Viking boat treehouse built by Gerald W. Lyons at 17 Washington Park, Waukegan, IL. November, 1963.
News-Sun Collection, Dunn Museum.
To a kid in Waukegan, the Viking boat treehouse felt like something out of a storybook. I was one of those kids,
standing at Shirl’s Drive-In with an ice cream cone in my hand and staring in
awe at the ship perched high in a tree.
In 1963, Gerald W. Lyons (1931-2022) of Waukegan created a treehouse for his four children. It was no ordinary treehouse, but one that sparked the imagination of an entire community.
The Viking boat treehouse project began
when Gerald and Margaret Lyons’ children asked for a “tree-top house like the
one on television.”
It’s likely they had seen Disneyland’s
Swiss Family Treehouse on NBC’s Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961–69).
Disney’s film Swiss Family Robinson introduced treehouses to a wide audience
and inspired a popular attraction at Disneyland’s Adventureland.
Poster for the "Swiss Family Treehouse" in Disneyland's Adventureland, circa 1962.
During this era, children throughout
the United States built tree houses in local woodlots—some with the help of
their parents—but always with the goal of having a place of their own where
their imaginations could run wild. These treehouses were often made simply with
plywood and cardboard in a tree’s canopy, creating a place to sit and dream.
Lyons was in the
midst of carving a “dragon head” for a friend’s boat when his children asked for
the “tree-top house.” Since the friend’s boat never came about, the dragon figurehead
became the spark for building an out of the ordinary treehouse in the shape of a
Viking boat.
The inspiration may have been close to
home. Vikings in Waukegan were a somewhat familiar presence. Not actual
Vikings, of course, but their Swedish descendants.
Headline announcing the Independent Order of Vikings convention in Waukegan.
Waukegan Daily Sun, August 7, 1915. Newspaper.com
The earliest wave of Swedes arrived in
Waukegan in 1891 with the opening of the Washburn & Moen Wire Mill. Their
community gatherings featured music, food and a “Swedish Glee Club.”
In 1949, the club built a sprawling
clubhouse on Belvidere Road next to Roosevelt Park. It offered entertainment, music
and fish dinners that were open to the public. The clubhouse became a local
favorite; and the Gerald Lyons family may have enjoyed fish dinners there.
Lyons, who worked in Waukegan for the
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway as a yardmaster, considered himself a “jack
of all trades, master of some.” Though he had no experience building a Viking boat,
he had watched ship builders in Portugal while serving as a U.S. Navy
photographer.
“Boats in the water are more trouble
than they’re worth,” Lyons told News Sun staff writer Carl Luomala. He decided
to build the 24-foot Viking boat perched on top of a 20-foot-tall stump of an
old poplar tree in the family’s backyard at 17 Washington Park. It was as
impressive as it sounds.
Perhaps
Gerald Lyons’ Irish ancestors had a bit of Viking blood in their veins. After
all, the Vikings invaded Ireland in the 9th century. His paternal
grandfather, Edward J. Lyons (1877–1963), immigrated from Ireland in 1895, and opened
a plumbing shop in Waukegan.
News-Sun Staff photo of Gerald Lyons building his Viking boat treehouse in July 1963.
News-Sun Collection, Dunn Museum.
The Lyons’ backyard sat next to an
alley that led to the Shirl’s Drive-In parking lot. Shirl’s, located at 1535
Washington St. (today’s Poppy’s), had a direct view of the neighborhood
curiosity as it was taking shape in July 1963.
Lyons’ Viking boat treehouse was built
for his family, but its towering presence made it a cultural icon the entire community
enjoyed. His creativity and imagination brought the community together.
Those who stopped at Shirl’s Drive-In to
enjoy a soft-serve ice cream cone with family or friends would stand in the
parking lot marveling at the towering Viking boat next door. The more adventurous
walked a short distance to the alley for a closer look. As one of those
adventurers, I can attest to how our imaginations ran wild as we pondered that glorious
oddity.
Gerald and Margaret Lyons with their four children in the Viking boat treehouse. News-Sun Staff photo, November 1963.
News-Sun Collection, Dunn Museum.
Thanks to the News-Sun story,
“He Builds His Boat… In a Tree!” from November 28, 1963, we have a record of
this marvelous creation. What became of the Viking treehouse, however, remains
unknown.
If you have memories of it—or know
what eventually happened to the boat—I’d love to hear from you.
