Lake County Courthouses, 1875 - Present

In 1875, the county’s first permanent courthouse (built in 1844) was destroyed by fire. Funds to replace the building were not available, and it was two years before construction began on a new courthouse.


The contract for the next courthouse was signed in August 1877. The laying of the cornerstone (above) probably took place in the fall of that year.

The courthouse was completed in November 1878 for a cost of $45,000. It was designed by H.C. Koch and Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and built by William Price and B.F. and J.B. Porter. This building was made of cream-colored pressed brick and had a slate roof, gray stone trimmings and basement, a clock tower and a cupola.


This image (taken from a glass plate negative) may be from the new courthouse's dedication in 1878. The American flag bunting has an emblem of Abraham Lincoln at the center.


The new courthouse with its beautiful design became a popular subject on colorized postcards. This postcard (circa 1910) shows the courthouse park. Note the county jail (built 1895) partially hidden on the left, and the Soldier and Sailor Monument (dedicated 1899) at right. LCDM 61.8.24.


In 1922-1923, a large addition was constructed onto the county building to accommodate the county’s growth.


This photo taken in August 1923 shows Mr. Sandstone (contractor) and Mr. Beers (architect) at the construction site.

Incredibly, in 1955, there was another courthouse tower fire. This one was started by workmen repairing the 1878-three-faced-clock, which had been inoperative for months. When the workers tried to start the clock's motor it triggered a short circuit in the electrical junction box, apparently causing the fire, resulting in $25,000 damage. Fortunately, the fire was contained to the tower.


Photo of firemen climbing more than 100 feet to fight the blaze in June 1955.

The tower was not rebuilt, perhaps with good cause, but probably for fiscal reasons. The bell was removed and temporarily stored at the Lake County General Hospital, before being put on permanent display outside the Lake County Sheriff's Radio Department on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville.


Photo detail of the 1878-courthouse bell courtesy of Kent McKenzie, Emergency Management Coordinator.

By 1958, debate began about building a new courthouse. The 1878-structure was no longer large enough to house the county's employees and records, in many cases staff were working in hallways and closets.


The County Board eventually voted to allocate $11,500,000 to build a modern courthouse. The International style building was designed by Ganster and Hennighausen. The building was completed in 1968.


For a time, the 1878 and 1968 courthouses stood side-by-side. (above)


When the 1878 courthouse was razed, the cornerstone went missing. Most locals assumed it was buried along with the rest of the debris. Last fall, the cornerstone turned up in the backyard of a Waukegan residence and was donated to the Waukegan Historical Society. Photo courtesy of the Waukegan Historical Society.

Within the last year, a number of county departments have moved from the Waukegan courthouse into a new Central Permit Facility on Winchester Road in Libertyville. Although, this new facility does not host county board meetings or the courts, it does bring the county full circle to Libertyville where the county's offices were first located in 1839.

Lake County's First Courthouse

Lake County, Illinois was created on March 1, 1839 by an Act of the Illinois Legislature.

In June 1839, surveyors appointed by the state selected Libertyville as the location for the new county seat. The site they chose for a permanent courthouse was at the northeast corner of today's Milwaukee Avenue and Route 176. This site was never used for a courthouse.

The first meeting of the County Commissioners' Court was held at the Burlington schoolhouse on August 18, 1839. Without funds to build a permanent courthouse, the commissioners temporarily held court at the schoolhouse. By December of that year, the circuit court was being held in a "room provided and furnished by Dr. Jesse Foster... for $9."

In January 1840, Burleigh Hunt of Little Fort (Waukegan) made a proposal to provide a court room, two jury rooms, and furnishings. The commissioners agreed, and Hunt constructed a frame building on the west side of Milwaukee Avenue between Church and Division Streets. Hunt milled the timbers at his mill in Little Fort and transported the materials by horsedrawn wagon to Libertyville.

The commissioners leased this building from Hunt. On March 30, 1840, Hunt sold the building to Henry Steele of Libertyville for $500, who in turn rented it for use by the county.

