HomeMy Public PortalAboutPlainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey ReportWiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. 330 Pfingsten Road Northbrook, Illinois 60062 (847) 272-7400 Village of Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey May 2006 for the Village of Plainfield, Community Development Department and the Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 – Background and Methodology Background 1 Survey Methodology 1 Survey Gaps and Future Research 3 Chapter 2 – Context History of the Rural Survey Area Geological and Topographic B ackground to the Illinois Region 5 First Nations in the Illinois Region 6 The Arrival of European Settlers 7 French Explorers and Settlers in the Illinois Territory 7 Illinois in the English Colonial Period and Revolutionary War 8 Land Division and Distribution in the New Nation 9 Development of the Northwest Territory 10 Illinois Statehood 10 Settlement and Development of Northeast Illinois 11 Agricultural Development 14 Twentieth Century Developments 16 Plainfield Township 19 Plainfield 19 Plainfield Grain Company 22 Schools in Plainfield Township 23 Wheatland Township 24 Rural Crossroads of Wheatland Township 25 Tamarack 26 Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads 28 Normantown 30 Schools in Wheatland Township 33 Oswego Township 34 Na-Au-Say Township 35 Chapter 3 – American Rural Architecture Farmstead Planning 37 Development of Balloon Framing 37 Masonry Construction 41 Brick 41 Concrete 41 Concrete Block 42 Limestone 44 Classification of Farmhouses 50 Architectural Style 50 House Types 55 Development of the Barn 62 Barn Types 65 Grain Elevators 72 Corncribs 72 Crib Barns 74 Metal Bins 76 Silos 77 Other Farm Structures 81
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Table of Contents Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Chapter 4 – Survey Summary and Recommendations Period of Significance: 1830 to 1970 84 Significance 84 National Register and Local Landmark Criteria 84 Potential Historic Districts, Th ematic Designations, and Landmarks 87 Survey Summary 89 Notable Farmsteads in Plainfield Township 90 Notable Farmsteads in Wheatland Township 98 Notable Farmsteads in Oswego Township 106 Notable Farmsteads in Na-Au-Say Township 111 Tables Table 1A and 1B – Individually Si gnificant Farmsteads and Other Sites Table 2 – Limestone Farmsteads Table 3 – Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads District Table 4A and 4B – Existing Houses Table 5 – Existing Farmsteads and Other Sites Bibliography Glossary Appendices Appendix A – Historic Plat Maps Appendix B – Aerial Photography Appendix C – Survey Maps
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 1 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY Background As requested by the Village of Plainfield, this re port has been prepared as an updated and expanded version of the survey report compiled in 1999–2 000 by Jeffrey Koerber of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) for the Will County Land Use Department and the Will County Historic Preservation Commission, entitled Rural Historic Structural Survey of Wheatland, Plainfield, and Lockport Townships, Will County, Illinois . The field work and photography for that survey report were performed in August and September 1999. The final written report was completed in September 2000. The present study and written report draw heavily up on the text, research, and photography prepared for the 1999–2000 study. Where appropria te, this report makes note of add itional information contained in the 2000 report, which is not repeated herein to avoid unnecessary duplication or inclusion of information that is only tangentially related to the Village of Plainfield. However, much text has been repeated verbatim herein so that the present report forms a co mplete study of the rural vicinity of Plainfield. Due to the intensive new residentia l, commercial, and industrial deve lopment which has occurred in and around the Village of Plainfield over the past deca de, and the potential for even greater development pressures over the next decades as formerly agricu ltural properties are subdivided and urbanized, the Village has commissioned this survey of the historic (pre-1955) rural structures and properties located within the urban planning boundaries of the village, as defined in the Village’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan and boundary agreements with adjacent municipalities. The objectives of the study are to provide comprehe nsive information on all historic rural structures located in the area; to assess the e ligibility of rural districts or indivi dual buildings for designation as local landmarks or nomination to the National Register of Hi storic Places; to inventory the existing structures in the area for future study; to provide background on significant architectural styles and rural structure types common to the Plainfield area; and to provide background history of the development of the area. The present study has been developed to meet the requirements and standards of the Certified Local Government program. Survey Methodology Survey Team The survey team from WJE consisted of Kenneth Itle , Sarah Lowe, and Deborah Slaton. Mr. Itle served as Project Manager and developed the summary report and performed some field survey work. Ms. Lowe performed field survey work. Ms. Slaton w as the reviewer of the summary report. Background Research Work on the rural survey of began in August 2005. Background research was performed at the State of Illinois Library, Springfield; the University of Illinois Libraries, the Joliet Public Library, the Plainfield Public Library, and the Oswego Public Library. In addition, extensive historic research materials compiled in 1999–2000 for the previous report were available. Field Survey A project initiation meeting was held on 26 July 2005 by Kenneth Itle of WJE and John Kersh of the Village of Plainfield to discuss the project approach and scope. Field survey work proceeded in August, September, and October 2005. The field survey in Oswego and Na-Au-Say Townships, which were not included in the 1999–2000 work , began with a reconnaissance survey to identify existing farmstead sites.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 2 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Following the identification of sites, an intensive surv ey was performed of each site. The survey team first approached the primary residence on the site to request permission of the homeowner/tenant to conduct the survey on the farmstead site. At site s where no one was home, or where owner permission was not provided, the site was surveyed from the public right-of-way. Typically each structure on the site was photographed individually using a digital camera. A sketch plan of the farmstead was prepared. Written notes for each building included a listing of exterior materials, overall condition, and estimated decade of construction based on structural type and st yle. Any history informati on provided by the owner, such as dates of construction or names of original owners, were also noted. The survey in Wheatland and Plainfield Township s consisted primarily of an updated reconnaissance survey and photography. Each site documented in th e 1999–2000 survey was revisited. If all historic structures on the site had been demolished, this wa s noted. If the property survived, new photographs were taken from the public right-of-way, and any obvious changes, such as replacement of siding materials or the demolition of individual structur es, were noted. Also in Wheatland and Plainfield Townships, a limited number of previously excluded farmsteads were surveyed at an intensive level. These few farmsteads had been excluded from the prev ious study because they fell within the municipal limits of Plainfield in 1999, and therefore could not be included in the 1999 survey per the instructions of the Will County Land Use Department. Database and Base Map Preparation Mapping for the survey was prepared using ArcGIS.1 Baseline mapping showing roads, railways, streams, township boundaries, etc., as well as aerial photography of the survey area, was downloaded from the Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse internet site.2 For Will County, full color 2005 aerial photographs were made available in May 2006 and have been incorporated into the final maps. For Kendall County, black-and-white aerial photograph fro m 1999 was used; it is anticipated that updated color photography will be availabl e online later in 2006. Mapping data for the current municipal boundaries of Plainfield was provided by the Village. I ndividual points were added to the baseline map at the location of each farmstead site surveyed. Each poi nt represents a particular record in the Microsoft Access database. The database contains all field survey information; historical information specific to each property, such as names of previous owners based on historic atlases and plat maps; and the assessment of historic significance. On the datab ase forms, the “notes” field typically contains other miscellaneous observations of the project team from th e field work. Rarely, this field contains verbal information from the resident or another source; these are so noted. Prior to inserting the digital photographs into the database, the photograph files were converted from color .jpg files to reduced size black-and-white .bmp files. The Microsoft Access database was used to generate the property lists included in this summary report, as well as the individual survey forms. The ArcGIS software was used to generate the maps of the survey area included in the appendix. Presentations WJE attended a preliminary meeting of the HPC to discuss the scope and intent of the project on 11 August 2005. The results of the survey were presen ted to the HPC at a meeting on 9 February 2006. Village staff and the HPC also reviewed draft vers ions of the written report and the individual survey sheets. Based on comments received from the HPC and Village staff, the final report and survey sheets were prepared. Report and Submittals The summary report was prepared using Microsoft Word . As noted above, the text of this report draws heavily upon the Rural Historic Structural Survey of Whea tland, Plainfield, and Lockport Townships 1 GIS stands for geographic information system, a computerized methodology for organizing data geographically. 2 http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/nsdihome/
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 3 prepared by WJE for Will County in 1999–2000. Wherever possible, new 2005 photographs have been used to illustrate this report; the few exceptions wh ere 1999 photographs have been included are noted in the captions. The Village of Plainfield was provided w ith the following final materials: printed copies of the final summary report; printed copies of the indivi dual property survey forms; digital photographs as original color .jpg files; ArcGIS mapping files; Micros oft Access database file; survey sheets as .pdf file; and report text as Microsoft Word file and .pdf file. Survey Gaps and Future Research The present study is not meant to be a definitive revi ew of the history of each property surveyed; rather, based on historic research and field survey, the re lative significance of each property has been assessed. In the future, as new development or renovation work may affect particular properties, the history and significance of the particular property should be research ed in detail, using the present survey as a starting point. The present study focused on architectural features of the survey region. Other studies could be undertaken to assess the archaeological potential of the survey region; to identify and assess cultural landscape features such as fence rows, hedges, and earthworks; to study historic transportation infrastructure and routes in detail; or to study partic ular architectural themes, such as limestone masonry construction, in greater detail.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 4 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Above: One historic limestone bridge abutme nt exists along the DuPage River just we st of Illinois Route 59 north of downtown Plainfield. The road originally curved to the west to cross the river more nearly perpendicular; the road was straightened to its present-day alignment in the 1930s. Below: The Spring Banks br idge at Renwick Road at the Du Page River is the only known steel truss type bridge in the survey area. It was constructed circa 1912 and is listed as a Will County Landmark.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 5 CHAPTER 2 CONTEXT HISTORY OF THE RURAL SURVEY AREA Geologic and Topographic Background to the Illinois Region As with most of Illinois, the Plainfield area was pr ofoundly altered by glaciation. Over approximately one million years during the Pleistocene era, the northern hemisphere was alternately covered by, and free of, large ice sheets that were hundreds to a few thousand feet thick. Pleistocene glaciers and the waters melting from them changed the landscapes they covered. The ice scraped and smeared the landforms it overrode, leveling and filling many of the minor valleys and even some of the larger ones. Moving ice carried colossal amounts of rock and earth, for much of what the gl aciers wore off the ground was kneaded into the moving ice and carried along, often for hundreds of miles. A significant feature left by the advance and retreat of glaciers in the northeast corner of the state are glacial moraines—low mounds tens of miles long left by the furthest advance of a glaciers in the Wisconsinan period. The Plainfield area lies to the west of one of the most pronounced moraines, the Valparaiso Morainic System. Along the Kendall–Will county line is the Minooka Ridge, which is a minor topographic feature compared to the Valparaiso Moraine.3 The Village of Plainfield is located at the northeast edge of the Mississippi River drainage basin. The survey region is drained by two rivers, the DuPage Rive r and the Fox River, both of which flow in turn to the Illinois River and on to the Mississippi. The DuPage River flows genera lly south, meeting the DesPlaines River in Channahon Township, just north of the junction of the DesPlaines and Kankakee Rivers, to form the Illinois River. Each of the rivers has a number of tributary creeks and streams. In Wheatland and Plainfield Townships (east of Minooka Ridge), small streams typically drain directly to the DuPage River, which generally flows north to south through the middle of these townships. In Na-Au-Say Township (west of Minooka Ridge), a numb er of smaller streams combine to form the Aux Sable Creek, which flows south and joins the Illinois River in Grundy County. In Oswego Township (also west of Minooka Ridge), Morgan Creek flows east to west, joining the Fox River in the western portions of the township outside the survey area. The last ice sheets in this area began to retreat approximately 13,500 years ago. The retreating and melting glaciers continued to impact the area for a few more thousand years, as the outflow deposited sand and gravel. As the Valparaiso ice sheet wa s melting, the Des Plaines River valley overflowed, forming the beds of Lily Cache and Mink Creeks, wh ich then flowed through a network of creek beds into the DuPage River. The waters flowing through th is network, located east of Plainfield, deposited the gravel present in the region and exposed underlying lim estone beds in isolated locations. Another effect, present along parts of the Des Plaines River and on th e east bank of the DuPage River in Section 14 of Wheatland Township, was the formation of sandst one and conglomerate rock from cementation of outwash sands and gravels.4 3 Nonetheless, the Minooka Ridge is perceptible when look ing west across the farm fields of western Wheatland and Plainfield Townships. This is partic ularly true when traveling westbound toward the Kendall–Will county line. The Valparaiso Moraine is perhaps less perceptible because of the greater amount of development that has occurred in that area. 4 D.J. Fisher, Geology and Mineral Resources of the Joliet Quadrangle, Bulletin No. 51 of the Illinois State Geological Survey (Urbana, Illinois, 1925), 84–85.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 6 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Illustrated above are the moraine systems in northeastern Illinois. Much of Plainfield (dotted lin e) lies over the former Lake Wauponsee. The Minooka Ridge, generally along the Will–Kendall count y line, is a primary featur e of the area’s glacial topography. (H.B. Willman, Summary of the Geology of the Chicago Area , Illinois State Geologi cal Survey Circular 460 (Urbana, Illinois, 1971), 43.) First Nations in the Illinois Region Human habitation of the North American continent fro m the Paleo-Indian culture has been dated to the end of the last glacial advance (about 15,000 to 12,00 0 years ago). Increasing warmth toward the close of the Pleistocene Era caused the melting and disappearance of the ice sheet in approximately 9000 B.C. The arrival of the First Nations, or Native Americans, in the region between the middle Mississippi valley and Lake Michigan appears to date from the earliest peri od following the retreat of the polar ice sheet. This time is known as the Paleo-Indian Period, when peop les in the region briefly occupied campsites while subsisting on deer, small mammals, nuts, and wild vegetables and other plants.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 7 The first signs of specific colonization date from th e Archaic Period, prior to 1000 B.C., when deer hunting and wild plant gathering supported a disper sed population. As climatic conditions changed over the next several thousand years, populations tended to concentrate near river floodplains and adjacent areas. In the Woodland Period (1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D.), crude grit-tempered pottery appeared in northeastern Illinois. The end of this period saw the a dvent of large fortified towns with platform mounds, such as the community at Cahokia located east of St. Louis. Further north, villages in the upper Illinois River Valley lacked large platform mounds.5 It was also a period of a widespread trading network known to modern anthropology as the Hopewell Interaction Sphere. The villages of this period were typically located on valley bottom lands, close to river tran sportation. Agricultural development included cultivation of floodplain lands; by 650 A.D. mai ze was being grown in the Illinois River valley.6 The time span between 1000 A.D. and the coming of European explorers and settlers is known as the Mississippian Period. Northeast Illinois was at the fringe of the larger Middle Mississippi culture present in central and southern Illinois. At the beginning of this period, the communities of large fortified towns and ceremonial platform mounds reached their zenith. Among these sites in northeastern Illinois is the Fisher site in Will County, located in Channahon Township. The Arrival of European Settlers French Explorers and Settlers in the Illinois Territory By the time of the French explorations of the sevent eenth century, the native inhabitants of Illinois as a group belonged to the Algonquian linguistic family, cl osely related to the Chippewa. The specific tribes in the northeast Illinois region included the Miami (lo cated on sites near the Calumet River, the juncture of the Des Plaines and Kankakee Rivers, and the Fox River) and the Illinois (present throughout the rest of modern-day Illinois). “Illinois” was a native word signifying “men” or “people.”7 By the early to mid-1700s, the Potawatomi moved into the area from th e region of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. In 1673, the expedition of Father Jacques Marque tte and Louis Jolliet traveled primarily along the Mississippi River and up the Illinois River to the region of Cook and Will Counties.8 This expedition claimed the region for France. In 1678, an expedition led by Robert de La Salle with Henry Tonti and Father Hennepin explored the region along the Missi ssippi River and adjacent territory on behalf of France. A Jesuit mission was established at Chicago in 169 6 by Father Pierre Pinet, but it failed to last more than a year. As time progressed the French centered their principal activities in the middle Mississippi valley, focusing on Fort de Chartres near Kaskaskia and its connections with Québec via the 5 Several Woodland sites are present in the river valleys of the Des Plaines and DuPage Rivers. (John Doershuk, Plenemuk Mound and the Archaeology of Will County, Illinois Cultural Resource Study No. 3 (Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1988), 11–14). 6 James E. Davis, Frontier Illinois (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1998), 25. “The Late Woodland is a period of increasing dependence on corn agriculture, although northeastern Illinois groups appear less corn-dependent than do central and lower Illinois River valley peoples.” (Doershuk, Plenemuk Mound and the Archaeology of Will County, 13–14.) 7 John R. Swanton, The Indian Tribes of North America (1952, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin Number 145; reprint, Washington, D.C.: Smit hsonian Institution Press, 1969), 241. 8 Louis Jolliet was born at Beauport, near Québec, in Sept ember 1645. He began to study at the Jesuit College of Québec in 1655 and in 1 662 he received minor religious orders from Bishop Laval. Af ter leaving the seminary and becoming a fur trader, he gained proficiency in surveying and mapmaking. Jolliet was chosen by the government of France to be a member of a delegation meeting with the chie ftains of the Indian tribes assembled at Sault Sainte Marie in 1671. Beginning the next year, Jolliet led an expedition down the Mississippi, during which he traveled up the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers. During this expedition he surmised that digging a canal from to connect the waterways in this region would allow transportation from th e Great Lakes to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico. The Illinois and Michigan Canal constructed in the 1830s and 1840s was the realization of this route.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 8 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Ohio, Maumee, and Wabash rivers and the Great Lak es, well to the south and east of the upper Illinois valley. During this period, the Native Americans were under going migrations, often leading to conflict among the various tribes. The Sauk, Fox, Kickapoo, and Po tawatomi displaced the Miami and Illinois in the Chicago region. The Potawatomi, followed by the Sauk and the Fox, were the predominant peoples in the northeastern Illinois by the later 1700s. Also present in the region were the Winnebago and the Shawnee.9 The above map is an excerpt of “Indian Trails and Villages of Chicago and of Co ok, DuPage, and Will Counties, Illinois (1804)” prepared by Albert F. Scharf, 1900. The network of Native American trails in northeastern Illi nois served the purposes of European settlers in the 1830s and 1840s, and m any of these routes developed into roads that are in use today in the survey are a. For Plainfield, this includes the Naperville-Plainfield Road and portions of Illinois Route 126 and U.S. Route 30. (Map reproduced from Milo M. Quaife, Chicago’s Highways Old and New: From Indian Trail to Motor Road (Chicago: D.F. Keller and Company, 1923), facing page 236.) French colonial settlers in the southern and central portions of Illinois brought with them traditional agricultural practices from northern France, including open-field plowlands divided into longlots, and communal pasturing areas.10 However, unlike labor practices in France, colonial settlers utilized African slaves. By the middle of the eighteenth century, black slaves were one-third of the region’s population. Early settlements founded as missions and fur trading posts, such as Cahokia and Kaskaskia, developed into the core of agricultural communities.11 French colonial farms produced wheat for human consumption and maize as feed for hogs. A staple of the settlers’ diet was wheat bread. Livestock for use as dairy production, meat consumption, and draft an imals were also present on the region’s farms. The open field agriculture system continued in use beyond the era of French domination, and ended only with the influx of settlers from the east coast after 1800.12 Illinois in the English Colonial Period and Revolutionary War Land ownership was not an original right when th e Virginia Company settled Jamestown in 1607. The company owned the land and paid its employees for their labor in food and supplies out of a common 9 Jean L. Herath, Indians and Pioneers: A Prelude to Plainfield, Illinois (Hinckley, Illinois: The Hinckley Review, 1975), 20–21. 10 Carl J. Ekberg, French Roots in the Illinois Country: The Mississippi Frontier in Colonial Times (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1998), 2–3 . “Longlots” are, as the name implie s, long narrow plots of cultivated land that developed because of the difficulty for plowing teams to turn around. Forms of longlots date back to ancient Mesopotamia; French colonial forms developed from Medieval European models. The longlots in Illinois typically had length to width ratios of 10 to 1. 11 Ibid., 33. 12 Ibid., 173–251.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 9 storehouse, limiting their motivation to farm. After a period of starvation that nearly wiped out the settlement, the company gave each employee an incentive of a three-acr e garden, which led to regular land distribution consisting of a 50 acre “headright.”13 French influence in the Illinois territory began to wane by the mid-1700s. Québec on the St. Lawrence River fell to the British in September 1759 during the Fr ench and Indian War, opening a route through the Great Lakes to the middle part of the continent. In 1763, the French ceded land east of the Mississippi to the British. In October 1765, the British took possession of Fort Chartres (and briefly renamed it Fort Cavendish), extending British aut hority across the continent east of the Mississippi River. Unchallenged British control of the Illinois region lasted until the Re volutionary War. In 1778, at the direction of the Governor of Virginia, George Roge rs Clark led an expedition against the British and captured their posts in the frontier northwest. Clark marched across sout hern Illinois, and by July 1778 had disarmed the British-held frontier forts of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes, claiming the region for the newly independent American colonies. Land Division and Distribution in the New Nation When land claims of several of the newly independ ent states overlapped, Congress, under the Articles of Confederation, struggled to maintain control over th e territory extending to the Mississippi River. After making all land west of the Pennsylvania Line to th e Mississippi common national property, a system of land division was developed based on meridians and base lines, which were subdivided further into a series of rectangular grids. In the “Rectangular Sy stem,” distances and bearing were measured from two lines which are at right angles to each other: the Prin cipal Meridians, which run north and south, and the Base Lines, which run east and west. Subdividing lin es called Range Lines are spaced at six mile intervals between the meridians and base lines. Range Lines defined territories known as townships.14 On 20 May 1785, Congress adopted this system as th e Land Survey Ordinance of 1785. (Eventually, frontier settlers west of Pennsylvania and north of Texas could walk up to a plat map on the wall of a regional land office and select a one quarter secti on property for farming, which was thought to be sufficient to sustain individual farmers.15 ) In 1787, after about twenty months of surveying work, the first national public land sales occurred, consisting of 72,934 acres with $117,108.22 in revenue.16 Also in that year, the Ordinance of 1787 organized the Northwest Territory, including what would become Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. After the ratification of the new United State Constitu tion, land legislation was not addressed for several years. Meanwhile, settlement continued on the portions already surveyed and sold by the government, and extended into unsurveyed land with settlement by squatte rs (many of whom were later evicted by federal 13 John Opie, The Law of the Land: Two Hundred Years of Farm Policy (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994), 19. 14 Townships were the largest subdivision of land platte d by the United States. After the Township Corners were located, the Section and Quarter Sectio n Corners were established. Each Township was six miles square and contained 23,040 acres, or 36 square miles, as nearly as possible to fit specific geographic conditions such as lakes and rivers, political boundaries such as State boundaries, as well as survey erro rs. Each Township, unless irregular in shape due to the factors cited above, was divided into 36 squares called Sections. These Sections were intended to be one mile, or 320 rods, square and contain 640 acres of land. Sections were numbered consecutively from 1 to 36, utilizing the same criss-cross numbering pattern on each section regardless of national location or actual township configuration. Sections were subdivided into various smal ler parcels for individual farms. A half section contains 320 acres; a quarter section contains 160 acres; half of a quarter contains 80 acr es, and quarter of a quarter contains 40 acres, and so on. Today, legal descrip tions of real estate continue to desc ribe parcels according to the portion of the section within whic h they are located. 15 Opie, The Law of the Land, 10. 16 Ibid., 15.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 10 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey troops). Additional federal land sales took place in 1796, and in 1800 the govern ment opened land offices in Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Marietta , and Steubenville, all in Ohio. Development of the Northwest Territory In 1801 Illinois, then part of the Northwest Territory , became part of the Indiana Territory. Eight years later the Illinois Territory was formed, including the region of Wisconsin. By 1800, fewer than 5,000 settlers lived in the territorial region, with most lo cated in the southern portion of what became Illinois along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash Rivers. The northern portion of the st ate was more sparsely populated, as European settlers did not begin to ente r this area until the early years of the 1800s. At this time, the Native American tribe leader Tecu mseh organized the tribes of the Northwest Territory against European settlers. Although defeated in the Battle of Tippecanoe of 1811, Tecumseh remained active throughout the War of 1812 and aided British fo rces in capturing many European-settled areas. These reverted to American control at the end of the war. A series of treaties with Native American populations influenced the future of northeast Illi nois. In 1795, a peace treaty with Native Americans included the ceding of “one piece of land, six miles s quare, at the mouth of the Chicago River, emptying into the southwest end of Lake Mich igan, where a fort formerly stood.”17 It was on this land that Fort Dearborn was established in 1803, wher e a settlement of French traders and their Native American wives developed. The site grew initially from the fur trad e, and despite the Fort Dearborn Massacre of 1812, more settlers came to the area. Cutting across the western half of the region later known as Will County was a land corridor ceded by the Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa in a treaty si gned in St. Louis on 24 August 1816. The corridor, defined by the cartographic features now known as the Indian Boundary Lines (and still present on many maps of the area), was meant to allow European settlers access to Lake Michigan for the construction of a waterway (later developed as the Illinois and Michig an Canal). The corridor was physically surveyed by James M. Duncan and T.C. Sullivan in 1819; its s outhern boundary was defined by a line drawn from a point on the shore of Lake Michigan ten miles sout h of the Chicago River, to a point on the Kankakee River ten miles north of its mouth.18 Illinois Statehood The United States Congress passed an enabling act on 18 April 1818 admitting Illinois as the twenty-first state as of 3 December 1818. A bill had passed Cong ress in early 1818 moving the northern boundary northward to include the mouth of the Chicago River within the Illinois Territory.19 The act passed despite the fact that the population of the state was only 40,258, less than the 60,000 required by the Ordinance of 1787. The state capital was established first at Kaskaski a and moved to Vandalia two years later. Much of the land in the state was the property of the United States government. Early sales offices were located at Kaskaskia, Shawneetown, and Vincennes. Until the fina ncial panic of 1819, there was an initial rush of sales and settlement at the southern end of the stat e where navigable streams and the only road system were located.20 17 As quoted by A.T. Andreas in his History of Chicago, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time (Chicago: A.T. Andreas, 1884), 79. 18 Will County Property Owners, 1842 (Joliet, Illinois: Will County Historical Society, 1973), 1. 19 The northern boundary of the Illinois Territory was on an east-west line from the southern line of Lake Michigan. In order to give the future state a portage on Lake Michigan, the boundary line was moved 10 miles north of the initial boundary. The Congressional legislation was amended before passage, moving the future state’s northern boundary a total of 51 miles north. This gave the region more potential economic security as well as less potential for the area to align politically with the slave states of the South. 20 Olin Dee Morrison, Prairie State, A History: Social, Political, Economical (Athens, Ohio: E. M. Morrison, 1960), 24–25.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 11 The Native Americans who occupied the area at this time were divided into powerful tribes who at times fought the European settlers to hold their hunting grounds. Chief among these tribes was the Kickapoo, who were among the first to engage in war with Europ ean settlers and the last to enter into treaties with the United States government. On 30 July 1819, by th e Treaty at Edwardsville, the Kickapoo ceded their land to United States and began to retreat to Osage C ounty. By 1822, only 400 Kickapoo were left in the state. The 1832 Peace Treaty of Tippecanoe was negotia ted with the Potawatomi tribe, resulting in the ceding of the land now occupied by Chica go and Joliet to the federal government. The early 1830s saw the greatest land b oom to that date in American history. Land sales gradually came under the control of the General Land Office as the su rvey moved westward. In 1834 and 1835 alone, 28 million acres were shifted from closed to open land for purchase. Two years later the Van Buren administration placed an enormous 56,686,000 acres on the market. These lands were located in some of the most fertile farming regions of the nation: Illinois, Iowa, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri.21 The building of the Illinois and Michigan Ca nal in the later 1830s and 1840s (discussed in Chapter 2) led to a land boom in Chicago, which had been platted in 1830 and incorporated in 1833.22 The rate of growth in northern Illinoi s soon matched and then surpassed that in the southern portion of the state. Settlement and Development of Northeast Illinois By 1826, more European settlers began to move to the northeast Illinois region, so that by 1831 a few hamlets were present between LaSalle and Chicago. Also present in the region was a tribe of nearly 1,000 Potawatomi in the area along the DuPage River south of what would become Plainfield.23 At the beginning of the Black Hawk War in 1832 the largest settlement north of the Illinois River (except for Chicago) was on Bureau Creek, where there were a bout 30 families. A few other settlers had located along the river at Peru and LaSalle, and at Ottawa. At Walker’s Grove or Plainfield, there were 12 or 15 families.24 Along the DuPage River, partially located in the region that would become Will County in 1836, there were about twenty families. In Yankee settlements, which embraced part of the towns of Homer, Lockport and New Lenox, there were 20 or 25 families. Along the Hickory in the town of New Lenox, including the Zarley settlement in Joliet Town ship, there were approxima tely 20 more families, and at the Reed’s and Jackson Grove there were 6 or 8 more.25 The initial settlement of Oswego also occurred in August 1832, when William Wilson of Ohio settled on the south bank of the Fox River at the site of the present-day Village of Oswego.26 In 1832, a band of Sauk Indians led by Black Sparro w Hawk resisted their deportation by Europeans settlers from their ancestral lands. Although most of the fighting occurred in the Rock River area in Northwest Illinois and southern Wisconsin, an Indi an panic swept through Will County settlements. The settlers in Walker’s Grove together with about 25 fugitives from the Fox River area hurriedly constructed a stockade from the logs of Stephen Begg’s pigpen , outbuildings, and fences (“Fort Beggs”). The prospect of engaging Indians in pitched battle from the confines of “Fort Beggs” prompted the settlers to leave the 21 Ibid., 51. 22 Between 1840 and 1860 the population of Chicago increased from 4,470 to nearly 100,000, growth tied to the economic boom resulting from the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. By 1890, Chicago’s population was more than 1,000,000 persons (Harry Hansen, ed., Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide (New York: Hastings House Publishers, 1974), 176–83). 23 Herath, 21. 24 A Potawatomi village was located to the south of Walker’s Grove. (Helen Hornbeck Tanner, ed., Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987), Map 26, 140.) 25 Ibid. 26 Newton Bateman and Paul Selby, eds., History of Kendall County (Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1914), 883–884.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 12 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey makeshift stockade in favor of Fort Dearborn in Chicago. Meanwhile homesteaders in the eastern Will County area gathered at the Gougar hom estead and decided to flee to Indiana.27 Also in 1832, northwest Will County was the scene of an epidemic of smallpox among the Potawatomi, inflicting a mortality rate at least twice that of Eu ropean settlers. Approximately one-third of the Native American population in the region died during the epidemic.28 The end of the Black Hawk War brought about the expulsion of the Sauk and Fox from lands east of the Mississippi River. Also in 1832, the Winnebago cede d their lands in Wisconsin south and east of the Wisconsin River and east of the Fox River to Green Bay. The Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes still held title to land in northern Illinois outside of the Indian Boundary lines. In September 1833, a gathering of Native American chiefs and leaders was held in Chicago to “negotiate a treaty whereby the lands might be peaceably ceded, and the Indians remove d therefrom, to make way for the tide of white emigration which had begun to set irresistibly and with ever incr easing volume to the coveted region.”29 A Chicago historian, A.T. Andreas, writing in the 1880s, emphasized the disadvantaged pos ition of the Native Americans, who had seen the effects of war on other Native Americans and experienced the ravages of epidemic on their own peoples: Black Hawk’s ill-starred campaign, followed by the subsequent treaty made by his tribe, showed them the inevitable result [that] must follow resi stance. They knew quite well that they had no alternative. They must sell their lands for such a sum and on such terms as the Government agents might deem it politic or just or generous to grant. The result of the treaty was what might have been expected. The Indians gave up their lands an d agreed for certain considerations, the most of which did not redound to their profit, to cede all their lands to the Government, and to leave forever their homes and the graves of their fathers for a land far toward the setting sun, which they had never seen and of which they knew nothing.30 In the resulting treaty, the three tribes ceded la nd “along the western shore of Lake Michigan, and between this lake and the land ceded to the United States by the Winnebago nation at the treaty of Fort Armstrong. . . .”31 As compensation, the tribes received land on the east bank of the Missouri River and a series of monetary payments.32 Emigration into the Plainfield area after the Black Ha wk War increased so markedly that settlers began agitating for separation from Cook County. Residents of these settlements, then part of Cook County, demanded a more convenient place to record their land purchases and to pay their taxes. Accordingly, Dr. A. W. Bowen of Juliet and James Walker of Plainf ield went to the state capital of Vandalia and successfully lobbied a detachment petition through th e General Assembly. On 12 January 1836, an act was passed creating Will County from portions of C ook, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties. Will County also included at that time the northern part of what would later become Kankakee County. (In 1845, the 27 Robert E. Sterling, A Pictorial History of Will County , Volume 1 (Joliet: Will County Historical Publications, 1975). 28 Tanner, ed., Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History, 173. 29 Andreas, History of Chicago, 123. 30 Ibid. 31 As quoted in Andreas, History of Chicago, 124. 32 It has been reported that Native Am ericans returned to Will C ounty as late as 1900 on pilgrimages (Herath, 21): Though officially ousted, the Indians, being great trav elers, made pilgrimages back to the land of their childhood for many years. Small ragtag bands of women and children were seen as late as the 1870s along the DuPage, wending their way north in the spring and south in the fall. In 1900 an old Indian man, a small boy and a horse pulling a travois were seen along the Kankakee River.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 13 boundaries of Will County were changed to their presen t locations.) The county was named in honor of Dr. Conrad Will, a member of the state legislat ure who lived in the southern part of Illinois.33 On 7 March 1836, an election was held to select Will C ounty’s first public officials. They in turn set the price of tavern licenses and created a book for record ing the ear markings of livestock. Since swine, sheep, cows, and other livestock freely roamed the city streets and open fields, settlers devised special ear markings consisting of slits, crops, and holes to identify their animals. These “brands” were recorded with pen and ink drawings in the county clerk’s office.34 Kendall County was established in an act of 19 Febr uary 1841, and named in honor of Amos Kendall.35 The county seat was at first in Yorkville, but a new courthouse was begun in Oswego in 1845. The county seat was returned permanently to Yorkville in 1864.36 The above excerpt from the 1851 “Map of the counties of Cook a nd DuPage, the east part of Kane and Kendall, the north part of Will, State of Illinois,” drawn by James H. Rees, shows the first roads established in the survey area. The originally platted locations of the villages of Plainfield and Oswego are also visi ble, although neither street gr id reflects the built reality of the time. The population listed for each township reflects the 1850 census. 33 Born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 3 June 1779, Conrad Will emigrated westward after studying medicine. He was instrumental in the formation of Jackson County fr om the lower half of Randolph County and part of present day Perry County. Will served first in the Illinois state Senate and later the state House of Representatives, until his death on 11 June 1835. On the following 12 January, the state legislature passed an act sectioning the southern portion of Cook County in northern Illinois, naming it after Conrad Will. (Alice C. Storm, Doctor Conrad Will (Joliet, Illinois: Louis Joliet Chapter of the Da ughters of the American Revolution, 1917), 1–5.) 34 Address of George H. Woodruff, Sixth Annual Reunion of the Will County Pioneer Association (Joliet: The Press Company, 1886), 5–6. 35 James N. Adams, Illinois Place Names, (Springfield: Illinois State Historical Society, 1989), 587. 36 History of Kendall County (1914), 886.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 14 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey The primary concern of pioneer farm ers was providing food for their families and livestock. Most farmers homesteaded around wooded land to provide building materials and fuel.37 On cultivated land, settlers would need to grub out tree stumps before breaking the prairie sod with a walking plow. This latter activity was often difficult, since the soil tended to ball up on the plow. In 1833, John Lane of Lockport invented the breaking plow, which eliminated th is problem. Lane’s innov ation developed from an improvised steel plow attached to the plow molding board. It successfully cut the prairie sod so that the soil could be turned over.38 The boom in agricultural production coincided with th e opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 was soon followed by the introduction of railroad service in the following d ecade. Plank roads were also a significant mode of transportation in the mid-eighteenth century. In 1855, the Lockport, Plainfield & Yorkville Plankroad Company was formed. In the late 1840s, the United States still owned 14 ,060,308 acres of land in Illinois. Between 1848 and 1857, much of this land passed into private hands. In addition to land that could be purchased from the government, alternate five mile sections each side of the route planned for the Illinois and Michigan Canal in western Will County were offered for sale by the canal authority. Later, alternate six mile sections on each side of the route granted to the Illinois Central Railroad (which passed through eastern Will County) were available for purchase from the railroad.39 In 1848, Illinois adopted township government as th e basic level of local government, although in most locations functioning governments were not set up until 185 0. By law, three services were to be provided by the townships: general assistan ce to needy, property assessment for tax purposes, and maintenance of township roads and bridges. A unique feature of town ship government was the annual town meeting, held each April in all townships. This system continues to the present day.40 Until the twentieth century, almost all public infrastructure (such as roads) wa s thus maintained by each township with local tax revenue. Agricultural Development By the 1850s, Illinois was a major agricultural state. Its corn production was 57.65 million bushels, which increased to 115.2 millions in 1860, making it the leading corn producer in the nation.41 Wheat was also a major crop—the state was fifth in wheat production in 1850 and first in 1860. Acreage in improved 37 Wood was so important that the lack of wooded land in Wheatland Township was one of the issues that dissuaded settlers from buying land in the region until the later 1830s and 1840s, when land in surrounding townships was selling out. 38 Fayette Baldwin Shaw, Will County Agriculture (Will County Historical Society, 1980), 1. The site of Lane’s farmstead has a Will County historical marker commemorating his importance due to the invention of this plow. 39 The lands were sold to settlers and speculators. It is estimated that six million acres passed into the hands of speculators between 1849 and 1856. There were several types of speculators. Small farmers bought the land for pasturage, timber, or simply as an investment. Small businessmen also bought land as an investment, and in this group was included practically every prominent politician in Illinois except Abraham Lincoln. Professional speculators operated on a large scale, with corporations or individuals owning land in many states. Finally, East Coast capitalists invested in western lands—Samuel Allerton , a wealthy resident of New York, owned 2,000 acres in Frankfort, New Lenox, and Homer Townsh ips in Will County and an additional 400 acres in Cook County. In time, settlers purchased the land from speculators. The Chicago La nd Office was the last one opened and the last one closed, except for Springfield which took over all the unfinished work of all offices and remained open until 1877. (Shaw, Will County Agriculture, 1–2.) 40 Bryan Smith, “Township Government in Illinois: A Rich History, A Vibrant Future.” [http://www.comptrollerconnect.ioc.state.il.us] 41 “Corn” was the medieval term used in England for the grain known later as wheat. Settlers given “Indian corn” (maize) by the Native Americans began to sow it themselv es, and corn (maize) became one of the leading grain crops in the United States by the 1800s. (United States Department of Agriculture, Yearbook of Agriculture (1936), 496.)