- Diana Dretske, Curator, ddretske@lcfpd.org
For more about Lake County residents
and their fascination with Vikings, check out my Vikings
in Lake County blog post.
Promotional photo for Cora Folsom Salisbury and Jack Benny, circa 1911.
In Lake County's entertainment history, “the man from Waukegan,” Jack Benny,
takes center stage. But where would Benny have been without his “irresistibly
funny” vaudeville mentor, Cora Salisbury?
Years
before settling in Waukegan and teaming up with Benny, Cora Salisbury enjoyed
fame on the vaudeville circuit.
Vaudeville
entertainment was popular from the mid-1890s to the early 1930s. Most
vaudeville acts were part of a troupe of about a dozen individuals who traveled
from town to town. Their acts included magic, acrobatics, juggling, comedy,
music, song and dance, and trained animals.
Cora was
born to Eliza A. Knofsker and James H. “Harry” Folsom on February 13, 1868, in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Her father’s untimely death in 1883 prompted her mother to earn
a living providing meals and lodging in their home. Many of their boarders were
part of traveling theatrical troupes. These artists inspired a teenage Cora to
learn about contemporary music and the stage, leading her to pursue a career as
a musician and entertainer.
One of Cora Folsom Salisbury's first public performances was
noted
in The Oshkosh
Northwestern, Wisconsin newspaper on April 15, 1887.
In 1888,
Cora married newspaperman Charles P. Salisbury, who changed careers to manage theaters
and a musical theater troupe in New York. In 1892, Cora began performing with
the troupe as a pianist and elocutionist—using her voice, gestures, and comedic
timing to entertain.
In 1903, after
divorcing her husband for “non-support,” she set out on a solo tour of
vaudeville houses in the upper Midwest as Miss Cora Folsom Salisbury. Her act
featured an “artistic pianologue” that blended comedy with her original ragtime
piano compositions.
On her
return to Oshkosh in late 1907, the local newspaper heralded her success: “Miss
Salisbury has an act that is absolutely new. It is also irresistibly funny. She
is a good-looking little woman, but is willing to sacrifice her good looks and
graceful carriage at times to amuse the public.”
Publicity for the talented pianist and composer Cora Folsom Salisbury's
debut at the Barrison Theater. Waukegan Daily Sun, June 25, 1908.
After 16
years on the vaudeville circuit, Cora had a chance to settle down. In
April 1908, she moved to Waukegan to become the musical director for the recently
opened Barrison Theatre on Sheridan Road. There, her knowledge of music and
performance was admired.
The Barrison Theater is shown at left with awning. In addition to her musical work at the Barrison, Salisbury was a Waukegan Woman's Club member and, in 1915, spoke at the Carnegie Public Library (right) on the history of musical instruments. Postcard, circa 1908. Dunn Museum 61.8.101.
In the musical
director position, Cora performed as a pianist with Barrison’s
orchestra and as a solo act. Her role also included playing music for each
artist’s act along with “subtle interpretation” piano accompaniment during the showing of silent
motion picture films.
The Waukegan
Daily Sun gushed at her first solo performance on June 25, 1908, stating,
“She is a vaudeville artist of rare talent, of charming stage mannerisms… We
feel she belongs to Waukegan.”
Waukegan Daily Sun, June 22, 1908.
On that
same night, the Waukegan Junior Orchestra played at the Barrison. Among its
musicians was a 14-year-old Benjamin Kubelsky on violin. This was possibly the
first time Cora Salisbury met the future Jack Benny.
In January
1909, “Bennie Kubelsky” made his debut performance as an act at the Barrison.
The following year, he joined the Barrison Orchestra under Salisbury’s
direction.
Waukegan Daily Sun, November 28, 1910.
In 1910, three vaudeville theaters in Waukegan merged into the Greater Barrison Vaudeville group, and Cora continued as "musical directress."
In addition
to her work as musical director, Cora composed music and earned an income
from her copyrighted compositions. Before recordings were available, composers
earned a living through sales of their sheet music. In 1911, her “Lemons and Limes Rag”
was a big hit, and “Ghost Dance” was played at the Majestic Theatre in Chicago
and “heralded as the greatest characteristic orchestra number written in
years.”
"Ghost Dance" by Cora Salisbury, 1911. Jenne Ven Antwerpen, YouTube.
