Tryon Grove Farm

The farm, established in 1837 by Bela and Harriet Tryon, retains many of its original outbuilding structures. Both Bela and Harriet were prominent local figures. Bela was the first postmaster of Hebron, one of the first McHenry County Commissioners, and the first Justice of the Peace. As the first European woman to settle in the area, it was Harriet who chose the name for Hebron Township. It was said she made her home the center of hospitality in those early years. Their son Charles, a Civil War veteran, was elected to the Illinois State Senate and served for a time as the County Surveyor.

The residence of Captain Charles Hopkins Tryon is an outstanding example of cross-gabled bracketed Italianate architecture. The entire homestead, extensively remodeled in the 1870s, has good integrity. The original barn was replaced in 1912 and new identical copies of the original cupolas replaced the old in the late 1990s. The remaining outbuildings are in good standing. Several have been restored to their original condition. [ More . . . ]

The Old Greenwood School, Village of Greenwood

The Old Greenwood School was built in 1859 by subscription, that is when the community pooled their resources to build the school. The building is constructed of yellow Milwaukee brick and possesses classic Greek Revival period features such as cornice returns, a front door surround, and stone lintels. The interior still possesses the original wainscoting and a single front door has since replaced the old double doors. The pair can be found mounted on the basement wall.

The second story was used for the high school class while the lower room was the grade school. For a short period of time, church services were also held there. The building served as the community's school until 1948 when it was sold at auction. It is currently a private residence.

John James House, Ringwood

New Hampshire native John James settled here in 1842 where, with an original land grant, he purchased 120 acres of fertile land. Although possessing some Greek Revival and Federal features, the layout and symmetry suggest this house to be of the Georgian architectural style, an uncommon style for the area in this time period. The 1850 building was constructed of

 fieldstone with massive walls 12 inches thick. Several of the original beveled windows are still in place. Recent remodeling discovered evidence of a trap door in the kitchen and openings in the fieldstone lead to a short five-step staircase under it. This hidden area, perhaps a root cellar, hints at possible Underground Railroad activity. The 1860s saw James very active in local politics. As a founding member of the Baptist Church of Greenwood, he was known as the "overseer of the poor".

The Allendale Truss Bridge (Landmark lost 2009)

This venerable structure was demolished and removed in 2009 as part of a local road improvement project. Its Landmark status is "retired". The Allendale Steel Truss Bridge was unique in the fact that it was one of the few remaining steel truss bridges left in McHenry County. It had been replaced several times throughout its history. The first bridge built of wood in 1846 was replaced by one of steel and concrete in 1915. In its place is a modern concrete bridge which will serve Allendale road for many decades to come. Greenwood was isolated for nearly a year when twelve bridges across the county, including the Allendale Bridge, washed out following the severe flooding of 1938. A new bridge with steel trusses was constructed in 1939 for a cost of just over $10,000. Warren trusses are easily recognized by their triangular outline.  [ More . . .  ]

Ostend Cemetery, McHenry

Apollos Thompson, a descendant of John Thompson of the Old Plymouth colony, left Massachusetts to settle in this area in 1842 when he purchased 320 acres of prime farmland with $400. His wife Lucinda and their children later joined him but cemetery that became known as the Thompson Burying Grounds. The ground would later be consecrated and made into a community cemetery. Ostend Cemetery, as the community burying ground would come to be called, was named after the small Dutch town that grew around it. 

The name was changed in 1879 to reflect community ties with the school and post office. Thompson set aside an acre of land for a and stagecoach stop. Grave markers indicate interments representing nearly every family in the early neighborhood. They are all that is left of the Ostend community. tragedy struck the family when Lucinda died within six weeks of relocating. [ More . . . ]

 

Miller Chapel, Johnsburg

In 1863, Peter Miller (Muller) died leaving his wife, Mary, to raise their 6 children alone. Facing the hardships of raising her family, she toiled in the field with her eldest children. Family oral traditions tell that she knelt down in the field one day and asked the Blessed Mother to help raise her children and keep her family together. As a symbol of her appreciation, she promised to build a chapel. Mary's son John built this tiny Catholic chapel on the corner of the Miller farm to fulfill that promise.

The interior has a simple pew, a few benches, religious statues and an altar. The chapel stands as it was originally built with no electricity or running water, a testament to the strengths of the early settlers. Today's family members hold a traditional German mass in the chapel as part of their yearly Miller family reunion.

 

Carr-Harrison Cemetery, Ringwood

Joseph Carr purchased land that encompassed the western half of this cemetery in 1837, and in 1842 John Harrison purchased land that included the eastern half.

Typically, when a first death occurred in an area, a suitable piece of land was set aside as a burying ground that would serve the neighborhood thereafter. It was highly unusual for adjoining landowners to develop separate but neighboring cemeteries. Both the Carr and Harrison families were large and this may have been the reason for the separate burying grounds. It was a grim fact that a large family could easily fill a small cemetery given the high mortality rate of the times.

Like so many rural families, the Carrs and Harrisons eventually joined in matrimony in 1860 and the two separate family cemeteries became one. There were several early burials but the deeds for this cemetery were not officially recorded until the 1890s. The ground is still in use and tended by both families 160 years later.

 

Powers-Walker Historic Site, Ringwood 

This pre-civil war era farmstead currently consists of a farmhouse and a barn. Though the Elon and Mary Powers family moved to this spot in circa 1843 presumably starting in a log cabin, the Greek-revival styled house was their first frame house built circa 1854. The three-bay threshing barn is also of the pre-Civil War era and period to the house. The Powers raised their family here and afterwards the farm was eventually sold to Samuel Walker, who owned the neighboring property and was one of McHenry County’s original settlers. This farmstead is restored as an example of an early settler farm and is currently used for historical educational programs by its owners, the McHenry County Conservation District.  The site is located at 6201 Harts Road in the Glacial Park Conservation area.

 

 

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