February 10, 1966. Even though his passing was decades ago, the Lutheran church can still feel the effects that his dedicated leadership introduced.
         



Louis Baumgaertner for graduation from college. Photo 1903.

Always the dapper man, Rev. Louis Baumgaertner looked his best for the camera.

 

Bird's Eye View Pt. 3

          The old water tower made photographer's eyes light up with excitement. Many would climb the monument to photograph the town from above. This three part series shows a panoramic view of Huntley from about 1910.
          The final of the panoramic view shows the north-west side of town. The rest of Main St. and its businesses can be seen, and some of Huntley's earliest businesses can be seen near the left side of the photo.  The Devine and Skeels general store can be seen on the left hand side, about half way up the card. This two story, wood frame structure is nestled amongst the large brick Hawley Building. Constructed in 1876 as a hotel, Wm. Devine and John P. Skeels doubled the size of the structure and began operating their general store at the site in 1881. They would remain in operation through 1917.  Another early structure was located north of the store. Pictured at the center of the photo was the Hotel Huntley. Said to have been one of the earliest on the square, this two story, gable roof structure once housed a hotel, the post office, and later a restaurant. Half the structure was razed before the mid '30s, and in the 1940s, the entire structure was razed for a new single story brick structure to house Heineman Hardware. Other structures in the photo include the W. G. Sawyer mill at far left, Sawyer and Kelley mill and the Borden's condensery about half way up the photo on the left, and the Kelley house, a pre Civil War house located on the square (right side of the photo). 
          It's a shame that the water tower is long gone. No more photos will ever be taken to compare then and now, but at least these exist as a reminder of the early days of this growing town.

Then and Now: The Landings Condominium Airport

          O'Hare, Midway, Rockford. The Landings? Many residents of Huntley are surprised to hear that there is an airport in their small Chicago suburb. No, it is not for large passenger air crafts, but instead is for personal airplanes. Called the Landings Condominium Airport, and known as The Landings for short, it was constructed in the early 1970s by Barko Development Corp. People would purchase a share of the airport when getting their hangers, which were insulated and provided great protection for personal and collectible air crafts.  Businesses also were conducted out of some of the hangers.
          The original plan was to erect enough hangers to house 300 air crafts.  This new airport did not sit well with some of the long time residents in the area, but construction still commenced. Not all the hangers could be constructed at once, so construction was to be done in waves. By the early 1980s, the airport was able to house about 100 air crafts.  But controversy continued to follow the site. In 1980, there were two fatal crashes at The Landings. Around that time, the airport had petitioned to erect 24 more hangers, which were denied by the state. By 1982, the owners of The Landings went to court to add another 176 hangers, and to take care of another legal battle. They were again denied and no more hangers were ever added.
          Over 20 years later, the airport was once again the source of controversy. This time, however, the issues had nothing to do with any action by the airport. In the mid 2000s, ComEd was looking to expand the reliability of their electrical service by running tall metal electric lines along the south edge of the village. One issue that arose was the possible placement of the lines near the air strip, but because the airport had 99 hangers with 125 air crafts, state laws stating that no hazard could be constructed near an established airport with 20 or more planes protected the airport. ComEd had to move their poles farther away from the airport to abide by this law.
          Today, the airport still sits quietly at the back a small housing development off Powers Road. Owners still house their prized planes and other items in the hangers. And because the airport is private property, there is no trespassing.

The caption says it all. From 1981.

The Landings Airport. 04/22/2013.

Then and Now: Schuyler School District #82

          Before School District 158, one room schools dominated the countryside. In total, there were 7 one room school houses that would eventually merge with the County's first consolidated school system. One of these schools was the Schuyler school. This one room school house, known as the "Schuyler District" or District #82, was constructed around 1859 on what would become N. Union Road. Positioned on a small hill just east of the Kishwaukee River, this school would service the farm children from the surrounding area for over 40 years. Some of the early teachers for the district include Luella Stevens, Warren Smith, and Mamie Keating. Keating would be forced to teach a short time at the Kishwaukee school because in late April of 1902, lightning from a strong storm struck the Schuyler school, burning it to the ground. It would take some time to rebuild, but in 1903, a larger and more equipped schoolhouse was constructed.

          The new school measured approximately 24 feet by 36 feet, and had a six foot hall on one end leading to the main room. An "improved" furnace heated the building, and a well was located in the basement. Every effort was made to make this schoolhouse one of the finest in the county. Some of the teachers in the rebuilt school were Adeline Morris (1908-1909), Sadie Elston (1909-1910), and Frances Rushton (1910-1911). The final teacher at the school was Bernice Rehberg, who taught at the school from 1917-1920.

          In 1920, the school consolidated with Huntley School District 158, the first consolidated school district in McHenry County. Afterwards, the school became a home. At some point, the bell was removed and eventually made its way to a nearby farm. In 2005, after decades of neglect, the dilapidated structure was razed. Today, the small hill remains empty, with trees encompassing the spot where the proud school once stood.

The second Schuyler School, circa 1908 from a postcard sent by the teacher Adeline Morris

Site of Schuyler School. 04/22/2013.

Slab from a small outbuilding on the site. Most likely the small stable. 04/22/2013.

Bird's Eye View Pt. 2

          The old water tower made photographer's eyes light up with excitement. Many would climb the monument to photograph the town from above. This three part series shows a panoramic view of Huntley from about 1910.
          This view shows the heart of the town. Much of Huntley, especially its downtown, has changed drastically over 100 years.  In the foreground, the rear of the businesses on Main St. show what once was the hub of the business district.  The house at the lower right stood on the site of the eventual Pabst's Hall. This photo dates over a decade before the hall's completion in 1916.  The entire house was picked up and moved south of the site on Church St. to make way for the new brick hall. Today, the house still stands on its second site.  The second structure in from the house was Wendt's Pharmacy. This structure would later be conjoined with Pabst's Hall upon its completion.
          Across the street from these two structures was a conjoined set of two structures built on the present day town square.  At the east end of the square, Glazier had his home and harness shop, which at one point contained a restaurant in the basement, and was even a hotel. This structure later burned down, and the square was expanded to its current size. Other buildings in this photo that no longer exist are the First Congregational Church's parsonage, the Trinity Lutheran Church, the Otto Schmaltz store, and the Kelley blacksmith shop. 

From about 1910, the main homes and businesses were featured on this card.

 

Bird's Eye View Pt. 1

The old water tower made photographer's eyes light up with excitement. Many would climb the monument to photograph the town from above. This three part series shows a panoramic view of Huntley from about 1910.

          The first photo starts looking north-east.  An earlier photo taken about 1900 shows the town being much more sparse.  In the distance, water can be seen covering a large swath of land.  At one point, when the water level was high enough, the swamp would extend from Woodstock St. all the way around to Huntley/Dundee Rd!  One resident even remembers ice skating from the back door of her childhood home on Woodstock St. to the other end of town in the winter.

          An addition to the town came into fruition around 1910. Second St., originally called Newton St. or Newton Ave., began to be more heavily constructed in the period from 1910-1920.  Only a couple houses can be seen on the street in the 1900 photo (one just above the church roof to the left, the other a little to the right of that house). By about 1910, the street was more built up, creating what would be another main road in town.

         Although many structures from these two photos have not survived, thanks to whomever climbed the tall tower, their images will continue to live on.


This postcard shows the view from about 1900. Note all the water in the background. This flooded area would later become Bakley's Subdivision, with a constantly flooding Ol' Timer's Park.

About ten years later resulted in multiple changes, including the continuation of Second St.,  cosmetic changes to the IOOF hall in the foreground, and an addition to the high school.