Hein’s
department store in Waukegan hired her to “take charge” of its music
department. To promote and sell music, many department stores employed a “song
plugger” to play sheet music for patrons to purchase. Cora Salisbury was among many
noteworthy “pluggers” nationwide, including George Gershwin and Irving Berlin.
Hein's Store ad announcing the addition of Miss Cora Salisbury to its music department.
Waukegan Daily Sun, January 11, 1911.
In February
1911, Cora was the musical director for the Elks Minstrel Show at the
Schwartz Theatre in Waukegan. The Daily Sun wrote that Salisbury is a
“mistress of a sorcery of the keys which carried the entire show through to a
vast success.” Benny Kubelsky, the “rag time violinist,” also appeared at the
show.
Shortly after this
performance, Cora convinced Benny’s parents, Meyer and Emma Kubelsky, to
allow him to tour with her.
That summer,
the duo set out on a coast-to-coast tour with their act “Salisbury and Benny: From
Grand Opera to Rag Time.” The 43-year-old Salisbury enjoyed returning to her
roots while mentoring the promising 17-year-old on his first vaudeville tour. For
their performance at the Bijou Theater in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Benny was billed
as “The Fiddlin Kid.”
On breaks
in 1912 and 1913, they returned to Waukegan, where they performed at Neal’s
Candy Shop and the Hein’s Store.
Publicity photo for "Salisbury and Benny: From Grand Opera to Rag Time." Circa 1912.
In February 1913, a review of Salisbury
and Benny’s performance at the Hippodrome in Lexington, Kentucky, described the
19-year-old Benny as “a rather lazy looking youth." The reviewer went on to say that Benny "holds his violin as if it
might weigh a few hundred pounds, but nevertheless he gets the music… every
time he pulls his bow across the strings, he either gets a howl from his
audience or they sit entranced.”
By early 1914, the pair’s touring and
partnership concluded. The most significant contributing factor was likely the
need for Cora to remain in Waukegan to care for her ailing mother, Eliza. Over the years, Cora had also suffered from bouts of facial neuralgia.
Salisbury suffered from occasional bouts of facial neuralgia, a condition that causes intense pain similar
to an electric
shock on one side of the face. Waukegan Daily Sun, May 20, 1909.
On February 5, Cora
and Benny made one final appearance on the same stage—though as separate
acts—for the Waukegan YMCA’s charity event.
Benny found a new partner in pianist
Lyman Woods. They began touring as “Benny and Woods: From Grand Opera to Rag
Time,” giving Benny top billing and changing Salisbury for Woods.
Publicity photo of Jack Benny taken for his new act "Benny and Woods" at DeHaven Studio,
Chicago, circa 1914.
Dunn Museum 93.34.54
On October 4, 1914, to the surprise of
her friends, and at the age of 46, Cora married Navy Warrant Officer George L.
Aulmann (1867-1939).
Waukegan Daily Sun, October 7, 1914.
Cora Salisbury Aulmann continued as a
pianist and composer at local venues and parties. In March 1915, she gave up her
position at the Barrison Theatre due to her declining health and the strain of
looking after her mother, who passed away later that year.
In January 1916, Cora sold her Schiller
piano and left for sanitariums in Chicago and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, seeking
to improve her health. On her return trip to Waukegan with her husband, she became
ill with peritonitis and was hospitalized.
On April 16, 1916, Cora Salisbury Aulmann
died at the Jane McAlister Hospital in Waukegan.
Her husband, George Aulmann, noted in the Waukegan Daily Sun after her death: "My wife improved so much under the treatment at Fond du Lac that both she and I were confident that she was going to get well."
Cora Folsom Salisbury, circa 1911. Ragpiano.com.
Cora Salisbury found her home in theater
venues and the laughter and applause of appreciative audiences. She was a
talented vocalist, pianist, and a rare female ragtime composer whose comedic
timing may have influenced Jack Benny’s comedy skits.
Women often held
supporting roles in vaudeville, but Cora Salisbury broke the mold with her
successful solo “pianologue” act and equal partnership with Jack Benny.
Check out the DunnTV Historymakers: Cora Salisbury video on YouTube.
- Diana Dretske, Curator ddretske@LCFPD.org
Sources:
Lake County History Archives, Bess Bower Dunn Museum, Libertyville, Illinois.
MayoClinic.org "Trigeminal Neuralgia Symptoms and Causes."
RagPiano.com
YouTube.com
"A Fine Program," Oshkosh Northwestern, April 15, 1887.