Even as early as 1839, there were rumblings to move the county seat to Little Fort. "The Little Fort Party" boosters made certain that a number of their supporters were elected to the Commissioners Court, including the very influential, Nelson Landon (1807-1884).

This group, no doubt, delayed any plans for a permanent courthouse in Libertyville. They worked to gather signatures on a petition for a special election to determine the location of the county seat between Libertyville and Little Fort.


On April 5, 1841, the special election was held with the majority of the 744 votes cast in favor of Little Fort. Eight days later, the county seat was formally re-located and permanently established at Little Fort. Vote tally abstract from the special election LCDM 92.25.51.

The main intent of the Little Fort Party was to make Little Fort a place of considerable trade. However, the economic boom was not instantaneous with the county seat's move. It took several years for the courthouse building to be completed, and for investors to arrive and build the piers that became the true economic engine for the town.


The first, permanent county courthouse was completed in 1844, by Benjamin P. Cahoon of Racine, Wisconsin. The building was Doric in style with its classical, columned architecture, and cost $4,000. The photograph above shows the recorder's office at left and first county courthouse at right on County Street, Waukegan, circa 1870.


This painting depicts Little Fort around 1845, showing the courthouse inland from the bluff and a burgeoning community. By Tom Smith, LCDM Collection.


The view above is from about 1870 and shows the corner of Genesee and Washington Streets looking west with the courthouse at far left. By 1849, the town had grown so much that it wanted to do away with the "little" and changed its name to Waukegan, supposedly an Algonquin word for trading place.

In 1875, roofers repairing the metal-plated tower on the courthouse sparked a fire that destroyed the building. However, no county records were lost since they were archived at the recorder's office next door.

(above) Stereoview of the county commissioners sitting on the steps of the first courthouse after the building was destroyed by fire, 1875. LCDM 94.14.49

In next week's blog, the county's other courthouse buildings will be discussed.

Jane Strang McAlister, Millburn

Jane Strang McAlister (1817-1903), 1903. Photo taken at Godfrey's in Waukegan. 94.34.260, Dunn Museum Collections.

One of the county’s earliest and most generous philanthropists was Jane Strang McAlister (1817-1903) of Millburn, a retired sheep farmer and Scottish immigrant. 

If you live in north central or northwest Lake County, the name Strang is likely familiar. The Strangs settled in Millburn in 1838 and built its most prominent buildings. Jane Strang McAlister was born in Perthshire, Scotland to Margaret Clelland (1782-1841) and John Strang (1779-1866). Jane was their sixth child. 

In 1835, the family immigrated to Canada, where Jane met and married John McAlister (1802-1888). The Rebellions of 1837, forced the John Strang family out of Canada. The Rebellion was against the British colonial government and frustration over land rights. The McAlisters, including Jane and her husband, remained in Canada. 

The Strangs settled in Millburn, and the area became known as Strang's Corner or Strang's Settlement. They quickly became its most prominent residents. Several of the brothers went to the California gold mines in 1850 and “struck it rich.” The town's first brick building was constructed by Jane's brother, John “Jake” Strang (1828-1895) in 1856, east of today's Route 45 on Millburn Road.

The John "Jake" Strange home built in 1856 on Millburn Road in Old Mill Creek, using locally made bricks. Photo circa 1979.  Dunn Museum. 

The bricks for the John "Jake" Strang home (above) were Sherwood bricks. Sherwood's Corners was on Route 83 south of today's Lake Villa, and was the site of the Stephen Sherwood brickyard. The clay from the vicinity produced red common brick, which was purchased by locals to build the first brick structures in Millburn and nearby communities. The Strang house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 along with many other Millburn buildings. 

An 1861 map of the Millburn area showing the John and Jane McAlister property and their house (circled in red). The house was located at the northwest corner of today's Kelly Road (east-west road) and Hunt Club (north-south road).  The McAlisters lived at this location from 1842-1882. The Strang family properties are also shown. 1861 Lake County map by L. Gast Bro. & Co. Lithographers, St. Louis, MO. 