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 15 farmland increased two and one half times in the decade. Other principal farm crops were oats, rye, and barley. The average price for corn and wheat was $1.25 per bushel. In the early- to mid-1800s, agricultural implements were primitive and included r eapers, iron plowshares, and hay tenders. The first McCormick reaper in the county appeared in Wheatla nd Township in 1846. Some local inventions that could be attached to modify the McCormick included gearing produced by W. Holmes of Hickory Creek in Will County, produced at Adams’ Fou ndry, followed by a turf and stubble plow.42 The major crops in Will and Kendall Counties histori cally have been corn and wheat, although wheat production declined in the later 1800s after infestati ons of the chinch bug and the army worm. (Wheat farming revived during World War I due to incentives from the U.S. government.) As early as 1850, corn was the leading crop in the survey area, since it coul d be fed to livestock as well as processed into other products.43 Other grain crops included oats, barley (used in beer production), and rye. Potatoes were also grown in the region through the late 1800s, but sever al seasons of wet summers led to rotting crops, followed in subsequent years by potato bugs. Strawb erries and grapes were grown in limited areas by the 1870s.44 The change from self-sufficient farming to cash cr op farming occurred during the mid-nineteenth century. Prior to that time, farmstead typically had less than ten acres. Most farms were 80 acres in size by the end of the century, sometimes with a dditional parcels of 40 and 80 acres.45 However, a few individuals in Will County owned larger parcels of land. C.C. Smith of Channahon owned about 1,800 acres in various parcels, while J.D. Caton, at one time Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, owned two full sections (1,200 acres) in Plainfield Township.46 In order to divide their parcel s of land and enclosure pasturage, farmers used split-rail fencing and vegetation such as osage hedges. Other means included wire fencing, available after 1860, and barbed wire, introduced in the 1880s.47 Cattle, hogs, and sheep were also a significant part of northeastern Illinois agriculture. The Chicago Union Stock Yard, incorporated by act of the Illi nois State Legislature in 1865, was a ready market. Horses were also bred, as they were an indispensable for the operation of farm machinery; oxen were also used into the 1870s. The dairy industry also was initially a significant part of the region’s agriculture.48 42 Shaw, Will County Agriculture, 13. 43 Souvenir of Settlement and Progress of Will County Illinois (Chicago: Historical Directory Publishing Co., 1884), 244. 44 Shaw, Will County Agriculture, 8. 45 However, it should be noted that plat maps from the period reflect land ownership, not tilled land or the extent (through land leasing or barter) of a farmstead. 46 Shaw, Will County Agriculture, 3. 47 Ibid., 5. 48 The dairy industry in the Midwest was centered on Elgin, Illinois, and the western counties around Chicago until the beginning of World War I, after which Wisconsin came to be known as “America’s Dairyland.” (Daniel Ralston Block, “The Development of Regional Institutions of Agriculture: The Chicago Milk Marketing Order” (Ph.D. diss., University of California at Los Angeles, 1997), 49–52).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 16 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Rascher’s Birds Eye View of the Chicago Packing Houses & Un ion Stock Yards (Charles Rascher, 1890; Library of Congress collection). The average value of a southern Illinois farm in 1910 was $15,000; in the northern part of the state it was $20,700. The annual value of farm products measure d in dollars rose from $186 million in 1896 to $277 million in 1912; this was accompanied by an increase in production of field crops by 70 percent and 76 percent respectively for those years. During this time, wheat, rye, and oat production was on the decline. Livestock production remained fairly constant in overall value but sales of animals decreased by 50 percent during this period. Vegetabl e production was led by root crops lik e potatoes, turnips, and carrots. Of orchard fruits, apples had the greatest production.49 With the development of the gasoline engine and adap tation to the tractor, working conditions on the farm improved considerably. Water could be pumped using gasoline engines instead of depending on the wind to run windmills. Engines also provided power to oper ate milking machines, grind feed, and run various kinds of machinery. The coming of the gas powered au tomobile and truck led to demands for better roads in Illinois. At the 1913 meeting of the Illinois Farmer s’ Institute, Illinois State Highway Engineer A.N. Johnson recognized these needs: In particular, there is a vast field for the development of motor truck traffic, which it has not been necessary heretofore to consider in plans for road improvement. It is believed that in many sections of the State the opportunity is big for the development of this class of traffic, and provision should be made in the future for road building on a majority of the main roads for the eight and ten ton motor truck. Already truck farmers in the vicinity of Chicago have clubbed together in the purchase of a motor truck by which a 24-hour trip has been reduced to 8 hours, while the delivery of milk from the farm to the city by motor truck is already an economic proposition. It is believed therefore that the construction to be undertaken on our main roads should be a character that can withstand the heavy motor traffic, heavy horse drawn traffic, as well as the lighter forms of traffic, and that a serious mistake will be made to put down any other than rigid, durable forms of pavement. In I llinois this reduces the choice of the road surface to brick and concrete.50 49 Morrison, Prairie State, A History, 98. 50 A.N. Johnson, “Cost of a System of Durable Roads for Illinois,” in Eighteenth Annual Report of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute, edited by H.A. McKeene (Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Journal Company, 1913), 149.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 17 With the implementation of the Civil Administrati ve Code in 1917, which formed the departmental structure within the executive branch , the Illinois Department of Agriculture was formed as a regulatory and promotional agency.51 Twentieth Century Developments Land area of farms in the Chicago area declined from 88.7 percent of total area in 1900 to 84.9 percent in 1920 and to 80 percent in 1925. Be tween 1830 to 1925, the number of farms reached its maximum in 1900. In 1925, the total number of farms was 5,000 less than in 1880.52 During that same period livestock production (including swine) peaked in 1900. For the c ounties within 50 miles of Chicago, the number of dairy cows per square mile of fa rmland declined from 46.1 in 1900 to 42.8 in 1925. Acreage in cereal production showed a gradual increase after 1925. Sh eep and wool production peaked in 1880 and horses and mules in 1920, declining as a direct result of the introduction of the tractor and motor truck. Dairy production in the Chicago region peak ed in 1900 and declined mark edly in the following two decades.53 Although the Great Depression of the 1930s had a dram atic impact on all Americans, for American farmers the economic decline began a decade earlier. Nu merous factors led to the decline of the farm economy in the post-World War I era. To meet th e needs of the wartime economy that was feeding American and European populations, American farmer s increased production by cultivating lands that formerly were kept fallow. Following the war, fa rmers continued this trend, overproducing despite reductions in demand. As commodity prices fell, so did the standard of living of many farmers since prices in the rest of the economy were increasing. Farmers went into debt, mortgaged their property, and in many cases lost their farms to creditors. The coming of the Great Depression deepened the cr isis further. Agricultural production in Illinois collapsed from almost $6.25 billion in 1929 to $2.5 billion in 1933. As unemployment in industrial centers soared, some people fled to rural commun ities, putting additional pressure on rural areas as most did not have access to welfare relief.54 Within days of the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt, legislation was formulated that would later pass Congress as the Agricultural Adjustment Act. The numerous adjustment programs initiated under the New Deal led to limitations in agricultural production in order to raise crop prices to acceptable levels. These included 20 percent of the land or 1,218,062 acres used in corn production being retired; over 1,000,000 acres of land in wheat production were also retired.55 In 1934, 15,734,600 acres of land were in production, for a total crop value of $218,569,000 nationally; this grew to 17,692,100 acres and a crop value of $273,931,000 the following year.56 Soybeans were first planted in the late 1930s as a forage crop mainly to be fed to dairy cows and cattle. Although some soybeans were processed through a thr eshing machine and sold on the market it was not at that time a very popular grain product. Ten or fi fteen years later, however, soybeans became a valuable food and commercial product as new uses were devel oped with the assistance of state and federal agricultural programs. 51 Information from the website of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, www.agr.state.il.us/aghistory.html. The department actually dated back to 1819, when the Illinois Agricultural Association was formed. Although little is known of the activities of this early group other than a collection of letters by its founders, it established an organization that became the I llinois State Agricultural Agency in 1853. This semi-public organization continued to function until replaced in 1871 by the Department of Agriculture under the supervision of the State Board of Agriculture. 52 Edward A. Duddy, Agriculture in the Chicago Region (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1929), 3. 53 Ibid., 4. 54 Morrison, Prairie State, A History, 108. 55 United States Department of Agriculture, Yearbook of Agriculture (1936), 1155–6. 56 Ibid., 1146.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 18 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey During World War II, farmers were encouraged by th e federal government to increase their production by the use of power machinery and the latest scientific processes. When a decline in demand arose, the farmer was forced to continue his heavy producti on rate. Cash crop income in 1950 was $2.038 billion nationally. Of this livestock and livestock products accounted for $1.26 billion; crops, $763 million; and government pay for adaptation of production program, w ith $10.6 million paid to the farmers in Illinois. Principal crops were corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, hay, fruits, and greenhouse products. The average value of a farm in Illinois in 1950 was $28,400.57 The farm population in Illin ois declined from 1,341,104 in 1900 to 772,521 in 1950.58 The abandoning of farms and the consolidation of sma ll farms into large ones resulted in many buildings being razed or abandoned, while many new ones were built. Moreover, changes in farming meant that many old farm buildings were too small, or unsuitable for other reas ons, and were replaced by larger, more suitable and flexible structures. By the early twentieth century many barns were constructed by professional builders following plans influenced by fa rm journals and using mass-produced lumber from a nearby yard or sawmill. In 1987, there were 1,239 farms in Will County w ith 328,729 acres of land involved. In Kendall County at the same time, there were 535 farms on 186,440 acres of land. Ten years later, the continued decline in agricultural production in northeastern Illinois w as apparent, as farmland was lost to suburban development. In Will County in 1997, there were only 910 farms, and thou gh the average farm was larger, the total acreage devoted to ag riculture had declined by more than 10 percent to 293,526 acres. In 1997 in Kendall County, there were 441 farms on 167,486 acres, a similar decline of about 10 percent.59 By 1997, there were 79,000 Illinois farms utilizing 28 million acres and about 80 percent of the total land area in the state. Illinois was the leading state in agricultural-related industries such as soybean processing, meat packing, dairy manufacturing, feed milling, vegetable processing, machinery manufacturing, foreign exports, and service industries.60 Recent decades has seen tremendous suburban growth in formerly rural areas near Chicago, particularly in the northwestern portions of Will County borderin g Naperville, Plainfield, and Bolingbrook, and other communities in the eastern portions. Along with this suburban development has come conflict between the “new” settlers and established farmers: A while back, farmer Ray Dettmering was arrested for plowing his fields late at night in Matteson, Illinois, a rural community 30 miles southwest of Chicago. The 28-year-old farmer told police officers that he needed to prepare his fields for spring planting after days of rain had put him behind schedule. The real problem? A few years earlier, subdivisions had been built near Dettmering’s corn and soy bean fields. The new residents claimed they couldn’t hear their TVs above the tractor noise. Others were having trouble sleeping. Two neighbors complained to the police, and Dettmering was booked and fingerprinted. “What where these people thinking when they moved to the country?” he asked. “It’s not like these farms snuck up on them.”61 57 Morrison, Prairie State, A History, 116. 58 Salamon, 35. 59 Ibid. 60 Illinois Agriculture Illinois Farm Facts Illinois Agricultural Statistics Service, April 1999, www.nass.usda.gov/il/ website/farmfacts.htm. 61 Ibid., 82–84.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 19 Plainfield Township Plainfield Township, as laid out in 1836, originally included Troy Township to the south. In April 1850 it was set apart under the same name and a township government organized. The village of Plainfield has dominated the township for most of its existence. However, in recent decades, Joliet has annexed substantial portions of the southern portions of the township, and in the 1990s Romeoville and Crest Hill began to annex land at the periphery. Plainfield The first non-native settler known at the site was Vete l Vermette, a French-Canadian by birth. Vermette was a fur trader and stayed in the area in 1822 or 1823. He returned in 1825 as a squatter—claiming land as his own by occupying it. He soon courted and married the daughter of one of Ottawa’s leading citizens, and eventually left the area to continue as a fur tr ader on the upper Missouri River. George Firk was another of the early traders to settle in the Plainfield area.62 In 1828, Captain James Walker made his claim to la nd in this area. Born in Virginia in 1793, James Walker had been a soldier in General Andrew Jack son’s army at the Battle of New Orleans in 1814. James was joined at the site by his father-in-law Reverend Jesse Walker,63 a Methodist circuit rider who passed through the region about this time. Revere nd Walker had previously worked as a traveling preacher in Tennessee, Kentucky, southern Illinois, and Missouri before establis hing missions at Fort Clark at the site of Peoria and in Ottawa. In the la te 1820s there was a village of Potawatomi south of the site that James Walker had settled, and Reverend Walker briefly establis hed a mission at this site. While in the area, Jesse Walker stayed with James Walker and his family.64 Having built the first permanent dwelling (a cabin) in the Plainfield area in 1829, James Walker was joined by Timothy Clark (also spelled Clarke), Thomas Covell, John Cooper, Edmund Weed, Reuben Flagg, Jedediah Wood, James Gilson, and Elisha Fish (or Fisk). Walker established a post office in 1833. The settlement, located along the DuPage River at the north end of contemporary Plainfield, came to be known as Walker’s Grove and was described by a descendant of one of the early settlers: . . . On September 1 st 1832, Stephen R. Beggs and Elizabeth Heath, my grandparents were married at Hollen’s Grove, now Washington, Illinois. The following winter they purchased a claim upon two hundred forty acres in the region where we ar e now assembled and a log cabin upon this claim became their home. . . . Farther south along the Du Page River were the Wa lker, Clark, and Flagg cabins, along with a few others, the settlement being known as Walker’s Grove. . . .65 The area was attractive to settlers because of the he avily wooded section in the southern portion of the township. In 1829, James Walker built a temporary mill, followed by a more permanent structure between 1830 and 1832. It was located on the DuPage River appr oximately one mile south of the center of present day Plainfield. This first permanent mill was dest royed in a flood in 1838, and until then it was the only source of sawn lumber in the region. The mill provi ded the lumber for a house for a man named Peck at LaSalle Street and South Water Street (now Wacker Drive) in Chicago.66 Within Plainfield Township, a house at the southwest corner of modern-day Route 59 and Renwick Road contains Walker Mill lumber 62 Herath, 31; comments provided by the Plainfield Historical Commission. 63 Ibid., 35. Herath refers to speculation that James and David Walker were brothers, and that David’s descendant (possibly grandson) James married Jesse’s daughter Jane. Ho wever, David and James Walker appear to have come from different family backgrounds and (James) Walker’s descendants stated that the two were not related. 64 Ibid., 52. 65 Mina Beggs Neef, spoken at the dedication of a marker at the site of Fort Beggs, as quoted in Herath, 56. 66 Ibid. 52–53.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 20 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey in the original rear portion of the structure.67 Timothy Clark was a carpenter and builder who constructed the first box or braced frame house in Chicago.68 Many of the other settlers na med above stayed for only a few years before moving further out on the frontier—to Iowa and other western states. However, by that time other settlers had come to the area. As the area developed there were few homes being built in the village area as most of the settlers were farmers. The work of these early settlers was described as follows: They hitched five oxen in a single file to a hand made plow that would turn about a two foot furrow. It took a man and a boy to drive the oxen and the best man to manage the plow. In this way they could plow about two acres a day. By striking the axe in the sod, dropping in the corn ahead of the plow and turning the furrow on it, was the method used for planting. It grew fairly well, averaging about twenty bushels per acre and was of good quality.69 In 1833 Blacksmith Shutliff opened his shops. The villa ge of Plainfield was pl atted over the course of 1834 and 1835 in several phases. Chester Ingersoll platted the southwestern portion in 1834 (the area south of Lockport Street and west of Division Street , part of Section 16); Matthews Addition was platted in 1835 (the area east of Division Street and north of Lockport Street, part of Section 10); and Squire Arnold platted Arnold’s Addition in 1835 (the triangu lar area north of Lockport Street, east of Division Street, and south of Main Street, part of Section 9). The first house of worship in Plainfield was erected in 1836 by the Methodists and another was constructe d by the Baptists later in that same year.70 The first store was operated by Jonathan Hager and Samuel Sargent over John Bill’s Wagon Shop.71 The oldest documented building in the town is “P lainfield House,” otherwise known as Halfway House because it was located halfway between Chicago and Ottawa on the stage coach line operating on the Chicago and Ottawa Trail from 1838 to 1852. The h ouse was built by Squire Arnold in 1834 as a one story building to house a tavern. It was also the firs t official post office in what became Will County and remained in use until 1845. In 1836 the tavern and some adjacent land were leased by Dr. Erastus G. Wight of Naper Settlement. Dr. Wight, the first practic ing physician in northern Illinois, remodeled the structure for his home and office. He continued to pr actice until his death in 1845. The house continued to operate as an inn as late as 1886.72 In 1849, the state legislature passed a law allowing th e construction of plank ro ads. Two years later the Chicago and Oswego Plank Road was incorporated w ith a scheme to connect Oswego, Plainfield, and Joliet by plank road with a plan to exte nd it eventually to the Indiana state line.73 The road was opened on 1 December 1851. The toll rate was 2 cents a mile one way, 3 cents round trip. In use until 1869, the road eventually failed since farmers would drive miles out of their way to avoid tolls and because of lack of proper maintenance.74 67 This information was brought to the attention of the project team by Mr. Michael A. Lambert of Plainfield. 68 Ibid., 55. The introduction of the balloon frame occurred at approximately the same time. See Chapter I for a discussion on the development of the balloon frame. 69 Michael Henry Crider (sour ce unknown), as quoted in Herath, 65. Compar e these yields with those stated in the agricultural statistics quoted for significant farmstead in this chapter. 70 Souvenir of Settlement and Progress of Will County Illinois, 362–364. 71 “Village of Plainfield,” in A History of Plainfield “Then and Now,” 51. 72 Ruth Rouse Brockway, “Halfway House,” in A History of Plainfield: “Then and Now,” 10–11. 73 Construction of a plank road involved grading the dirt road bed to a width of 21 feet with ditches on both sides. Wood stringers were laid six feet apar t and dirt was packed in between (similar to a subfloor). With planks laid lengthwise on the stringers, the road was approximately eight feet wide. 74 Joliet Herald News, 2 September 1961, as quoted in A History of Plainfield “Then and Now,” 77. Toll houses were located at the northwest corner of U.S. Route 30 and Renwick Road and in Joliet at the corner of Raynor Avenue, Black Road, and Ruby Street. A third toll house was located in Plainfield at Lo ckport Road and Van Dyke Road. Twenty years later a similar radi al route around the outlying Chicago area was followed in the alignment of
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 21 On 28 February 1861, the northern part of Plainf ield was incorporated under a special act of the Legislature. In April 1869, both the northern and sout hern parts of the village were again incorporated together. Then on 30 June 1877, the town was incorporat ed under the general law of the state. The village boundaries were established and a number of ordinances were passed. The first ordinance dealt with the laying of wooden sidewalks and the fencing of proper ty. Other ordinances dealt with election procedures, licensing of exhibitions, shows, fairs, circuses, and peddlers, selling of intoxicants, misdemeanors, disorderly conduct, lewdness, games, raffles, and ba wdyhouses. Provisions for a well were discussed in 1874 and a water system for the village was installed in 1895. That same year, a franchise was issued to the Chicago Telephone Company. In 1907, the West ern United Gas Company of Aurora was granted a franchise to lay its mains.75 In 1884, the Joliet, Aurora and Northern Railway Co mpany was founded. The initial line from Joliet ran northwest through Plainfield to Aurora. Service began in 1886. In 1888, this line was incorporated into the new Elgin, Joliet and Eastern (E J & E) Railroa d. This company established service to connect the smaller industrial cities surrounding Chicago to a void routing freight traffic through Chicago. Electric interurban passenger train service came to Pl ainfield in 1904 with the Aurora, Plainfield, and Joliet Railway. From Joliet, the interurban was rout ed in the street right-of-way on present-day U.S. Route 30 to downtown Plainfield, then west on Loc kport Street to present-day Wood Farm Road, then north to the route of the E J & E, to which the interu rban ran parallel the remainde r of the route to Aurora. The interurban was replaced by bus service in 1924.76 The rise of the automobile demanded the developmen t of a safe, structurally sound roadway across the United States. Most road networks were dirt; few were gravel, and fewer we re paved. The Lincoln Highway Association planned a road to extend from New York to San Francisco in 1912. Plainfield residents, including U.S.G. Blakely, owner and editor of the Plainfield Enterprise, lobbied to have the road routed through the town.77 Because of the United States’ involvement in World War I, the Lincoln Highway was not completed until the 1920s. In 1921, the portion of the highway through Plainfield was paved with concrete by Ralph H. Newkirk Construction Co. of Joliet.78 Today the former Lincoln Highway is known as U.S. 30. Present-day Illinois Route 59 has been the primary north -south road through Plainfield since at least the 1850s. As seen on historic atlases, in the southern po rtion of Plainfield Township the road detoured east in Section 27, following portions of the alignment of present-day Lily Cache Road, crossed the DuPage River at or near present-day Caton Farm Road, and co ntinued south at the centerline of Section 34 (Bronk Road in present-day Joliet). Sometime during the 1920s, the road was paved and designed as Illinois Route 59. As part of that work, the road was re aligned to follow a direct north-south path over the DuPage River and southward along the Section 33-3 4 boundary line; compare the 1920 and 1928 plat maps of Plainfield Township in Appendix A. North of downtown Plainfield, Illinois Route 59 origina lly detoured slightly west and crossed the DuPage River on a northwest-southeast line. In the late 1930s , the road was straightened, and a new bridge was the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railroad. 75 Ibid., 52. 76 A History of Plainfield, Then and Now , 74. Reportedly, evidence of the former A P & J right-of-way remains in Wheatland Township along the E J & E, including limestone abutments; however, these features were not observed during the rural survey. 77 The material of the new road was a subject of debate. Blakely reportedly traveled to Detroit in 1913 to examine the concrete roadway placed there; he returned to Illinois to promote the idea to U.S. Senator Richard J. Barr and Illinois Governor Edward Dunne. (Ione Mueller, Lincoln Highway Mirror, 1939, as quoted in A History of Plainfield “Then and Now,” 78–79.) 78 Ibid.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 22 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey constructed as a WPA project. One limestone abutment of the original bridge survives just west of the present-day bridge; see the photograph on Page 4. Another well known highway that shaped the twentieth century development of Plainfield was U.S. Route 66. In 1940, the alignment of Route 66 was shifted to bypass the center of Joliet. The new route entered Plainfield from the northeast on Illinois Route 126, the turned south on Illinois Route 59. This alignment remained until the opening of Interstate 55 in the 1960s.79 The presence of gravel beds on the east side of Plainf ield allowed the town access to gravel in the later 1800s. The Chicago Gravel Company purchased this la nd in 1900 to quarry gravel for ballast on railroad and road construction. (Further discussion of the grav el quarrying industry is provided in Chapter I). The pit did not fill with water (and become known as La ke Renwick) until the 1910s, by which time it had a beach for recreation purposes. Sand had been brought in and a pier constructed. In the 1920s, a dance hall was constructed, followed by a windmill in the vici nity. The windmill no longer exists, but the dance hall was moved near the intersection of Renwick Road a nd Route 30, where it is now used as a beauty salon.80 By the 1960s the village had grown to include ma nufacturing and industrial businesses: Continental Can (later known as Kerr Glass), McLaughlin Manufacturing, Radiation Polymer, Ideal Cabinet, Distillers Ltd., Fleischmann’s, Super-Value Warehouse, Gee Lumber, Southern Door, Peterson Manufacturing, Leslie Manufacturing, Chicago Bridge and Iron, and Theobald Manufacturing. The region around Plainfield is known by some as “tornado alley,” and on 28 August 1990 the most destructive storm in the recent hist ory of the region occurred. The st orm had originated in southern Wisconsin and passed to the southeast, cutting a 16.4 mile long path of destruction across Illinois. In Will County the storm left 27 dead, more than 350 injure d, and more than $140 million in property damage.81 Plainfield Grain Company One of the major businesses was the Plainfield Grai n Company, incorporated in March 1911 for the purpose of handling grain, but eventually selling coal, lumber, building materials, animal feed, and farm supplies. The company later purchased a number of other businesses including the Barr Grain Company; the Farmers Square Deal Grain Company, in Morris, Illinois; Truby Grain Company’s grain elevator at Caton Farm; and grain elevators at Plainfield, Normantown (see below), and Wolf’s Crossing.82 In 1914, they took over the Ed Alder Lumber Yard. The comp any built new offices in 1916 and a large concrete grain elevator in 1920 (illustrated below).83 By the late 1930s, the company was valued at $150,000 with an annual profit of $50,000. Its business volume w as an average of $1,500,000 and 1,500,000 bushels annually.84 The Plainfield Grain Company was dissolved in 1970 when other means of marketing grain came into use. 79 The 1941 map of Na-Au-Say Township, included in Appendix A, has the notation “Ill. Rt. 126 (Formerly S.B.1 Rt. 66).” Although the exact meaning of this notation is unclear, U.S. Route 66 was never routed through Na-Au-Say Township. 80 Donald G. Beahm, “Lake Renwick,” in A History of Plainfield “Then and Now,” 92–94; information on the relocation of the dance hall provided by Mr. Michael A. Lambert of Plainfield. 81 “Winds of Fury”: The Will County Tornado of 1990 (Sun City West, Arizona: C.F. Boone Publishing Company, 1990), 1. 82 The elevator at Wolf’s Crossing is located just over the county line in Kendall County. 83 August Maue, History of Will County Illinois (Topeka: Historical Publishing Company, 1928), 1024–9. The grain elevator was built by Downey Construc tion of Decatur, Illinois (information pr ovided by Mr. Michael A. Lambert of Plainfield). 84 “Joe Henebry Celebrates 25 Years at Plainfield,” Farmers’ Elevator Guide, 5 April 1937, 22.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 23 The main office of the Plainfield Grain Company built in 1916 no w houses the Plainfield Historic al Society. The concrete grain elevator constructed in 1920 behind the offic e also still exists. (August Maue, History of Will County Illinois (Topeka: Histor ical Publishing Company, 1928), 1024). Schools in Plainfield Township The first schoolhouse, a rough log structure, was built in 1833. By 1851, two school districts had been formed. Twenty years later there were eleven dist ricts in the township, with one schoolhouse in each district. In 1891, the districts were consolidated in to eight districts, with seven wood frame schoolhouses and one stone schoolhouse. Like othe r schools in predominantly rural to wnships, the schools were located to allow easy access for children from area farms.85 The population in Plainfield Township was over 1,000 i nhabitants in 1850, but fell to a low point of fewer than 700 in 1880. The population did not rebound to 1850s levels until the census of 1920. The number of schools in the township declined during this period as well. The eight separate districts continued until 1921, when four grade school districts were consolid ated to form District 202 U. Reorganization of school districts in the region in 1948 led to the inclusion of schools in Wheatland Township as well.86 No one-room schoolhouse structures are known to exist today in Plainfield Township. 85 Farrington, “Development of Public School Administration in the Public Schools of Will County, Illinois,” 48–49. 86 Ibid., 123, 129, 213, and 214.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 24 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland Township Wheatland Township was first settled somewhat later th an Plainfield Township. There were two primary reasons for this: much of the territory was officially owned by Native Americans until 1833, and after that date many settlers in the area were not interested in coming to a region without significant amounts of wooded lands. Early farmers relied of wood as a source of fuel and for building materials. It was also thought that if the land apparently could not support trees, it was not good for farming. However, as land in adjacent townships sold out by the later 1830s and 1840s, Wheatland became more attractive to settlers. The first settler to the region of Wheatland Township was Isaac Foster, who arrived in 1837. He was joined the following year by Josiah Wightman, a nd in 1839 by L.G. Colgrove and Chester Ingersoll.87 Other settlers, such as the Clows, Pattersons, and Fi ndleys, arrived in the 1840s. Wheatland Township, formerly known as the Oregon Precinct, was officially organized in 1850. A post office was established on 30 May 1849, with the name of Vermont Settlement . The post office name was changed to Wheatland in 1854; it was dissolved in 1866.88 The tax levy in 1884 was $9,181.62 including the school tax of $3,120.26. The population in 1880 was 1,098.89 No sizable town or village of any significance deve loped in Wheatland Township. In this region, schools and churches had secondary functions as community centers. Numerous small settlements known as rural crossroads developed across the township, as discu ssed below. The region did have a strong sense of community, and a primary reason for this was th e annual Wheatland Plowing Match. For a detailed discussion of the Plowing Matches, which were held beginning in 1877, refer to the 1999–2000 survey report. It is the Plowing Match that has made this township the most fertile and productive in the State of Illinois. It has made farm life beau tiful and attractive. It has interested the boys in the development of the farm along practical and paying lines. It has made Wheatland one compact brotherhood, and wherever there is union and determination there is strength. Furthermore, it has developed social intercourse, and one of the most beneficent results is the high standard of intelligence that has come as a natural sequence.90 The matches were held for 100 years, interrupted only by hiatuses during World Wars I and II and if bad weather occurred on the scheduled day of the match. The last match was held at the Lewis Tower farmstead in Section 27 in 1976. A marker has been placed near the intersection of 119th Street and Illinois Route 59, commemorating the plowing matches. 87 Souvenir Sketch of the Wheatland Plowing Match with Programme for Meeting of 1898 (Joliet, Illinois: Republican Printing Co., 1898), 7 and 9. 88 Illinois Place Names, 533 and 544. 89 Maue, History of Will County Illinois, 369–376. 90 Souvenir Sketch of the Wheatland Plowing Match with Programme for Meeting of 1898 (Joliet, Illinois: Republican Printing Co., 1898), 7.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 25 The Rural Crossroads of Wheatland Township Wheatland Township never developed any large-scale incorporated settlements. However, Wheatland Township contains numerous types of smaller settleme nts or gathering of people and functions, such as hamlets and rural crossroads. Hamlets have b een defined as places with less than 250 permanent residents. Rural crossroads are ev en smaller, although they have the same combination of rural and formal, almost urban qualities found in larger commun ities. Rural crossroads are of two types: social centers and commercial centers. These include the presence of institutional structures and sites, such as a post office, a school, a church, a commercial struct ure, or a park or recreation space as the core.91 These institutions were established to meet the needs of th e residents of surrounding farms: a post office to send and receive mail; a school to educate children; a chur ch for the religion common to the farmers in the region; a shop or business conveniently located for trading purposes; or simply a gathering space. The placement of such centers depended on the distance fr om which area farmers could complete a round trip in one-half day’s time. Besides buildings and parks, physical features may include some basic elements, such as groups of fences defining different property owners’ land (which are usually smaller tracts than typically found in the surrounding rural areas); roadside parking for several vehicles, defined by gravel areas; or short lengths of sidewalks. Several smaller settlements meeting the criteria of ru ral crossroads developed in Wheatland Township in the period after initial settlement in the 1830s. T hose centered around post offices included Tamarack (discussed below, which included a blacksmith s hop); East Wheatland Post Office (at Plainfield-Naperville Road and 111th Street, which included a cr eamery); Wolf’s Crossing Post Office (at Wolf’s Crossing or Oswego Road and the Elgin, Joliet and Au rora Railroad tracks heading to Aurora); as well as the Hoddam and Tokio Post Office, located at W.D. Patterson’s and John B. Clow’s farmsteads respectively.92 As discussed below, Wheatland Township had numerous schools spread throughout, although these were not as significant at serving as anchors as post offices and churches. Three churches served as settlement anchors in Wheatland Township; two exist today. Wheatland Presbyterian Church is discussed below. Zion Luther an Church, located in Section 14 at the corner of Book Road and 111th Street, is beyond the boundari es of this study but is discussed in the 1999–2000 report. The third (whose name could not be determined from available ar chival information) was located at the corner of 248th Avenue and 111th Street and also included a school, although neither structure is extant today.93 Finally, the settlement at the center of Section 29 known as Normantown was founded at the juncture of two lines of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad. Th e juncture between the line to Aurora and the main “Belt Line” of the railroad served as an anchor for a variety of structures, including a large facility of the Plainfield Grain Company. Tamarack, Normantown, and the Wheatland Presbyteria n Church are included within the limits of the present study and are discussed below. Refe r also to the 1999–2000 survey report. 