"Salisbury-Folsom: A Quiet Afternoon Marriage at the Home of the Bride," Oshkosh Northwestern, June 6, 1888.
"Here to Get a Divorce: Mrs. Charles P. Salisbury of New York in the City," Oshkosh Northwestern, May 14, 1903.
"Wins Success on Stage: As a 'Pianologist' Mrs. Charles P. Salisbury Makes a Hit in Vaudeville," Oshkosh Northwestern, Nov. 23, 1907.
"Local Musician Gains Fame as a Composer," Waukegan Daily Sun, June 6, 1908.
"Salisbury Intermezzo Is Issued Today: Latest Composition of Barrison Leader," Waukegan Daily Sun, June 16, 1908.
"Cora Salisbury Scores Heavily at Barrison: More Than a Pianist, She is a Great Vaudeville Artist," Waukegan Daily Sun, June 26, 1908.
"Made Such Hit Had to Deliver Curtain Speech," Waukegan Daily Sun, June 27, 1908.
"Makes Her Debut Tonight," Waukegan Daily Sun, June 28, 1908.
"Draw Big Crowds at the Barrison," Waukegan Daily Sun, January 16, 1909.
"Here's a Stage Heroine: Miss Cora Salisbury Suffers of Neuralgia; Plays On," Waukegan Daily Sun, May 20, 1909.
"Gets Offer From Oshkosh: Miss Cora Salisbury Will Remain in Waukegan," Waukegan Daily Sun, May 2, 1910.
"Orchestra Gets Praise," Waukegan Daily Sun, November 28, 1910.
"Miss Salisbury at Hein Store," Waukegan Daily Sun, January 10, 1911.
"Cora and Ben Are Hits at the Bill: Attracting Capacity at Orpheum, Gary, Ind.," Waukegan Daily Sun, September 5, 1911.
"At The Empire," Montgomery Alabama Advertiser, February 25, 1912.
"Tonight Another Fine Musical Show at Bijou," Kenosha News, June 20, 1912.
"Tonight at Opera House Cora Salisbury," Oshkosh Northwestern, October 10, 1912.
"Salisbury and Benny Make Hit at the Hip," The Lexington Herald, February 18, 1913.
"Salisbury and Benny to Perform at Hein Store Supper and Dance," Waukegan Daily Sun, October 30, 1913.
"Charity Concert is Pronounced a Decided Success," Waukegan Daily Sun, February 6, 1914.
"News Today in Brief Form [Salisbury-Aulmann wed]," Waukegan Daily Sun, October 7, 1914.
"Music Department in Meeting Monday at Library Rooms: Mrs. Cora Salisbury-Aulmann Gave a Very Interesting Paper at Meeting," Waukegan Daily Sun, January 26, 1915.
"Benny Kubelsky and Partner [Woods] Head Bill at Barrison," Waukegan Daily Sun, March 23, 1915.
"Cora Salisbury Severes Ties with Barrison," Waukegan Daily Sun, May 17, 1915.
"For Sale: Schiller piano," Waukegan Daily Sun, January 13, 1916.
"Mrs. G.L. Aulmann Passes Away at Hospital Sunday: Better Known as 'Cora Salisbury' Club Woman, Talented Pianist and Composer," Waukegan News Sun, April 17, 1916.
Mary Spoor Brand's illustration for Bobby and Betty With the Workers by Katharine Elizabeth Dopp, published by Rand McNally & Company, 1923.
The Golden Age of American illustration (1880 - 1914) gave women unprecedented opportunities to be employed as illustrators. The momentum it created would benefit Mary Louise Spoor Brand of Waukegan, who became a children's book illustrator in the first decades of the 20th century.
Mary Louise Spoor Brand (1887-1985). Ancestry.com volks1wag family tree.
Known as "Mollie" to her friends and family, Spoor was born on March 15, 1887 to Catherine Stressinger (1853-1947) and Marvin Spoor (1839-1927). Her father was an engineer for the North Western Railway, and except for an absence while serving with the 89th Illinois in the Civil War, Marvin Spoor ran a train between Waukegan and Chicago from the late 1850s until his retirement in 1902.
Growing up in Waukegan, Mollie was surrounded by creative individuals, including her family's neighbor, Edward Amet, who was an early motion picture pioneer and inventor. See my post on Edward Amet. Mollie's brother, George K. Spoor, partnered with Amet in the motion picture business. About 1895, George featured his eight-year old sister, Mollie, in a short film of her playing with ducks.