By 1842, Jane, her husband John, and mother-in-law Elizabeth Brash McAlister, had settled near Millburn. They purchased 160 acres at the northwest corner of Kelly and Hunt Club Roads. (see map above) They named their property Irving Farm and raised sheep. In addition to sheep farming, John McAlister loaned money to local farmers. After the Panic of 1837, an economic crisis gripped the U.S. into the 1840s. With the widespread fear of losing bank deposits, many farmers turned to other sources for monetary loans, such as those made by sheep farmer, John McAlister. 

From 1842 to 1882, Jane's life centered around sheepherding and farming. She sheared sheep, carded wool, spun it into yarn, and knitted stockings and other garments. She also worked in the fields. 

In 1882, Jane and John McAlister retired from farming and moved to a house on Clayton Street in Waukegan. After John’s death in 1888, Jane sold their Millburn farm to her nephew. With the sale of her farm and her husband's savings from his "bank" loans, Jane began to take on a new role as a benefactress. 

Color postcard of Presbyterian Church in Waukegan, circa 1910. Dunn Museum 92.27.231.1

As a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Waukegan, McAlister made a series of donations to support the congregation. She purchased a manse for the pastor, bought the church a new pipe organ, and paid the church’s debts. 

In 1891, a group of civic-minded men and women saw the need for a hospital in Lake County and formed the Lake County Hospital Association. With meager funds, initially the group rented the A.C. Hathorne residence at 720 North Avenue and created a six-bed hospital supported by physicians who provided their service for free. 

The county's first hospital was located in the A.C. Hathorne residence at 720 North Avenue in Waukegan from 1891-1896. Image from "Waukegan's Legacy Our Landmarks," edited by Sarah Griffin and Chandra Sefton, 1979. 

By 1896, the Lake County Hospital Association purchased the Liebich home at the corner of Franklin Street and North Avenue in Waukegan. 

In 1903, Jane McAlister donated $20,000 (approx. $585,000 in today's market) to the association to build a four-story brick building on the Franklin Street and North Avenue site. It was named the Jane McAlister Hospital. This hospital became the predecessor to Victory Memorial Hospital (today's Vista East) built in 1922 on Sheridan Road. 

Postcard of the Jane McAlister Hospital, circa 1908. Dunn Museum, 92.27.485.1

According to the Bureau County Tribune in Princeton, Illinois, the cornerstone for the new hospital was "laid without consulting [McAlister] and when she heard of it she said it was the disappointment of her life." She fell ill two weeks later and died on October 29, 1903. 

"Without living to see finished the magnificent work she started," wrote the Waukegan News-Sun on October 29, "she has passed away, leaving behind her what will be a monument of her great goodness and generosity." 

Waukegan News-Sun headline announcing Jane McAlister's death on October 29, 1903. 

McAlister's personal property was valued at $100,000. With inflation, today that would be nearly $3,000,000. In her will, she left money and property to family and charitable organizations.  

Drawing from a photograph of Jane Strang McAlister taken in 1903. Bureau County Tribune, Princeton, Illinois, November 13, 1903.

At the time of her passing, the Waukegan News-Sun noted: "She was a cheerful old Scotch woman, and the greatest Benefactress or Benefactor Lake County has ever had." 

Ansel B. Cook, Libertyville

Ansel Brainerd Cook (1823-1898), built a name for himself as a state lawmaker and stonemasonry contractor. He is certainly one of the best known individuals in Libertyville's history, due in large part to the fact that the historic Cook House sits prominently at the center of town.

Cook was born in Connecticut and spent his youth on the east coast. He came to Libertyville in 1845 where he met Helen Foster, marrying her in 1849. Ansel B. Cook, circa 1875. (above) (LCDM 94.34.123)

Helen Foster Cook, (1829-1881) (above) was the daughter of Libertyville's first physician, Dr. Jesse H. Foster. (LCDM 94.34.122)

In 1853, Ansel and Helen moved to Chicago. Cook was elected to serve in the Illinois State Legislature from 1863-1867. He returned to Lake County and was elected the county supervisor from Libertyville Township and served in the 26th General Assembly.


After the devastating Chicago fire of October 10, 1871, he returned to the city to help rebuild it. His company's stone yard was operated on the site of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).

