Edward Amet's Films, 1896-1898

Edward Amet’s contributions to the early motion picture industry included the invention of the first practical 35mm motion picture projector—the Amet Magniscope—and the pioneering of special effects in motion pictures.

In last week’s post, I wrote about Amet’s wonderful Magniscope, which was completed in 1894 and ready for production in 1895.

This Magniscope, made by Edward Amet, was originally owned and operated by Arthur E. Johnson (1886-1974) during his career as a theater projectionist in Minnesota. It became part of the Dunn Museum's permanent collection in 2001, and is on exhibit in the museum's galleries. (BBDM 2001.12)

Magniscope advertisements stated it was "The perfect projecting machine. The Magniscope is simple, durable and compact, the pictures sharply defined and clear." The projector weighed about 90 pounds and the "model 1898" sold for $100. Since films weren't readily available, simply selling his invention to traveling showmen wasn't enough. Amet needed films to go along with the projector.

A traveling theatrical troop used the Amet Magniscope to show the first moving pictures in the Arizona Territory in 1897. For audiences accustomed to viewing color lantern slides, anything that moved was a wonder to behold on the screen. The first silent films were short—only 2 to 3 minutes in length—and featured circus parades, a winter sleigh ride, a horse-drawn fire department rushing to a call, and even prize pigs at the county fair.

"Boxing Boys" featured Amet's brothers, Percy and Herbert, duking it out in a ring at the Scale Company in Waukegan where the Magniscopes were produced.

Like films produced by others, Amet's first films were straightforward recordings of movement, such as the "Boxing Boys," or his wife and daughter playing in their backyard in Waukegan.

But quickly, Amet began thinking more in terms of each film having a theme or story to tell. His first "theatrical" films featured a marionette and tableau vivant (motionless performance in theater).

Still from "McGinty Under the Sea," the dancing skeleton.

Growing sentiment to free Cuba from the Spanish inspired this Amet tableau vivant "Freedom of Cuba" featuring Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty and little Cuba.

One of Amet's most endearing films was called "Morning Exercise" and featured two young women from Waukegan—Bess Bower Dunn and Isabelle Spoor (George Spoor's sister).

When the Bess and Belle arrived at the inventor’s home on North Avenue in Waukegan, Amet handed each a pair of boxing gloves. Bess Dunn thought she was doing “our town inventor” a favor. “We whipped those long skirts out of the way and had a fine old time.” For several historic minutes, the girlfriends punched each other while Amet took their picture with his camera, becoming the first women in motion pictures.

In 1909, while traveling in Spokane, Washington, Bess Dunn discovered that Amet had sold prints of the film. She was recognized by an usher of a local theater as one of the “boxing girls.” Amet’s film had traveled 2,000 miles and was still being shown 11 years later.

Amet's best known films are related to the Spanish-American War of 1898.

When war broke out, Amet allegedly sent a request to the U.S. War Department asking for permission to travel to Cuba to film the battles. His request was denied, but his enthusiasm for the idea did not diminish. He used accounts in newspapers to re-create the battles.

The land battles were filmed at Third Lake, a favorite fishing location of Amet. He enlisted his brothers and neighbors to be the actors. Shown are a still from the film, and the cast taking a break. Amet Collection, Dunn Museum.

The majority of Amet's work on the theme of the Spanish-American War presented challenges, since it was mainly a naval war. Amet made a series of films showing the naval battles in his backyard, including one titled “Spanish Fleet Destroyed” or “The Battle of Santiago Bay."

Edward Amet standing in his backyard with his set for the filming of "The Battle of Santiago Bay," 1898. (BBDM 61.33)

For "The Battle of Santiago Bay," Amet constructed a shallow water tank 18 x 24 feet with a painted backdrop of Cuba. Five or six of the important naval vessels in the battles, such as the USS Olympia, USS New York and USS Oregon were reproduced at a 1/70 scale in sheet metal, 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 feet in length.

The USS Olympia model built by Amet for the film as shown on exhibit in 2007. (BBDM 61.33.2) Photo © 2007 Jess Smith/PHOTOSMITH

The models were constructed with firing gun turrets, and smoking stacks and flags. The gunfire was replicated with blasting caps, and gunpowder and camphor soaked cotton wadding, which was electrically ignited and provided smoke for the ships’ smokestacks. All of these effects were controlled from an electrical switchboard off camera. Additionally, waves were created by underwater jets and a large fan off camera.