Mollie Spoor on her high school graduation day, June 1905, at the courthouse in Waukegan. Dunn Museum Collections.
In June 1905, Mollie graduated from Waukegan High School with "high honors" and was chosen class valedictorian for scholarship. Mollie was class treasurer and secretary of the school's drama club. The club's play that spring, "Hamlet," was held at the Schwartz Theater in Waukegan. Mollie Spoor starred as Ophelia alongside her high school sweetheart, Enoch J. Brand, who had the leading role as Hamlet.
Waukegan High School's Class of 1905. Mollie Spoor and Enoch Brand are noted with yellow stars.
Yearbook photo courtesy of Waukegan Historical Society.
Schwartz Theater in Waukegan where Mollie Spoor and her high school classmates presented "Hamlet" in 1905. Photo 1950s. Dunn Museum Collections.
The Waukegan Daily Sun noted that "Miss Spoor has a peculiar ability in executing pretty water colors and drawings, but she has not made any decision as to what she will do in later life." Within a year, Spoor found a path to her future career and enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. There she excelled in illustration and portraits.
Mary L. Spoor's illustration featured in "The Art Institute of Chicago Circular of Instruction" for 1909-1910.
In 1907, Mollie's brother, George Spoor and actor/director "Broncho Billy" Anderson, founded a motion picture studio in Chicago. The studio's name—Essanay—was a play on the founders' initials "S and A." See my post on Essanay Studios.
Mollie Spoor's inlaid wood design for Essanay Studio's logo. In 1961, she donated the piece to the Lake County History Museum
(forerunner of the Bess Bower Dunn Museum). 61.33.1 Dunn Museum Collections.
George asked his artistic sister to design the studio's logo. The distinctive choice of a Native American in headdress was likely George's idea, but the design was all Mollie's. Her framed piece was made of inlaid wood and hung in her brother's studio office at 1333 W. Argyle Street in Chicago.
In June 1910, Spoor graduated from the School of the Art Institute with honors. The Waukegan Daily Sun noted that "In every respect she is the ablest artist this city ever claimed... and has won honor after honor at the Chicago Institute."
Waukegan Daily Sun piece celebrating Spoor's accomplishments at the Art Institute, June 18, 1910. Newspapers.com
After graduation, she participated in a month-long Art Institute sketching class that went to the Eagle's Nest Art Colony in Oregon, Illinois. The colony was founded in 1898 by American sculptor Lorado Taft (1861-1936) and consisted of Chicago artists, many of whom were members of the Chicago Art Institute.
"Bye Bye Bunting" illustration by Mary Louise Spoor, 1917. Seesaw.typepad.com.
Mollie made her home in Chicago and her art career took off. Her skill and professionalism was in great demand in the Midwest's publishing hub, where she found work with Rand McNally, Lyons & Carnahan, and Congdon Publishers.
Jack and Jill chromolithograph by Mary Louise Spoor, 1917. treadwaygallery.com
Decades of technical advances in printing and the falling price of paper fueled the "ten-cent magazine revolution," spurring a demand for magazines such as the Ladies' Home Journal, and also children's books. In the late 19th century, books designed solely for children were brought on by the Industrial Revolution and a growing middle class with an awareness of the importance of preserving children's innocence and the benefits of play and amusement.
At the turn of the 20th century, a burgeoning demand for artists continued, and particularly for women artists as illustrators of literature targeted to women and children.
In the midst of this exciting time for illustrators, Mollie Spoor partnered with fellow School of the Art Institute student, Gertrude S. Spaller (1891-1970). The women became friends and colleagues, and worked together for ten years, even sharing an art studio in the tower of the Auditorium Building in Chicago.
Chicago Auditorium Building from Michigan Avenue. Spoor and Spaller's shared studio was located in the tower.
Photo by JW Taylor. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Spaller and Spoor illustrated children's readers titled, The Easy Road to Reading Primer, for Lyons and Carnahan of Chicago/New York.
The Easy Road to Reading, First Reader. This series was illustrated by Mary Louise Spoor and Gertrude S. Spaller.
Published by Lyons and Carnahan, 1919-1925. Seesaw.typepad.com.
Illustrations by Mary Louise Spoor for The Easy Road to Reading series published by Lyons and Carnahan. Seesaw.typepad.com.