Cook's stonemasonry business replaced most of the flagstone sidewalks that were wrecked in the great fire. Stereoview of the McCormick residence in ruins after the Chicago Fire, 1871.

About 1870, he purchased his father-in-law's property and began construction on a large mansion along Milwaukee Avenue. The house was completed by 1878, and became a focal point in town.

View of Libertyville looking east from Cook's property, circa 1908.

Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Depot, Libertyville, 1908. (LCDM M-86.1.647)

In 1872, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway built a line from Milwaukee to Chicago bypassing Libertyville. In response, Walter C. Newberry and Ansel Cook persuaded Libertyville's business community to fund a three-mile spur line into town, which was completed in 1880. The following year, Helen Foster Cook died after their Libertyville Express train was hit by the night train out of Chicago. Despite the tragedy, but also as anticipated, the railroad brought an economic boom to Libertyville.

In 1882, Cook married Annie Barrows of Connecticut. About 1891, Annie died, and Cook married Annie's sister Emily.

Cook passed away in 1894, and stipulated in his will that a memorial of brick or stone should be constructed for at least $10,000, and a library be attached. In 1910, The Alpha Club opened a circulating library out of this building.

Cook's third wife, Emily, died in 1920, and willed the house to Libertyville to be used as a library. The house's facade was given a facelift, probably to make it appear more like a public library. The front porch was removed and a stucco exterior and pillars were added.

Following the completion of the Cook Memorial Library in 1968, the Cook house became the headquarters of the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society. The society uses the house as a museum and archives.

The Cook Memorial Library is undergoing a major re-construction project scheduled to be completed in fall 2010. During construction the Cook house is closed to visitors, since the buildings are connected.

The Ansel B. Cook House was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 2001. The house is beautifully situated in Cook Park, which features an award-winning rose garden.

Avon Center School (c. 1841 - 1988)

One-room schoolhouses dotted the landscape of 19th century Lake County. By 1861, there were 70 of them, including the Avon Center School (District 47) in Avon Township.

Avon Center School was located in today's Grayslake, east of Route 83 at Shore Wood Road and Drury Lane. The school was built about 1841. The exact date is unknown, because the school’s records were destroyed in a fire in 1886 when Leonard Doolittle’s house burned down. Doolittle, who was the school treasurer, attempted to rescue the school documents from his house, but was overcome by smoke and died in the blaze.

This is the first page from the Avon Township Board of School Trustees's new ledger book, after the school's treasurer and records were lost in a fire. The first act of business on April 5, 1886, as shown on this page, was to "settle with the Administrators of L. Doolittle former Treasurer as follows to wit money in his hand..." and to appoint Emory Adams as the new treasurer. This ledger from the museum's collection dates from 1886 - 1951. The records lost more than likely dated from 1841.

The first school was a log building, 16 x 14 feet. The teachers were Tom Whitmore and Miss Cook, who was called “Little Miss Cook” for her short stature. Apparently, her feet could not reach the floor when she sat on a chair. The log cabin school was in use from circa 1841 to 1850.

The drawing was made by Gunnor Petersen for the Avon Center School History compiled in 1918 by its scholars in celebration of Illinois' centennial. (LCDM 2003.3)

Students from the log cabin school period (c 1841 - 1850) had contact with Native Americans who camped under a locust tree north of the schoolhouse. Despite relinquishing their land to the U.S. Government in the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, Native Americans continued to pass through Lake County for many years, returning to ancestral burial grounds. The students noted that the visitors carried a large quantity of dried meat and corn, and had a great many dogs and ponies. The Native Americans also continued to plant corn on islands on nearby lakes.


In 1850, a new school was built for its 70 students, and the log cabin structure became a blacksmith shop. The second schoolhouse was a frame structure about 20 x 30 feet. Teacher, Frances Simens (later Mrs. F.C. Doolittle) provided a globe and a map for study purposes.

The first frame schoolhouse (above) in later years when it was the residence of A. Petersen.

The third Avon Center School was built about 1887. This building was 36 x 25 feet with a brick foundation, and a wooden flagpole out front. Photo of school and students taken circa 1916.