91 However, the presence of a school does not always define a rural crossroads, since schools are typically positioned more frequently on the landscape because of the limited distances that children could walk (Michael A. Lambert, “Rural Crossroads: Meaning and Architecture,” Master’s thesis, Univer sity of Illinois, 1985). 92 East Wheatland Post Office was established 23 February 1855, closed 17 January 1889, reopened 28 January 1889, and closed 3 July 1889. Hoddam Post Office was established 7 October 1893 and closed 3 July 1899. Tokio Post Office was established 26 August 1893 and closed 3 July 1899 (Illinois Place Names, 349, 393, and 526). 93 The church is present on the 1940 plat map of the township but not on the 1948 plat map; the school is indicated on the 1948 plat map but not on the one from 1970. Since litt le information was found on this third church-anchored crossroads settlement, no discussion on it is provided herein.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 26 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Tamarack The settlement at Tamarack was one of the most de nsely populated of the rural crossroads in the township, rivaling that present around Wheatland Presb yterian Church. At one time the crossroads included a post office and store, a church, a school, a blacksmith shop, and several residences. (On the next page is a sketch plan showing th e placement of buildings at this site.94 ) The plat map of 1873 shows the Tamarack Post Office. The post office at the cros sroads was first established in 1858. Two unlabelled structures at these crossroads are shown on the 1862 map of Will County. The post office closed in 1893, reopened less than six months later, and closed finally in 1901.95 Tamarack continued to be indicated on plat maps through the 1970 map. By the time of 1999–2000 survey, Tamarack had all but disappeared, as few of the defining structures were still extant. In addition, several single-family homes have been built in the immediate vicinity, lessening the impression that a historic rural crossroads was once sited here. Today, only one historic house, at 26042 127th Street, remains at the site of Tamarack. Th is building may be the “Post Office/Store” indicated on the plan on the next page. 94 The sketch map of Tamarack obtained from the Plainfield Historical Societ y has a few inconsistencies of scale when compared with plat maps. It is being presented to communicate the general types of structures and relative density at the crossroads. Additional research would be necessary to confirm the layout of the settlement. 95 Illinois Place Names, 522.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 27 John Brown Residence Tamarack Hall of Education H e g g s R o a d Tamarack Road (127th Street)McCullough Residence Charles McNeil Residence Well Hugh Nairn and daughter Mary [Residence?]Post Office and Store L o a d i n g P l a t f o r m Glen Church William Nairn Residence John and Morris Cowan Residence Jas. Sime [Residence?]James Nairn Residence William Nairn Blacksmith Shop Tom Resbin Residence North Sketch of the four-corners area of Tama rack in Wheatland Township, based upon a dr awing from the Plainfield Historical Society. Due to inconsistencies in the original sketch, the illu stration presented above is meant to show the general placement of the buildings at the crossroads; additional re search or archaeology is required to further document this settlement.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 28 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads Like Tamarack and Normantown, the rural crossroads at the Wheatland Presbyterian Church, is one of the settlement cores that formed in Wheatland Township after its lands became available in the 1830s. However, unlike those other regions, the settlement known as the Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads is relatively intact. The architectural styl es used by the Scotch Presbyterians reflected their beliefs in simple, austere forms, a quality evident in the Wheatland Presbyterian Church.96 The Wheatland Presbyterian congregation dates from 1844, when Stephen Findley and his wife Isabell emigrated from Scotland and settled in Section 30 of Wheatland Township. Findley sought to found a Scotch settlement, with the church as the community fo cus. Other Scots immigrated to the area, including Andrew Findley, who settled to the north of Stephen in Section 19. After meeting initially in Findley’s home, the congregation met in a one room wood frame schoolhouse located in Section 29. In 1855, Andrew Findley donated land at the intersection of the roads now called Heggs Road and 111th Street. A Greek Revival style church facing south was cons tructed on this site in 1856. A parsonage was constructed in 1863.97 These structures remained until 1906, when the new chur ch was built. The lot on the west side of the street opposite from the church was donated to the congr egation in 1907. In 1920, the original parsonage was replaced with brick structure. In 1927, the chur ch lot to the west was converted to a playground and baseball field. The brick school building in the so utheast quadrant was built in 1929 and remained open until 1958. After 1900, several houses were constructe d on both sides of 111th Street to the east.98 Despite several minor changes and additions, the rural crossr oads at Wheatland Presbyterian Church retains much of its historic and architectural integrity. 96 Lambert, “Rural Crossroads: Meaning and Architecture,” 9. 97 Ibid., 19–20. 98 Ibid., 20–21. The school was subsequently converted to a house, with a wood frame mansard roof constructed to give the structure a full second story.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 29 The Rural Crossroads at the Wheatland Presby terian Church is the most intact settlem ent of this type in Wheatland Township. Although spatially somewhat similar to the settlement at Tamarack, th e “anchor” in this grouping is the church and supporting buildings and sites. At middle right is a 1955 view of the sc hoolhouse and crossroads (John Drury, This is Will County, Illinoi s , The American Aerial County History Series, No. 26, 1955).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 30 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Normantown In the late 1880s, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern (E J & E) Railroad established service to connect the smaller industrial cities surrounding Chicago, ra ther than routing traffic through Chicago.99 This brought the railroad across a northwesterly route from southeast Plainfield Township through northwest Wheatland Township. At Section 29 of Wheatland, th e railroad split into two lines: a branch route continuing directly to Aurora and a main route runni ng north-south and bisecting Sections 5, 8, 17, 20, and 29 known as the “belt line.” At this rail line split or junction, several structures were erected including a large grain elevator built circa 1890; several w ood frame buildings housing o ffices and worker housing; and a cast-in-place concrete silo dating from the 1920s. The branch line to Aurora was removed sometime between 1970 and 1990. The grain elevator was demolis hed in the 1970s, although its concrete floor slab is extant. At present, the concrete silo is the only structure at the site known to date from Normantown’s use as a railroad junction. 99 The Joliet, Aurora and Northern Railway incorporat ed 30 April 1884 for the purpose of constructing a new railroad from the Indiana state line westerly through Joliet and Aurora to the banks of the Mississippi River opposite Dubuque, Iowa. Actual operations began two years later between Joliet and Aurora. By that time, another concern later known as the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railroad planned to construct a rail line from Valparaiso, Indiana, to Joliet and then north to join the Milwaukee Road near Elgin. The Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern purchased the completed portions of the Joliet, Aurora, and Northern in October 1888 and began its own operation 1 January 1889. The railroad was incorporated into the new United States Steel Corporation in 1901. Currently, the railroad is owned by Transtar, Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. (www.tstarinc.com)
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 31 The gathering of buildings at Normantown Crossing, as illustra ted from the 1920s to the present, was centered around the large grain elevator that was demolished in the 1970s. The top two views show the elevator from the sout hwest along with some of the wood frame buildings for offices and worker housing. The bottom view shows the gr ain elevator under demolition, with the cast-in-place concrete silo visible in the righthand photograph. The view at middle right (looking northwest up the former right-of-way of the E J & E railroad) shows the area today, now the site of a gas company. The silo is no longer used.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 32 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey At left is a detail view of the cast-i n-place concrete silo on the grounds of the Plainfield Propane Company. Based on the presence of deformed reinforcing bars in th e silo (observed at concrete spall areas and embedded bars used as ladder rungs), th e silo likely dates from the 1920s. Excerpts from the 1893 (left) and 1909 (right) plat maps for Wh eatland Township, showing the relationship of the Tamarack, Normantown, and Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Cr ossroads in the southwest portion of the township.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 33 Schools in Wheatland Township It has been reported that the first schools in Wheatla nd Township were located in Sections 5 and 13 and were built in the mid- to late-1840s. Settlement of the township led to the establishment of ten single-school districts by 1872. Five years later there were 368 pupils in the ten districts. Over the next 50 years, the general population, and therefore the student popu lation, declined by 50 percent. Nonetheless, there were 10 districts with 9 schools present in 1920. In 1948, the eight Wheatland School districts were reorganized into District 40 C. A new school building, located in the southeast corner of Section 9, was built in 1960. Other than the school building illustra ted on page 29 as part of the Wheatland Presbyterian Church rural crossroads, no historic schoolhouses are known to exist today in the survey area in Wheatland Township .100 100 Farrington, “Development of Public School Administration in the Public Schools of Will County, Illinois,” 50, 51, 130, and 216.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 34 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego Township Oswego is the oldest settlement in Kendall County. William Wilson of Ohio settle d on the south bank of the Fox River at the site of the present-day village of Oswego in August 1832. S oon he was joined by the Pearce brothers (Daniel, John, Walter, and Elijah), Ephraim Macomber, the Van Fliets, the Wormleys, and the Townsends.101 In July 1833, a stagecoach, driven by John D. Caton (later Judge Caton, Illinois Supreme Court judge in the period 1 842–1864 and owner of a large farm in Plainfield Township), passed through the area en route from Chicago to St. Louis. Settlement of the township proceeded rapidly in the 1830s. The first village lots were platted in 1835 by L.F. Arnold and L.B. Judson, and Arnold opened the first store in that year.102 Other stores and mills powered by da ms on the Fox River soon followed. The first post office opened in 1837, at which time the name “Oswego” was adopted, after the town of Oswego, New York, where some of the earliest settle rs are reported to have originated. Oswego was incorporated as a village in 1842.103 The agricultural development of the to wnship proceeded along with the grow th of the village. By the first Kendall County census in 1850, the township (inclu sive of the village) had a population of 1,559 persons.104 The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad bypassed the village of Oswego in the 1840s when the tracks were built on the north bank of the Fox Rive r. A small settlement called “Oswego Station” developed around the train depot in Section 7 of the to wnship. However, a branch to serve the village known as the Fox River Valley Railroad, crossing the rive r just north of the village and continuing on the south bank to Yorkville, was open by 1870. Oswego w as also served by the Au rora, Elgin, and Chicago electric interurban trains from 1896 into the 1920s. Many students in Oswego Township presumably atte nded schools in the village; however, several one-room schoolhouses did exist in the more remote portions of the townships, incl uding the survey area. One schoolhouse was in the southeast quarter of S ection 26 on Gilmore Road. Another was at the northwest corner of Section 34 at the intersection of Plainfield Road and Simons Road. Neither of these buildings is known to exist today. The Village of Oswego had not expanded much be yond its original boundaries even as late as the 1940s. Contemporary subdivision developmen ts began in Oswego Township in 1957 with the Boulder Hill subdivision, north of the village and east of the Fox Ri ver. Later growth in the twentieth century typically occurred near to the village. The portion of Oswego Town ship in the survey area (the southeastern corner of the township) has remained pre dominantly agricultural up to the year 2000. A few small subdivisions along Plainfield Road had been developed as early as the 1970s. Since 2000, the Village of Plainfield corporate limits have expa nded into Oswego Township. 101 Newton Bateman and Paul Selby, eds., History of Kendall County (Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1914), 883–884. 102 Ibid., 884. 103 Ibid., 886. 104 Kathy Farren, ed. A Bicentennial History of Kendall County, Illinois, (Yorkville, Illinois: Kendall County Historical Society, 1976), 97.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 35 Na-Au-Say Township Township government in Kendall County was organi zed in 1850. The unusual name for Na-Au-Say Township was reportedly chosen by Daniel J. Town send and A.F. Wheeler from the name of an old Indian village in the township, which meant “Headwaters of the Aux Sable.”105 The earliest non-native resident of Na-Au-Say Township was David Laughton, and his Indian wife, Waish-kee-shaw, who are recorded as living in the area as early as 1829. Waish-kee-shaw and her children were given a reservation covering parts of sec tions 5 and 6 in the township, an area that still bears her name, although the land was sold to Charles Davis and Isaac Townsend in 1835.106 Pioneering farmstead families came to the area in 1835, and by 1840, much of the township had been claimed. In the survey area, the early families included the Kelloggs, Wheelers, Johnsons, Austins, and David Smith.107 Prior to settlement, most of the township was prairie grassland. However, at the northwest corner of the township (outside the survey ar ea) was a heavily wooded area known as the Aux Sable Grove. It was in this area that the most signifi cant early settlement occurred. About 1850, a steam-powered sawmill was established by Daniel Townsend in Section 5.108 Across the northeast corner of Na-Au-Say Township ran the stage coach r oute from Plainfield to Oswego. On the 1851 James Rees map of northeastern Illinois, one building, “Smith’s Tavern,” is shown in Section 2 along the stage route.109 It was in this area of Section 1 that the Na-Au-Say post office existed in the 1850s.110 After the 1850s, this route was altered to run due south through Section 12 to intersect with Lockport Road and continue due east into Plainf ield. Also shown on the 1851 map was another stage route running northeast to southwest across the town ship, the Ottawa and Chicago Road. Only small portions of this route survived after the 1850s, as present day Chicago Road in Sections 32 and 33. By 1870, a town hall had been built at the center point of the township, at the northwest corner of Section 22. Schools were established at dispersed locat ions around the township. The earliest schools, established in the 1840s, were in Sections 5, 16, and 19 in the western part of the township. Within the survey area, one room schools historically existed in the northeast quarter of Section 2 along Plainfield Road, and in Section 13 facing the intersection of Pl ainfield Road and present-day Illinois Route 126. Neither of these school buildings is known to survive today. Na-Au-Say never developed a village center of its own. It remained a sparsely settled agricultural area: the population at the first census in 1850 was 559 persons, and even as late as the 1970 census, the population was actually less, with only 514 persons.111 The first contemporary subdivision in the township was the Oswego Plains development, in S ection 2 off Plainfield Road on the former Gaylord farm, begun in the early 1970s. Beginning in the late 1 990s, the Village of Plainfield and the City of Joliet have annexed land in the township. However, as of 2005, the vast majority of the area of the township remains in active agricultural use, as it has since the 1830s. 105 History of Kendall County (1914), 923. 106 Kathy Farren, ed. A Bicentennial History of Kendall County, Illinois, (Yorkville, Illinois: Kendall County Historical Society, 1976), 106. 107 History of Kendall County (1914), 923. 108 Ibid., 924. 109 James H. Rees, Map of the Counties of Cook and DuPage, the east part of Kane and Kendall, the north part of Will, State of Illinois. (Chicago, James H. Rees, 1851). 110 See 1859 Kendall County map; Illinois Place Names , 448. 111 Bicentennial History , 106.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 36 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey This garage building in Section 22 of Na-Au-Say Township at the corner of Wheeler and Schlapp Roads is at the site of the original Na-Au-Say Township Hall. The building has a lime stone foundation and wood double hung windows. This may be the township hall, remodeled to serve as a gar age, but further investigation is needed to establish the history of this building.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 37 CHAPTER 3 AMERICAN RURAL ARCHITECTURE Farmstead Planning The relationship of the farmhouse to the barn and othe r farm buildings was generally determined by five factors: topography, weather conditions, convenience and labor efficiency, land survey organization, and, most importantly for some settlers, ethnic or re gional tradition. A south facing orientation secured maximum light; an orientation toward the east allowe d a barn to place its back against west prevailing winds. Local snow accumulation also influenced barn locations. In much of the Midwest, the geometric grid of roads and survey lines was basically aligned with compass directions, a nd farmers often lined up their barns and farm buildings in conformity. Wher e the terrain was more rugged, farmers followed the contours of the land in laying out buildings. In terms of labor efficiency, the barn did not need to be near the house except in areas where winters were cold and ha rsh. It was desirable to locate the barn closer to the field and other outbuildings than to the house. Mi dwestern farmers usually laid out their farmsteads in several basic patterns influenced by the five fact ors listed above. The most common site plan was one with all of the buildings in the same orientation in a courtyard arrangement, where the house and barn formed two sides of an open square and smaller ou tbuildings and roads formed the other two sides. Another pattern was a more free form arrangement in which buildings varied in alignment, but generally followed the contour of the land.112 Development of Balloon Framing The initial settlement of Will and Kendall Counties co incided with one of the most revolutionary developments in American building construction: th e introduction of the balloon frame. Referred to as “that most democratic of building technologies,”113 the balloon frame allowed the construction of a house with a minimum of labor and a moderate amount of ca rpentry skills: the key to the success of the balloon frame was the proper construction and erection sequence of its components. Prior to the development of the balloon frame, builders using timber for the construc tion of houses and other structures used structural systems such as the box frame or braced frame. It utili zed heavy timbers to form posts, girts, girders, braces, and rafters, all fastened together with traditional carpentry joining such as mortise and tenons, splices, dovetails, and others. This type of structural sy stem required builders to have a crew of five or six men to raise and set the heavy timbers.114 The materials used in the construction of a balloon frame structure consisted of milled lumber that was much lighter in weight than heavy timbers.115 Credit for the development of the balloon frame is usually given to George Washington Snow of Chicago,116 although others give note that the originator of the system was a carpenter, Augustine Taylor, 112 Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, “The Farm Barns of the American Midwest” in Barns of the Midwest, Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, ed. (Ath ens, Ohio: Ohio Univers ity Press, 1995), 9–10. 113 Michael P. Conzen, “The Bi rth of Modern Chicago,” in 1848: Turning Point for Chicago, Turning Point for the Region (Chicago: The Newberry Library, 1998), 22. 114 For a thorough discussion of the early architectural history of Illinois, see Thomas Edward O’Donnell, “An Outline of the History of Architecture in Illinois,” Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society (Springfield, Illinois, 1931); and Thomas Edward O’Donnell, “Recordin g the Early Architecture of Illinois in the Historic American Buildings Survey,” Illinois State Historical Society, Transactions for the Year 1934 (Springfield, Illinois, 1934). 115 Advances in milling techniques in the early 1800s and the invention and development of machinery to produce nails from iron in the late 1700s and early 1800s preceded the development of the balloon frame. 116 Paul E. Sprague, “Chicago Balloon Frame: The Evolution During the 19 th Century of George W. Snow’s System for Erecting Light Frame Buildings from Dimension Lumber and Machine-made Nails,” in The Technology of Historic American Buildings, H. Ward Jandl, ed. (Washington, D.C.: Foundation for Preservation Technology for
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 38 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey who with Snow built the first structure using ballo on frame construction, St. Mary’s Church, in 1833.117 At that time Chicago lacked a sawm ill to produce the cut lumber, mills were present in Indiana and in Plainfield.118 However, these mills were relatively far away , and transportation of milled heavy timbers difficult and expensive. Therefore, it was necessary to develop a more economical construction system. The classic balloon frame consists of the following elements:119 A sill, made from a large section of milled lumber (e.g., 4x8) or two or more smaller pieces (two 2x8s), set on a masonry or concrete foundation, Floor joists (2x10, 2x12, etc.), typically at 16 inches on center,120 reinforced by diagonal bridging, nailed to the sill and nailed to: Studs (2x4 or 2x6), also set at 16 inches on center, running the full height of the building wall, to which is nailed: Ledgers to support the second floor joints, Exterior wall sheathing, consisting of wood boards (1x8), often set at a diagonal to create a structural diaphragm, A top plate on the stud wall, on which are set: Roof rafters (2x10, 2x12, etc.) set at 16 to 24 inches on center, to which roof sheathing consisting of wood boards are nailed, followed by wood roofing shingles, Exterior wall siding, Flooring nailed to the wood joists, consisting of two layers of wood boards (a rough board subfloor followed by a finished wood strip surface, Interior wall finish, consisting of w ood lath nailed to the wood studs, covered by two to three layers of plaster. Since a carpenter with one or two helpers could fra me and sheath a small one story house in one week, the balloon allowed a settler to have a dwelling on their land in a short amount of time. In addition, there was a 40 percent savings in the amount of material to enclose the same volume as compared to the braced frame.121 Additions were as easy to construct as the orig inal house, and easier to frame into than if braced framing was used. Another benefit of the balloon frame’s light weight was that it allowed a structure to be moved more easily to a new site, if more room w as needed on a property for other buildings or if additional land was obtained. the Association for Preservation Technology, 1983), 36. 117 Fred W. Peterson, Homes in the Heartland: Balloon Frame Farmhouses of the Upper Midwest, 1850–1920 (Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1992), 14. 118 Sprague, “Chicago Balloon Frame,” 37. The Plainfield mill was the first James Walker mill, built between 1830 and 1832. A mill also existed in Na-Au-Say Township in the 1850s. See Chapter 2. 119 As with any new system or technique, there was a period of transition in which older framing methods were used along side balloon framing. This is discussed in Sprague, “Chicago Balloon Frame.” 120 Platform framing, also called Western framing, developed from balloon framing, allowing floor joists to be spaced up to 24 inches on center. Pl atform framing involved setting each floor level as a platform on the stud walls, allowing the use of shorter stud walls. 121 Peterson, 9 and 11.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 39 The balloon frame derived its name from the lightweight framing that allowed a la rge volume of space to be enclosed economically. The drawing shown above is from was published nearly 60 years after the system was developed (Masonry, Carpentry, Joinery , International Library of Technol ogy Volume 30 (1889, reprint Chic ago: Chicago Review Press, 1980), Carpentry section, drawing between pages 101 and 102). Below right is a drawing of balloon framing from 1894 (William E. Bell, Carpentry Made Easy, or the Science and Art of Framing (Philadelphia: Ferguson Bros. & Co., 1894), plate 5). Below left is a drawing of platform or Western fram ing construction, a developmen t from balloon framing, pub lished in the 1930s (Charles George Ramsey and Harold Reeve Sl eeper, Architectur al Graphic Standards , Third Edition (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1941).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 40 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Farming trade publications touted the benefits of the balloon frame to their audience.122 All of its inherent advantages led American farmers to adopt it as the st andard structural framing system for houses by the end of the century. Although many ethnic groups brought their own techniques of constructing farmhouses and farm buildings with them to the United States, they often adopted balloon framing techniques in whole or in part and adapted it to their traditions.123 As different architectural styles were introduced, the balloon frame was easily modified to create the forms and spaces required. Albert Britt of Illinois, in his book An America That Was, describes his family’s new farmhouse that “cost nearly a thousand dollars”:124 Farmhouses were built without benefit of architect or reference to a particular style or period. Such plans as existed were principally in the head of the local carpenter who bossed the job. Ours was named Perkins and he came from Alexis, all of six miles away. . . . A model of our house could have been made easily with a set of child’s building blocks, but it was roomy and comfortable without dormers, turrets, or scrollsaw orname ntation, which were unpleasantly common on dwellings of that time. Prime consideration was enough interior space to suit a family’s needs, and if the house was leakproof through rain and snow and windproof for anything short of a cyclone, all hands were satisfied. Houses were painted white, window blinds green. Barns were always painted red and as the color weathered some of the barns were beautiful. If a barn was in sight from the road it usually had the year of construction painted on it in large white numerals.125 With the completion of the new farmhouse, Britt goes on to describe how the older farm structures were adapted for new functions: “with the building of a ne w home the little old one became a stable for horses, and the lean-to kitchen the family smokehouse.”126 This shows the flexibility that the framing system allowed, since these new functions required new or larger openings, relocating the structure, or construction of additions. 122 Peterson, 15–24. 123 One example was German-Russian farmers from East ern Europe: “German-Russian s eventually combined Batsa brick with balloon-frame construction, placing clay brick in walls between the studs to stabilize and insulate the dwelling.” (Michael Koop, “German-Russians,” in America’s Architectural Roots: Ethnic Groups that Built America, Dell Upton, ed. (New York: Preservation Pr ess, John Wiley & Sons, 1986), 131.) 124 Albert Britt, An America That Was (Barre, Massachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1964), 33. 125 Ibid. 126 Ibid.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 41 Masonry Construction Brick Historically, brick masonry construction was so mewhat uncommon in the survey area. (Masonry construction using locally quarried limestone was more common.) A few distinctive and well preserved historic brick houses exist in the survey area, as well as a small number of brick outbuildings. Two examples are the Dague House in Wheatland Townsh ip and the Gilbert Gaylord House in Oswego Township. The Dague house (left) in Section 26 of Wheatland Township , constructed 1870, and the Gilb ert Gaylord House (right) on Plainfield Road in Section 35 of Oswego Township are two of th e relatively few examples of br ick masonry construction in the rural survey area. Concrete Although concrete was used by the Romans in anti quity, its use in recent times dates from the mid-nineteenth century. In 1860, S.T. Fowler patented a t ype of reinforced concrete wall construction, but it was not until the 1870s and 1880s that examples ha d actually been constructed. By 1900 numerous systems of reinforced concrete construction had been patented.127 Concrete was seen as a material with great potential for use on the farm. Farmers were given guidance in using concrete on the farm, recommending its use in a variety of structures: Concrete can be used on the farm for residences, barns, poultry houses, garages, piggeries, stalls and mangers, milk houses, machine sheds, ice houses, silos, all kinds of tanks and troughs, vats and wallows, manure pits, septic tanks, piers and foundations, sidewalls, steps, driveways, hen nests, pump pits, fence posts, etc. ——— Of all the buildings on the farm, which should be built of concrete, probably none is more important than the silo. Here is a structure in which it is essential to keep the silage fresh in order that the stock may be keep thrifty and growing all winter. The silo prevents a waste of corn stalks, which contain about one-third of the food value of the entire crop, and it enables a large number of animals to be maintained on a given number of acres. The concrete silo is ratproof, windproof, fireproof and will withstand cyclones. It will not dry out in the hot summer months, keeps the silage in perfect condition and can be constructed at a moderate first cost. There are four types of silos: Monolithic, cement block, stave and cement plaster construction. What has been said regarding concrete for piggeries is also true in connection with poultry houses. Concrete buildings contain no crevices in which to harbor vermin, and this freedom from lice 127 William B. Coney, “Preservation of Historic Concre te: Problems and General Approaches,” National Park Service Preservation Brief 15, 2.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 42 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey makes it possible for the birds to retain more flesh at the end of the setting period and therefore more strength. Poultry can withstand dry cold when housed, but cannot endure dampness or drafts from below, and a concrete floor will also keep out rats. Instances are known where concrete is used successfully for nests, dropping platforms and roosts, thus greatly simplifying the problem of cleaning. The first requirem ent of a milk house is that it is scrupulously clean, and the construction should be such as to eliminate br eeding places for germs and cracks or crevices for dirt to collect, making cleaning difficult or impossible. A milk house properly constructe d of concrete fulfills these requirements, and concrete floors are re commended for sanitary reasons, with proper provisions for draining. The milk house should be located with reference to other buildings, such as stables and manure pits.128 The survey area contains numerous examples of cast-in -place concrete structures, including silos, milk houses, pump houses, and of course building foundations. Concrete Block Beginning in the early 1900s, mass production of c oncrete block units succeeded after several earlier developments failed to lead to widespread production.129 Harmon S. Palmer patented a cast iron machine with a removable core and adjustab le sides in 1900, allowing companies and cottage industries to spring up across the country. Palmer founded the Hollow Building Block Company in 1902, selling $200 block machines. Other manufacturers who flooded the ma rket with similar machines (without directly infringing on Palmer’s patent) led to increased u se of concrete block in building construction. The blocks were produced by mixing Portland cement , water, sand, and gravel aggregate; placing the mixture in the machine and tamping it down to eliminate voids; and pulling a lever to release the block from the machine. Newly made blocks were stacked un til the concrete cured, typically for one month. Blocks were made with a variety of face textures and even color, with “rockface” block being one of the most popular styles.130 Although early block machines and block manufacturers produced units relatively larger than contemporary units, by the mid-1920s standards were in troduced by concrete pr oducts organizations that included fabrication of units 8 by 8 by 16 inches in size. Other standards, produced by the National Association of Cement Users, the Concrete Producer s Association, and the C oncrete Block Manufacturers Association, promoted testing to improve quality.131 However, concrete block be gan to fall out of favor as a building facing material during this same peri od. During the 1930s, smooth-faced block began to dominate the industry as architectural styles changed. Also by the later 1930s, mass production of block units began to supplant the use of earlier concrete block machines. Just as with concrete, farmers were encouraged to u se concrete block for their structures. At the annual meeting of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute in 1913, one lecturer discussed concrete block for silos: It is clear that the cash outlay for material b ecomes of the first importance and cost of labor becomes second. To illustrate, a man in such circumstances might have gravel on his farm. Also, he might have lumber, which he could use temporarily for the scaffold. The cost of cement block molds is slight, and if this man were somewhat of a mechanic, he would find it advantageous to secure a mold or molds and make his own cement blocks at odd times. In this way a cement block silo could be built with less cash outlay than any other form of silo.132 128 “The Use of Concrete Work on the Farm,” Building Age (February 1917), 102–103. 129 Pamela H. Simpson, Cheap, Quick, and Easy: Imitative Architectural Materials, 1870–1930 (Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press, 1999), 11. 130 Ibid., 24. 131 Ibid., 21–22. 132 M.L. King, “Planning the Silo,” in Eighteenth Annual Report of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute, H.A. McKeene, ed. (Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Journal Company, 1914), 64.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 43 The survey area has many fine examples of concrete block st ructures, ranging from Foursquare farmhouses to utilitarian farm structures. At top left is a farm house in Section 28 of Plainfield Township fa cing Illinois Route 59; at top right is an illust ration from Wm. A Radford’s Cement Houses and How to Build Them (circa 1910). At middle are three ex amples of concrete block crib barns and water towers in the survey area: left, Na-Au-Say Town ship, Section 13; center, Oswego Township, Section 25; right, Na-Au-Say Township, Section 14. At bottom left is a two-level pl ank frame barn with first floor walls constructed of concrete block, located in Section 35 of Oswego Townsh ip. A detail view of typical rock face concrete masonry units is at bottom right.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 44 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Building trade journals also promoted the use of concrete block on the farm: If one may judge from the demand and the variety of uses to which it is put, the concrete block is the most important of all cement products. When properly made it has not failed to give satisfaction as a building material and much of its popularity has resulted from the pleasing architectural effects that have b een brought about. Hollow blocks represent a considerable saving in cost, without reducing the strength so as to impair the safety of the building. The use of facings to bring about pleasing exterior treatments has its advantages while the interior air chambers allow them to conduct heat or cold but slowly. This fact makes buildings of this material warm in winter. The survey area has many good examples of the use of concrete block. Most of the houses are American Foursquare types, since that was the most popular styl e of rural residential construction in the first two decades of the twentieth century. By the 1910s, farmers had several choices of silos using concrete bl ock. Both advertisements are from the farm journal Hoard’s Dairyman , 1909. Limestone One building material dating from the earliest period of European settlement in the survey area was limestone quarried from the Fox and DuPage River valle ys. These same regions later provided gravel for use in concrete construction in the Chicago area. Th e numerous quarries east of Plainfield in the DuPage River valley were utilized first for their limestone r eserves but are primarily used today as sources of gravel. The following is an overview of the history of the stone industry in the region. The area surrounding Joliet contains abundant suppli es of limestone, derived predominantly from the Niagaran strata. Owing to oxidation of ferrous minera ls contained in the stone, the color of the stone ranges from buff near the surface to gray tones at deeper levels. Its surface is a hard, compact and slightly porous, brittle dolomite. The stone has thin seams of greenish clay (chert) running through the whole