Mollie Spoor also illustrated the stories of Katharine Elizabeth Dopp (1863-1944) for Rand McNally's Bobby and Betty children's books. Dopp was a notable American educator. The Bobby and Betty series featured the fictional children at play, at work, and in the country.
Mary Spoor Brand's illustration of "The Milkman and His Horse" written by Katharine E. Dopp for Bobby and Betty With the Workers, 1923.
During her career as an illustrator Spoor appeared under the name Mary Louise Spoor and after her marriage to Enoch J. Brand in August 1915, she was sometimes credited as Mary Spoor Brand.
In many ways, Mollie was ahead of her time as a career woman. Many talented women illustrators gave up their art careers when they married, a societal norm at the time. According to her wedding notice in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Mollie's art "services were in great demand" in Chicago, so much so that she postponed her wedding until she finished a project for Rand McNally.
Ten years after their high school graduation, Mollie Spoor and Enoch Brand wed in Waukegan.
Waukegan Daily News, August 11, 1915. Newspapers.com
Mollie and Enoch moved to Minnesota and then to Massachusetts for Brand's insurance work. Mollie temporarily set aside her career until her four sons were in school, and then returned to illustrating.
In 1922, the family came back to Illinois. They settled in Winnetka where Spoor became an officer in the North Shore Art League (est. 1924), and continued to express herself through her love of art until her death in 1985.
Mollie Spoor's illustrations charmed a multitude of children and parents in the early decades of the 20th century. Her skill as an artist contributed to children's illustrated books being respected as an art form. Today her work has received renewed interest as vintage children's readers have become collector's items.
Mary Spoor Brand illustration from Bobby and Betty with the Workers by Katharine Elizabeth Dopp for Rand McNally, 1923.
- Diana Dretske, Curator ddretske@lcfpd.org
Sources:
"Elect Club Officers," Waukegan Daily Sun, March 22, 1905.
"Earn High Honors," Waukegan Daily Sun, June 22, 1905.
"Miss Molly Spoor Wins High Art Study Honors," Waukegan Daily Sun, June 18, 1910.
"Mary L. Spoor Becomes Bride of Enoch Brand Here," Waukegan Daily Sun, August 11, 1915.
"Marvin Spoor Is Dead After Ailing For Over 25 Years," Waukegan Daily Sun, 1927.
"Enoch J. Brand," Chicago Tribune, October 5, 1948.
"Child Film Star' Mary Brand, 98," Chicago Tribune, October 31, 1985.
- "The Art Institute of Chicago Circular of Instruction of Drawing, Painting, Modeling, Decorative Designing, Normal Instruction, Illustration and Architecture with a Catalogue for Students 1909 - 1910." Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1909.
- Smith Scanlan, Patricia. "'God-gifted girls'": The Rise of Women Illustrators in Late Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia." Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies. http://w.ncgsjournal.com/issue112/scanlan.html
- Goodman, Helen. "Women Illustrators of the Golden Age of American Illustration." Women's Art Journal, Spring-Summer, 1987, Vol. 8, No. 1. Accessed December 1, 2021. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1358335.
- Kosik, Corryn. "Children's Book Illustrators in the Gold Age of Illustration." IllustrationHistory.org.
- Kesaris, Paul L. American Primers: Guide to the Microfiche Collection. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1990.
- Dopp, Katharine Elizabeth. Bobby and Betty With the Workers. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company, 1923.
- Cowan, Liza, ed. "Artist: Mary Louise Spoor." SeeSaw: A Blog by Liza Cowan. February 7, 2012. https://seesaw.typepad.com/blog/artists-mary-louise-spoor/
Special thanks for research assistance to Ann Darrow, Librarian, Waukegan Historical Society www.waukeganhistorical.org; and Corinne Court, Senior Cataloging and Metadata Assistant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Battle flag of the 102nd U.S. Colored Troops (1st Michigan), presented to the regiment by the Colored Ladies Aid Society on January 5, 1864. Henry McIntosh served in Company G. Image source: capitol.michigan.gov.
Henry McIntosh
(1843-1915) of Lake Forest, Illinois, served with the 102nd U.S. Colored Troops (1st Michigan) from February 1864 to October 1865.
McIntosh was born enslaved on a plantation in
Kentucky. When war erupted on April 12, 1861, he was made a horse wrangler for the Confederate army, but wanted no part
in the South’s fight to save the institution of slavery. After several
months, McIntosh saw a chance for freedom and crossed the Ohio River into a bordering
free state.