The 1887-built school was remodeled about 1916. The school was raised and a cement block basement put under it for a furnace room and "play" room. The wooden flagpole was replaced with galvinized pipe. Larger windows were added and the porch enclosed. Photo of the improved school and its students taken in 1918.

Interior of the remodeled school, 1918.

In 1950, a two-room brick building was constructed for Avon Center School on Route 83 in Round Lake Beach. The following year, the framed schoolhouse was put up for bid. It sold for $6,700 and became a family residence.

The new brick building marked the end of Avon Center School's one-room school history. In 1988, the school merged with Grayslake District 46, putting an end entirely to Avon Center School.

In 1918, the school's history was compiled by several of its' scholars—Walter Parker, Leo Sheldon, Maybelle Sheldon, Della Bacigalupo, and Bertha Doolittle.

Shown in the photograph (left) are Askel and Gunnor Petersen, holding a kitty and puppy. Gunnor did the fantastic drawings shared in this blog. Many more of his drawings are included in the school history, along with more photographs and information about the school and environs.









I am grateful to the wisdom of school officials in 1918 who created the project to "chronicle" area history from "original sources." The museum holds 52 Lake County school histories, 18 of which have been digitized with grant funding and made available online at the Illinois Digital Archives. Though they are referred to as "school histories" they also document early settlers, businesses and town histories, and often share rare photographs and anecdotes, as seen in Avon Center School's history.

The Avon Center School History can be seen in its entirety online at the Illinois Digital Archives. The museum's online collections recently moved to the IDA, and are accessible on the site's Digital Past link.

Lyons Woods Forest Preserve

In the last few years, the Lake County Forest Preserves has begun a program to celebrate the history of preserve sites by placing historical information panels at the entrance to preserves. These panels introduce visitors to the site's history and include stories of individuals and events associated with the preserve.

The most recent history panel installation was at Lyons Woods Forest Preserve on Sheridan Road in Waukegan. The preserve was named for the Isaac R. Lyon family who came to Lake County from Massachusetts in 1843, and owned land within the preserve. The family established the I.R. Lyon General Store in Waukegan that continued for generations.

Isaac Reed Lyon (1815-1883). Dunn Museum 94.34.239

I.R. Lyon General Store in Waukegan shown at right in this photo taken after a heavy snowfall in 1871. 

Dunn Museum 94.14.61

During World War I, a portion of today's Lyons Woods was used as an airfield. 

Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" airplane parts were assembled in Waukegan during World War I. The biplane was one of North America's most famous war planes and used to train U.S. Army pilots. The JN-4 was test flown on the Curtiss Flying Field on the north side of the forest preserve. For more, read my post on the Curtiss JN-4. 

Curtiss JN-4 at Curtiss Flying Field north of Waukegan in today's Lyons Woods Forest Preserve. 

News Sun Collection, Dunn Museum

Another land owner was Murl Shanyfelt (1896-1987), who purchased property on the northwest corner of Sheridan and Blanchard. From 1927 to 1947, Shanyfelt lived in Waukegan where he owned and operated People Cash Market. He moved to the site of today's Lyons Woods and established a trailer park on either side of Sheridan Road. 

Aerial view of Shanyfelt trailer parks at Sheridan Road and Blanchard Road, 1961. 

https://maps.lakecountyil.gov/mapsonline/

The most significant landowner in the preserve's history was the Pavlik family. In 1940, George and Eugenia "Jenny" Pavlik purchased 25 acres of open land and established an evergreen nursery. The mature evergreens in the preserve were planted by the Pavliks as six-to-eight inch seedlings.

George Pavlik and Eugenia "Jenny" Van Honder on their wedding day in 1923. 

Photo courtesy of Virginia Pavlik Bleck. 

According to the family, George and Jenny "believed it was important to have a good work ethic, to respect the stewardship of land, and to create beauty on earth. They planted thousands of trees so that people could enjoy them forever."

Pavlik's Nursery shipping trees to the Air Force Academy in Colorado, 1950s. 

Photo courtesy of Steven Roy. 