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 45 mass, which upon long exposure in alternately wet a nd dry conditions causes the solid calcium carbonate layers to delaminate.133 A prosperous period for quarrying stone in the Jolie t area began during the 1830s and lasted until nearly the end of the century. D.H. Demmond was the first to quarry stone in the Joliet district, most likely on the bluffs west of Des Plaines River overlooking the fledgling Joliet settlement. His was the first stone house in the area, built in 1835. Stone quarrying spr ead quickly and by 1850 a chain of quarries was developing against the bluffs on the western bank of the river. William Davidson and his brother opened the first of several quarries in 1845, one mile sout h of Joliet at a point where the canal turns west-southwest with the curve of the river. By the mi d-1850s tracks for the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad had been laid within the same curve, between ri ver and canal, affording this quarry access to good transportation facilities. By 1897, it had grown to c over about 60 acres and employed about 130 men, and shipped to customers up to 500 miles away. The quarry produced flagstone, dimension stone, rough stone, dressed stone, cut stone, and rubble for use in constr uction and ornamentation of buildings and for the roadbeds of highways and railroads.134 Meanwhile in Lemont, a canal contractor named Br own bought up land along the canal’s margin and established a quarry. A few years later Boyer and Corn eau opened a quarry a mile further west of town.135 Other early quarrymen around Lemont included Horace M. Singer and Edwin Walker.136 Lime was also a significant product of the stone industry, especially with numerous masonry structures erected due to the economic development after the openi ng of the I&M Canal in 1848. In that year Dr. J. F. Daggett, a local physician, bought a considerable amount of land south of Lockport and approximately three miles north of Joliet where he opened a quarry . Daggett and Hiram Norton owned a kiln for making lime for mortar used in building construction. Around 1852 James Bruce established his quarry just to the south. He had already established quarries in Romeo a nd Drummond in 1848. By the turn of the century, his son Robert C. Bruce operated a large quarry owned by his father’s estate just east of the Illinois State Penitentiary. In March 1851, Oak Hill Quarry was op ened by Isaac Noble and G. A. Cousens Company, just south of Lockport village and adjacent to the Bruce quarry. These quarries provided dimension stone, flagging stone, bridge stone, and rubble stone, shippe d by rail and canal from their location approximately one mile north of the Illinois State Penitentiary at the north end of Joliet. Another early quarryman was William Kronmeyer who opened a stone yard near th e lock, one and one-half miles north of downtown Joliet.137 The limestone industry grew steadily, both in number a nd acreage size of firms. By the beginning of 1856 there were 8 quarries in operation near Joliet, the sma llest of which employed 5 men and the largest of which employed 48. The total number of men employed by the quarries during that year was 120. Of these 23 worked for Francis Schwalm and 48 for A. H. Taylor and Company, the largest quarries in operation at that time. In July of 1865, W. A. Steel, together with his father-i n-law, Colonel Lorenzo P. Sanger, opened Sanger and Steel. In early 1871, Stee l purchased Sanger’s interests and became the sole proprietor of the Joliet Stone Quarries. Steel furnis hed stone for the United States Custom Houses in Des Moines, Iowa, and Madison, Wisconsin, as well as th e Michigan State Capital. Moreover, he supplied stone for about sixty courthouses and jails in Illinoi s and Michigan and for the St. Louis courts and government buildings at the Rock Island Arsenal. Jolie t Stone Quarries began the largest quarry in the 133 Linda Ponte, “The Celebrated Joliet Marble Field,” in An Historical Geography of the Lower Des Plaines Valley Limestone Industry, Time and Place in Joliet, Michael Conzen, ed. (Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1988), 15. 134 Ibid., 17. 135 They stayed in business for n early 30 years, with the majority of sales in the Chicago area. 136 Ponte, “The Celebrated Joliet Marble Field,” 19. 137 Ibid.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 46 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey United States.138 Lockport native Julius A. Boyer opened the Lemont Stone Quarries in 1869. From these quarries he furnished dimension, flagging, and r ubble stone. He supplied limestone for stone-fronted buildings on the west side of Chicago.139 The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 provided enormous s timulation to the stone quarrying industry. Not only was stone needed at once to replace destroyed buildi ngs, especially in the city center, but new building ordinances created a “fire” zone in which wood constr uction was in theory prohibited. Many new quarries were started to cater to the increased demand. One ex ample is the Joliet Stone Company, incorporated in 1872.140 As the quarry industry peaked in the 1880s, many smaller businesses were bought out by much larger operations or forced by competition to abandon thei r sites. The consolidation of established quarries changed the methods of the business. Tools to crush, cut, rub, and saw stone became more advanced and raised production, while some of the old established quarries saw themselves eclipsed by newer and larger enterprises. Lemont quarries developed branch offices and storage yards in Chicago as early as the 1870s; those of Joliet and Lockport quarries appeared in th e 1880s. It was reported in the 1880s that “the amount of stone accessible here is almost unlimited.”141 Quarries were removing only the top 12 to 15 feet to supply building stone, since it was unnecessary to go any deeper: Possible quarry sites are abundant along the De s Plaines Valley, but favorable locations are limited to areas near some railroad where the over burden is not too great and water will not be too abundant. In general, the higher the elevation of a quarry, the less difficulty with water will be encountered.142 However, the development of smoother business links with customers in metropolitan areas could not offset competition from alternative sources with superi or building stone. The availability of more durable Indiana limestone and the discovery of the lack of long-term durability of the Joliet stone, in addition to the introduction of other building materials such as conc rete, led to the decline of the Joliet, Lemont, and Lockport stone industry. Throughout the first two decades of the twentieth centur y, the industry continued to decline. In 1913, the Western Stone Company, which had bought out many smaller companies during the boom years of the later nineteenth century, closed its doors.143 In an Illinois Geological Survey report of 1925, it was reported that “the main uses of dolomite from this area are for road material, concrete, flux, agricultural purposes, building stone, and sidewalks.”144 The report also stated that building stone or flagstone (for sidewalks) was no longer a major product of the quarri es, and that “with the present tendency towards the use of brick and artificial stone, it seems fairly certain that the dimension stone industry of this area is not a growing industry.”145 Also in 1925, the National Stone Comp any, controlling about 30 acres, became the largest quarry in Will County. This quarry reflected a new emphasis on crushed stone and the 138 Ibid., 22. 139 Ibid., 23. 140 Ibid. 141 A.H. Worthen, Economical Geology of Illinois, Volume II (Springfield, Illinois, 1882), 482. 142 Fisher, 118. 143 Ponte, 23. 144 Fisher, 118. In the mid-1920s, Illinois State Penitentia ry at Stateville (now Stateville Correctional Center) was under construction and utilized concrete extensively. Gravel for the concrete mixing was quarried by inmates in the region. But the primary involvement of the Illinois prison system with the De s Plaines valley limestone industry was the quarry at the “old prison” at Joliet (now Joliet Correctio nal Center). The quarry at the prison, using inmate labor, produced stone material for construction, although use of this stone began to be restricted to state agencies after the early 1900s. 145 Ibid., 119.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 47 declining demand for building stone. A number of quarries remained in business, depending on the demand for crushed stone to keep their sites open and active.146 The DuPage River Valley stone quarry locate d in Section 2 of Plainfield, west of the site of the John Spangler farmstead, was t he largest quarry in the region outside of the Des Plaines River valley. In recent years the site has been us ed as an automobile salvage yard. 1999 photograph. DuPage Valley Limestone and Gravel Like the Des Plaines River valley, the DuPage Rive r valley also supported quarr ying operations, first for building stone and subsequently for gravel from la rge tracts of land to the east and northeast of the Village of Plainfield. Stone quarryin g operations date back to the 1850s . Numerous surviving structures in the survey region were constructed with Du Page River valley limestone. One quarry has been identified in Section 2 of Plainfield Township, w est of the site of the John Spangler farmstead.147 146 Ibid. 147 Michael A. Lambert. Preliminary Study Map – Wheatland and Plainfield Township Stone Building District. 1 June 1992.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 48 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey DuPage River Valley Limestone. Top: Sect ion 2, Plainfield Township. Bottom: Section 35, Wheatland Township. Historic limestone structures in the survey area are typically located close to the DuPage River. The western half of Wheatland and Plainfield Townships, and the portions of Na-Au-Say and Oswe go Townships in the survey area, do not have the same concentration of historic limestone stru ctures, other than some building foundations. The quarrying of sand and gravel in northeast Plainfie ld Township dates from at least the 1840s, when the farmstead of Benjamin Norton was reported have gravel “held in high repute among builders since 1846.”148 In the first decade of the 1900s, the Chicago Gr avel Company began excavations east of the town of Plainfield Township. Th e resultant opening in the ground fille d with water and was named Lake Renwick, after Frank W. Renwick of the Chicago Gravel Company. By the mid-1920s, the lake was a half mile in length.149 The gravel layer extended down approxi mately 25 feet below the level of the ground plain at the north end of the lake and almost te n feet more at the south end. The gravel that was quarried by the Chicago Gravel Company was reported to be 40 percent sand smaller than 1/4 inch in diameter.150 Gravel quarrying operations have continued to the present, with much of the quarry work in progress in Wheatland Township (pri marily in Sections 23 and 26). 148 Souvenir of Settlement and Progress of Will County, Illinois, 379. 149 Fisher, 120. 150 Ibid.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 49 The top photograph show Lake Renwick ci rca early 1920s (Fisher, 93). The bottom right photograph shows a crane from the gravel quarries east of Plainfield that was located in Se ction 14 until it was dismantled in the early 2000s. The land is now owned by the Forest Preser ve District of Will County. At bottom le ft is an illustrati on of Iper’s gravel quarry in Section 2 of DuPage Township, located some ten miles to the north east of the Plainfield gr avel pits (Fisher, 80).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 50 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Classification of Farmhouses Most built structures can be grouped into one of three categories of stylistic classification: “high style,” where the building clearly relates to a defined architect ural style in form and detail; vernacular of “folk architecture,” where builders or owners without formal architectural training construct buildings based on regional or cultural customs, and where stylistic el ements derived from style books are applied or mixed within the same structure; and utilita rian, where style is entirely secondary and efficient use of materials is the primary factor in the design. Most buildings fall into the categories of vernacular and utilitarian. Farmhouses were usually built by a builder or carpenter , and reflect general types of houses popular at the time. A discussion of the utilitarian types of farm buildi ngs is covered later in this chapter. The discussion below first describes the architectural styles found to some degree in the surv ey area. This is followed by an outline of the types of farmhouses, since most of these structur es are better categorized by this means, with only the applied ornament being classified by style. Some houses in the survey area have undergone extensive renovations, making identification of a style or type difficult. In these situations, an assessment has been made as to possible original style or ty pe with notes made in the comment portion of each survey form giving additional information on additions or alterations. Architectural Style In the second half of the nineteen th century, architectural styles were disseminated through style books promoting not only aesthetic features of houses but also the orderly qualities for a proper domestic environment.151 Another source of building ideas was agri cultural journals. Although carpenters and builders rarely followed such books and journals ex actly, these publications did influence the types of houses being constructed (as discussed in the next sec tion) as well as the stylistic elements applied to those houses. Although it is unlikely that many of the buildings in the survey area were built using designs or supervision of academically trained architects, many of th e farmhouses were built by carpenters and builders competent at applying f ashionable architectural styles in their work. Greek Revival The Greek Revival style was popular in the United States beginning in the 1820s and continued in some regions until the 1870s. Inspired by archaeological ex cavations and measured drawings of ancient Greek temples, the style was developed by America’s first trained architects and spread by pattern books that influenced carpenters and builder s across the relatively young United States. American culture found an identification with the democracy in Ancient Greece. Greek Revival buildings have simple rectilinear forms, prominent classical ornament, molded corni ces and window lintels, and other ornamental motifs inspired by Classical architecture. The style’s simple massing and details went along with the sometimes limited materials and resources of rural areas. Several of the buildings in the survey area have Classical details. Two of the houses that best relate to the Greek Revival style are the Coe-Cheeny farmhou se in Plainfield Township and a farmhouse in Na-Au-Say Township. Several other farmhouses have the basic rectilinear form inspired by Classical architecture although they do not have dominant Greek Revival detailing. 151 Peterson, Homes in the Heartland, 68.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 51 Shown at left is the Greek Revival style Coe-Cheeny farmhouse, located on Wood Farm Road in Plainfield Township (PIN 03-09-300-004). At right is the Foulston–Wheeler farm house in Section 12 of Na-Au-Say Township. Gothic Revival Gothic Revival was roughly contemporary with Greek Revi val, although with very different inspiration. It utilized late Medieval Gothic forms that have vertica lly oriented massing with steeply sloped roofs, and detail features such as pointed arches, narrow la ncet windows, decorative bargeboards and finials, battlemented parapets, and clusters of chimney st acks. Like Greek Revival, pattern books guided architects and builders. Andrew Jackson Downing’s The Architecture of Country Houses helped popularize this style. Gothic Revival architecture is not strongly present in the rural survey area, although some buildings have ornamental features inspired by the style. The Gothic Revival style is exemplified by this house (at left) on Eastern Avenue in the Village of Plainfield (not part of the rural survey project). At right, a detail of th e bargeboard ornament of the Herzog farmhouse in Section 34 of Wheatland Township, which is similar to Gothic Revival patterns. Second Empire One of the fashionable styles in the middle of the ni neteenth century was the Second Empire style, which took its name from the public buildings with mansar d roofs built under French emperor Napoleon III. (The first empire was the reign of his uncle, Napol eon). The style was transformed and applied in the United States to domestic as well as institutiona l buildings. In addition to the mansard roof and architectural features often present on Italianate build ings, Second Empire buildings often feature rich classical or baroque detailing and dormer windows with moldings or hoods. No true examples of Second Empire are extant in the rural survey area. Italianate Italianate, or Italianate Victorian, was one of the most popular and fashionable building styles in the mid-1800s, popular from about 1850 to 1880. Inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture, Italianate style
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 52 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey houses feature rectilinear massing, low pitched roofs, overhanging eaves with bracketed cornice, and tall rectangular windows. Other features often present ar e moldings or hoods around window lintels (which are sometimes arched) and polygonal or rectangular bays or towers. There are several farmhouses with Italianate detailing such as window hoods or brackets in the survey area. The survey area has several examples of It alianate or Italianate-influenced buildings . Examples include the house at the Smith farmstead in Section 25, Na-Au-Say Township (left), and the G ilbert Gaylord house in Section 35 of Oswego Township (right). Queen Anne Popular in the last two decades of the nineteenth cen tury, this building style in its purest form utilized irregular, asymmetrical massing and floor plans, sever al types of building materials, and extensive ornament to create an eclectic architectural tapestry that was often picturesque and entertaining. None of the farmhouses in the survey region reflect all of the primary elements of Queen Anne, although the massing and details of some of them show Queen Anne influence, likely due to the influence of the style on builders and carpenters. Queen Anne examples. Both of these houses are in Section 25 of Oswego Township. Colonial and Georgian Revival After the comparative excesses of the Italianate, Sec ond Empire, and Queen Anne styles, the Colonial and Georgian Revival styles are more restrained and utilize stricter use of ornament and proportion. Introduced on the east coast at the en d of the nineteenth century, the Col onial Revival style spread to the Midwest over the next decade and became an influentia l style for larger homes and public buildings into the 1930s. The rectilinear forms of Colonial Revival structures are often symmetrical and have gabled roofs with dormers, classical columns and ornament, and ornamental window shutters. Georgian Revival
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 53 buildings differ in that they adhere more closely to symmetrical floor plans, have strong cornice lines, Flemish bond brick coursing, watertables, and other el ements of traditional Colonial period architecture. The survey area does have a few farmhouses that have the same massing and proportions of Colonial and Georgian revival models, although without much of the detailing present in “high style” examples. The farmhouse on the Stewart farmstead in Section 30 of Wheatland Township (demolishe d in fall 2005) was a simple example of early twentieth century Colonial Revival architecture, with a five-bay-wide front el evation, cornice returns, window shutters, wide clapboard siding, and a pedimented entry porch. Craftsman or Arts and Crafts Style The Arts and Crafts movement originated in Englan d in the mid-nineteenth century, although it did not become fashionable in the United States until the fi rst two decades of the twen tieth century. The style favored simple designs with natural materials, lo w-pitched roofs, battered wall treatments, exposed rafters, and casement and double hung windows. Alt hough there are no true examples of Craftsman or Arts and Crafts farmhouses in the region, there ar e a few Bungalow and American Foursquare type houses with elements influenced by this style. Prairie Style The Prairie Style was developed by several architect s in the Midwest but originated chiefly from the Chicago area, where Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, Marion Mahony Griffin, William Purcell, and George Elmslie (among others) formulated a set of principles uniquely suited to and inspired by the American suburban and rural landscape. In ma ny ways this style developed from the Arts and Crafts movement, although it was a distinct style with its own characteristics. Prairie Style structures are characterized by broad, horizontal massing, hipped and gabled roofs with deep overhangs, asymmetrical floor plans, and geometric detailing based on nature motifs. Natural and earth-toned materials such as wood, stucco, and brick predominate, and windows of ten have leaded glass windows that repeat and develop nature motifs. The style was fashionable from around 1895 to 1920. The survey area does not have any “high style” Prairi e Style houses, although there are a few that shows its influence. Bungalows often have architectural massi ng or ornamental elements that relate to the Arts and Crafts Style and the Prairie Style, although b ungalows developed from somewhat different origins (see “House Types” below). Tudor Revival From about 1910 to 1940, Tudor Revival was one of sev eral fashionable revival styles in practice. Based on English late medieval architecture, the style was adapted to unique American building forms created by the balloon frame. Although Tudor Revival buildings were also built in stone, the use of wood and stucco to imitate a half-timbered appearance was a predominant feature. Often times only the ground or first floor was clad with stone while the upper story was clad with wood and stucco “half-timbering.” The
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 54 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey style also utilized asymmetrical floor plans and massing, narrow multi-paned windows, prominent masonry chimneys, and steeply sloped roofs. The original Jacob Fry homestead was extensively renovated in the 1920s to create this eclectic Tudor Revival home (PIN 01-26-300-001). The garage structure to the left of the house (behind tr ee) was the original stone “se ttlement” house on this site da ting back to the 1850s. (Information as related by Michael A. Lambert of the Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission.) In February 2006, both of these structures we re relocated to the west side of Naperville-Plainfield Road; see photographs on pages 99–100.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 55 House Types Vernacular residential dwellings are not always suited to classification by architectural style because style is not the primary organizing pr inciple in their design. Most vernacular houses relate to a type that describes or classifies their massing and floor plan. This section discusses the different types of housing found specifically in the survey area. Additional types and subtypes do exist but have been excluded because they are not pertinent to the discussion of northwest Will County. During the survey, few structures could be readily identified that date from the earliest period of settlement (approximately the 1820s to the 1840s).152 House types dating from the earliest settlement may have used configurations known as single pen or doubl e pen, which basically are one or two room houses respectively. A double pen dogtrot consists of two ro oms with the space in between covered by the roof. A saddlebag house is similar to the double pen except fo r the inclusion of a central chimney between the two rooms. The house types classified below ar e those that are typically found in the survey area. As with any classification system, alternate systems could be uti lized. Most of the definitions provided below were derived from How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory by Stephen C. Gordon.153 Building forms followed the movement of settlers from New Engla nd westward through the Ohio Valley to Illinois.154 However, a significant number of the settlers in th e survey area were new immigrants to the United States. Their influence on the region’s buildings is vi sible in some of the extant house types, but more readily visible in the barns and other farm structures. Hall and Parlor The Hall and Parlor house is a simple rectangular plan dwelling one to one-and-a-half stories in height, with a side oriented gable roof. In plan, these types of houses have one larger room for the kitchen and daily living and a side room used as a more formal parlor or a bedroom. There is often an addition at the rear of the house extending from the parlor side. Chimne ys are often placed at each end of the house. The type was used less often after the late 1800s.155 No Hall and Parlor houses were identified in the survey area. Other houses in the survey may have started as Hall and Parlor types, but through renovations and additions have evolved into other forms. I House The name “I House” was first recognized in 1930 as a hous ing type in Indiana that had originated in the Middle Atlantic states. The form was later identified in the other Midwestern “I” states of Illinois and Iowa.156 The form consists of a two story, one room deep plan that is at least two rooms wide. Chimneys 152 One exception was the original building on the Clow farmstead in Section 22 of Wheatland Township, outside the limits of the present study within the municipal limits of Naperville. 153 Stephen C. Gordon, How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory (Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Historic Preservation Office, 1992). 154 The settlers discussed in Chapter 4, if they were not new immigrants to the United States, mainly originated in the New England states. For overviews of this pattern of diffusion, see Fred B. Kniffen, “Folk Housing: Key to Diffusion,” in Common Places: Readings in Amer ican Vernacular Architecture, Dell Upton and John Michael Vlack, ed. (Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1986); and John A. Jakle, Robert W. Bastian, and Douglas K. Meyer, Common Houses in America’s Small Towns: The Atlantic Seaboard to the Mississippi Valley (Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1989). Jakle, et al., provide another classification system for house types as well. Yet another system of house type classification is provided by Fred W. Peterson in Homes in the Heartland: Balloon Frame Farmhouses of the Upper Midwest, 1850–1920 . 155 Gordon, 125. Since the form can be confused with later cottage types of houses, one feature that can date it properly is the height to width ratios of the window open ings: tall window openings usually date a house to the 1800s. 156 Kniffen, “Folk Housing: Key to Diffusion,” in Common Places: Readings in Am erican Vernacular Architecture, 7–8.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 56 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey were often placed at each end of the floor plan. Th e I House type is not strongly present in the survey area. Above: One of very few I House type hous es in the survey area is on Heggs Road in Section 19 of Wheatland Township. Side Hallway Side Hallway houses are typically simple rectilinear vol umes, two stories in height, and often with gable roofs oriented to the front or the side. In plan the entry is at the end bay of the front elevation, opening into the main stair hall. Adjacent to the hall is the ma in parlor with additional rooms at the rear of the house. The form was popular until the 1880s.157 The Side Hallway type is not common in the survey area. The Side Hallway type is not common in the survey area; one example is on Hegg s Road in Section 19 of Wheatland Township. 157 Ibid., 126.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 57 Upright and Wing The Upright and Wing is the second most pr evalent house type in the survey area.158 The Upright and Wing was popular in the mid to late 1800s. The type consists of an upright portion with a gable end, usually one-and-a-half to two stories, and a one to on e-and-a-half story wing. The gable end of the wing is usually at or below the eave of the upright. Uprigh t and Wing type houses have T- or L-shaped floor plans. Inside, the wing contains a kitchen and one or two bedrooms and the upright a parlor and additional bedrooms.159 Upright and Wing farmhouses are common in the survey area. Above left: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 12; above right: Plainfield Township, Section 17 (abandoned); below left: Plainfie ld Township, along Illinois Route 59 in Section 21; below righ t: Wheatland Township, Section 21. 158 Peterson groups the Upright and Wing with the Gabled Ell type (both being forms of L- or T-plan houses), making it “the most numerous and familiar farmhous e type in the Upper Midwest…” (Peterson, Homes in the Heartland, 96.) Peterson also notes that many L- and T-plan houses are the result of additions being constructed to existing rectangular house forms (Ibid., 99). 159 Gordon, How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory, 132.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 58 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Gabled Ell The Gabled Ell type of farmhouse is the most prevalent type in the survey area. This type of house usually dates from the two decades after the Civil War.160 It has an L-shaped plan, sometimes with additions to form a T-shaped plan, and usually is two stories in hei ght with a gabled roof. Within the main “L” there is often a porch. In most arrangements, the gable end of the shorter of the two wings faces the street or main approach with the broad side of the other wing at the side. The Gabled Ell farmhouse type is very comm on in the survey area. Above left: Wheatl and Township, Section 19; above right: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 10; below left: Oswego Township, Se ction 35; below right: Plainf ield Township, Section 6. 160 Ibid., 136.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 59 Four-over-Four The Four-over-Four basically consists of a central ha llway flanked by two rooms on each side in a house two to two-and-a-half stories in height. This house type usually has a gable roof, with the ridge line running parallel to the front face. Exploiting balloon frame construction, the form was popular in the middle 1800s, although it returned during the vogue of th e Colonial and Georgian Revival styles. Four-over-Four type farmhouses are relatively common in the survey area. Left: The Coe–Cheeny house on Wood Farm Road in Section 9 of Plai nfield Township is a mid-nineteenth century example of the Four-over-Four type. Right: The Stewart house in Section 30 of Wheatland Township s howed the revival of the Four-over-Four type for Colonial Revival style hous es in the early twentieth century. Th is house was demolished in fall 2005. Gable Front The Gable Front house describes a variety of house types dating from the mid-1800s through the 1920s. It is similar to the Four-over-Four, except that the main entrance at the gable end facing the street or main approach. It is also similar to the Side Hallway ty pe, and usually has a rectangular floor plan. The Gable Front type is relatively uncommon in the rural survey area. The Gable Front farmhouse has m any variations. This house is on Simons R oad in Section 36 of Oswego Township.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 60 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey American Foursquare The American Foursquare 161 was introduced around 1900 and continue d to be popular until the 1920s. It consists of a two to two-and-a-half story block with a roughly square floor plan with four rooms on each floor. Roofs are hipped or pyramidal, with dormer windows (hipped and gable) on at least the front elevation and sometimes the side and rear elevations . Foursquares usually have front porches, but they may also have bay windows (some extending both stories) and one story rear additions. Many Foursquares were built from plans developed by local lumber companies or mail order sources that advertised in farm journals; others were purchased whole and delivered as pre-cut, ready-to-assemble houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company or home manufacturers. The American Foursquare is another farmhous e type that is very common in the su rvey area. Above left: Oswego Township, Section 35; above right: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 22; below le ft: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 1; below right: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 3. Bungalow The term bungalow derives from the word bangla, an Indian word adopted by the British in the nineteenth century for a one story house with porches. The American house form descended from the Craftsman movement, using natural materials a nd simple forms to create an informal domestic environment. Popular from approximately 1905 to 1935, there are two basic types of bungalows (and numerous subtypes), each deriving its name from the dominant roof forms. The Dormer Front Bungalow (also called the Shed Roof Bungalow) has a gable or shed roof turned parallel to the front elevation and a single large dormer. The Gable Front has a front facing gable, with the ridge of the roof running perpendicular to the main 161 The term “American Foursquare” was coined by Clem Labine, former editor of the Old-House Journal. (Gordon, How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory, 137.)