Gateway to Freedom: International Memorial to the Underground Railroad by Ed Dwight, Sculptor. Dedicated in Detroit, Michigan on October 20, 2001.
According to his family, McIntosh made his way via the secret network of abolitionists and safe houses known
as the Underground Railroad. Many freedom seekers who headed north
continued onto Canada, but McIntosh stopped in Detroit, Michigan where there was
an established African American community.
On January 1, 1863, President
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect, freeing all enslaved people in the
Confederacy. The intention was to cripple the Confederacy’s use of this labor source to support their armies and home front; something that Henry McIntosh had experienced firsthand.
In
July 1863, U.S. Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, authorized the State of
Michigan to “raise one Regiment of colored Infantry.” The order stated that these
men would not receive a bounty for enlisting, but would be paid “ten dollars
per month.” They would also be “commanded by white officers.”
Between August 1863 and February 1864, a total of 895 men from
across Michigan signed the rolls for the new regiment. The unit received its commission into the
service of the United States as the First Michigan Colored Infantry
on February 17, 1864. Its' designation changed to the 102nd U.S.
Colored Troops/Infantry (USCI) on May 23. Henry McIntosh served as a private in Company G.
McIntosh was particularly proud that the 102nd USCI were part of the forces supporting Maj. Gen. William T.
Sherman’s March to the Sea (November 15 - December 21, 1864), a campaign that led
to the eventual surrender of the Confederacy. The 102nd served on picket duty, built fortifications, destroyed rail lines, and engaged the enemy.
After the war's end in Spring 1865, the process of Reconstruction began to
redress the inequities of slavery and help the South become part of the Union
again. Federal troops, including Henry McIntosh with the 102nd USCI, were sent to Charleston, South
Carolina to keep order.
The
presence of African American soldiers caused provisional governors of
Southern states to complain that “the
black troops are a great nuisance & do much mischief among the Freed
men.” The uniformed and armed African American troops made for a powerful
image, undoubtedly generating pride in Freedmen and fear in Secessionists.
Pressure from the governors prompted the War Department to
muster-out the Black troops and send them home, essentially removing their
presence from Southern states. The 102nd mustered-out September
30, 1865. They arrived in Detroit, Michigan on October 17 and received
their final pay and discharge.
Shortly thereafter, Henry McIntosh made his way to Lake
County, Illinois, seeking new opportunities, and settling in Lake Forest. One attraction to the area was the number of African Americans living there. This is likely where he met Sarah Martin, whom he married in 1869. According to the 1870 Census, there were eight African American households, totaling 30 people, in Shields Township/Lake Forest.
View of 1870 U.S. Census data for Henry McIntosh, misspelled "Mackintosh" and his wife Sarah. Ancestry.com.
Henry McIntosh was an active community member, and became one of the organizers of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Organized in 1866, the church was constructed
in 1870 at the present corner of Maplewood and Washington Road. McIntosh had a lifelong association with the church.
Notice from the The Lake Forester August 1, 1903, showing Henry McIntosh as superintendent at the Bethel A.M.E. Church. McIntosh is credited as one of the organizers of this church.
McIntosh worked as a laborer, and later as a coachman and
gardener on a private estate. Sarah and Henry had no children. Sadly, on May 30,
1884, Sarah died.
Over one year later, on July 14, 1885, Henry married Fannie Davis Freleigh (1867-1960).
Fannie was born in Missouri in 1867 to
Sarah and Charles Davis. Her father was a plasterer by trade, and in the late
1870s he moved the family to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As the oldest of eight
children, Fannie helped the family by working outside the home as a house
servant for the Earle Moses family. Moses was a buyer
and seller of wood in Oshkosh’s lumber industry.
Between 1880-1885, Fannie came to Lake Forest and was employed in the household of Rev. Daniel S. Gregory (1832-1915), the
president of Lake Forest University.
Henry and Fannie lived on Washington Road and had nine children: William W., Etta (Mrs. Andrew Smith), Clarence, Peter,
Euphemia (Mrs. Henry Walker), Arnett, Lillian, Lutie E. (Mrs. William Slaughter), and Wayman H.
Photo detail of Henry McIntosh in 1899. Bess Bower Dunn Museum, 64.39.2.
The above photograph from the Dunn Museum's collections was taken on August 29, 1899, at the dedication of the Lake County Civil War monument in Waukegan. This cropped image shows an African American Civil War veteran.
