A press release from the McHenry County Historical Preservation Commission:
The Donald Bauer barn in Lakemoor.
WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS — On behalf of the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission, staff of the Public Service Archaeology & Architecture Program of the University of Illinois (UIUC) will be conducting a survey of historic structures in unincorporated McHenry County.
This project updates the previous surveys conducted during the 1970s and 1980s.
Exterior photographs will be taken of each pre-1950 structure.
Townships being surveyed during this project include Alden, Chemung, Dunham, Hartland, Hebron, Marengo, Riley, and Seneca.
The survey will give us a better understanding as to what historic structures still exist in our county and to portray this “slice-in-time” historically as we look at how these old farmsteads and rural sites have evolved through time.
Participation of local residents knowledgeable about the historical background of such structures and sharing this historical information would be greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions, or wish to verify this project, please contact Sean Foley at the above address or phone number.
You may also email him at hpc@co.mchenry.il.us if you prefer.
The County Sheriff has been notified of this field work as well.
Thank you for helping us to better understand the historical heritage of McHenry County.
They will find a big reduction in dairy barns over the last 30 – 40 years.
Of those remaining, most are not used as dairy barns and many have deteriorated significantly.
Dairy as the rest of farming is becoming big business, such as the almost 5,000 head of dairy cows at the Rock Prairie Dairy operation in Avalon on Route 14 just southwest of Janesville.
There you will find massive steel barns.
Which, if you didn’t know what you were looking at when driving by, you would never guess were dairy bairns.
The days of the red wood barn and pasture in the woods are mostly, but not entirely gone.
You do see some hobby farms and organic farms popping up here and there.
I too would like to connect with a time when it took a day to get to Chicago, freezing to death in winter, life expectancy at 40, news traveling in weeks instead of seconds and when people smelled badly.
Now what’s that price tag for preserving these good old days?
Explaining how things have changed is not advocating for a return to the good old days.
Great Mark. Now we know who we can count on to foot the bill.
But make sure you let the Mac County Hist. Comm. know, your their go to guy, for finance, to preserve the next outhouse that some Pol. used 200 years ago.
Take it off my tax bill and I’ll just continue Googling.
Explaining how things have changed is not advocating for or against a historical survey.