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 61 elevation. The relatively few examples of the Bungal ow type in the rural survey are somewhat simpler than those found in city and suburban neighborhoods, and they lack stylistic features such as exposed roof beams, ornamental wall trim, or shingle siding. Two Gable Front Bungalows. Both of th ese houses are on 111th Street at the Wheatland Presbyterian Church crossroads. Cape Cod The Cape Cod was a popular house type in the quarter century after the mid-1920s. The type was inspired by eighteenth century cottages in Massachusetts and Virginia.162 The Cape Cod has a simple rectangular plan, one story in height with dormers and a gable ro of. Very few Cape Cod type houses exist in the rural survey area. The Cape Cod is a simple rectangular bloc k with a gabled roof, often with a pair of gabled dormers. At left is a farmhouse in Section 19 of Wheatland Township. Ranch Because it is a relatively recent domestic architect ure development (it generally dates from the post-World War II era), ranch style houses were recorded in the rural survey only when they are part of older farmsteads. The ranch houses on these sites likely replaced the original house on the site or provided an additional dwelling on the property. Ranch style hous es are typically one story and have rambling floor plans and relatively low-pitched hipped or gabled roofs. Although much of the contemporary housing under construction in the rural survey area has featur es and elements reminiscen t of older architectural styles (Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial, or even Qu een Anne), its true architectural lineage traces back to the ranch houses of the 1950s and 1960s. 162 Ibid., 140.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 62 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Development of the Barn The barns of the American Midwest have several t ypical functions: animal shelter, crop storage, crop processing, equipment storage, and machinery repair. However, barns also have specialized functions designated by adjectives such as “sheep” barn or “d airy” barn. In some instances a substitute term was used such as hog house or implemen t shed, especially if a larger multi purpose “barn” is also on the farm. Nonetheless, these structures shared some similar forms and structural systems.163 Pioneer settlers, faced with clearing virgin forest or br eaking sod, usually had little time to do more than erect a roughhouse and perhaps a crude animal shelter in the first years of settlement. Not until after some ten years on a homestead, or perhaps not even until th e second generation, did the pioneer have the means to construct a large barn.164 The need for large barns necessitated the development of structural systems to enclose large volumes of space. As the frontier of settlement passed into the Midwest, many early barns were constructed of logs by settlers who either possessed log-building skills or gained these techniques by association with other ethnic or cultural groups. Although the eastern Mi dwest was well forested, providing sufficient log materials, the prairies of the central Midwest (inclu ding Illinois) had less forested land to supply log construction. Therefore, other solutions were required.165 The skeletal framework of barns consists typically of sill timbers resting directly on the foundation (usually stone, although concrete was introduced in the early 1900s). The sills also form the substructure for the floor joists and wall framing. The barn’s jois ts sometimes remained round, except for the top side, which was flattened to accommodate floorboards. Most ear ly barns had a gable roof composed of rafters, rough sawn boards, and wooden shingles. Vertically a ttached boards, some as large as fourteen inches wide, ran from the sill to the top plate of the wall for siding on timber frame barns.166 As discussed earlier in this chapter, light fra ming techniques and advanced wood milling machines influenced the development of Midwestern farmhouses. However, barns continued to be built with heavy timber. As these large framing members became scarce and expensive in the early twentieth century, new innovations were sought, such as plank framing that f eatured the substitution of plank lumber for heavy long, square timbers.167 163 Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, “The Farm Barns of the American Midwest,” in Barns of the Midwest, Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, ed. (Ath ens, Ohio: Ohio Univers ity Press, 1995), 9. 164 Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, “Midwestern Barn s and Their Germanic Connections,” in Barns of the Midwest , 65. 165 Ibid. 166 Ibid., 48–50. 167 Lowell J. Soike, “Within the Reach of All: Midwest Barns Perfected,” in Barns of the Midwest, Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, ed. (Athens, Ohio: Ohio Univer sity Press, 1995), 147. Two major forms of plank framing developed. The first took dimension plank lumber and imitated heavy timber framing, carrying the loads through posts and beams. The second type opened up the center of the barn by using a truss for the framing bents. This was followed by an adaptation of the balloon framing for barn construction. Stud walls replaced posts and girts for handling loads; roof loads were carried by trusses made from lighter weight lumber (Ibid., 155–156).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 63 A drawing of heavy timber barn framing from 1894 (William E. Be ll, Carpentry Made Easy, or the Science and Art of Framing (Philadelphia: Ferguson Bros. & Co., 1894), plate 7). The ni neteenth century barn on Paydon Road in Section 36 of Oswego Township (right) shows similar fram ing and bracing at the gable end wall. At the beginning of the twentieth century, new ba rn building ideas emerged from a growing field of experts: agricultural engineers, experiment stati on researchers, and commercial farm planning services. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers (A SAE) soon contained a committee on farm structures after its formation. The result of these efforts widene d the variety of barn building plans available to farmers and encouraged im proved building standards.168 At about this time, manufacturers and marketers of pre-cut, ready-to-assemble houses (such as the American Foursquare house type discussed above) entered the market for barn construction. Two majo r Iowa firms, the Louden Machinery Company of Fairfield and the Gordon-Van Tine Company of Davenpor t, advertised plans for their pre-cut barns along with their pre-cut homes. Engineering research led to the development of frami ng for gambrel roofs, culminating in the Clyde or Iowa truss. (The shape of the gambrel roof allowed a larger loft space to store hay than the gable roof allowed.) The first step in this development was the work of John Shawver of Ohio, who developed a gambrel truss form using sawn lumber. The Iowa tru ss was developed by A.W. Clyde, an engineer with the Iowa State College farm extension service, around 19 20. It allowed construction of a stiff frame at far lower cost than the Shawver truss, whic h required expensive extra-length material.169 168 Ibid., 158. 169 Ibid. The open loft, free from interi or braces like those used in the Shawver and Iowa trusses, was finally achieved with the laminated gothic arch roof. The gothic roof was developed over a two decade period, with an early system using sawn boards 12 inches wide, 1 inch thick, and 3 to 4 feet long from which the outside edge was shaved to the needed curvat ure. Three or four plies were laminated together with nails, with splices staggered along the curve. These rafters were placed 2 feet on center. However, due to the material wasted in shaving the lumber and the labor consumed in sawing and nailing, farmers and builders were slow to adopt this system. Bent or sprung arches were the second major type of curved rafter construction, fi rst used in an experiment in Davis, California, in 1916. The perceived savings in material and labor required to produce the same contour by bending instead of sawing, made this system more popular. Bent-rafter gothic arch construction, although more economical in labor and material, proved less rigid that the more expensive sawed type. For this reason, many farmers adopted a combination of the two, with the sawed rafters spaced every 8 to 12 fe et and the bent rafters spaced between, twenty-four inches on center (Ibid., 161–2).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 64 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey The Shawver, Iowa, laminated gothic arch, and sawn gothic arch barn roof rafters. (Deane G. Carter and W.A. Foster, Farm Buildings , Third Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1941), 136, 138, 140, and 141). During the 1930s, the Gothic roof entered the last phase of its evolution. At Iowa State Agricultural College, Henry Giese tested existing types of lamina ted bent rafters in an attempt to solve their shortcomings. Working in collaboration with Rock Is land Lumber Company, distributor of Weyerhauser Forest Products, he explored the potential of modern glues to yield a stronger bent rafter. Using Douglas fir, clear of knots and defects, glue-laminated und er approximately 100 pounds per square inch of pressure and shaped to an arch form, the rafter wa s stronger than those lami nated conventionally with nails and bolts (either the shaved- or bent-lumber techniques). Rafter performance was also improved with the use of hinge connections at the supports. Weyerhauser was marketing these factory-built rafters
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 65 under the trademark of Rilco by 1938.170 The United States Forest Products Laboratory also performed tests on glued laminated construction. Their laboratory tests showed that laminated rafters were two to four times stronger than ordinary bent and sawed rafters laminated with nails.171 The two-story loft barn ceased to be built after World War II.172 In the first half of the twentieth century the dependence on draft animals waned and mechanical power in the form of tractors increased, and farmers no longer needed loft space.173 Farmers began to build fewer custom wood frame structures, which were susceptible to fires, as manufactured buildi ngs using steel became available. Early metal-barn types, such as Quonsets, gained a notable measu re of popularity among some Midwestern farmers immediately after World War II. One of the leadin g manufacturers of Quonset barns and sheds was the Great Lakes Steel Corporation of Detroit, whose stru ctures were purported to be fireproof, rat-proof, and sag-proof. Corrugated metal was also a suggested cove ring for wooden barn siding, and organizations as the Asbestos Farm Service Bureau promoted the us e of asbestos-based cement boards for re-siding old barns.174 Because lofts were no longer needed, one story barn construction became more standard in the post-war years. The shift from loose to baled or chopped ha y reduced the need for haymows as many farmers adopted the “loose-housing” or “loafing” system for housing cattle. University of Wisconsin agricultural scientists argued that cows would be more content and give more milk if they were allowed to roam in and out of the barn at will. The loose-housing system resulted in the construction of one-story galvanized all-steel barns.175 The pole barn was a simple method for constructing the necessary enclosure for farm implements and the limited amount of hay still requir ed on the farm. Pole barns use round poles set into small, individual foundations, to which engineered roof trusses and wall girts and siding are attached. The structural concept for the modern pole barn was devel oped by H. Howard Doane of St. Louis in the early 1930s. He and George Perkins, his farm manager, used creosoted wood poles (which were commonly used for telephone poles) for the vertical structural members.176 Barn Types As with house types, several systems have been used to classify barns, either by function, shape and structural system; ethnic traditions and their infl uence; or regional characteristics and commonalties.177 The classification types developed below are ba sed on Allen G. Noble and Richard K. Cleek’s The Old Barn Book: A Field Guide to North Am erican Barns & Other Farm Structures and Allen G. Noble’s Wood, Brick & Stone. Classification is often by ethnic influence, which is appropriate to the region of the rural survey because of the Scottish, Irish, and German origins and ancestry of many of its settlers; or it is by the shape and configuration of the barn. 170 Ibid., 162–163. 171 Ibid., 164. 172 Ibid., 165. 173 In 1930, 61,000 combines were counted by the U.S. Census; in 1953, 918,000. One in six farmers already owned a tractor by 1932. In 1944, 14 percent of the nation’s hay was harvested with windrow balers; by 1948, the figure was 46 percent (Glenn A. Harper and Steve Gordon, “The Modern Midwestern Barn, 1900–Present,” in Barns of the Midwest, Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, ed. (Ath ens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1995), 225.) 174 Ibid.,226. 175 Glenn A Harper and Steve Gordon, “The M odern Midwestern Barn, 1900–Present” in Barns of the Midwest, Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, ed. (Athen s, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1995), 225. 176 Ibid. 177 Often there are more conflicts than agreements between different classification systems. The types defined herein seem to best describe the structures actually present and the social and ethnic origins of their builders.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 66 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Three-bay Threshing Barn The Three-bay Threshing barn (also called the Englis h barn) was introduced into North America through English colonial settlement in southern New England.178 The English and continental European immigrants of the early 1800s introduced this barn type to the Midwest. It was originally designed as a single function barn to store or process grain and was mo st suitable for small-scale, subsistence farms. It is a single level, rectangular structure divided into three parts or sections, each termed a bay. Large double doors are centered on both long sides of the structure. Hand threshing with a grain flail was done in the central bay, sometimes called the thresh ing bay. Following threshing, the large doors were opened to create a draft, which, during winnowing, w ould separate the chaff from the heavier grain, and carry it away. Flanking the central bay were the ot her two bays of generally equal dimensions. One was used during the fall or winter to store sheaves of ha rvested grain, awaiting threshing. The other bay was used for storing the threshed grain, commonly in bins , and straw, which was used as feed and bedding for horses and cattle.179 Early examples had steeply pitched (over 45 degrees) gable roofs and low stone foundations. They were sided in vertical boards wi th small ventilation opening s high on the gable ends. Windows are largely absent, although later versions included them at animal stall locations. Gable-end sheds were a common addition.180 Eventually as dairying replaced wheat production in the agricultural economy, the threshing/storage function of this barn type became less important. At first no animals were housed in the structure, although subsequently internal rearrangements were of ten made to introduce animal stalls in one of the two side bays. This effectively reduced the grain storage and processing functi on and only offered shelter for a modest number of animals.181 In some cases this barn type w as lifted up and placed onto a raised basement, which then could house th e animals, especially dairy cows.182 Three-bay Threshing barns are somewhat common in the survey re gion; many of the bar ns of this type which once existed have been demolished. The example above is in Section 14 of Na-Au-Say Township. 178 Fred B. Kniffen “Folk-Housing: Key to Diffusion,” in Common Places, Readings in American Vernacular Architecture, Dell Upton and John Michael Vlach, ed. (Athens, Geor gia: University of Georgia Press, 1986), 11. 179 Charles Calkins and Martin Perkins, “The Three-bay Threshing Barn,” in Barns of the Midwest, Allen G. Noble and Hubert G.H. Wilhelm, ed . (Athens, Ohio: Ohio Univer sity Press, 1995), 40–41 . 180 Allen G. Noble and Richard K. Cleek, The Old Barn Book: A Field Guide to North American Barns and Other Farm Structures (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutger s University Press, 1995), 77. 181 Allen G. Noble, Wood, Brick and Stone, The North American Settlement Landscape, Volume 2: Barns and Farm Structures (Amherst, Massachus etts: University of Massachus etts Press, 1984), 56–58. 182 Calkins and Perkins, “The Three-bay Threshing Barn,” Barns of the Midwest, 59.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 67 Raised, Bank, and Basement Barns The Raised or Bank barn originated in central New Yo rk as a shelter for dairy cattle. It was the first multi-purpose barn to gain widespread popularity. These ba rns are usually larger th an Three-bay Threshing barns and have a ground floor level fo r cattle and dairy cows with an uppe r level for hay and feed storage. This upper level is reached by an earthen ramp, bridge , or the natural slope of an embankment. Basement barns are similar to Raised barns, in that the foundation walls extend up to the bottom of the second floor. However, Basement barns do not have ramps nor are th ey sited to utilize the natural topography to access the second floor. The survey area has only a few Basement barns. Bank barn examples. Left: Oswego Township, Section 24; right: Steigle farmstead in Plainfie ld Township, Section 5 (1999 photograph). German Barn German barns, also called German/Swiss barns or Pennsylvania barns, includes a group of barns introduced into the Delaware valley by German-speaking settlers. It was one of the first American barn types to combine crop storage and animal shelter. It became a structure synonymous with Pennsylvania Dutch culture and its mixed grain-livestock agriculture . These barns had a lower story partially cut into the natural slope of the land and an upper level that was accessed from a slope or ramp. A forebay is formed by recessing the ground floor wall and enclosing it at each end with the masonry gable end walls. Another distinctive feature is the use of a combin ation of stone masonry a nd wood framed and sheathed walls: stone was typically reserved for ga ble end walls and/or north facing walls An open forebay is present on the south side of the barn (left) on the Herzog farmstead in Section 34 of Wheatland Township; th is barn is visible in the illustration from the 1873 Combination Atla s of Will County. The crib barn portion at the far end is a l ater addition. The main barn on the Fry-Stiegel farmstead (right) in Section 26 of Wheatland Township also has an enclosed forebay.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 68 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Other examples of German barns in the survey area include th e barn on the second John Spangler farmstead in Section 2 of Plainfield Township (left). The barn illustrated at right was c onstructed by Jacob Fry in 1867; it has been substantially alter ed on the interior to accommodate offices. Al l of these barns utilize stone walls, a feature common for barns built by German immigrants and their descendants. Barely visible in these tw o photographs are the narrow slits in the stone masonry for ventilation. Plank Frame Barn This relatively small barn type originated in the eastern Midwest around 1875.183 Plank frame barns can have gable or gambled roofs and are typically one stor y in height plus a large hay loft. They are multi-purpose, with small ground floor windows for animal sta lls and a large sliding door for equipment. Their floor plans are usually small, approximately 30 by 40 feet. Plank frame barns use small dimension milled lumber rather than the heavy timber framing of earlier barn types. Gambrel roof Plank Frame barn examples. Left: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 3; right: Oswego Township, Section 35. 183 Noble and Cleek, The Old Barn Book, 117
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 69 Gable roof Plank Frame barn examples. Left: Plainfield Township, Section 21;right: Oswego Township, Section 25. Three-ended Barn This barn type is a modification to the Thr ee-bay Threshing barn, adding a hay barn addition perpendicular to an existing barn. This addition, sometimes called a st raw shed, could have less height than the main portion of the barn or be taller than the main barn. The additions could also have an open bay at ground level into which a cart could drive to unload hay into the loft space. No three-ended barns currently exist in the survey area; the two examples illustrated in the 1999–2000 survey report have been demolished. Feeder Barn During the last two decades of the nineteenth century , Illinois and Iowa developed into the regional center for beef production. Farmers with rougher land, more su ited to cattle than crops, raised their cattle from birth to finished beef. They fattened their stock on surplus corn, alfalfa, and feed supplements, and sold them to the rail-connected beef-processing industry in Chicago. The industry was also aided by the introduction of the refrigerated box car. In order to build a barn to hold cattle and hay, the feeder barn (sometimes called the hay barn) was de veloped. Cattle are housed and fed on the ground floor with a loft above to hold hay. This Feeder barn is located in S ection 23 of Na-Au-Say Township.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 70 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Round Roof Barn Round Roof Barns came into existence with structural advances in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Although called round, roof shapes for this type are often gothic arch in form. The name describes the roof shape, although the configuration of their floor plans were usually based on more typical barn types such as Plank frame, Dairy, or Rai sed barns. Only one Round Roof barn is known to exist in the survey area. This Round Roof barn on Plainfield Road in Se ction 12 of Na-Au-Say Township is the on ly example of this type in the survey area. Pole Barn The latest major barn type, called the pole barn, e volved in the eastern Midwest. The walls of the building are hung on poles that are driven into individual footings buried in the ground below the frost line. The floor is typically concrete slab or dirt. There is no loft. Later versions us ually have metal siding, especially those erected after World War II.184 The pole barn is an example of economical construction techniques applied to modern agriculture. Pole Barn examples. Left: Na-Au-Say Township, Se ction 11; right: Na-Au-Say Township Section 14. 184 Noble and Cleek, The Old Barn Book, 120.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 71 Quonset Shed Sometime referred to as Quonset “hut s,” this building type originated at the U.S. Naval Air Station at Quonset Point in Davisville, Rhode Island, in 1942. It s universal use in the military made Quonset sheds seem to be an ideal economical building type in the post-war years, finding use as storage facilities, offices, homes, and commercial ventures such as m ovie theaters. Military Quonsets often had steel framing members to support the corrugated galvanized metal sheathing, but civilian examples used wood framing as well. Where observable, the examples presen t in the rural survey area usually have wood framing. Their use in the survey area includes implem ent sheds, animal shelters, and other types of storage. Quonset shed examples. Left: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 13; right: Na-Au-Say Township, Section 24 Manufactured Building While pole barn structures use manufactured materials as sembled by a local builder or the farmer himself, manufactured buildings were developed as a complete system in the 1940s. Such buildings offer quick construction time and potentially lower cost because of the use of standardized components. The buildings also allow for large floor areas, giving farmer s flexibility of usage. This building type remains common for newly constructed agricultural buildings in the survey area. Typical manufactured buildings. Left: Plai nfield Township, Section 2, a manufacture d building constructed in this decade (2000s) adjacent to the German barn illustrated on page 68. Right: A somewhat older example from Oswego Township.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 72 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Grain Elevators Grain elevators began to be constructed alongside de veloping rail systems during the second half of the nineteenth century. Early elevators were often associated with the flour mills they served. They were usually timber-framed structures, as were the mills themselves.185 Concrete grain elevators and silos, usually constructed in banks of two to ten or more, were constructed in the early decades of the twentieth century. Besides the single concrete silo construc ted at Normantown (shown above) along the former route of the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railroad, a gr ain elevator is located on the eastern edge of Kendall County at the crossing of the railroad and Wolf’s Cro ssing Road. Located within Plainfield is the grain elevator of the Plainfield Grain Company. Normantown and the Plainfield Grain Company are discussed in Chapter 2. Corncribs Pioneer farmers frequently built log corncribs during th eir two centuries of migration into and settlement of the Midwest. Most crude frontier log cribs were little more than bins, loosely constructed of saplings or split rails and laid up with saddle notching to hold them together.186 Sometimes the logs were skinned to lessen the danger of infestation by worms and insect . The bin-like cribs were typically covered with thatch or cornstalks to help shed the rain; a board and shingle roof took more effort, required nails, and thus was more expensive. Unfortunate ly, thatch roof corncribs were more readily infested by rodents. Log construction of corncribs remained popular throug h the 1800s in areas where timber resources proved readily accessible. The invention of the circular saw in 1860 and its growing adaptation to steam power by mid-century made lumber cheap enough for general use on outbuildi ngs such as corncribs, enabling later versions to be built of narrow lumber slats.187 The corncrib usually rested on log or stone piers.188 In constructing a frame corncrib, two methods of attaching the slat sidi ng or cribbing were used. The slats were attached either horizontally or vertically; cribbing attached diagonally for extra strength seems to have come into practice about 1900.189 The size of the corncribs remained small, even as corn production rose, during much of the nineteenth century, in part due to the practice of corn shocki ng. Corn could be gradually “shucked out” as needed and hauled to the crib or barn for milling and feeding to livestock. Large corncribs were unnecessary since farmers could leave much of their corn in the field until spring.190 Crib width was influenced by the climate of a region; drier conditions allowed for wide r cribs with no increased loss of corn due to mold. As corn production outgrew the single crib in the developing Corn Belt, double cribs were formed by extending the roof over a pair of cribs to form a gable roof. If the gap between the cribs was then lofted over, extra space was gained beneath the roof for ove rflow storage of ear corn. Spreading the cribs apart not only increased the loft space but created a storage area below for wagons, tools, and implements. These structures, called crib barns, became common in the Midwest by 1900.191 The creation of larger corncribs and their overhead grain bins depended upon the invention of new methods to raise the grain and ear corn higher than a farmer could scoop it. High cribs were made possible by the commercial adaptation of continuous belt and cup elevators from grai n mills and by the portable grain elevator grain. 185 Keith E. Roe, Corncribs in History, Folklife, and Architecture (Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1988), 176. 186 Noble and Cleek, The Old Barn Book, 170–171. 187 Roe, Corncribs in History, Folklife, and Architecture , 26. 188 Noble and Cleek, The Old Barn Book , 155. 189 Roe, Corncribs in History, Folklife, and Architecture , 27. 190 Keith E. Roe, “Corncribs to Grain Elevators: Extensions of the Barn, ” in Barns of the Midwest , 170. 191 Roe, Corncribs in History, Folklife, and Architecture , 60.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 73 In the early decades of the twentie th century, both concrete and steel were promoted as alternative construction materials for corncribs and grain elevators. The use of hollow clay t iles was also encouraged in those parts of the Midwest where they were manufactured, notably in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.192 The most common variety of concrete corncrib was made of interlocking stave blocks, which had been cast with ventilating slots. In some cases, steel wires or rods were incorporat ed in the vents to keep rats out. The blocks were laid up in the form of a circular bin. These were encircled with steel rods, enabling the structure to withstand lateral pressures from the corn heaped within. Single and double bin corncribs of this type were most common, although four-bin co rncribs were not unusual. Between 1900 and 1940, concrete was promoted as a do-it-yourself material, p oured into rented forms, for building corncribs.193 Wood frame corn cribs are relatively rare in the rural survey area, or if they are present are often unused and in poor condition. Crib barns and silos are much more common. The structure painted red at left is one of the very few wooden corncribs still existing in the su rvey region. This structure is located in the southwest quarter of Sectio n 22 of Wheatland Township on 119th Street. 192 Ibid., 177. 193 Ibid., 176.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 74 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Crib Barns Crib barns are simple structures formed of pens or cribs that have a space between the cribs for implement storage. There are two basics types: crib barns with the gable or roofline parallel to the cribs, and transverse crib barns with the ro ofline perpendicular to the pens. The configuration of crib barns developed from practical limitations and needs, such as the height to which a scoopful of corn could be pitched from a wagon (which dictated the bin height) a nd the size of farm equipment (which dictated the spacing between bins). Later crib barns, including ma ny examples in the survey area, have mechanical elevators housed in a small projecting cupola at the ridge of the crib barn roof. Crib barns constructed of concrete block are also present in the survey area. Crib barns, usually with two bins , abound in the survey area. Illustrated at left are framing details of a crib barn (Smith & B etts Farm and Building Book (Chicago: The Radford Ar chitectural Company, 1915).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 75 Crib barn examples. Top left, an unusual two-bay crib barn with th ree cribs oriented perpendicular to the ridgeline of the roof (Na-Au-Say, Section 10). Top right, a typi cally large crib barn with cross gable elev ator (Plainfield, Section 28). Middle left , a crib barn with a mechanica l lift connected to elevator (Na-Au-Say, Section 14). Middle right, an unusual crib barn with diagona l cribbing (Wheatland, Section 32). Bottom left, an unusual round roof example; the round roof profile is repeated at the elevato r (Wheatland, Section 30). Bottom right, a typica l crib barn in Oswego Township, Section 24.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 76 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Metal Bins Metal construction for corn storage came into use early in the twentieth century and was promoted by the steel industry during World War I as a crop saver fo r the patriotic farmer. Rectangular or hexagonal corncribs were constructed from flat, galvanized-steel sheet metal with ventilating perforations. Corrugated, curved sheets created the more common cylindrical bin type, which was usually topped with a conical roof. The steel corncrib had wall ventilation s lits and, most times, a roof ventilator at its peak.194 Steel was ideal for fabricating standard parts, as we ll as being vermin-proof. Proper design of metal bins included such factors as ventilation, consideration of st ructural loads from the feed to be contained, and use of a concrete or heavy timber foundation with the exterior walls anchored to the foundation. Roofs usually consisted of overlapping sheets to form a conical form.195 Corncribs made of steel rods or heavy wire mesh also became available in the 1930s. The wire mesh type was particularly popular after World War II because of its low cost, ease of filling, and low maintenance. Wire mesh type bins have fallen out of use since the 1980s, but the solid metal bins are still commonly used today. Metal Bin examples. Above left, Na-Au-Say Township, Section 11 (note tower used for filling bins); above right, Na-Au-Say Township, Section 12; below left, Oswego Township, Section 25; below right, Na-Au-Say Township, Section 14. In the two photographs below, note the wheeled lift used for filling the bins. 194 Ibid. 195 R.E. Martin, “Steel Bin Design for Farm Storage of Grain,” Agricultural Engineering (April 1940): 144 and 146.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 77 Silos Silos are structures used for preserving green fodder crops , principally field corn, in a succulent condition. Silos are a recent phenomenon, employed only after 1875 and not truly established until shortly before the turn of the century. The stored green fodder material is termed ensilage , which is shortened to silage. The acceptance of silos was gradual, but this type of struct ure eventually came to be enthusiastically embraced by farmers because it offered certain advantages. First, larger numbers of cattle c ould be kept on the farm because the food value of corn is greater than that of a combination of hay and grain. Second, less water was needed for stock in the winter, lessening labor requirements as frequent ice breaking and thawing was no longer required. Finally, because succulent green fodder could be fed throughout the year, cows produced milk during the entire winter season, increasing the income of the farm.196 The first silos were pits excavated inside the barn. The earliest upright or tower silos date from the late 1880s and were rectangular or square in form and constructed with the same materials and techniques as those used in the barn itself, with framed lumber walls.197 Many were constructed within the barn building.198 Later examples of this silo type had rou nded corners on the inside formed by a vertical tongue-in-groove lining. The rectangular silo appear ed in some areas as late as 1910. The octagonal silo type that followed attempted to achieve the advantages of a circular silo while keeping the ease of angular construction. In the 1890s circular forms began to be seen. A shift from the rectangular to the circular stems from the efficiency of the circular form in storing corn ensilage by eliminating air space and thereby reducing spoilage. The wooden-hoop silo was formed with wood, soaked a nd shaped into gigantic circular hoop forms and then fastened together horizontally in the tower shape. This style did not become popular because the hoops tended to spring apart. A more common type of wood silo was the panel or Minneapolis silo, also known by several other names. It was advertised in num erous farm journals in th e early twentieth century. It consisted of ribs set about 20 inches to 24 in ches apart and horizontal matched boards (known as staves) set in grooves in the ribs. Steel hoops were placed around silo to lock the boards in place. This type of silo was made with either single or double wall construction and was polygonal in plan. Masonry silos, constructed of hollow clay tile, brick, or concrete block, appeared in th e first decades of the twentieth century. In comparison with the other two types of silos, brick silos were more difficult to construct because of the time required to erect th e relatively small masonry units. There were many patents on concrete blocks for silo purposes, with some blocks curved and other finished with rock-faced building blocks. Some patented blocks had reinforcing sold with the bl ocks or integral with the block units.199 Concrete block silos were finished on the interior with a layer of cement mortar to seal joints that might otherwise leak air or water. The hollow clay tile silo, generally known as the “Iow a Silo,” was developed by the Experiment Station of the Iowa State College and erected dur ing the summer of 1908 on the college farm.200 Brick and tile companies manufactured curved blocks for silos, adve rtising them in farm journals. The main complaint regarding the hollow block silo was that the masonr y units were porous and leaked water. The mortar joints on both inside and outside of wall needed to be properly pointed as a precaution against leakage. Some silo builders washed the interior of the wa ll with cement mortar as a further precaution. Steel reinforcing consisted of heavy wire embedded in the mortar joints. 196 Noble, Wood, Brick and Stone , 71–72. 197 Noble and Cleek, The Old Barn Book , 158. 198 Ingolf Vogeler, “Dairying and Dairy Barns in the Northern Midwest,” Barns of the Midwest (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1995), 108 . 199 W.A. Foster, “Silo Types and Essentials,” Hoard’s Dairyman (21 February 1919) 201, 216, 217, and 232. 200 Ibid.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 78 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Cement stave silos were constructed as early as 190 4 in Cassopolis, Missouri, which used book-shaped staves.201 Several patents existed for cement stave silos, in cluding that of the Mason & Lawrence of Elgin, Illinois, dating from 1914.202 Farmers also could make concrete stav es or blocks to construct a silo or other farm structure using a block mix, either by th e dry tamp method or the wet cast process. The dry tamp method involved making a relatively dry concrete mix, which was compressed into blocks in a molding machine. The wet cast process used a concrete mix with more water added, which was placed in a series of molds for 24 to 48 hours. Curing of the staves (allowing the concrete mix to attain proper strength) was important with either method. It w as recommended that the staves be placed in a curing room for two or three days so the Portland cement coul d react with the moisture in the concrete mix. After removal from the curing room, the staves were periodica lly sprinkled with water until they were a week to ten days old. Further open air curing continued over an additional three weeks. Concrete staves could vary in size, but were often approximately 30 inches long, 10 inches wide, and 2-1/2 inches thick. One end of the block was concave and the other convex to a llow fitting the blocks in the assembled structure.203 The finished staves (or blocks) were th en ready for assembly. This excerpt from Concrete magazine from 1927 outlines the erection procedure for a concrete stave silo: Concrete stave silos are quickly and easily erect ed. Three men can easily erect two average sized silos each week and some crews can do better than that, especially when the proper equipment is at hand. The concrete window and door frames used are precast, made in the plant where the staves are made. A light, adjustable erecting scaffo ld is a necessary piece of equipment. Scaffolds are of two general types those supported by a center mast and those hooked over the silo wall. Staves are fitted to position by means of a light derrick, which comes as a part of the erecting equipment. Concrete staves are generally set up dry, no mortar being used in the joints. In some types a grove is molded entirely around the edge of the stave. . . . The hoops or steel rods, placed to reinforce the silo, are set as the erection of the wall progress ed. Hoops are usually composed of two or three sections, depending upon the diameter of the silo . The sections are joined by means of special lugs. After the hoops are placed in position th ey are drawn tight enough to hold them in position. . . . After the entire silo walls are co mpleted, the hoops are drawn tight, care being exercised to draw them all to the same tension. 201 Foster, “Silo Types and Essentials.” Patents were granted on this type of stave silo in 1908, and the type was known commercially as the Playfo rd patent cement stave silo. 202 “How to Make and Sell Concrete Silo Staves,” Concrete (October 1927): 32–35. In addition to their own manufacturing plant, Mason & Lawrence licensed seven other companies to produce their design for concrete staves. Other patents for cement stave silos included the Interlocking patent, with an interlocking end joint; the Caldwell patent, with a stepped end joint and a steel re inforcing bar embedded in the stave; and the Perfection patent, with a hollow side joint filled with cement mort ar upon erection (Foster, “Silo Types and Essentials”). 203 David Mocine, “Keep Workmen Busy the Year Round,” Concrete Products (January 1948): 161. The manufacture and construction of the Mason & Lawrence precast concrete silo was described as follows (Ibid., 161–162): Staves are formed in flat sections measuring 12 x 30 in. by 2-1/2 in. thick, with the curvature of the completed silo being taken care of by the slight angle made at the joint between each successive stave. Compressive strength of the concrete at 28 days is 70 p.s.i. and flexural strength of the completed stave at 28 days is 1400 pounds. Reinforcing is provided by 1/4-in. smooth round steel bars running the full length of the two vertical sides (concave and convex edges). Each course of staves in the silo is held in place and further reinforced by a 58 in. rolled steel ban around the outside. The stave design is so engineered that these bands pull the staves against each other, forming a true curve, which is a basic point of the patent, according to Mr. Lawrence. The completed silo may be from 10 to 18 feet in diameter, and any height up to 60 feet. Chutes, receiving rooms and doorways are also formed to reinforced concrete and designed to fit the silo.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 79 The number of hoops to be used depends on the size of the silo and the material it is to store. The silage or other material exerts and outward pressure which would burst the silo, unless the proper number of steel hoops was provided. This pressure increases in proportion to the depth of the silage. At the top of the silo, where the pressure is light, hoops are usually spaced 30 inches apart. Because the silo staves are 30 in ches high, this is the maximum spacing that can be used. A little farther from the top the silos are double hooped, that is, the hoops are spaced fifteen inches apart. Some silo manufacturers double-hoop the silo for its entire height, believing that this adds to its appearance as well as to its strength. The 9/16 inch rod with rolled threads is now most generally used for silo hoops. After the walls are erected and the hoops tightened , the interior walls are ready for a wash that seals the joints and produces a smooth, impervious surface. A cement wash, made of a mixture of cement and water and of the consistency of thick paint, is often used.204 A detail view of the steel hoops and tu rnbuckles on a concrete stave silo. Silos constructed with monolithic co ncrete walls also appeared in the early decades of the twentieth century. Concrete silos were built using “slip-forms,” with the forms usually about two feet high and lifted once the level below had cured sufficien tly, leaving cold joints between each level.205 Such silos could be expensive to construct since labor was re quired to prepare the concrete and lift the forms. However, forms could be rented from contractors or cement manufacturers. Farmers who chose to build a concrete silo could obtain guidan ce from farm and building trade journals. Qualities of the reinforcing steel and type, concrete components and mixing, fo rmwork, and concrete place ment were outlined, as stated in this excerpt from Hoard’s Dairyman from 1919: When used, the cement should be in perfect condition and contain no lumps, which cannot readily be pulverized between the fingers. Sand and gravel or broken stone should conform to the requirements of proper grading and cleanliness. . . . Water must be clean, free from oil, alkali, silt, loam, and clay in suspension. Steel used in reinforcement should be secured from one of the manufacturers specializing in steel for use in concrete construction. 204 “How to Make and Sell Concrete Silo Staves,” Concrete (October 1927) 32–35. 205 The presence of cold joints had the potential to allow air to enter the silo. Therefore, it was important to coat the silo interior with a layer of cement mortar. As with othe r silo types, this mortar layer needed to be renewed periodically.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 80 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey ——— Wire mesh fabrics may be used instead of steel bars but if used should contain an amount of metal equal in cross-section area to the rods for which substituted. Reinforcing rods must be properly placed to meet the stresses and strains that are to be imposed upon them. The quantity and placing of these cannot be stated withou t knowing the size of the structure, except that it may be said all reinforcements, whether mesh or rods, should be placed at th e center of the silo walls. ——— Materials should be mixed with sufficient water to produce a concrete which, when deposited, will of its own weight gradually settle to a flat mass, but not wet enough to result in a separation of the mortar from the gravel or broken stone. The most desirable consistency is generally described as “quaky.” Wall foundations of footings should be made of a 1:3:5 mixture. Walls should be made of a 1:2-1/2:4 mixture. Roof, floors, and walls, and floors of tanks should be of a 1:2:3 mixture. . . . Forms may be made of wood or metal but must be free from warp and sufficiently strong to resist springing out of shape when concrete is being placed. The soil will not exceed 3,000 pounds per square foot. . . . Walls should be uniformly 6 inches thick and in the doorways of block silos the horizontal bars should be bent around the vertical bars alongside the doorways and twisted back upon themselves.206 In 1913, farmers were lectured at the annual gathering of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute not only about the utility of the silo but also other issues to consider: The question of general arrangement of the farm buildings is too often neglected. This should be of second consideration, as there is beauty in utility. Often the upper portion of a well-built silo showing above the sloping roof of some of the other buildings adds very materially to the general appearance of the group of buildings . Also the side near the top of ten affords the best place for the farm name.207 Farm journals gave their readers information for constructing a silo with the “essential features. . . necessary to secure good, sweet silage,”208 focusing primarily on the silo walls. Wall stre ngth, smoothness of interior wall surfaces, and air and water tightness were considered essential features. The foundation for the silo typically consisted of a wall ten inches minimum in width extending below the frost line and six to eight inches above grade. Conical roof shapes were common on some early silos, but gambrel and, later, domical roofs became more prevalent.209 An essential feature of any roof was a snug fit to prevent birds from entering the silo. By the late 1940s, a new type of silo appeared: th e blue Harvestore silos. Constructed of fiberglass bonded to sheets of metal, they were first introduc ed in Wisconsin. The glass-coated interior surface prevented silage from freezing and rust from forming. Because the container was airtight, the silage would not spoil. Augers, derived from coal-mining equi pment, were used to bore the silage out at the bottom of the silo, a great change from the earlier top-unl oaded silos. A large plastic bag at the top of the structure allowed changes in gas pressure to be e qualized, and took up the space vacated by removal of silage.210 In 1974 the company launched another line of products for the containment of manure called Slurrystore. By 1999, over 70,000 of Harvestore structur es of various sizes (tall or short, narrow or stout) had been built.211 Silos are fairly common in the rural survey area. The vast majority use concrete stave construction. 206 H. Colin Campbell, “Concrete Silo Construction,” Hoard’s Dairyman (21 February 1919): 200. 207 King, “Planning the Silo,” in Eighteenth Annual Report of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute, 64. 208 W.A. Foster, “Silo Types and Essentials,” Hoard’s Dairyman (21 February 1919): 201. 209 Gambrel and domical roofs allowed for filling the silo to the top of the outer wall, maximizing the storage capacity. 210 Noble and Cleek, The Old Barn Book , 108–9. 211 Harvestore Systems, DeKalb, Illinois, www.harvestore.com
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 81 A few of the numerous silos in the survey area. At left, an abandoned concrete stave s ilo. At center, an actively used concrete stave silo with domical sheet metal roof, and a small Harvestore silo in the foregro und. At right, a grouping of concrete stave and Harvestore silos. Other Farm Structures We did much of our own carpentering as a matter of course. The farmer who couldn’t build his own henhouse or woodshed wasn’t much of a farmer.212 Farmhouses, barns, corn cribs, and silos make up approxi mately half of the buildings surveyed as part of this study. The remaining outbuildings include many of the building types illustrated below. They include chicken houses, hog houses, milk houses, smokehouses, water tanks and windmills. As implied by the above quote, many of these outbuildings likel y were built by the farmers themselves. Left: A milk house on Simons Road in Section 36 of Oswego Town ship. Right: A hog house on Plainfield Road in Section 35 of Oswego Township. 212 Britt, An America That Was, 127.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 82 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Above left: A chicken coop on Plainfield Road in Section 1 of Na-Au-Say Township. Above right: A summer kitchen on Johnson Road in Section 10 of Na-Au-Say Township. Below left: A mach ine shed on Plainfield Road in Section 12 of Na-Au-Say Township. Below right: A root cellar at the Eaton Pr eserve on 135th Street in Plainfield Township.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 83 This windmill is on U.S. Route 30 in Section 32 of Wheatland Township.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 84 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey CHAPTER 4 SURVEY SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Period of Significance: 1830 to 1970 The majority of the survey region began to be se ttled by farmers in the late 1820s and early 1830s. Plainfield was platted in 1834–1835 and construction of the Illinois a nd Michigan Canal began in 1836. Land to the north of the Indian Treaty Boundary Line was officially available for settlement once the land was obtained by the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, a lthough settlement did not take place on any wide scale in most of Wheatland or eastern Oswego and Na -Au-Say Townships until the 1840s. Based upon these development trends, a general date of 1830 seems appr opriate in assessing the region for its agricultural heritage. Farming continued to be the dominant use of the land in the survey region until the recent past. The development of suburban developmen t did not begin on a large scale until the post-World War II era, as subdivisions were established outside of Joliet, fo llowed by new suburbs such as Bolingbrook. By the 1960s and 1970s, Plainfield annexed more land as development progr essed. Therefore, a closing date for a period of agricultural significance would fall approxim ately around 1970, when agriculture in the region began to wane as a major social and economic for ce in the region. Although the National Register nomination process is usually reserve d for properties over 50 years old, structures located on historic farmstead sites that date after 1955 generally have b een documented as part of the survey due to their importance as part of the overall rural landscape and as evidence of the continued evolution of agricultural practices. Significance National Register and Local Landmark Criteria The National Register of Historic Places defines historic significance in terms of four Criteria for Evaluation: The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structur es, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and: A. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or B. That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or C. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a ma ster, or that possess high artis tic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or D. That have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information in prehistory or history.213 The three criteria that are most applicable to propert ies in the rural survey area are A, B, and C. Under Criterion A, properties in the survey region may be significant as examples of historic agricultural practices over the past 150 years. Properties may be significant under Criterion B, but primarily for individuals who are significant at the local level. U nder Criterion C, buildings in the survey region have architecturally distinctive features and styles related to various identified historic styles and vernacular types. 213 Quoted from National Register Bulletin 15, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources Division, 1997), 2; originally published in Code of Federal Regulations, Title 36, Part 60 .