Is this man Henry McIntosh? Post update 8/19/21 - When I researched this post months ago, I strongly suspected, but could not be 100% certain that the veteran's identity was Henry McIntosh. Today, I received an email from his great-great granddaughter, Bonnie McIntosh, to let me know that her great aunt, Maxine McIntosh (Henry's granddaughter), confirmed that he is Henry. I am so grateful for this information and to make a connection with his descendants. Thank you!
Another view of the photograph of veterans at the dedication of the Civil War monument in Waukegan. Henry McIntosh is right of the drummer and marked by a red star. Dunn Museum 64.39.2.
There is no list of names for the men in this photograph, making it difficult to ascertain their identities. Of the African American men who lived in Lake County and are known to have served in the Civil War, McIntosh was the only one active in veterans' associations. George W. Bell (1816-1910) was an African American Civil War veteran with Company B, 40th U.S. Colored Infantry. After the war, he lived in Waukegan, but was noted for refusing to have any photographs taken and his name does not appear in veterans' records. Newport Township Historical Society has identified another African American veteran, Samuel Killerbrue (c1833 - c1897), who served in Co. K, 1st Tennessee Colored Troops. Killerbrue lived near Wadsworth from about 1866 to mid-1880s with his wife and children.
McIntosh was a member of the Lake County Soldiers and Sailors Association. He was noted in the Association's records (below) as attending the August 1913 reunion in Waukegan. From this record, we know that he participated in veterans' reunions.
Ledger entry noting Civil War veterans, including Henry McIntosh (bottom), who attended the Lake County Soldiers and Sailors Association reunion in August 1913. McIntosh was 70-years old. Dunn Museum 74.19.16.
Henry McIntosh's service during the Civil War inevitably inspired his children and grandchildren to serve their country:
Son, Clarence Nathaniel McIntosh (1889-1963) served as Sergeant Major with the 351st Field Artillery during World War I; son, Wayman Hillis McIntosh (1900-1982), an athletic trainer at Lake Forest College, volunteered as air raid warden during World War II; grandson, Henry Nathaniel McIntosh (1923-1980) served as lieutenant in the U.S. Navy
during the Korean War; and grandson Clarence Pearson McIntosh (1925-1999) served as a lieutenant
in the U.S. Navy.
Henry McIntosh's grave marker at Lake Forest Cemetery. Findagrave.com.
Henry McIntosh died on August 3, 1915, leaving a legacy of service to his community and the nation.
- Diana Dretske, Curator ddretske@lcfpd.org
Special thanks to Laurie Stein, Curator, History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, for research assistance. lstein@lflbhistory.org
Sources:
Ancestry.com (1870, 1880, 1900-1940 U.S. Census; World War I/II registration cards, Lake Forest city directories). FindAGrave.com. Bess Bower Dunn Museum. Lake County Soldiers and Sailors Association Collection, and G.A.R. Photo Collection. https://www.lcfpd.org/museum/collections/. History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff www.lflbhistory.org. Detroit Historical Society www.detroithistorical.org. Michigan in the War web.archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20030724204008/http://www.michiganinthewar.org/infantry/1colora.htm "Lake Forester Deserts Confederacy, Marches With Sherman's Army to Sea." Uncited, July 27, 1961. "African American History in Lake Forest: A Walking Tour," Lake Forest College, 1997. "DAVIS." The Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. July 2, 1931. Roy Davis obituary, brother of Fannie McIntosh. "Revival of Democracy." Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, June 14, 1942. Lists air raid wardens in Chicago's Division 8, including Wayman McIntosh of Lake Forest, Illinois. Robertson, Jno. Michigan in the War. Lansing: W.S. George and Company, State Printers
and Binders, 1882. Michigan's Adjutant General's Department reports. https://archive.org/details/michiganinwar00mich/page/n7/mode/2up. Accessed February 12, 2021. Dobak, William A. Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops, 1862-1867. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History United States Army, 2011. Arpee, Edward. Lake Forest Illinois: History and Reminiscences 1861-1961. Lake Forest, Illinois: Rotary Club of Lake Forest, 1963. Halsey, John J. A History of Lake County, Illinois. Illinois: Roy S. Bates, 1912. Lake
County (IL) Genealogical Society. “Lake County, Illinois Marriages 1881 to 1901,” Volume III.
Libertyville, Illinois.
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