Amet's artful use of special effects was so convincingly portrayed that he was asked to show his “war movies” at the opening of the Naval Training Center Great Lakes in 1911. Amet's "Battle of Santiago Bay" film (right)

The Spanish-American War was a popular topic in all sorts of media, including film. The American Vitagraph Company also made a version of the "Battle of Santiago Bay" in 1898, directed by J. Stuart Blackton. This film (rather than Amet's) is the one most often referenced in the history of early motion pictures, but it is a far cry from Amet's film with its pioneering use of special effects. Blackton's film features small wooden model ships in a bathtub with cigar smoke blown onto the scene by an assistant off camera. If Amet saw this film he probably rolled his eyes and laughed.

To be fair to Blackton, he was pivotal in the early years of the industry, and was among the first filmmakers to use the techniques of stop-motion and drawn animation. He is also considered the father of American animation.

Since most of Amet's films are lost, historians rely on published catalogues of films available for sale. These lists give us insight to the wide range of topics popular with motion picture audiences. Amet's 1898 catalogue listed (in part) the following films (50 feet in length, price $9.00 each):

"Passing of the Milwaukee Fliers on the C & NW Railroad" (train in each direction)

"Mamma's Pets" (old pig and ten little ones)

"Tugs Towing Barge"

"Clothes Race" (swimming contest in Lincoln Park)

"The Ducks" (seventy young ducks in a pond)

"Interrupted Tea Party on the Lawn" (comic)

"Chicago Fire Department Runs"

Amet left for California sometime after 1913, and continued working on motion picture devices. In the image above, Amet (left) is making a film using an early sound recording camera he invented.

For the museum's permanent exhibition on Edward Amet, the staff tracked down a copy of the "Battle of Santiago Bay" from the Killiam Collection* (distributed by Worldview Entertainment), which is probably the best source for silent film era movies. The collection was assembled in the 1960s by Paul Killiam through acquisition from the Estate of D.W. Griffith, and later, a large portion of the collection of Thomas Edison. 

We ordered the film (sight unseen) and crossed our fingers that it was not Blackton's version. Thankfully, it was Amet's film, and all 20 seconds of it plays in the museum's galleries everyday to the delight of visitors.

Special thanks to Carey Williams and Kirk Kekatos for years of research on Amet and his contributions to the early motion picture industry.

*The Killiam Collection was sold and no longer exists. 10/28/19

Edward Hill Amet (1860 - 1948)

One of the most significant, yet little known contributors to the early motion picture industry was Edward Hill Amet (1860-1948) of Waukegan.

Edward H. Amet (1860-1948). Dunn Museum. 

The Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County maintains a collection of photographs, documents, lantern slides and objects related to Edward Amet and Essanay Studios.

This electrical engineer and self-styled “consulting inventor,” invented the first practical 35mm motion picture projector—the Amet Magniscope.

In the 1890s, electricity was not readily available. Amet’s Magniscope was operated manually by hand-crank and offered a choice of electric or gas illumination, allowing it to be used anywhere. In many ways, it was an improvement over Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope.

Edison's Kinetoscope was a motion picture viewing machine which used the 35mm film format, patented by Edison. Kinetoscope parlors were all the rage in major cities, but the machine allowed for only one person at a time to view moving images through a peephole. In 1894, Amet had seen the Kinetoscope in Chicago and was impressed, but not satisfied. Amet improved on Edison’s design by projecting images for all to see. Photo of Kinetoscope parlor in San Francisco, circa 1895.

The Amet Magniscope's versatility made it the first practical 35mm film projector. Dunn Museum.

Amet's Magniscope used Edison's 35mm film format, and had gears which pulled film strips behind a lens at 32 frames per second, making the projected images appear to move realistically. The now familiar reel-to-reel arrangement, which Amet pioneered, was a significant step forward in film projection design.

According to George K. Spoor (1871-1953), while he was the co-manager of Waukegan’s Phoenix Opera House in 1894, Amet approached him for money to complete work on his “machine for the projection of motion pictures.” There is dispute among historians whether Spoor indeed gave Amet the money to start his business, but most agree that Spoor managed Amet's motion picture interests before moving on to found Essanay Studios in Chicago. 