In the 1950s, George supplied large pines from the nursery for the new Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The huge pines were balled and loaded onto semi-trucks for transport to the Academy. 

Aerial looking north of Blanchard Road along Sheridan Road of Pavlik farm, nursery and orchard, 1946. 

https://maps.lakecountyil.gov/mapsonline/

Be sure to visit Lyons Woods to learn more of the story of this site and to enjoy over 200 acres of open space.

Trailhead and welcome/history panel at Lyons Woods Forest Preserve.

 
Other preserves to visit with history panels are Van Patten Woods, Grant Woods, Greenbelt, Independence Grove, Wright Woods, Lakewood, and Cuba Marsh. For more information please visit the Forest Preserves's website www.LCFPD.org.

The Civil War and a Tale of Two Henrys

This weekend the Civil War will be recreated at Lakewood Forest Preserve. The annual event brings hundreds of re-enactors, sutlers, and entertainers, and thousands of visitors who delight in a chance to immerse themselves in those times.

In the spirit of remembering the War Between the States, I thought I'd share the tales of two Lake County men. Henry Fiddler and Henry Kern never met, but they share a name, settled in Lake County in the same year, and both had a desire to fight for their country.

Henry Fiddler (1844-1864), was a German immigrant to Avon Township, arriving in 1854. He settled with his parents along Grand Avenue on the north side of Sand Lake, and farmed the land. Henry was too young to enlist when war broke out in 1861. The enlistment age was 18 (though younger men often did enlist).

By 1863, a desperate call for new recruits rang out, and on January 25, 1864, Henry went to Waukegan and enlisted with the 39th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The 39th was called “Yates’ Phalanx” in honor of Governor Yates of Illinois.

Fiddler headed to Chicago where the regiment was in the process of recruiting 300 men. Members of the regiment appeared at Bryan Hall, a public auditorium on Clark Street in Chicago, where citizens enthusiastically applauded them. Henry officially mustered into the ranks of the 39th on January 31.

Interior of Bryan Hall during Douglas's funeral from the pages of "Harper's Weekly" June 22, 1861.

Bryan Hall became a rallying point for many Civil War events, including a memorial service for Colonel Ellsworth held on June 2, 1861, and where Stephen A. Douglas lay in state just days later.

On leaving Chicago, Henry marched with the 39th Illinois to Washington, D.C. From there they sailed to Georgetown, Virginia and were assigned to General Butler.

On August 16, 1864 the 39th charged the enemy at Deep Run, Virginia, fighting hand to hand. The regiment broke the enemy’s lines, capturing many. In this battle, the 39th suffered 104 casualties. Henry Fiddler was among them. He died of his wounds, and was buried near the battlefield.

Henry Kern, (1833-1918), was an American-born farmer who came to Fremont Township from Pennsylvania in 1854. On August 15, 1862, Kern enlisted with the 96th Regiment Illinois Volunteers. Fortunate for Kern, his military service was cut short.

The end of Kern's military service is documented in The History of the Ninety-Sixth Regiment Illinois Volunteers: "While the steamer which conveyed the command from Louisville to Nashville was being loaded he was in the hold, assisting to stow away the goods, when the corner of a mess-chest struck him in the groin, injuring him so that he was forced to go to hospital at Nashville. He was discharged from service on May 11, 1863."

After returning home, Henry and his wife Mary, farmed in Fremont Township from 1865 to 1881. They then moved into “town,” to Libertyville and purchased a hotel, naming it the Kern Hotel. The hotel was very accessible to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad depot. In its day, the hotel had quite the reputation for hospitality.

Among the Kern’s many guests were Charles Nestel and his sister Eliza Nestel of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Nestels were little people, and known respectively by their stage names of Commodore Foote and the Fairy Queen. They toured the world in Vaudeville shows, gaining notoriety among Europe’s royalty, and even visiting President Lincoln in the White House. They became friends of Henry and Mary Kern and spent many summers at the Kern Hotel, enjoying the water from Libertyville's mineral spring.

Commodore Foote as photographed for his 87th birthday from the news site FortWayne.com