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 85 Using the criteria for listing on the National Register, several properties in the survey area have been identified that are potentially eligible for individual lis ting. This includes four properties with distinctive limestone construction in Wheatland and Plainfield Townships (the Fry farm, the Grill–Weinhold farm, the John Spangler farm, and the Zacharias Spangler farm) and two examples of “high style” architecture in a rural setting, the Gilbert Gaylord house in Oswego Township and the Jerome Smith house in Na-Au-Say Township. In addition to eligibility for National Register listing, individual properties within the survey region are also eligible for local Village of Plainfield listing. Properties that have been identified as potentially eligible for local landmark designation are listed on Table 1. All of the National Register-eligible properties would also be eligible for local landmark designation. An individual property is eligible for listing as a Village of Plainfield landmark if it meets any of the following criteria: Has character, interest or value that is part of the development, heritage or cultural character of the community, county, state or nation Is the site of a significant local, county, state or national event Is identified with a person who significantly contributed to the development of the community, county, state or nation Embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style valuable for the study of a period, type, method of construction or use of indigenous materials Is identified with or is the work of a master builder, designer, architect or landscape architect whose work has influenced the development of the area, county, state or the nation Embodies elements of design, detailing, material s or craftsmanship that are of architectural significance Embodies design elements that make it structurally or architecturally innovative Has a unique location or physical characteristics that make it a fa miliar visual feature of the community Is a particularly fine or unique example of a utilitarian structure with a high level of integrity or architectural significance Is suitable for preservation or restoration Is included on the National Register of Historic Places Is included on the Illinois Re gister of Historic Places Has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important to prehistory, history or other areas of archaeological significance 214 The primary distinction between national and local listi ng is that local significance is easier to document and explain than national significance. Also, some proper ties with lessened integrity due to the addition of synthetic siding materials or other inappropriate a dditions are designated as potential local landmarks rather than potentially National Register eligibile . The suggested properties have been researched sufficiently in performing this survey to merit cons ideration as Plainfield landm arks. It should be noted that some of the properties with local landmark potenti al could be determined, with additional research, to have sufficient significance for National Register listing. The survey area contains one Will County landmark, the Spring Banks bridge on Renwick Road at the DuPage River. Integrity One important issue in the consideration of signifi cance of a property or site is its historical and architectural integrity. This can be defined as the de gree that a structure or group of structures retains its original configuration and materials, and that these materials are in good enough condition that measures can be taken to extend their service life. Replacement of selected elem ents, such as rotted wood members, 214 Village of Plainfield Historic Preserva tion Commission Historic Landmark Application.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 86 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey may be necessary, but total replacement is not necessary. The issue applies primarily to the exterior of the structure, although in some cases the integrity of the interior may be a factor as well. In the survey area, individual buildings on farmsteads may be in poor condition or significantly altered. In these instances, determination of significance can only be made on the historical importance of the original owner or builder. Some farmstead sites have lessened integrity because of the loss of one or more significant structures, making it difficult to rec ognize the agricultural connections of the site. Determination of integrity has to be made on a case by case basis. In many instances, the presence of a former farmhouse or barn alone communicat es the agricultural origins of the site. Another issue that defines the integrity of a structure is the presence of historically appropriate materials. Since a 150-year-old farmhouse is unlikely to have all of its original wood siding in place, an appropriate replacement would be wood siding material of similar dimension to the original. The presence of artificial or synthetic siding material, such as metal, aluminum, or vinyl siding, seriously detracts from the integrity of the building or element. It should be noted that this applies not only to farmhouses but barns and other agricultural support buildings. To address the additi on of contemporary finish materials to historic buildings while still identifying structures of historic interest, this survey report uses the terminology “potentially” significant. This terminology is used to describe structures for which the overall form and architectural character remains intact, but for which c ontemporary finish materials have been added to the building exterior. The removal of these finish materi als and the repair of the original wood siding (which typically is left in place in such installations) is a straightforward ac tivity that, if implemented, would restore the integrity of these historic structures. Although the presence of contemporary finish materials generally disqualifies a structure from individual listing as a historic landmark in some registries, this survey report is intended to serve as a planning tool, a nd the identification of sites with a potential to be listed as historic landmarks increases the usefulness of this tool. This issue is addressed in Preservation Brief No. 8: Aluminum and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings, which states the following: Preservation of a building or district and its historic character is based on the assumption that the retention of historic materials and features and their craftsmanship are of primary importance. Therefore, the underlying issue in any discussion of replacement materials is whether or not the integrity of historic materials and craftsmanship has been lost. Structures are historic because the materials and craftsmanship reflected in their co nstruction are tangible and irreplaceable evidence of our cultural heritage. To the degree that substitu te materials destroy and/or conceal the historic fabric, they will always subtract from the basic integrity of historically and architecturally significant buildings.215 Contributing and Non-contributing Properties The rural survey area contains many more farmsteads and supporting rural sites that can be considered contributing than are non-contributing. For the purposes of this survey, a contributing site is defined as one that retains a coherent appearance as a farmstead and that represents the agricultural history of the survey area. Most of the structures on the property were observed to be in good or fair condition. Properties that have been designated contributing could be reconsidered for individual landmark status in the future, or could be included as part of a historic district. Non-contributing sites are listed as such because they lack integrity, the structures on the site we re observed to be in poor condition, or the primary buildings on the site post-date the period of significance. 215 John H. Myers, with revisions by Gary L. Hume, Preservation Brief No. 8, Aluminum and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings: The Appropriateness of Substitute Materials for Resurfacing Historic Wood Frame Buildings (October 1984).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 87 Potential Historic Districts, The matic Designations, and Landmarks The following thematic designation and historic distri cts are proposed for consideration by the Historic Preservation Commission and Village staff. More deta iled research may be necessary before listing can occur, and the boundaries of each group should be re fined based on consultation with local property owners. Refer to the maps provided at the end of this report for properties proposed for inclusion in each group and preliminary district boundaries. The proposed historic districts or individual landmarks identified in this report do not necessarily fall within the present day boundaries of the Village of Pl ainfield. As an interim step, the Village of Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission may request that Will County or Kendall County designate properties as county landmarks. If in the future the pr operty is annexed to the Village, the property could be re-designated as a Village landmark. Limestone Multiple Property Thematic Designation Previous survey efforts in the region by Mr. Michael A. Lambert has led to the recognition of several properties that all interrelate because of their common use of local limestone as a building material. This use of limestone occurred early in the development of the region because of the lack of sufficient milled lumber and the ready supply of limestone for buildi ng. Therefore, these structures are considered under National Register Criterion C, due to their unique co nstruction. Due to later development, these properties do not form a contiguous district. However, they represent a concentration of examples of a structural type that is unique within the broader survey region and within Will County as a whole. A thematic designation for the limestone structures of the DuPa ge River valley would be a way to recognize and protect these distinctive buildings. Like a historic di strict, thematic designation is conceived as a way to recognize multiple properties that share a common historical association and/or architectural typology. The group of properties may be historically signifi cant even though particular properties within the group may not be individually distinctive. A thematic d esignation recognizes these historic linkages but does not require the properties to be physically contiguous as in a district. The limestone structures of the DuPage River Valley are a distinct ive part of Plainfield’s hi story and are among the most historically significant mid-nineteenth century buildings in Will County. Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads In the 1999–2000 survey report, one su ggested potential historic district encompassed the western half of Wheatland Township, to the Will County line (the lim it of that survey). As noted then, although annexations by Plainfield, Naperv ille, Bolingbrook, Joliet, and othe r communities had encroached upon the area, development had not yet occurred. In the fi ve years since that report, rapid development has greatly altered the formerly agricultural landscape. Suburbanization has spread rapidly westward from Illinois Route 59, and much of the area included in the proposed rural heritage district is now developed.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 88 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Given the extent of the new suburban pattern, the prev iously proposed rural heritage district no longer forms a coherent or definable entity. However, indi vidually significant structures and crossroads do still exist in the area and can be cons idered for landmark status. Also, the Wheatland Presbyterian Church crossroads, which was contained within the rural heritage district, is s till eligible as an intact crossroads community. A much smaller historic district, en compassing the church, cemetery, parsonage, baseball field, and a half dozen adjacent residences, still presents a unified historic character. A historic district centered on the intersection of 119th Street and Heggs Road would likely qualify for the National Register under Criterion C for the historic buildings present at the crossroads. Refer to the photographs on page 29. Plainfield Road Corridor District Another potential historic district could be define d along the Plainfield Road corridor in Oswego and Na-Au-Say Townships. This route, linking the villa ges of Oswego and Plainfield, has existed since the earliest days of settlement of the survey area. Many of the best preserved and most architecturally distinctive buildings in the Kendall County portion of the survey area ar e located along this corridor. The definition of boundaries for this district would need to consider the affects of contemporary suburban development, especially in Section 2 of Na-Au-Sa y Township and Section 36 of Oswego Township, and trends for future development. The proposed Plainfield Road corridor dist rict would include the Gilbert Gaylord house (top left), the F oulston–Wheeler house (top right), the round roof barn on the Campbell farm (bottom left), and the plank frame barn in Section 35 (bottom right).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 89 Survey Summary The present survey included 145 farmsteads and related sites in the survey area. The survey documented more than 600 buildings and structures, including 13 2 houses, 64 major barns, and 47 crib barns. Refer also to the maps and tables at the end of the re port for a listing of sites included in the survey. Of the 145 sites, 79 sites were in Will County and 66 sites were in Kendall County. Within the Will County portion of the survey area, 33 historic farmstea ds that existed at the time of the 1999–2000 survey have subsequently been demolished. This represents the loss of almost 30 percent of sites within only five years. This does not include the loss of individual historic structures on the existing farmsteads. House Types I House 3 Side Hallway 2 Upright and Wing 26 Gabled Ell 39 Four-over-Four 20 Gable Front 4 American Foursquare 22 Bungalow 2 Cape Cod 1 Ranch 5 Contemporary or Other 8 Barn Types Three-Bay Threshing 15 Raised/Bank/Basement 5 German 4 Plank Frame 15 Feeder 8 Round Roof 1 Dairy 6 Other 10
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 90 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Notable Farmsteads in Plainfield Township Coe-Cheeny 03-09-300-004 David Cheeny is listed on the Agricultural Schedules of the 1870 federal census as having a 35 acre farm with modest yields. By 1873, he owned a property in Section 9 of Plainfield Township, formerly owned by A.W. Coe. Mary and Emma Cheeny inherited th e property, as shown on the 1893 plat map. The 1909 plat map shows the property owned by Will A. DeMeritt. Although in need of repair work, the Coe-Cheeny hou se is an excellent local example of Greek Revival details applied to a relatively large wood frame house. The house retains its original six-over-six windows, wood corner pilaster and frieze trim, and fr ont entrance portico. The relatively small bank barn on the property is also distinctive. A trailer house is currently located on the site, and the historic house may not be occupied. The Greek Revival Style Coe-Chee ny farmhouse, located on Wood Farm Road in Pl ainfield Township, is shown above. Also on the property is a relative ly small bank barn with a limestone foundation.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 91 Norton–Eaton 03-03-100-002 The Benjamin Norton farmstead was established in 1839 and located in Section 3 of Plainfield Township. The Norton lands included sand and gravel quarries that were later reported to be “held in high repute among builders since 1846.”216 The Agricultural Schedules of the 1850 federal census indicates that Benjamin Norton’s 125 acres consis ted of 80 tilled acres with the rest pasturage. Norton had 2 work horses, 4 dairy cows, and 2 other head of cattle. Farm yields were 300 bushels of wheat, 300 bushels of corn, and 200 bushels of oats. Da iry production was relatively small, at 200 pounds of butter. The 1860 federal census indicated that the family consisted of Benjamin, his wife Harriet, and five children: Eliza, Henry, Martin, Luther, and Mary. The agricultural cen sus for that year states that Benjamin Norton was using 120 acres for crops, with yields of 100 bushels of wheat, 500 bushels of co rn, and 300 bushels of oats. Dairy production had increased significantly, with 700 pounds of butter from 6 dairy cows. Norton also had 14 head of cattle. Statistics for 1870 were approximately the same as in 1860. Henry S. Norton inherited the farm on his father’s death in 1874. H.S. Norton is listed on plat maps as owner of the farmstead as late as the 1920s. From the 1920s to the 1990s, the farm was owned by the Eaton family. Today the farm is the Eaton Preserve of the Plainfield Township Park District. The main barn and a few outbuildings have been preserved for educational and storage uses, and a picnic shelter, parking lot, and other park facilities have been built just west of the historic farmstead site. The main barn, silo, and one storage building of the former Nort on–Eaton farm have been preserve d as part of the facilities of the Eaton Preserve park. The concrete foundat ion of the original crib barn, demolish ed since 2000, is visible in the foregroun d. At right, a small limestone root cellar is also preserved on the site. 216 Souvenir of Settlement and Progress of Will County, Illinois: A Review (Chicago: Historical Directory Publishing, 1884), 379. These quarries predate the large-scale gravel quarries of Plainfield Township by some 50 years.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 92 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Spangler The Spanglers of Lockport and Plai nfield Townships were one of th e earliest farming families in the region. They established and, later, sold several farmst eads; they also constructed several of the limestone structures surviving to the present day. The Spanglers descended from Peter Spangler, born of German immigrant parents and originally of Lancaster Count y, Pennsylvania. Peter later married and moved to Center County in Pennsylvania, wh ere he farmed the rest of his life. Peter’s children included John Spangler (born 1800), who em igrated west with his wife Catherine to Plainfield Township of Will County in 1848. In the 1850 federal census, John Spangler a nd Catherine (Stem) Spangler are listed as having nine children between the ages of 2 and 20. The Agricu ltural Schedules in that year list the John Spangler farm, located in Sections 1 and 2 of Plainfield Township, as being 300 acres, with 275 tilled acres and 25 pasturage acres. The predominant crop was wheat (900 bushels) with smaller am ounts of corn and oats (300 bushels each) and potatoes (20 bushels). Dair y production included 300 p ounds of butter and 100 pounds of cheese.217 The 1850 census also lists George Spangler, his wife Catherine, and son George; and Jacob Spangler and his wife Lucretia. George Spangler, who was born in 1826 in Center County, Pennsylvania. After a brief period in Ohio, George returned to marry Cather ine Kopp; the couple eventually had ten children.218 In the Agricultural Schedules for that year, the George Spangler farm, located in Sections 7 and 8 of Lockport Township, is listed as being 120 acres in size with yields of 175 bushels of wheat, 800 bushels of corn, and 1,000 bushels of oats. Statistics are al so supplied for Jacob Spangl er’s 150 acre farm in Section 15 of Plainfield Township, with wheat (500 bushels) as the primary crop. In the 1860 census, the John Spangler farm that had passed to George Spangler had similar yields as ten years before. Zacharias Spangler, his wife Amanda, and son William occupied a 90 acre farm in Section 11 that may have formerly been owned by Jacob Spa ngler. Crop yields and dairy production was typical for other farms in the township at this time. Another son of John and Catherine Sp angler was Henry Spangler, born in 1834. As recorded in the 1870 census, he had acquired the farm fo rmerly owned by Jacob Spangler. A bi ographical sketch of Henry tells of the journey that he and his parents made in getting to the Midwest: [Henry] was a lad of thirteen years when he accompanied his parents to their new home in the Prairie State, and he well remembers incidents of the journey and of the pioneer life that they led there. He assisted his father on the farm, gainin g a good practical knowledge of the calling that he was to adopt for his life-work. He was engaged with his father until he was twenty-one, and he then rented the farm from him and carried it on succes sfully, continuing to re nt land until 1873. He had accumulated considerable money and invested it in his present homestead, which comprises one hundred and seventeen acres of a fertile land as is to be found in this exceptionally fine farming region. He has erected suitable buildings, has all needful appliances for carrying on agriculture to good advantage, and has his land under admirable tillage.219 Henry Spangler was listed in the Plat Book, Will County, Illinois (1893) as being County Treasurer and living in Joliet. He was married to Mary Heinselman of Pennsylvania, and the couple had five children (four survived to adulthood). The 1870 census also records farms in Plainfield To wnship belonging to Samuel Spangler (formerly owned by his father George Spangle r) and Adam Spangler (the eldest son of George). “Zach” Spangler’s farm is also recorded in the census that year. In subsequent decades, the various Spangler properties 217 Portrait and Biographical Album of Will County, Illinois, 630 218 These included George, Allie, Wilson, Oliver, Elmo re, Howard, Agnes, Mary, Emma, and Allie. (Woodruff, History of Will County Illinois, 747.) 219 Portrait and Biographical Album of Will County, Illinois, 630.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 93 remained in the family until around the 1940s. As of 2005, nearly all of the Spangler family farmstead sites retained original structures, including three Du Page Valley limestone fa rmhouses, a stone barn, and a Gabled-Ell wood frame house. The Spangler family occupied several farm stead sites in Plainfield and Lockport Townships. The farmhouse and barn for the second John Spangler farmstead (PIN 03-02-400-016) are shown above. Since the 1999 survey, the original Greek Revival style eave trim on the house has been removed. The sheet metal building adjacent to the barn is newly constructed since 1999. John Spangler’s first farmhouse in Section 1 of Plainfield Township is outside the limits of the pr esent survey; refer to the 1999–2 000 survey report. Below is the Henry Spangler farmhouse (PIN 03-15-306-018) on Renwick Road: at left, 2005 photo; at right, 1999 photo. Above is the Zacharias Spangler farmhouse on the south side of 143r d Street, which is a limestone structure covered with stucco (PIN 03-11-200-006). Several other historic farm structures survive on the site.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 94 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Steigle 03-05-300-004 The Steigle farmstead was established in the late 1860s on land in Section 5 of Plainfield Township previously owned by James Ballard. Ballard, origin ally from Massachusetts, is listed in the 1860 federal census as having a wife, son, and infant daughter. Th e farm is listed on the Agricultural Schedules as having 160 acres with 11 work horses (a large number fo r the time), 7 dairy cows , and 6 other head of cattle. Crops included 300 bushels of wheat, 1,500 bushel s of corn (a large amount, considering the size of the farm), and 500 bushels of oats. Dairy prod uction was 400 pounds of butt er. The barn shown above dates from either the ownership of Ballard or the sub sequent owner, Charles Steigle (spelled Steigel on some plat maps). The 1870 census records the Charles Steigle farmst ead having 120 acres, with 6 horses, 5 dairy cows, and a large number of swine (the fi gure is not readable on the census documents). Crop yields were similar to other farms of the period. Ac cording to available plat maps, the Steigle farmstead remained in the family until approximately 50 years ago. The bank barn at the Steigle farmstead. (1999 photograph)
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 95 Steiner 03-06-400-002 and 03-07-100-001 Fred Steiner, born in Switzerland in 1825, immigrat ed to the United States in 1854 with his wife Anna. After more than a decade in Kendall County, in 1 867 he purchased land in Section 6 of Plainfield Township formerly belonging to P.C. Smith. The 160 acre farm was operated by Fred Steiner until later passing operation of it to his son Robert.220 The Agricultural Schedules from the 1870 census list the farm to have crop yields of 1,400 bushels of corn and 1,100 bushels of oats. Few of the historic agricultural structures remain on the site, but the Italianate detailed Gabled Ell farmhouse has been preserved. Fred’s son, Fred W. Steiner, was born in 1858 in Kendall County. He obtained his education in the district schools and also attended Naperville Colle ge. For several years, the younger Steiner sold Champion harvesters and binders. In 1887, he purc hased his own 247 acre farm in Section 7, across Whiskey Road from his father’s farmstead. The orig inal Fred Steiner farm passed to other farming families in the mid-1900s. The Steiner family retained ow nership of the Fred W. Steiner farm in Section 7 until the 1970s. The Italianate-detailed farmhouse above (1999 p hotograph) is on the site of the Fred Stei ner farmstead. Pictured at right are M r. and Mrs. Fred W. Steiner and their son Grundy (from August Maue, History of Will County , 1927). Below is the Fred W. Steiner farmstead, which retains a number of distin ctive historic outbuildings, including th e water tank behind the house, which has a concrete block base, wood tank wa lls, and sheet metal conical roof. 220 Maue, History of Will County, Illinois, 1000.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 96 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Flagg 03-10-204-011 Reuben and Betsy Flagg, among the earliest residents of Plainfield, came from Vermont to Illinois in 1830 and settled in Section 10 of Plainfield Township in 1834. Samantha Flagg, their daughter, was reportedly the first child of European descent born in Will County, in Septem ber 1830. Reuben Flagg dug the mill race for Walker’s second (permanent) mill (see discussion on page 19). Reuben Flagg died in 1869, and his grave in Plainfield cemetery was marked with an unusual small-scale replica of a log cabin executed in stone. The existing house was built before 1862 by Reube n and Betsy Flagg or one of their children.221 Historic plat maps identify th is as the residence of the Flagg family. Although covered with synthetic siding and with some oth er alterations, the essential form of the Flagg house is intact. On ly a few small sheds remain on the property from its earlier agricultural use. The wing at left has six-over-six double hung wi ndows, while the side wing at right has two-over-two double hung windows at the second floor, suggesting that the portion at le ft was built first as a Side Hallway type house, and the por tion at right is a later nineteenth century addition. 221 The History of Will County, Illinois (Chicago: William LeBaron, Jr. & Co., 1878), 857; Stevens, 716.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 97 Kapps 03-28-200-003 In the mid-nineteenth century, historic atlases show that this site was heavily wooded and was divided into many small plots, presumably for timber harvesting. Later in the nineteenth century, this became part of the farm of Joseph Kapps, who resided on a farm in the southeast quarter of section 28. This area is still shown as part of the J. Kapps property as late as the 1909 atlas. The existing concrete block farmhouse and all of the historic outbuildings were apparently built in the 1910s for Henry Kapps, who is shown as the owner of the property on the 1920 plat map. In later years, the farm was owned by the Fritz family. The Kapps house is a well detailed concre te block house from the 1910s. Several hist oric outbuildings also remain on the property, including the Dairy Barn shown at right.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 98 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Notable Farmsteads in Wheatland Township Boughton 01-27-200-002 The Boughtons were one the significant early fam ilies in Wheatland Township, having arrived in the 1840s. The original family farmstead, located in Secti ons 12 and 13 of Wheatland Township (now part of Bolingbrook), was founded by Orris and Hannah Boughton, originally of New York State. Refer to the 1999–2000 survey report for more detailed information. One descendant of Orris and Hannah, Wilbur Bought on, occupied a farmstead in Section 27 of Wheatland Township in the early 1900s. The farmstead is still extant with several historic farm buildings. The property is now being used for sod farming. Two views of the Wilbur Boughton farmstead, 12264 Book Road. A lthough many historic farm buildings remain on the site, the surrounding land is now being used for sod farming.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 99 Fry 01-26-300-004 The Jacob and Catherine Fry family immigrated to Will County in 1854 after having lived in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Jacob Fry was born in La ncaster County, Pennsylvania, on 9 March 1816. Catherine was from the Grill family, who also immi grated to Will County and purchased the land in Section 35 immediately south of the Fry property in Section 26. Their children included Henry, Jacob, Zachariah, David, and Martin. The younger Jacob inher ited the family farm in Section 26 while David obtained a farm spreading across Sections 22, 23, and 27 originally owned by George Wightman. In 1870, the Fry farm had 200 acres of tille d land producing 300 bus hels of wheat, 1,200 bushels of corn, and 1,000 bushels of oats. After about 1920, this farm was owned by the St eigle family. The existing Tudor Revival style remodeling of the residence on the site was implemented by the Steigles. Together, the Fry and Grill farmsteads give the in tersection of 127th Street and Naperville-Plainfield Road a strong and distinctive historic character th at is unequaled within the larger survey area. In February 2006, the house, garage, and water tank were relocated acro ss Naperville-Plainfield road to a new site north of the barn. As of 2006, the fa rmland north of 127th Street and east of Naperville-Plainfield Road is under development as suburban housing and has been annexed by Bolingbrook. The Jacob Fry farmstead in Section 26 of Wheatland Township , as shown in the Combination Atlas Map of Will County , 1873. Based on the massing and form of the house seen in the 1873 illust ration, it appears that the original house was remodeled, not replaced, to create the Tudor Revi val style residence existing today.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 100 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Relocation of the Fry farmhouse, February 2006. The house was moved across Naperville-Plai nfield Road to a site north of the historic barn, as seen in the photographs at left. Two grain bins on this site were demolished. At right, a view of the garage and water tank. Both of these outbuildings we re also relocated across Naperville-Plain field Road. The garage is particularly significant; this outbuilding is likely the original 1850s house fo r the farmstead. At lower right is the chicken coop original ly located north of the garage; this outbuilding was demolished in spring 2006. Below is a view of the house, garage, and water tank on the new site with the barn and silo visible beyond, Ma y 2006. Following the relocation, a large addition to the right side of the house was built, and a new detached gar age was built behind the house (not visibl e in photograph). Note that in its new location, the house has been reoriented 180 degrees: the front now faces north; on th e original site the front faced south.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 101 Fry Tenant House 01-26-100-005 and 01-26-100-007 This stone bank barn and small house across the street were secondary structures owned by Jacob Fry. The stone bank barn of this farmstead h as been adaptively reu sed as office space. The stone bank barn has been converted to office space. The house (lower left) has been somewhat altered but retains its basic original form. Both the house and barn are illustrated in the 1873 Combination Atlas Map of Will County (lower right).
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 102 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Grill–Weinhold 01-35-100-004 In the nineteenth century, this was the farmstead of Samuel G. Grill. As noted above, the Grill family is related by marriage to the Fry family. Around 1900, this farm passed to the Weinhold family. The farmland east of Naperville-Plainfield Road has been subdivided and developed since 2000. The Grill–Weinhold farmstead contains a number of very well pr eserved limestone buildings. On the east side of Naperville-Plainfield Road is the farmhouse, summer ki tchen, garage, and several smaller outbuildi ngs. On the west side of the road is th e limestone German barn, and a number of agr icultural outbuildings from the early par t of the twentieth century, including the concrete stave silo and the la rge gambrel roof crib barn.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 103 Herzog 01-34-400-006 The Herzog farmstead in Section 34 contains one of the unique farmhouses of the survey area because it is constructed of brick; few other r esidential structures using this materi al are extant in the survey region. George Herzog was born in Baden, Germany, on 9 Ju ly 1836, the son of a farmer. He immigrated to America in 1852, first settling in York County, Pennsy lvania. He came to Illi nois in 1858, eventually buying 204 acres of land on the southern end of Wheatland Township.222 The Agricultural Schedules of the 1870 federal census state that the farm had 10 work horses, 6 dairy cows, 4 head of cattle, and 5 swine. Crop yields were 200 bushels of wheat, 900 bushels of corn, 300 bushels of oats, and 150 bushels of potatoes. Dairy production was listed as 400 pounds of butter. Ten years later crop yields were 1,700 bushels of corn from 50 acres, 1,800 bushels of oa ts from 70 acres, and 200 bushels of wheat from 7 acres. Six acres were planted with an apple orchard of 400 trees, with a yield of 50 bushels. The Herzog farmstead is essentially unchanged since the 1999–2000 survey. The George Herzog farmstead as illustrated in the Combination Atla s Map of Will County, 1873. Above at right is a view of the farm in 1955 (This is Will Coun ty, Illinois, The American Aeri al County History Series, No. 26, 1955). The photographs below show the house and barn (1999 photograph) on the Herzog farmstead (bot h are visible in the 1873 view). Also surviving on the site are a summer kitche n and brick smoke house. 222 Woodruff, History of Will County Illinois, 818.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 104 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Stewart 01-30-100-005 The Stewarts of Wheatland Township (and of adjacent Kendall County) were one of the earliest and most prominent farming families in the region. Land-owning Stewarts were present in DuPage Township as early as 1842; however, although additional research is needed to determine the relationship of these Stewarts to the Stewarts of Wheatland and Oswego Townships. A tax assessment map from 15 September 1851 shows the land at the farmstead site shown above in Section 30 attributed to Stewart. The 1860 federal census contains data on the farmstead: 365 acr es; 8 horses, 5 dairy cows, 30 head of cattle, and 5 swine; 300 bushels of wheat, 1,500 bushels of corn, 600 bushels of oats, and 100 bushels of potatoes; and 300 pounds of butter. The 1870 census also contains da ta on the farm, including the addition of 40 head of sheep; crop yields were roughly the same as in 1860. After the 1999–2000 survey, the Stewart farmstead was abandoned. All of the bu ildings were demolished in late 2005. The photos above show the farmhouse at th e Stewart farmstead in 1999 (left) and 2005 (right). The main barn on the site collapsed after 1999 (lower left). The sma ller hay barn deteriorated si gnificantly after 1999 (lower right). All of these buil dings have been demolished.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 105 Dague 01-26-200-001 As indicated on the carved stone on the front facade, this house was built in 1870. Although the stone inscribed with the owner’s name has been effaced, it originally read “David Dague,” who was the owner of this farm from the 1850s into the 1880s. Dague was born in Pennsylvania in 1826 and came to Will County in 1854. Dague brought the first Jersey cows to Will County, and he primarily raised dairy cattle.223 Dague’s wife was C. Grill; see the Grill–Weinhold farmstead on page 102. From the 1890s to the 1940s, this farm was owned by Frank W. Stewart. Many of the historic outbuildings on the property were built by the Stewart family. In addition to the large and well preserved brick house, the Dague farmstead contains several distinctive outbuildings, includi ng a water tank, barn, and crib barn. 223 The History of Will County, Illinois (1878), 817.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 106 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Notable Farmsteads in Oswego Township Hafenrichter 03-24-300-001 Johann Nicol “Nicholas” Hafenrichter was born in Germany in 1802. He cam e to Illinois around 1840, and moved to Oswego Township in 1847.224 The 1850 census lists him, his wife Anna Margaret, and three young sons (John, George, and Henry N.) as r esiding in Oswego Township. Nicholas is shown as the owner of this farm by the time of the 1870 atl as of Kendall County. The Gabled Ell farmhouse on the site was likely built by Nicholas in the 1860s or 18 70s. The farm was inherited by his youngest son Henry Hafenrichter; the 1903 atlas lis ts “H. Hafenrichter” as the owner of the farm. Many of the historic outbuildings on the site likely date to the time of Henr y’s ownership. His older brothers John and George Hafenrichter had farms in the northern part of Wheatland Township; see discussion in the 1999–2000 survey report. The farm was owned by Hafenrichter family into the 1920s, although the 1922 plat map also indicates that the house was the “residence of H. Thompson,” s uggesting that the farm was rented at this time. Herbert Thompson had moved to Oswego in 1906.225 From the 1940s to the 1970s, the farm was owned by James C. James. The Hafenrichter farmstead includes many historic agricultural outbuildings, includi ng the bank barn at left. The farmhouse is a relatively simple Gabled Ell type house. 224 1903 atlas “Patrons’ Reference Direct ory” lists J.H. Hafenrichter (Section 23, Oswego Township) as arriving in the township in 1847. This is apparently the oldest son, John, who was born in Germany according to the 1850 census. George, aged 9, and Henry, aged 3, were born in Illinois. 225 1922 atlas “Patrons’ Reference Directory”
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 107 Kiehl 03-25-100-001 According to the 1859 and 1870 atlases, this property wa s part of the extensive farmland owned by John Collins. John Collins was born in England in 1812, and settled in Oswego Township in 1843.226 He resided in Oswego Township at the time of the 1850 census with his wife Senath and their sons Henry and George.227 The 1903 atlas lists Hattie Kiehl for this farmstead. Th e 1922 atlas lists Aug. Kiehl. A.W. Kiehl came to Oswego in 1859.228 It seems likely that most of the historic buildings on this site were built in the late nineteenth century or early twentie th century by the Kiehl family. From the 1930s into the 1980s, the farm was owned by Otto Johnson and his descendants. The Kiehl farmstead includes a Queen Anne st yle house (left) and a num ber of outbuildings. 226 1850 census; Hicks, Rev. E.W., History of Kendall County, Illinois, from the Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time (Aurora, Illinois: Knickerbocker & Hodder, 1877), 234. 227 The exact relationship between this family and the James Collins family (he and his sons Gilbert, Tom, and Harry are listed in the 1922 atlas) is not known. However, due to the overlapping of the James Collins farm and part of previous John Collins holdings, it appears that they are related. James Collins came to Oswego Township in 1849 and may have resided on a second farmstead site on property owned by John Collins in Section 26. 228 1922 atlas, “Patrons’ Reference Directory”
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 108 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Stewart 03-25-400-002 Various members of the Stewart family resided in Wheatland and Oswego Townships as early as the 1850s; see discussion above. This property had been acquired by Thomas Stewart by 1903; he had previously owned the 240 acres north of this site in Section 25.229 By the 1922 atlas, this parcel had been detached from Thomas Stewart’s holdings and was ow ned by Sarah and Jane Stewart, who may be his daughters. Plat maps from the 1940s and 1950s list James H. Stewart as the owner of the farm. The existing house and historic outbuildings on the site likely were built early in the twentieth century by the Stewart family. None of the surviving buildings appears likely to pre-date 1903. The Queen Anne style farmhouse is mainly intact despite a rear garage additi on. Among the historic outbuildings on the property is the unusually tall water tank illustrated at right. 229 1870 and 1903 atlas; on the 1903 map his name is misspelled “Stuart.”