Spoor (third from left in bowler) discussing Amet's Magniscope with curious onlookers, about 1933. Beginning in the 1920s, there was a great deal of interest in Amet's work and in promoting Waukegan as the birthplace of motion pictures. Dunn Museum.

When Amet's projector was finished in late 1894, he acquired two discarded Kinetoscope films to show on his Magniscope. He cemented the films end-to-end and projected them against a wall in a factory building. “After the demonstration that night, there was not much sleep for any of us,” recalled George Spoor.

According to Spoor, the next day he bought 14 more discarded Edison films, and put out advertisements for the “Great Motion Picture Show” at Waukegan’s Phoenix Opera House at 10, 20 and 30 cents admission. They showed the films with Amet’s machine and made $400 the first week.

Advertisement to see Amet's motion pictures shown on the Magniscope at the First Congregational Church in Waukegan, November 14, 1898. Waukegan Weekly Gazette, November 11, 1898. Newspapers.com

It is generally accepted that the French Lumiere Brothers’ showing of motion pictures in Paris to a paying audience in the winter of 1895 was the beginning of the movie era. If Spoor’s memory can be trusted, and later accounts by Amet's brothers, the Magniscope showing pre-dates the Lumieres’ by one year. Waukegan newspapers from this period cannot be found adding to the rumors that Edison had them destroyed. 

Amet's laboratory in the backyard of his property on North Avenue, Waukegan. This is where he developed his film and worked on his inventions. The building was razed in 1966. Dunn Museum. 

From about 1895 to 1899, Waukegan became the center for the movie machine business as Magniscopes were produced at the Electrical Recording Scale Company and sold for $100 each.

Magniscopes were available to anyone without territorial restrictions, were manually operated, and did not require electricity as an illuminant source. Amet sold at least 200 to traveling showmen who were using lantern slides to entertain audiences, and who easily adapted to the moving picture format.

Amet is credited with at least 59 patents, including a musical instrument the “ethelo,” a guidance system for naval torpedoes (which he sold to the British government), a process for producing acetylene gas as an illuminant, and a fishing reel.

Remarkably, the Magniscope was not patented. Thomas Edison (1847-1931), who earlier had patented the 35mm movie film format, sued Amet and other inventors and entrepreneurs for using this film type. The results of the lawsuit meant that Amet could no longer manufacture the Magniscope. But with hundreds already in use, Amet was ready to move on to other inventions.

In 1957, Amet’s brother, Herbert (1880-1959), recalled that because of Amet’s improvements to the Edison Talking Machine, “Edison detested Ed with an undying hate. He had those gramophone patents.” Rumors abounded that Edison sent his thugs into towns to destroy any newspaper evidence of Amet's invention, in order to claim sole title to inventing motion pictures.

Herbert "Herb" Amet, 1898. Herb worked with his inventor brother, Edward, in the laboratory. Herb was a "player" in Edward's films, including in the "Boxing Brothers." 62.62.2, Bairstow Collection, Dunn Museum. 

In 1907, George K. Spoor founded Essanay Studios in Chicago with cowboy actor / director G.M. “Bronco Billy” Anderson. Read my post on Essanay Studios for more on that motion picture venture.

Amet left Waukegan around 1904, heading west and settling in California. He continued working on motion picture devices, as well as other inventions. When he died in 1948, he was working on a cure for cancer.

His obituary appeared in the New York Times:

Edward Hill Amet
Redondo Beach, Calif., Aug. 17 - Edward Hill Amet, an inventor of motion-picture equipment, died at his home here yesterday. His age was 87. In 1895, Mr. Amet perfected the nagnagraph, known as the "grand-daddy of motion picture cameras." The first model of the camera is in the Smithsonian Institution.

The Bess Bower Dunn Museum acquired a Magniscope in 2001, which is on permanent display in the museum's exhibition galleries.

Amet home at 421 North Avenue, Waukegan. 

Edward Amet's home at 421 North Avenue in Waukegan was built about 1840 and was the residence of Oliver S. Lincoln. The house is still standing and is part of Waukegan's Near North Historic District,  which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Amet's pioneering films will be discussed in next week's post. See my post Amet's Films. 

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.