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McHenry County News DISPLAY ADVERTISING & CLASSIFIEDS: 815-654-4850 • CIRCULATION: 815-654-4854 • E-MAIL: McHenryNews@RVPublishing.com VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 52
11512 N. 2nd ST. • MACHESNEY PARK, IL 61115
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017
Village announces new speed control on Crystal Lake Road
The Village of Lake in the Hills recently conducted a speed study along Crystal Lake Road in response to concerns brought to the Village regarding the speed at which traffic was moving along this route. The results of this study show the average speed of traffic was elevated enough to warrant implementing traffic calming methods to reduce vehicle speeds. The first attempt included increased enforcement on the posted speed limits. The efforts were only temporarily effective, with the speeds returning to their previous levels. As a result the Village is implementing traffic calming measures. The Village has installed road narrowing devices in an attempt to modify driver’s behavior while traveling on Crystal Lake Road with the goal of reducing vehicle speeds. While traveling on Crystal Lake Road, please use caution and be cognizant of your speed.
WOODSTOCK PD PHOTO McHenry County News
Woodstock shoppers
Members of the Woodstock Police Department and the Woodstock Police Department’s Police Explorer Post had a great time at Shop With A Cop 2017.
Historical Society offers adopt an artifact program
McHenry County is home to a significant number of women who made a difference in American history. Among them is Lillian Keating. Lillian Keating Donovan was born in Chemung in 1889. She graduated from Harvard High School in 1904 and lived with her attorney husband, Paul, in Harvard through the 1920s. However, by 1914 Lillian was beset with serious polio pains. While not immobilized by the disease, Lillian followed the advice of a friend and elected in 1927 to “take the water cure” at Warm Springs, Ga. There she met Franklin Roosevelt and they soon became “pool buddies.” In fact, it was Roosevelt who gave her the nickname of “Donney” after her last name – Donovan. She soon became known as the “Belle of
Warm Springs.” Among the items in the McHenry County Historical Society’s collection is a wide-brimmed peach and lace-covered hat with a satin crown. Lillian Keating wore it when she wed Paul Donovan on June 12, 1912. MCHS also has Keating’s ivory, satin wedding dress in the collection, which it hopes to exhibit with the hat – once the later is repaired. The crown of the hat has been detached from the brim and needs to be re-sewn and stabilized. The cost of doing so is estimated at $70, and includes the cost of an archivalquality storage box that can house both the dress and hat. The 1912 wedding hat is among a number of artifacts the public can adopt by visiting the historical society website at GotHistory.org. They include:
SUBMITTED PHOTO McHenry County News
President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The woman pictured on the right in the photo is not Eleanor Roosevelt, but rather Lillian Keating Donovan.
• Crystal Lake Train Depot Bench – The bench needs to be refinished. Adopt for $500. This bench was used by passengers waiting to board their trains at the Crystal Lake station. Although the railroad lines actually ran through the village of Nunda, it was always known as the Crystal Lake station. A new train station was built in 1914 west of the old depot. It was a one-story brown brick building with a basement that included separate waiting rooms for women and men, a baggage room, an express room, and a ticket office. The bench, recently donated to MCHS by the Crystal Lake Historical Society, dates to the same year the new train station opened. • Victorian Parlor Settee – This circa 1895 parlor settee is bottoming out and needs repair. Adopt for $225. • Franklinville Methodist Church Bible – Mary Sanford presented this Bible to the Seneca Township church in 1890. It needs rebinding, while preserving the original cover. Nearly 40 pages need to be reattached to the spine. Adopt
for $700. • 1862 Map of McHenry County – In addition to missing areas, fading colors need to be reproduced and conformed to the map. The acidic materials should be removed from the paper to slow further deterioration. Also, the fragile paper also needs reinforcement before the entire map is encapsulated in Mylar for protection: Adopt for $1,400. This hand-colored and engraved 47-by-62 1/2-inch map is the first commercial sheet map of McHenry County. It was compiled and published by M.H. Thompson & Brother (Dundee) and lithographed by Charles Shober (Chicago) in 1862. This map documents the early history of the county by showing views of businesses, residential and public buildings. It also lists county officers, board of supervisors and shows land ownership in every township. • 1840s Shirtwaist – The adoption of this artifact will ensure the detached sleeve and ribbon trim are properly sewn back on to the shirtwaist according to 1840s sleeve styles. The donation will also sup-
This photo is of a wide-brimmed peach and lace-covered hat with a satin crown. Lillian Keating wore it when she wed Paul Donovan on June 12, 1912. MCHS also has Keating’s ivory, satin wedding dress in the collection, which it hopes to exhibit with the hat – once the later is repaired.
port the cost of an archival storage box to house the shirtwaist. Adopt for $50. This ecru silk woman’s shirtwaist was made from a wedding dress worn by Mary Collson for her marriage to Eli Whitney Brigham on Nov. 20, 1842, in Dundee. Mary Collson was born on July 16, 1810, in Cheshire, Mass. By 1850 the couple lived in Hebron. Mary’s husband was a farmer and she was “keeping house” She died on March 28, 1891, in Hebron and is buried in the Linn-Hebron Cemetery. Your tax-deductible donation will support the restoration and storage of an artifact of your choosing, and preserve its historical significance. Benefits include: • A personalized adoption packet that includes a certificate of adoption, a photograph of your artifact and a description of its historical significance. • Your adopted artifact will be on exhibit for one year together with signage recognizing your donation. • Society membership for one year, good for free museum admission and access to reduced program fees and a museum store discount • Acknowledgment in our next Tracer magazine as a member of our Adopt An Artifact program. MCHS launched its Adopt An Artifact program last year with great success. Patrons stepped up to fund the restoration of a rare 1908 county atlas, as well as a composition Buddy Lee doll, which appeared in store window displays from 1920 through 1948, and an African-American doll from about the same time period. The McHenry County Civil War Roundtable also adopted an 1890s snare drum with ties to the Civil War and – most recently – an 1863 diary belonging to Marengoan August Schwager, who served in Company K of the 65th Illinois Infantry. For more information about any of these artifacts or how you can adopt an item, call 815-923-2267 or visit www.gothistory.org.