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 109 Section 35 03-35-100-002 This farmstead site is notable for the well-preserved pla nk frame barn with first story of concrete block. The barn was likely built in the 1910s or 1920s. Th e 1922 atlas lists the land owner as Mrs. John Haag, although the house is indicated to be the residence of Otto Johnson, who later move d to a farm in Section 25; see discussion for Kiehl farm above. The noteworthy plank frame barn on the propert y is in nearly original condition, with a concrete block masonry ground floor and wood shingle roof. Rolled asphalt sheeting has been applied over the original wood si ding. The nineteenth century Gable Ell farmhouse has been somewhat altered.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 110 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Gilbert Gaylord 03-35-377-001 Gilbert Gaylord was born in New York in 1821. He came to Illinois in 1843 and originally settled in Lisbon Township.230 By the 1850 census, he and his wife Mary Ann resided in Na-Au-Say Township with three young children, Charles, Cass, and Cassina. Gaylor d is shown as the owner of this site on the 1859 atlas. This large brick residence was built by Gaylord, probably in the 1860s. Clara May Gaylord married Scott Cutter and inherite d the property around 1917. The farm remained in the Cutter family into the 1960s, when the farm was subdivided for residential development.231 The Gilbert Gaylord house would li kely be considered a National Register eligible example of Italianate style architecture. The front porch, although generally matching the profiles of the origi nal porch, is a recent reconstr uction and extension. A number of agricultural buildings are also preserved on the site, including a much altered crib barn (below left) and a Three-Bay Threshin g barn (below right). 230 Hicks, Rev. E.W., History of Kendall County, Illinois, from th e Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time (Aurora, Illinois: Knickerbocker & Hodder, 1877), 234. 231 Oswego Township Heritage Places (1983), No. 19.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 111 Notable Farmsteads in Na-Au-Say Township Campbell 06-12-100-003 In the nineteenth century, this site was owned by the Smith family. By 1903, this was the home of James Campbell. The 1922 plat map lists the land owner as Mrs. James Campbell, but indicates that the house was the residence of Raymond Campbell, who was perhaps her son. The large and historically distinctive round roof barn on the property was likely built by the Campbell family. By the 1947 plat map, the property had been acquire d by Murley Wheeler. The farmstead site is still owned by Wheeler family today, although the house has been demolished. The Wheelers were among the more prominent pioneer families of Kendall County. Alanson K. Wheeler, born in 1799 in Vermont, moved his family to Na-Au-Say Township in 1846. He was a township supervisor and assessor for many years and represented Kane and Kendall Counties in the State Legislature in 1854.232 Although the historic house on the Campbell farmstead has been demolished, the round roof bar n on the site is very well preserved and a unique example of this type in the survey area. The site also has several smaller outbuildings and three mesh grain bins. 232 Bateman, Newton, and Paul Selby, eds. History of Kendall County (Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1914), 1069.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 112 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Falkenberg 06-14-100-001 Moses Cherry is listed as the property owner for this site on the 1859 atlas, although he resided elsewhere in the township. His extensive holdings in Kendall County totaled 32,000 acres by his death in 1870.233 The 1903 atlas lists the property as the Falkenberg estat e, with M. J. Falkenberg identified in the 1922 atlas. The existing historic buildings on the site were built in the first decades of the twentieth century by the Falkenberg family. The farm remained in the Falkenburg family into the 1960s. The Falkenberg farmstead includes a range of historic buildings, all of which were li kely built early in the twentieth century, including the American Foursquare house, th e Plank Frame barn, the concrete block crib barn, and other wooden outbuildings. 233 Bateman, Newton, and Paul Selby, eds. History of Kendall County (Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1914), 962.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 113 Foulston–Wheeler 06-12-400-001 This property is associated with two of the pioneer ing families of Na-Au-Say Township, the Foulstons and the Wheelers. The 1859 county map lis ts this site as the Foulston estate. In 1870, the owner is given as F. Foulston. The existing house was li kely built by the Foulston family. Later in the nineteenth century, the property passed into the Wheeler fa mily, perhaps by inheritance. The 1903 atlas lists the owner as Mrs. S. H. Wheeler, foll owed by John Wheeler on the 1922 atlas. These are apparently descendants of Alanson K. Wheeler. Alanson K. Wheeler, born in 1799 in Vermont, joined his two oldest sons in Na-Au-Say Township in 1846. He is one of the men credited with assigning th e name “Na-Au-Say” to th e township, as noted in Chapter 2. He was a township supervisor and assess or for many years and represented Kane and Kendall Counties in the State Legislature in 1854.234 Sheldon H. Wheeler was one of the older sons of Alanson K. Wheeler; he was born in Vermont in 1826 and joined hi s older brother in Na-Au-Say Township in 1845. In 1866, Sheldon married Mary Foulston. Sheldon died in 1880, and Mary died in 1892.235 The property was owned by Wheeler descendants into the 1980s. The well-preserved Greek Revival style house and plank frame barn on the F oulston–Wheeler farm. 234 Bateman, Newton, and Paul Selby, eds. History of Kendall County (Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1914), 1069. 235 Bateman, Newton, and Paul Selby, eds. History of Kendall County (Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1914), 1070.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 114 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Tuttle 06-13-200-002 The Tuttle farm in the northeast quarter of Section 13 of Na-Au-Say Township is notable for its very well preserved concrete block crib barn. Since the 1960s, this farm has been owned by Roland and Margaret Nelson. This concrete block crib barn, located on Lockport Road just west of downtown Plainfield, is one of the best preserved examples of an agricultural structure type that was once common across Kendall and Will Counties.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Page 115 Smith 06-25-100-001 Beginning with the 1859 county map, nineteenth century atlases list the owner of this farm as Jerome T. Smith. The elaborately detailed Italianate style resi dence on the property was built for Smith, likely in the 1860s or 1870s. The farm remained in the Smith fa mily through several generations and was recognized as a Centennial farm in the 1970s. Currently the house is rented. The very well preserved house on the farmste ad exemplifies the Italianate style architecture. Note the details of the front and back porches, brackets at the roofline and projecting bay window, and the window hoods. There are a number of historic farm buildings also on the property, including the cr ib barn and Three-bay Threshing barn shown below.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Page 116 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey New development in Section 8 of Plainf ield Township shows the continued ex pansion of suburban housing onto formerly agricultural lands in the survey area.
Table 1A. Individually Si gnificant Farmsteads and Other Sites (Will County)Local landmark n/a470 Renwick Road of Section20 Spring Banks Road bridge Listed as a Will County Landmark Township Plainfield Local landmark p otential 01-19-100-009231 11152Heggs Road of Section19 During 1999 survey, Owner stated that house dates to 1850s. This has not been confirmed Township Wheatland 01-19-400-004243 Heggs Road of Section19 Wheatland Presbyterian Church Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads Township Wheatland 01-20-300-002259 119th Street of Section20 SW 1/4 Well preserved distinctive Italianate style house Township Wheatland 01-26-200-001267 12002Essington Road of Section26 NE 1/4 Dague farm Part of Limestone Farmsteads Township Wheatland 01-30-200-008234 Heggs Road of Section30 Loeffel farm Main barn and round roof crib barn are distinctive Township Wheatland 01-34-400-006297 23528135th Street of Section34 Herzog farm Part of Limestone Farmsteads Township Wheatland 03-06-400-002433 25710143rd Street of Section6 SE 1/4 Fred Steiner farm Well preserved Italianate style detailing Township Plainfield 03-09-300-004415 14834Wood Farm Road of Section9 N 1/2 of SW 1/4 Coe–Cheeny farm Distinctive Greek Revival style house Township Plainfield 03-15-306-018454 39Renwick Road of Section15 E 1/2 of SW 1/4 Henry Spangler farm Distinctive Queen Anne detailing on house. Part of Spangler family group of farmsteads.Township Plainfield National Re g ister p otential 01-26-300-004268 12655Naperville-Pla infield Road of Section26 SW 1/4 Fry farm Part of Limestone Farmsteads Township Wheatland
01-35-100-004269 Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section35 Grill–Weinhold farm Part of Limestone Farmsteads Township Wheatland 03-02-400-016444 1019143rd Street of Section2 E 1/4 of SE 1/4 John Spangler farm Part of Limestone Farmsteads Township Plainfield 03-11-200-006443 1052143rd Street of Section11 N 1/2 of NE 1/4 Zacharias Spangler farm Part of Limestone Farmsteads Township Plainfield
Table 1B. Individual ly Significant Farmsteads an d Other Sites (Kendall County)Local landmark p otential 03-25-400-002341 115127th Street (Simons Road)of Section25 W 1/2 of SE 1/4 Stewart farm Well preserved Queen Anne style house and distinctive outbuildings Township Oswe g o 03-35-100-002352 2025Plainfield Road of Section35 center of W 1/4 Exemplary, well preserved plank frame barn Township Oswe g o 03-36-400-004348 31135th Street (Paydon Road)of Section36 SE 1/4 Findley farm House somewhat altered, but Italianate details still apparent Township Oswe g o 06-12-100-003374 Plainfield Road of Section12 NW 1/4 Campbell farm Distinctive and well preserved barn Township Na-Au-Sa y 06-12-400-001376 137IL Route 126 of Section12 SE 1/4 Folsom–Wheeler farm Well preserved barn; distinctive Greek Revival style house Township Na-Au-Sa y 06-13-200-002377 150IL Route 126 of Section13 NE 1/4 Tuttle farm Exemplary well preserved concrete block crib barn Township Na-Au-Sa y National Re g ister p otential 03-35-377-001354 Plainfield Road of Section35 a ll part of SW 1/4 Gilbert Gaylord farm Landmark quality Italianate style house.Township Oswe g o 06-25-100-001406 10420Ridge Road of Section25 W 1/2 of NW 1/4 Smith farm Very well preserved and ela borately detailed Italianate house Township Na-Au-Sa y
Table 2. Limestone Farmsteads 01-26-100-005305 12052Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section24 Fry tenant house barn Township Wheatland 01-26-200-001267 12002Essington Road of Section26 NE 1/4 Dague farm Township Wheatland 01-26-300-004268 12655Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section26 SW 1/4 Fry farm Township Wheatland 01-34-400-006297 23528135th Street of Section34 Herzog farm Township Wheatland 01-35-100-004269 Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section35 Grill–Weinhold farm Township Wheatland 03-02-400-016444 1019143rd Street of Section2 E 1/4 of SE 1/4 John Spangler farm Township Plainfield 03-11-200-006443 1052143rd Street of Section11 N 1/2 of NE 1/4 Zacharias Spangler farm Township Plainfield
Table 3. Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads District 01-19-300-007476 119th Street and Heggs Road of Section19 Baseball field Township Wheatland 01-19-300-009241 26202119th Street of Section19 Garden Visions Nursery Township Wheatland 01-19-300-010242 26200119th Street of Section19 Township Wheatland 01-19-400-002233 11619Heggs Road of Section19 Township Wheatland 01-19-400-004245 119th Street of Section19 Parsonage, Wheatland Presbyterian Church Township Wheatland 01-19-400-004477 Heggs Road of Section19 Cemetery, Wheatland Presbyterian Church Township Wheatland 01-19-400-004243 Heggs Road of Section19 Wheatland Presbyterian Church Township Wheatland 01-19-400-008246 25958119th Street of Section19 Township Wheatland 01-19-400-010244 26002119th Street of Section19 Township Wheatland 01-30-200-001247 26021119th Street of Section30 Former schoolhouse Township Wheatland 01-30-200-002248 25963119th Street of Section30 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 Township Wheatland
Table 4A. Existing Houses (Will County)American Foursquare 01-19-100-004 11150Heggs Road Details:Date:c. 1920s Walls:aluminum siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block Enclosed front porch.01-19-400-004 119th Street Parsonage, Wheatland Presbyterian Church Details:Craftsman Date:c. 1920s Walls:brick Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:poured concrete 01-19-400-008 25958119th Street Details:Date:c. 1920s Walls:brick Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:One story enclosed additions on the front and rear.01-29-400-013 12130248th Avenue Details:Date:c. 1880s Walls:composition shingles Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Basement excavated in the 1940s. Many windows replaced with aluminum.01-34-100-005 12905Cathy Lane Details:Date:c. 1910s Walls:aluminum siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:concrete block Ranch style addition off southeast corner.03-07-100-001 25725143rd Street F. W. Steiner farm Details:Date:c. 1910s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block 03-08-300-014 1907Lockport Road Details:Date:1916 Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:poured concrete Large addition at west side 03-17-205-002 121Indian Boundary Line Road Herath house Details:Date:1910s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Exterior materials altered 03-18-200-004 25857Lockport Road Details:Date:1920 Walls:brick Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:Front windows have been altered.03-21-100-034 1018Renwick Road Details:Craftsman Date:1900s Walls:Wood siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block 03-27-200-013 16850Lily Cache Road Details:Date:Walls:Roof:Fdn:03-28-200-003 16710IL Route 59 Kapps farm Details:Date:1910s Walls:concrete blocks Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block Second story addition on NW corner. Enlosed porch on te NE first floor.
Bungalow 01-19-400-010 26002119th Street Details:Date:c. 1920s Walls:clapboard Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block 01-30-200-002 25963119th Street Details:Craftsman Date:1920s Walls:Wood siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Very well preserved with original exterior materials and divided light window sash; front porch enclosed Cape Cod 01-19-300-010 26200119th Street Details:Date:c. 1910s Walls:clapboard Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:poured concrete Four over Four 01-20-100-003 11230Normantown Road Details:Date:c. 1910s Walls:asphalt shingle Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:01-28-100-002 Van Dyke Road Details:Date:c. 1880s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone 01-30-300-002 26042127th Street Details:Date:c. 1880s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Windows replaced. Rear 1 story addition.01-33-100-006 12906Van Dyke Road Details:Date:c. 1880s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone 01-35-100-004 Naperville-Plainfield Road Grill–Weinhold farm Details:Date:Walls:Roof:Fdn:03-02-300-004 413IL Route 126 Details:Date:c. 1880s Walls:clapboard Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Rear addition with concrete foundation.03-02-400-004 846IL Route 126 Rathburn House Details:Queen Anne Date:1890s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Unknown Non-original tower at peak of roof 03-02-400-016 1019143rd Street John Spangler farm Details:Greek Revival Date:c. 1850s Walls:limestone Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Front and rear concrete block additions.03-09-300-004 14834Wood Farm Road Coe–Cheeny farm Details:Greek Revival Date:1860s Walls:Wood siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone
Four over Four 03-11-200-006 1052143rd Street Zacharias Spangler farm Details:Date:c. 1870s Walls:Stucco Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone North addition, 1 story cement block. South addition, 1 story with artificial siding. The original limestone has been 03-15-402-012 364U.S. Route 30 at Renwick Road Brown House Details:Queen Anne Date:1900s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Addition for motel office at side 03-18-100-004 26049Lockport Road Details:Date:c. 1890s Walls:artificial siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone One story addition on the west. Enclosed porch. Blue wood shutters.Gable front 03-09-400-002 14735Wood Farm Road Details:Date:Walls:composition shingles Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:poured concrete Rear structure has limestone foundation. Possible original, with larger house added? Enclosed front porch.Gabled Ell 01-19-300-009 26202119th Street Garden Visions Nursery Details:Queen Anne Date:c. 1910s Walls:clapboard Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block 01-20-300-002 119th Street Details:Italianate Date:c. 1870s Walls:composition shingles Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone One story rear addition 01-26-200-001 12002Essington Road Dague farm Details:Italianate Date:1870 Walls:Brick Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Generally well preserved; front porch enclosed but original trim still visible 01-26-300-004 12655Naperville-Plainfield Road Fry farm Details:Tudor Revival Date:1920s Walls:Limestone and stucco Roof:Cement asbestos shingle Fdn:Concrete House relocated to northwest corner of intersection in early 2006.01-27-100-008 23721119th Street Details:Italianate Date:1870s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone 01-27-200-001 23459119th Street Details:Italianate Date:c. 1870s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Rear one story addition.01-27-400-002 23358127th Street Details:Date:c. 1870s Walls:composition shingles Roof:composition shingles Fdn:limestone Rear one story addition.01-28-300-018 12415248th Avenue Details:Date:c. 1880s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:composition shingles Fdn:limestone New windows and siding.
Gabled Ell 01-30-200-008 Heggs Road Loeffel farm Details:Date:c. 1870s Walls:composition shingles Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block Rear 1 story addition with concrete block foundation.01-30-300-006 12464Heggs Road Star farm Details:Tudor Revival Date:Walls:Stucco Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:01-34-400-006 23528135th Street Herzog farm Details:Italianate Date:1870 Walls:brick Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone 03-04-400-009 2205Van Dyke Road Findley House Details:Date:1890s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone False shutters added. Garage addition at northeast corner.03-05-300-004 2005143rd Street Steigle farm Details:Date:1882 Walls:composition shingles Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Enclosed front and rear porches.03-06-400-002 25710143rd Street Fred Steiner farm Details:Italianate Date:c. 1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:03-08-100-009 1828143rd Street Details:Date:c. 1910s Walls:artificial siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:poured concrete 03-08-400-005 721Lockport Road Details:Italianate Date:1890s Walls:clapboard Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone One story additions on the north, w/concrete block foundation.03-10-204-011 151IL Route 126 Flagg house Details:Greek Revival Date:1860s Walls:Composition shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone First floor front window altered; porch enclosed 03-15-306-018 39Renwick Road Henry Spangler farm Details:Queen Anne Date:1872 Walls:clapboard Roof:Fdn:limestone 03-18-300-003 26160Renwick Road Details:Date:c. 1890s Walls:aluminum siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone 03-19-300-002 16523Indian Boundary Line Road Details:Italianate Date:c. 1890s Walls:composition shingles Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Enclosed porch.03-28-100-003 Fritz Road Woelfel-Fritz farm Details:Date:1880s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Cement asbestos shingle Fdn:Limestone Significantly remodeled, 1950s
I-House 01-19-100-009 11152Heggs Road Details:Date:c. 1880s Walls:aluminum siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block Front deck added. Older rear addition wraps around the main house.New England One-and-a-half 01-34-401-031 385135th Street Chutney House Details:Date:1860s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Front and rear additions Ranch 01-31-200-008 Heggs Road Details:Date:Walls:Roof:Fdn:School 01-30-200-001 26021119th Street Former schoolhouse Details:Colonial Revival Date:Walls:Brick Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Brick Mansard roof is not original; was shallow hip roof Side Hallway 01-19-400-002 11619Heggs Road Details:Italianate Date:c. 1910s Walls:aluminum siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:concrete block One story rear addition with deck. Aluminum windows. Front window replaced with picture window.01-23-300-002 119th Street Details:Date:Walls:Roof:Fdn:Upright and Wing 01-21-300-003 24462119th Street Details:Date:c. 1870s Walls:aluminum siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block Enclosed front porch. Aluminum windows.01-26-100-007 12211Naperville-Plainfield Road Fry tenant house Details:Date:c. 1890s Walls:artificial siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:unknown 01-27-200-002 12264Book Road Boughton farm Details:Date:c. 1870s Walls:wood siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:unknown 01-29-300-002 25228127th Street Details:Date:c. 1870s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone Rear addition with a concrete block foundation.01-29-400-013 12248248th Avenue Sillar farm Details:Date:c. 1920s Walls:clapboard Roof:composition shingles Fdn:stone face concrete block Enclosed porch addition, 1940s.
Upright and Wing 01-31-400-002 Heggs Road Details:Date:c. 1910s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:Enclosed front porch.01-32-200-001 U.S. Route 30 Details:Date:1910s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:stone face concrete block 03-10-103-031 21Main Street Hyland house Details:Date:1870s Walls:Wood Roof:Cement asbestos shingles Fdn:Limestone One story rear wing with garage 03-16-400-008 711Renwick Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Unknown Significantly remodeled 03-17-100-018 Rowley Road Willow Tree Farm Details:Greek Revival Date:1870s Walls:asphalt shingle Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone 03-20-200-020 1628Renwick Road Details:Date:c. 1890s Walls:vinyl siding Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:limestone One story fornt addition. Rear garage addition. Windows replaced.03-21-200-009 15916U.S. Route 59 Hess-Brown farm Details:Greek Revival Date:1860s Walls:Cement asbestos siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Unknown Greek Revival style cornice returns 03-22-400-034 16608Lily Cache Road Details:Date:c. 1870s Walls:clapboard Roof:asphalt shingle Fdn:Enclosed porch. Rear shed addition.
Table 4B. Existing Houses (Kendall County)American Foursquare 03-24-200-005 90111th Street (Rance Road)Details:Date:1910s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Front porch enclosed; various alterations 03-26-400-009 1111127th Street (Simons Road)Details:Date:1910s Walls:Wood siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Somewhat altered 03-35-200-006 1336127th Street (Simons Road)Details:Date:1900s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Very large addition at side 03-35-351-006 1842Plainfield Road Details:Craftsman Date:1910s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Significantly remodeled 06-01-100-006 510Plainfield Road Details:Date:1910s Walls:Wood siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Front porch screened in; otherwise in near original condition 06-01-100-011 833Plainfield Road Details:Date:1910s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete Greatly altered, large addition 06-03-300-003 6916Schlapp Road Details:Date:1910s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block 06-14-100-001 IL Route 126 Falkenberg farm Details:Date:1910s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block 06-22-200-001 2324Wheeler Road Whitlock-Thompson farm Details:Date:1910s Walls:Brick Roof:Cement asbestos shingle Fdn:Concrete Porch enclosed 06-24-200-001 Wheeler Road Hager farm Details:Date:1910s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Contemporary 03-24-200-001 3202Stewart Road Cochran farm Details:Date:2000s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete 03-35-476-002 1237Plainfield Road Anderson farm Details:Date:2000s Walls:Brick Roof:Wood shingle Fdn:Concrete
Contemporary 06-11-100-004 1998Johnson Road Details:Date:2000s Walls:Brick Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Cast concrete Very large recently constructed house 06-13-200-002 150IL Route 126 Tuttle farm Details:Date:1990s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete Possibly a remodeled barn.06-25-400-002 Caton Farm Road Schroeder farm Details:Date:1990s Walls:Brick Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Cast concrete Four over Four 03-25-300-003 825127th Street (Simons Road)Details:Date:1920s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete Colonial Revival style front entrance surround; may not be original.06-01-400-001 6610Plainfield Road Details:Colonial Revival Date:1920s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete 06-13-126-001 724IL Route 126 Details:Date:1900s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block 06-14-100-005 1576IL Route 126 Details:Date:1870s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Front porch removed 06-22-300-001 Schlapp Road Kellogg Farm Details:Date:1900s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete Garage addition at rear and additions at side 06-23-100-002 1312Wheeler Road Details:Date:1920s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Somewhat altered; portions may be older than 1920s 06-24-300-004 655Walker Road Stryker farm Details:Date:1870s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Large addition at rear; greatly remodeled 06-25-100-009 512Walker Road Details:Queen Anne Date:1890s Walls:Asphalt siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Poor condition; appears to be abandoned Gable Front 03-36-100-002 870127th Street (Simons Road)Details:Date:1900s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete Front porch enclosed
Gable Front 03-36-400-004 31135th Street (Paydon Road)Findley farm Details:Italianate Date:1860s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Italianate style round attic window and porch; several additions 06-12-400-001 137IL Route 126 Folsom–Wheeler farm Details:Greek Revival Date:1850s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone small side addition & shed dormer addition 06-22-100-001 Wheeler Road Na-Au-Say Township Hall [?]Details:Date:unknown Walls:Wood siding Roof:Sheet metal Fdn:Limestone Remodelled to serve as garage Gabled Ell 03-24-300-001 744Woolley Road Hafenrichter farm Details:Date:1870s Walls:Wood shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Small garden shed at southwest corner; front porch enclosed 03-25-100-001 4271Stewart Road Kiehl farm Details:Queen Anne Date:1890s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Original front porch 03-25-400-002 115127th Street (Simons Road)Stewart farm Details:Queen Anne Date:1890s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Well preserved Queen Anne style house; garage addition at rear corner 03-34-400-009 2280Plainfield Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Greatly remodeled 03-35-100-002 2025Plainfield Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone 03-35-377-001 Plainfield Road Gilbert Gaylord farm Details:Italianate Date:1860s Walls:Brick Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Porch has recently been restored to original configuration [Information provided by Michael Lambert]06-01-100-012 Plainfield Road Details:Date:1890s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Abandoned and gutted.06-01-200-003 6398Stewart Road McMicken farm Details:Date:unknown Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Greatly altered with several additions, no original architectural character remains 06-02-300-015 1690Cherry Road Details:Date:1900s Walls:Wood siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete Several additions and greatly altered
Gabled Ell 06-03-100-001 6120Schlapp Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Front porch replaced by 1-story addition 06-03-400-003 2440Cherry Road Details:Date:1900s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block very simple and unornamented 06-10-300-005 2525IL Route 126 Thompson farm Details:Date:1880s Walls:Asphalt shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Wood siding at porch 06-11-100-002 Johnson Road Collins-Johnson farm Details:Date:1860s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Development of land pending; restoration of house has been proposed. [Information from Village staff]06-12-100-003 7557Plainfield Road Details:Craftsman Date:1900s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Front porch enclosed 06-14-200-010 1050IL Route 126 Details:Date:1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Greatly altered 06-14-400-005 8841Ridge Road Pearson farm Details:Date:1880s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Rear porch enclosed 06-15-300-001 2311Wheeler Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Wood siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Somewhat altered but essential character intact 06-25-100-001 10420Ridge Road Smith farm Details:Italianate Date:1870s Walls:Wood siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone I-House 03-25-400-003 26034127th Street (Simons Road)Details:Date:1890s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone greatly altered 06-15-100-002 2730IL Route 126 Details:Date:1870s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Porches enclosed New England One-and-a-half 03-25-300-006 571127th Street (Simons Road)Details:Date:1860s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Additions at side and rear
Ranch 03-27-301-003 2732Collins Road Details:Date:1990s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete 03-34-100-006 2616Plainfield Road Details:Modern Date:1960s Walls:Limestone Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block 06-14-300-002 1515Wheeler Road Details:Date:1950s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block One car garage 06-23-400-001 Ridge Road Details:Date:1950s Walls:Brick Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete block Upright and Wing 03-24-400-002 3716Stewart Road Details:Date:1870s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone No photographs at request of owner 03-26-300-005 1850Collins Road Smith farm Details:Date:1870s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Remodeled; additions at back 03-26-400-002 4535Gilmore Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Porches enclosed 03-27-377-015 2543127th Street (Simons Road)Simons farm Details:Date:1870s Walls:Wood shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Obscured by trees and bushes 03-34-226-002 2080127th Street (Simons Road)Details:Date:1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Concrete Front porch enclosed 03-34-251-002 Plainfield Road Details:Greek Revival Date:1860s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Somewhat altered, but Greek Revival style still apparent 06-03-100-002 2833Cherry Road Details:Date:unknown Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Cast concrete Greatly remodeled 06-10-200-004 2018Johnson Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:unknown "Wing" portion greatly remodeled and extended.
Upright and Wing 06-11-200-006 Johnson Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone greatly altered, large addition at north side 06-12-200-002 7150Plainfield Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Picture window added at first floor 06-13-400-002 15637County Line Road Details:Date:1870s Walls:Aluminum siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone House greatly altered 06-15-100-009 IL Route 126 Details:Date:1870s Walls:Vinyl siding Roof:Asphalt shingle Fdn:Limestone Porch enclosed 06-22-400-001 2251Walker Road Details:Date:1880s Walls:Cement shingle Roof:Cement asbestos shingle Fdn:Limestone Side porch enclosed
Table 5. Existing Farmst eads and Other Sites Plainfiel d Township 03-02-300-004484 413IL Route 126 of Section2 Significance: Non-contributing 03-02-400-004442 846IL Route 126 of Section2 W 1/2 of SE 1/4 Rathburn House Significance: Non-contributing 03-02-400-016444 1019143rd Street of Section2 E 1/4 of SE 1/4 John Spangler farm Significance: National Register potential Part of Limestone Farmsteads 03-03-100-002298 120135th Street of Section3 N 1/2 of NW 1/4 Norton–Eaton farm (Eaton Preserve)Significance: Contributing 03-04-400-009437 2205Van Dyke Road of Section4 N 1/2 of SE 1/4 Findley House Significance: Non-contributing 03-05-300-004431 2005143rd Street of Section5 SW 1/4 of SW 1/4 Steigle farm Significance: Contributing 03-06-400-002433 25710143rd Street of Section6 SE 1/4 Fred Steiner farm Significance: Local landmark potential Well preserved Italianate style detailing 03-07-100-001432 25725143rd Street of Section7 N 1/2 of NE 1/4 F. W. Steiner farm Significance: Contributing House is somewhat altered; numerous well preserved outbuildings 03-07-300-001424 Lockport Road of Section7 SW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Demolished 03-08-100-009434 1828143rd Street of Section8 NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-08-300-014428 1907Lockport Road of Section8 W 1/2 of SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing Besides house and very deteriorated crib barn, other structures all postdate 1945.03-08-400-005416 721Lockport Road of Section8 SE 1/4 of SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing
03-09-300-004415 14834Wood Farm Road of Section9 N 1/2 of SW 1/4 Coe–Cheeny farm Significance: Local landmark potential Distinctive Greek Revival style house 03-09-400-002414 14735Wood Farm Road of Section9 NW 1/4 of SE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Some portions of house may date to mid-19th century, although the house has been greatly altered.03-10-103-031487 21Main Street of Section10 small parcel Hyland house Significance: Contributing 03-10-204-011441 151IL Route 126 of Section10 N 1/2 of NE 1/4 Flagg house Significance: Contributing Greek Revival style entrance surround 03-11-200-006443 1052143rd Street of Section11 N 1/2 of NE 1/4 Zacharias Spangler farm Significance: National Register potential Part of Limestone Farmsteads 03-11-300-006473 23004Lockport Road of Section11 W 1/2 of SW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Demolished.03-15-306-018454 39Renwick Road of Section15 E 1/2 of SW 1/4 Henry Spangler farm Significance: Local landmark potential Distinctive Queen Anne detailing on house. Part of Spangler family group of farmsteads.03-15-402-012485 364U.S. Route 30 at Renwick Road of Section15 W 1/2 of SE 1/4 Brown House Significance: Contributing 03-16-400-008457 711Renwick Road of Section16 S 1/2 of SE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-16-400-020418 River Road of Section16 N 1/2 of SE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-17-100-018479 Rowley Road of Section17 W 1/2 of NW 1/4 Willow Tree Farm Significance: Contributing 03-17-205-002417 121Indian Boundary Line Road of Section17 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 Herath house Significance: Non-contributing 03-18-100-004425 26049Lockport Road of Section18 N 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Barn demolished; house significantly altered.
03-18-200-004426 25857Lockport Road of Section18 NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-18-300-003419 26160Renwick Road of Section18 SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-19-300-002420 16523Indian Boundary Line Road of Section19 SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing Italianate style brackets at bay window of house 03-20-200-020469 1628Renwick Road of Section20 Significance: Non-contributing 03-21-100-034458 1018Renwick Road of Section21 NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing Altered, but a few original Craftsman style elements remain at house: side entrance canopy.03-21-200-009455 15916U.S. Route 59 of Section21 NE 1/4 Hess-Brown farm Significance: Contributing 03-22-400-034453 16608Lily Cache Road of Section22 S 1/2 of SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-27-100-001463 16761IL Route 59 of Section27 N 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-27-200-013465 16850Lily Cache Road of Section27 NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-28-100-003474 Fritz Road of Section28 NW 1/4 Woelfel-Fritz farm Significance: Contributing 03-28-200-003462 16710IL Route 59 of Section28 NE 1/4 Kapps farm Significance: Contributing Well preserved and nicely detailed concrete block house n/a470 Renwick Road of Section20 Spring Banks Road bridge Significance: Local landmark Listed as a Will County Landmark
Wheatlan d Township 01-19-100-004475 11150Heggs Road of Section19 Significance: Contributing 01-19-100-009231 11152Heggs Road of Section19 Significance: Local landmark potential During 1999 survey, Owner stated that house dates to 1850s. This has not been confirmed 01-19-300-007476 119th Street and Heggs Road of Section19 Baseball field Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-300-009241 26202119th Street of Section19 Garden Visions Nursery Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-300-010242 26200119th Street of Section19 Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-400-002233 11619Heggs Road of Section19 Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-400-004477 Heggs Road of Section19 Cemetery, Wheatland Presbyterian Church Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-400-004245 119th Street of Section19 Parsonage, Wheatland Presbyterian Church Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-400-004243 Heggs Road of Section19 Wheatland Presbyterian Church Significance: Local landmark potential Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-400-008246 25958119th Street of Section19 Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-19-400-010244 26002119th Street of Section19 Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-20-100-003258 11230Normantown Road of Section20 E 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 01-20-300-002259 119th Street of Section20 SW 1/4 Significance: Local landmark potential Well preserved distinctive Italianate style house
01-21-300-003261 24462119th Street of Section21 E 1/2 of SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 01-23-300-002482 119th Street of Section23 Significance: Non-contributing Greatly altered with major add itions; portions of rear facade show original character 01-26-100-005305 12052Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section24 Fry tenant house barn Significance: Contributing Part of Limestone Farmsteads 01-26-100-007270 12211Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section26 Fry tenant house Significance: Contributing 01-26-200-001267 12002Essington Road of Section26 NE 1/4 Dague farm Significance: Local landmark potential Part of Limestone Farmsteads 01-26-300-004268 12655Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section26 SW 1/4 Fry farm Significance: National Register potential Part of Limestone Farmsteads 01-27-100-008274 23721119th Street of Section27 Significance: Contributing Distinctive trim at porch. Erroneous PIN number used for 1999-2000 survey and report 01-27-200-001273 23459119th Street of Section27 Significance: Contributing Distinctive porch trim at house 01-27-200-002272 12264Book Road of Section27 Boughton farm Significance: Contributing 01-27-400-002275 23358127th Street of Section27 Significance: Contributing 01-28-100-002279 Van Dyke Road of Section28 Significance: Contributing 01-28-300-018281 12415248th Avenue of Section28 Significance: Contributing House greatly altered, but outbuildings are contributing 01-29-300-002285 25228127th Street of Section29 Significance: Contributing
01-29-300-012307 25224U.S. Route 30 of Section29 Plainfield Propane Significance: Contributing Concrete silo at railroad, no longer in use 01-29-400-013282 12130248th Avenue of Section29 Significance: Contributing House greatly altered, but outbuildings are contributing 01-29-400-013283 12248248th Avenue of Section29 Sillar farm Significance: Contributing 01-30-200-001247 26021119th Street of Section30 Former schoolhouse Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-30-200-002248 25963119th Street of Section30 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Crossroads 01-30-200-008234 Heggs Road of Section30 Loeffel farm Significance: Local landmark potential Main barn and round roof crib barn are distinctive 01-30-300-002237 26042127th Street of Section30 Significance: Non-contributing House greatly altered, no outbuildings survive 01-30-300-006236 12464Heggs Road of Section30 Star farm Significance: Contributing House is relatively new; barn has been reconstructed 01-31-200-008481 Heggs Road of Section31 Significance: Non-contributing 01-31-400-002238 Heggs Road of Section31 Significance: Contributing 01-32-200-001288 U.S. Route 30 of Section32 E 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing House may have been relocated when Route 30 put through farm 01-33-100-006299 12906Van Dyke Road of Section33 NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 01-34-100-005309 12905Cathy Lane of Section34 Significance: Non-contributing Garage wing addition to house
01-34-400-006297 23528135th Street of Section34 Herzog farm Significance: Local landmark potential Part of Limestone Farmsteads 01-34-401-031439 385135th Street of Section34 small part of SE 1/4 Chutney House Significance: Contributing Somewhat remodeled, but basic form is intact 01-35-100-004269 Naperville-Plainfield Road of Section35 Grill–Weinhold farm Significance: National Register potential Part of Limestone Farmsteads
Na-Au-Sa y Township 06-01-100-006358 510Plainfield Road of Section1 SE 1/4 of SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing House in near original condition 06-01-100-011356 833Plainfield Road of Section1 NW 1/4 of NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing Water tank is only contributing structure; house is greatly altered 06-01-100-012360 Plainfield Road of Section1 SW 1/4 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 06-01-200-003357 6398Stewart Road of Section1 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 McMicken farm Significance: Non-contributing House greatly altered 06-01-400-001359 6610Plainfield Road of Section1 SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing 06-02-300-015361 1690Cherry Road of Section2 SW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing House greatly altered 06-03-100-001365 6120Schlapp Road of Section3 N 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 06-03-100-002363 2833Cherry Road of Section3 S 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 06-03-300-003367 6916Schlapp Road of Section3 SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing Exemplary plank frame barn in near original condition 06-03-400-003362 2440Cherry Road of Section3 SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing 06-10-200-004369 2018Johnson Road of Section10 E 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing House greatly altered; barn has collapsed 06-10-300-005383 2525IL Route 126 of Section10 SE 1/4 of SW 1/4 Thompson farm Significance: Contributing 06-11-100-002371 Johnson Road of Section11 E 1/2 of NW 1/4 Collins-Johnson farm Significance: Contributing New development of surrounding farmland pending
06-11-100-004370 1998Johnson Road of Section11 W 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Crib barn is only historic structure 06-11-200-006372 Johnson Road of Section11 NE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Demolition for new development pending 06-12-100-003375 7557Plainfield Road of Section12 E 1/2 of SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 06-12-100-003374 Plainfield Road of Section12 NW 1/4 Campbell farm Significance: Local landmark potential Distinctive and well preserved barn 06-12-200-002373 7150Plainfield Road of Section12 NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing 06-12-400-001376 137IL Route 126 of Section12 SE 1/4 Folsom–Wheeler farm Significance: Local landmark potential Well preserved barn; distinctive Greek Revival style house 06-13-126-001378 724IL Route 126 of Section13 E 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 06-13-200-002377 150IL Route 126 of Section13 NE 1/4 Tuttle farm Significance: Local landmark potential Exemplary well preserved concrete block crib barn 06-13-400-002408 15637County Line Road of Section13 E 1/2 of SE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Windmill is notable; house greatly altered 06-14-100-001381 IL Route 126 of Section14 W 1/2 of NW 1/4 Falkenberg farm Significance: Contributing House and crib barn distinctive; threatened by new development 06-14-100-005382 1576IL Route 126 of Section14 E 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing House is greatly altered 06-14-200-010380 1050IL Route 126 of Section14 E 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing Distinctive barn and crib barn 06-14-300-002402 1515Wheeler Road of Section14 SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing Only crib barn
06-14-400-005403 8841Ridge Road of Section14 SE 1/4 Pearson farm Significance: Contributing Threatened by new development 06-15-100-002386 2730IL Route 126 of Section15 E 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing Altered but unique round roof hay barn 06-15-100-009385 IL Route 126 of Section15 W 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Several historic buildings, but all are altered 06-15-300-001391 2311Wheeler Road of Section15 S 1/2 Significance: Contributing 06-22-100-001486 Wheeler Road of Section22 NW 1/4 of NW 1/4 Na-Au-Say Township Hall [?]Significance: Contributing May be former Na-Au-Say Township Hall 06-22-200-001390 2324Wheeler Road of Section22 NE 1/4 Whitlock-Thompson farm Significance: Contributing Well preserved barn and house 06-22-300-001392 Schlapp Road of Section22 SW 1/4 Kellogg Farm Significance: Contributing Sesquicentennial farm 06-22-400-001398 2251Walker Road of Section22 SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing Distinctive plank frame barn 06-23-100-002401 1312Wheeler Road of Section23 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing Distinctive concrete block hay barn 06-23-400-001400 Ridge Road of Section23 SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing Outbuildings only 06-24-200-001407 Wheeler Road of Section24 NE 1/4 Hager farm Significance: Contributing 06-24-300-004404 655Walker Road of Section24 E 1/2 of SW 1/4 Stryker farm Significance: Non-contributing House and barn greatly altered 06-25-100-001406 10420Ridge Road of Section25 W 1/2 of NW 1/4 Smith farm Significance: National Register potential Very well preserved and elaborately detailed Italianate house
06-25-100-009405 512Walker Road of Section25 E 1/2 of NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Abandoned; all buildings in poor condition 06-25-400-002409 Caton Farm Road of Section25 SE 1/4 Schroeder farm Significance: Non-contributing
OswegoTownship 03-24-200-001315 3202Stewart Road of Section24 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 Cochran farm Significance: Non-contributing Only silo, barn, and shed survive from original farmstead; all are in poor condition 03-24-200-005313 90111th Street (Rance Road) of Section24 E 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing House is greatly altered 03-24-300-001318 744Woolley Road of Section24 SW 1/4 Hafenrichter farm Significance: Contributing Distinctive bank barn 03-24-400-002317 3716Stewart Road of Section24 N 1/2 of SE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-25-100-001338 4271Stewart Road of Section25 SE 1/4 of NW 1/4 Kiehl farm Significance: Contributing House somewhat altered 03-25-300-003344 825127th Street (Simons Road) of Section25 W 1/2 of SW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Colonial Revival style front entrance surround; may not be original.03-25-300-006343 571127th Street (Simons Road) of Section25 E 1/2 of SW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-25-400-002341 115127th Street (Simons Road) of Section25 W 1/2 of SE 1/4 Stewart farm Significance: Local landmark potential Well preserved Queen Anne style house and distinctive outbuildings 03-25-400-003342 26034127th Street (Simons Road) of Section25 E 1/2 of SE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-26-300-005335 1850Collins Road of Section26 W 1/2 of SW 1/4 Smith farm Significance: Contributing Centennial farm 03-26-400-002339 4535Gilmore Road of Section26 N 1/2 of SE 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-26-400-009346 1111127th Street (Simons Road) of Section26 SE 1/4 of SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-27-301-003329 2732Collins Road of Section27 W 3/4 of SW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing Only silo survives from original farmstead.
03-27-377-015330 2543127th Street (Simons Road) of Section27 E 1/4 of SW 1/4 Simons farm Significance: Contributing 03-34-100-006349 2616Plainfield Road of Section34 E part NW 1/4 Significance: Non-contributing 03-34-226-002333 2080127th Street (Simons Road) of Section34 NE 1/4 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-34-251-002350 Plainfield Road of Section34 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing Distinctive house, somewhat altered 03-34-400-009351 2280Plainfield Road of Section34 SE 1/4 Significance: Contributing Well preserved bank barn 03-35-100-002352 2025Plainfield Road of Section35 center of W 1/4 Significance: Local landmark potential Exemplary, well preserved plank frame barn 03-35-200-006347 1336127th Street (Simons Road) of Section35 W 1/2 of NE 1/4 Significance: Contributing House greatly altered 03-35-351-006353 1842Plainfield Road of Section35 small part of SW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-35-377-001354 Plainfield Road of Section35 small part of SW 1/4 Gilbert Gaylord farm Significance: National Register potential Landmark quality Italianate style house.03-35-476-002355 1237Plainfield Road of Section35 SE 1/4 Anderson farm Significance: Non-contributing 03-36-100-002345 870127th Street (Simons Road) of Section36 NW 1/4 Significance: Contributing 03-36-400-004348 31135th Street (Paydon Road) of Section36 SE 1/4 Findley farm Significance: Local landmark potential House somewhat altered, but Italianate details still apparent
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Bibliography – 1 Bibliography Previous Surveys In 1988, Will County performed a survey of unincorporated rural areas, documenting approximately 4,867 structures dating from before 1945. The documentation, performed by architect Michael A. Lambert, consisted of black and white photographs and a completed information card utilizing a format established by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Recorded information included th e approximate age, architectural style, construction materials, noticeable additions or altera tions, and overall condition of the structur e. For most sites, survey data was gathered from the public right-of-way. In addition to the survey a report was prepared, entitled “Historic Structures of Will County,” dated 1991. The report examined the overa ll rural themes present in the county and identified noteworthy structures. In 1999, the Will County Land Use Department, acting as liaisons for the Will County Historic Preservation Commission, engaged Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. to perform an intensive survey of Wheatland, Plainfield, and Lockport Townships in northwest Will County, Illinois. In 2001, an intensive survey was performed of DuPage Township in Will County, followed by Homer Township in 2002; New Lenox Township in 2003; Green Garden Township in 2004; and Frankfort and Manhattan Townships, now in progress and planned for completion in 2006. Books, Articles, and Other Publications Adelmann, Gerald W. “A Preservation History of the Illinois and Michigan Canal.” In Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor: A Guide to Its History and Sources. Edited by Michael P. Conzen and Kay J. Carr. DeKalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press, 1988. Agricultural Schedules for Illinois (Seventh Federal Census). 1850. Record Series 951.00 8, Illinois State Archives. In comparing cumulative data for Will County from the 1850 census with later census data, it should be noted that the land of Kankakee County was part of Will County until 1851. Agricultural Schedules for Illinois (Eighth Federal Census). 1860. Record Series 951.009, Illinois State Archives. Agricultural Schedules for Illinois (Ninth Federal Census). 1870. Record Series 951.010, Illinois State Archives. Agricultural Schedules for Illinois (Tenth Federal Census). 1880. Record Series 951.011, Illinois State Archives. Alvord, Clarence Walworth. The Illinois Country: 1673–1818. The Sesquicentennial History of Illinois, Volume One. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1920. Andreas, A.T. History of Chicago, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time (three volumes). Chicago: A.T. Andreas, 1884. Arris Architects and Planne rs [Michael A. Lambert, principal author]. Dyer–Rathbun Farm, Bolingbrook, Illinois. October 1997. Auer, Michael J. Preservation Brief 20. The Preservation of Barns. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Serv ice, Technical Preservation Services, October 1989. Bale, D. Andrew, editor. A Necrology of Will County Pioneers, 1886–1890. Wilmington, Illinois: Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society, 1992. ⎯⎯⎯. A Necrology of Will County Pioneers, 1890–1897. Wilmington, Illinois: Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society, 1993. ⎯⎯⎯. A Necrology of Will County Pioneers, 1902–1907. Wilmington, Illinois: Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society, 1994.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 2 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey ⎯⎯⎯. A Necrology of Will County Pioneers, 1911–1921. Wilmington, Illinois: Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society, 1998. Bateman, Newton. Genealogical & Biographical Record of Kendall and Will Counties. Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1901. _____ and Paul Selby, eds. Historical Encyclopedia of Illinoi s and History of Kendall County (two volumes). Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1914. Berg, Donald J. American Country Building Design . New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 1997. Bingle, James D, compiler. Bolingbrook Does Too Have a History . Bolingbrook, Illinois: Bolingbrook Historical Society, n.d. [circa late 1970s]. ⎯⎯⎯. Bolingbrook Has Even More History. Bolingbrook, Illinois: Bolingbrook Historical Society, n.d. [circa 1980]. ⎯⎯⎯. Bolingbrook Keeps Making History. Bolingbrook, Illinois: Bolingbrook Historic Preservation Commission, n.d. [circa 1995]. Biographical Directory of the Voters and Tax-payers of Kendall County, Illinois. Chicago: George Fisher & Co., 1876. Birnbaum, Charles A. Preservation Brief 36. Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Technical Preservatio n Services, September 1994. Blair, Emma Helen [translator and editor]. The Indian Tribes of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Region of the Great Lakes. 1911. Reprint, Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1996. Block, Daniel Ralston. “The Development of Regional Institutions in Agriculture: The Chicago Milk Marketing Order.” Ph.D. diss., University of California at Los Angeles, 1997. “Bolingbrook Parade Huge Success.” Bolingbrook Beacon. 29 September 1966. Britt, Albert. An America That Was: What Life Was Li ke on an Illinois Farm Seventy Years Ago . Barre, Massachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1964. Browne, Alice Graves. Early History of Plainfield. Will County Historical Society, 1972. Bruce, Alfred, and Harold Sandbank. A History of Prefabrication. Research Study 3. Raritan, New Jersey: John B. Pierce Foundation, Housing Research Division, 1945. Calkins, Charles F. The Barn as an Element in the Cultural Landscape of North America: A Bibliography. Monticello, Illinois: Vance Bibliography, September 1979. Campbell, H. Colin. “Concrete Silo Construction.” Hoard’s Dairyman (21 February 1919) 200. Carter, Deane G. and W.A. Foster. Farm Buildings, Third Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1941. Caton, John Dean. Miscellanies. Boston: Houghton, Osgood and Company, 1880. Chicoine, David Lyle. “Farmland Values in an Urban Fr inge: An Analysis of Market Data from Will County, Illinois.” Ph.D. diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1979.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Bibliography – 3 The Code of Country Living. Bloomington, Illinois: Illinois Farm Bureau, 1999. Colton, J.H. (Joseph Hutchins). Colton’s Railroad & Township Map, Western States Compiled from the United States Surveys. New York, 1853. Commemorative Portraits and Biographical Record of Kane and Kendall Counties. Chicago: Beers, Leggett, and Co., 1888. Concrete for the Farmer . Chicago: Universal Portland Cement Co., 1914. Concrete on the Dairy Farm . N.p.: Portland Cement Association, n.d. [circa 1920s]. Concrete Silos: A Booklet of Practical Information for the Farmer and Rural Contractor . Chicago: Universal Portland Cement Co., 1914. Conzen, Michael P. “1848: The Birth of Modern Chicago.” In 1848: Turning Point for Chicago, Turning Point for the Region. Chicago: The Newberry Library, 1998. Cooley, Verna. “Illinois and the Underground Railroad to Canada.” Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society XXIII (1916). Coppa & Avery Consultants. Farm Architecture: A Guide to Farmhouses and Buildings . Monticello, Illinois: Vance Bibliography, April 1982. Cremin, Dennis H. “The Region in 1848: A View Down the I&M Canal Corridor.” In 1848: Turning Point for Chicago, Turning Point for the Region. Chicago: The Newberry Library, 1998. Cultural & Historical Preservation Plan . Will County, Illinois: Will County Regional Planning Commission, 1976. Danckers, Ulrich, and Jane Meredith. Early Chicago. River Forest, Illinois: Early Chicago, Incorporated, 1999. Davis, James E. Frontier Illinois. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1998. Doane Ideas on Farm Buildings . St. Louis: Doane Agricultural Service, 1955. Doershuk, John. Plenemuk Mound and the Archaeology of Will County. Illinois Cultural Resources Study No. 3. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1988. Dotson, Michael E. In Search of the Golden Fleece: A Study of the Fur Trade in W ill County, 1673–1825. N.p.: Will County Historical Society, 1986. Drury, John. This is Will County, Illinois. The American Aerial County History Series, No. 26. Chicago: The Loree Company, 1955. Duddy, Edward A. Agriculture in the Chicago Region . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1929. Ekberg, Carl J. French Roots in the Illinois Country: Th e Mississippi Frontier in Colonial Times . Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1998. Eichelberger, Elizabeth. “Octogenanian [sic] Te lls How it Used To Be in the Old Days.” Bolingbrook Beacon. 17 November 1971, p. 6. Ellis, Edward Robb. A Nation in Torment: The Great American Depression, 1929–1939. 1970. Reprint, New York: Kodansha International, 1995.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 4 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Eulogy of Eliza Wells. 1892. Collection of Faye (Rodgers) Schroll. Family Tree of Pearl E. (Wells) Rodgers. Collection of Faye (Rodgers) Schroll. Farm Buildings. Chicago: Sanders Publishing, 1905. Farm Buildings . Chicago: Sanders Publishing, 1911. Farm Buildings: How to Build Them . Charles City, Iowa: W.E. Frudden, 1916. Farm Buildings: New and Enlarged Edition . Chicago: The Breeder’s Gazette, 1913. Farren, Kathy, ed. A Bicentennial History of Kendall County, Illinois. Yorkville, Illinois: Kendall County Historical Society, 1976. Farrington, Leslie Joseph. “Development of Public School Administration in the Public Schools of Will County, Illinois, As Shown in a Comparison of Three Selected Years: 1877, 1920, and 1965.” Ph.D. diss., Northern Illinois University, 1967. Fetherston, David. Farm Tractor Advertising In America: 1900–1960. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, 1996. Fisher, D.J. Geology and Mineral Resources of the Joliet Quadrangle. Bulletin No. 51 of the Illinois State Geological Survey. Urbana, Illinois, 1925. Fitzgerald, Deborah. “Farmers Deskilled: Hybrid Corn and Farmers’ Work.” In Technology and American History: A Historical Anthology from “Technology & Culture.” Edited by Stephen H. Cutcliffe and Terry S. Reynolds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997. Foster, W.A. “Silo Types and Essentials.” Hoard’s Dairyman (21 February 1919) 201, 216, 217, and 232. Gardner, Frank D. Traditional American Farming Techniques [Successful Farming ]. 1916. Reprint, Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2001. Gardner, John S., editor. The Fitzpatrick Homestead: A University of Illinois Case Study in Recording Historic Buildings. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, n.d. Genealogical and Biographical Re cord of Will County, Illinois. Chicago: Biographical Publishing Company, 1900. Goldthwait, James Walter. Physical Features of the Des Plaines Valley. Illinois State Geological Society Bulletin No. 11. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois, 1909. Gordon, Stephen C. How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory . Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Historical Society, 1992. Halsted, Dr. Byron D., and Edwin C. Powell, editors. Barn Plans and Outbuildings . New York: Orange Judd Company, 1917. Hardick, Jane E. “Suburbanization and Annexation since 1930.” Time and Place in Joliet: Essays on the Geographical Evolution of the City . Edited by Michael P. Conzen. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1988. Harris, Emily J. Prairie Passage: The Illinois and Michigan Canal Corridor . Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1998.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Bibliography – 5 Herath, Jean L. Indians and Pioneers: A Prelude to Plainfield, Illinois. Hinckley, Illinois: The Hinckley Review, 1975. Hicks, Rev. E.W. History of Kendall County, Illinois, from th e Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time. Aurora, Illinois: Knickerbocker & Hodder, 1877. “Historical Marker Commemorates Old Barber’s Corners of the Past.” Bolingbrook Beacon. 12 September 1979, p. 4. The History and Genealogy of the Family John and Jane Hall Patterson of Kirtlehead, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. N.p., n.d. History of DuPage County, Illinois. Aurora, Illinois: Knickerbocker & Hodder, 1877. A History of Plainfield “Then and Now.” N.p., n.d. History of State Departments, Illinois Government, 1787–1943. Compiled by Margaret C. Norton, Illinois State Archives. “The History of the Lincoln-Way Area.” Undated typed manuscript. “How to Make and Sell Concrete Silo Staves.” Concrete (October 1927): 32–35. Hrpcha, Mabel. Romeoville, Illinois. N.p., 1967. Illinois Department of Public Works and Buildings, Division of State Parks. Illinois Park, Parkway and Recreational Area Plan. Chicago: Illinois State Planning Commission, 1938. “Illinois-Michigan Canal Reaches Century Mark.” Illinois Public Works 6, no. 2 (summer 1948): 14–16. Illinois Place Names. Edited by William E. Keller and compiled by James N. Adams with an addendum by Lowell E. Volkel. Springfield, Illinois: Illi nois State Historical Society, 1989. Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database, we bsite located at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/ departments/archives/genealogy/landsrch.html (State of Illinois Secretary of State). Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. Jessup, Theodore. “Starved Rock and Its Neighborhood.” Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society XI (1906). “Joe Henebry Celebrates 25 Years at Plainfield.” Farmer’s Elevator Guide. 5 April 1937. Johnson, A.N. “Cost of a System of Durable Roads for Illinois.” The Eighteenth Annual Report of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute. Edited by H.A. McKeene. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Journal Company, 1913. Jones, Edward Richard. Farm Structures . Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1933. Kane County Development Department, Planning and Projects Division. Built for Farming: A Guide to the Historic Rural Architecture of Kane County. N.p., 1991. King, M.L. “Planning the Silo.” The Eighteenth Annual Report of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute. Edited by H.A. McKeene. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Journal Company, 1913.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 6 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Knight, Robert, and Luci us Zeuch. “Mount Joliet: Its Place in Illinois History a nd Its Location.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 23, no. 1 (April 1930). Krey, Frank, and J.E. Lamar. Limestone Resources of Illinois. Urbana, Illinois: State of Illinois Department of Registration and Education, Division of the State Geological Survey, 1925. Lambert, Michael A. “Rural Crossroads: Meaning and Architecture.” [Master’s degree student paper, University of Illinois, 1985.] Lockwood, Charles. “Sprawl.” Hemispheres. September 1999. MacMillan, Thomas C. “The Scots and Their Descendants in Illinois.” Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society XXVI (1919). Martin, R.E. “Steel Bin Design for Farm Storage of Grain.” Agricultural Engineering (April 1940) 144, 146. Maue, August. History of Will County, Illinois. Indianapolis: Historical Publishing, 1928. McKeene, H.A., editor. The Eighteenth Annual Report of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers, 1914. Memories with Progress: Manhattan, Illinois, 1886–1986. N.p., n.d. Meyer, Douglas K. Making the Heartland Quilt: A Geographical History of Settlement and Migration in Early-Nineteenth Century Illinois. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000. The Midwest Farm Handbook . Ames, Iowa: Iowa State College Press, 1957. Morrison, Olin Dee. Prairie State, A History: Social, Political, Economical. Athens, Ohio: E. M. Morrison, 1960. Myers, John H., and revised by Gary L. Hume. Preservation Brief 8. Aluminum Siding and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings: The Appropriateness of Substitute Materials for Resurfacing Historic Wood Frame Buildings. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, Na tional Park Service, Technical Preservation Services, October 1984. Naperville Centennial . Naperville, Illinois: Fort Payne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1931. National Register Bulletin 15. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources Division, 1997. National Register Bulletin 30. Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Rural Historic Landscapes. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, n.d. Neth, Mary. Preserving the Family Farm: Women, Community, and the Foundations of Agribusiness in the Midwest, 1900-1940. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995. Neushwander, Toni Evans. The Old Brick Tavern and Lincoln Hotel. Preliminary Report. 28 April 1995. Noble, Allen G., and Richard K. Cleek. The Old Barn Book: A Field Guide to North American Barns & Other Farm Structures . New Brunswick, New Jersey: Ru tgers University Press, 1995. Noble, Allen G., and G.H. Wilhelm, editors. Barns of the Midwest . Athens, Ohio: University of Ohio Press, 1995.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Bibliography – 7 Noble, Allen G. Wood, Brick, & Stone. The North American Settlement Landscape, Volume 2: Barns and Farm Structures. Amherst, Massachusetts: Univ ersity of Massachusetts Press, 1984. Opie, John. The Law of the Land: Two Hundred Years of American Farmland Policy. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1987. Peck, J.M. A Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State, a General View of Each County, and a Particular Description of Each Town, Settlement, Stream, Prairie, Bottom, Bluff, Etc.; Alphabetically Arranged. Philadelphia: Grigg & Elliot, 1837. Peterson, Fred W. “Anglo-American Wooden Frame Farm houses in the Midwest, 183 0–1900: Origins of Balloon Frame Construction.” In People, Power, Places: Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture VIII. Edited by Sally McMurry and Annmarie Adams. Knoxv ille: University of Tennessee Press, 2000. Peterson, Fred W. Homes in the Heartland: Balloon Frame Farmhouses of the Upper Midwest, 1850–1920. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1992. Pitman, Florence. The Story of Mokena. Mokena, Illinois: Mokena Woman’s Club, n.d. Plans for Concrete Farm Buildings. N.p.: Portland Cement Association, n.d. [circa 1920s]. Portrait and Biographical Album of Will County, Illinois. Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1890. Pote, Linda T. “ ‘The Celebrated Joliet Marble Fields’: An Historical Geography of the Lower Des Plaines Valley Limestone Industry.” Time and Place in Joliet: Essays on the Geographical Evolution of the City . Edited by Michael P. Conzen. Chicago: Un iversity of Chicago, 1988. Prairie Farmer’s Directory of Grundy and Kendall Counties, Illinois. Chicago: Prairie Farmer Publishing Company, 1917. Prairie Farmer’s Reliable Directory of Farmers and Br eeders of Will and Southern Cook Counties, Illinois. Chicago: Prairie Farmer Pu blishing Company, 1918. Radford, William A. Cement Houses and How to Build Them. Chicago: The Radford Architectural Company, n.d. [Circa 1910s.] Ramsower, Harry C. Farm Equipment and How to Use It. 1917. Reprint, Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2001. Roe, Keith E. Corncribs in History, Folklife, and Architecture . Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1988. Roll of Property Owners in Will Count y, Illinois, in the Year 1842. Will County, Illinois: Will County Historical Society, 1992. Rowley, Alfred. “Early Recollections.” N.d. Salamon, Sonya. Prairie Patrimony: Family, Farmin g, & Community in the Midwest . Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1992. Sanders, J.H. Practical Hints About Barn Building . Chicago: J.H. Sanders, 1892. Shaw, Fayette Baldwin, Ph.D. Will County Agriculture. Will County Historical Society, 1980. [This publication is “a selected portion of a thesis written and submitted by Dr. Shaw in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philisophy, Harvard University, 1933.”]
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 8 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Silos: Types and Construction . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1948. Simpson, Pamela H. Cheap, Quick, & Easy: Imitative Ar chitectural Materials, 1870–1930. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1999. Small Farm Buildings of Concrete: A Booklet of Prac tical Information for the Farmer and Rural Contractor . Chicago: Universal Portland Cement Co., 1914. Smith & Betts Farm and Building Book. Chicago: The Radford Architectural Company, 1915. Souvenir of Settlement and Progress of Will County, Illinois: A Review. Chicago: Historical Directory Publishing, 1884. Souvenir Sketch of the Wheatland Plowing Match with Programme for Meeting of 1898. Joliet, Illinois: Republican Printing Co., 1898. Sprague, Paul E. “Chicago Balloon Frame: The Evolution During the Nineteenth Century of George W. Snow’s System for Erecting Light Frame Buildings from Dimension Lumber and Machine-made Nails.” The Technology of Historic American Buildings. Edited by H. Ward Jandl. Washington, D.C.: Foundation for Preservation Technology for the Associa tion for Preservation Technology, 1983. Spies, L.A. “How to Make Money Dairying on Land Worth Two Hundred Dollars per Acre.” The Eighteenth Annual Report of the Illinois Farmers’ Institute. Edited by H.A. McKeene. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Journal Company, 1913. Sproat, Iva Gillett. Heritage of Faith, Heritage of Land. Coal City, Illinois: Bailey Printing and Publishing Company, 1983. Sterling, Robert E. A Pictorial History of Will County: Volume I . Joliet, Illinois: 2H Printing, 1975. Sterling, Robert E. A Pictorial History of Will County: Volume II . Joliet, Illinois: Will County Historical Publications Company, 1976. Stevens, Darlene Gavron. “Golf course treasure trove: home of ancient Americans.” Chicago Tribune. 13 December 1993. Stevens, W.W. Past and Present of Will County, Illinois . Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1907. Stewart, John T. Engineering on the Farm: A Treatise on the Applic ation of Engineering Principles to Agriculture. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., 1923. Storm, Alice C. Doctor Conrad Will. Joliet, Illinois: Louis Joliet Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1917. Tanner, Helen Hornbeck, editor. Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987. Taylor, Florence Walton. “Culture in Illinois in Lincoln’s Day.” Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society 42 (1935). Teska Associates, Inc., and Will County Land Use Department, Planning Division. Will County Land Resource Management Plan. October 1990, amended November 1996. Towsley, Genevieve. “A Le tter from Fort Payne,” in A View from Historic Naperville, N.p., n.d.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Bibliography – 9 ⎯⎯⎯. “Pioneer Triumvirate on East Branch of DuPage.” Naperville Sun. Part I, 12 September 1979; part II, 14 September 1979. United States Department of Agriculture. Yearbook of Agriculture. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1936. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Land and Resource Management Plan. Wilmington, Illinois, 7 May 2001. United States Department of Co mmerce, Bureau of the Census. Eleventh Census of the United States: 1890. Part 3: Agriculture. Washington, D.C. Twelfth Census of the United States: 1900. Census of Agriculture. Washington, D.C.: 1901. Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910. Census of Agriculture. Washington, D.C.: 1914. Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920. Agriculture: Part V: General Report and Analytical Tables. Washington, D.C.: 1922. Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930. Agriculture, Volume I: Farm Acre age and Farm Values by Township or Other Minor Civil Divisions. Washington, D.C.: 1931. Agriculture, Volume II: Part I – The Northern Stat es, Reports by States, with Statistics for Counties and a Summary for the United States. Washington, D.C.: 1931. United States Census of Agriculture: 1935. Volume II: Reports for States with Statistics for Counties and a Summary for the United States. Washington, D.C., 1936. Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940. Agriculture, Volume III: General Report. Washington, D.C.: 1943. Agriculture: Value of Farm Products by Color and Tenure of Farm Operator. A Special Study by Irvin Holmes, Principal Statistician for Income and Value. Washington, D.C.: 1944. Agriculture: Abandoned or Idle Farms. A Special Study. Washington, D.C.: 1943. United States Census of Agriculture: 1945. Volume I, Part 5: Illinois. Statistics for Counties. Washington, D.C.: 1946. United States Census of Agriculture: 1954. Volume I: Counties and State Economic Areas; Part 5: Illinois. Washington, D.C.: 1957. United States Census of Agriculture: 1964. Volume I, Part 12: Illinois. Washington, D.C.: 1967. 1974 Census of Agriculture. Volume I, Part 13: Illinois. Washington, D.C.: 1977. 1982 Census of Agriculture. Volume I, Geographic Area Series; Part 13: Illinois. Washington, D.C.: 1984.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 10 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey 1992 Census of Agriculture. Volume I, Geographic Area Series; Part 13: Illinois. Washington, D.C.: 1994. Upton, Dell, and John Michael Vlach, editors. Common Places: Readings in American Vernacular Architecture . Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1986. Upton, Dell, editor. America’s Architectural Roots: Ethnic Groups that Built America . New York: Preservation Press, John Wiley & Sons, 1986. “The Use of Concrete Work on the Farm.” Building Age. (February 1917) 99–105. Vlach, John Michael. Barns. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, and Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 2003. Vierling, Philip E. Early Powered Mills of the Des Plaines River and Its Tributaries, Illinois. Volume I. Chicago: Illinois Country Outdoor Guides, 1995. ⎯⎯⎯. Early Powered Mills of the Des Plaines River and Its Tributaries, Illinois. Volume II. Chicago: Illinois Country Outdoor Guides, 1998. What the Farmer Can Do with Concrete. Montreal, Quebec: Canada Cement Company Limited, n.d. [Circa 1920s.] Will County Directory for 1859–60. Compiled by John C.W. Bailey. Chicago: William H. Rand, 1859. Will County, Illinois: Land Resource Management Plan. 18 April 2002. Will County Places, Old and New. Will County Historical Society, 1982. Will County Property Owners, 1842. Reprint, Joliet, Illinois: Will County Historical Society, 1973. Willman, H.B. Summary of the Geology of the Chicago Area. Illinois State Geological Survey Circular 460. Urbana, Illinois, 1971. Winds of Fury: The Will County Tornado of 1990 . Sun City West, Arizona: C.F. Boone, 1990. Woodruff, George H. Forty Years Ago: A Contribution to the Early History of Joliet and Will County. Joliet, Illinois: Joliet Republican Steam Printing House, 1874. ⎯⎯⎯. Patriotism of Will County: Designed to Preserve the Names and Memory of Will County Soldiers. Joliet, Illinois: Joliet Republican Book and Job Steam Printing House, 1876. ⎯⎯⎯. History of Will County, Illinois. Chicago: Wm. Le Baron Jr., & Company, 1878. Wooley, John C. M.S. Farm Buildings . New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1941. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers Project. Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide. Chicago: A.C. McClurg, 1939. Worthen, A.H. Economical Geology of Illinois. Volume II. Springfield, Illinois, 1882.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Bibliography – 11 Maps and Aerial Photographs Many of the historic maps listed below were viewed on the websites of the Library of Congress at memory.loc.gov and the Grainger Map Library of the University of Illinois at images.grainger.uiuc.edu . Will County, Wheatland Township, and Plainfield Township Maps Certificate of Survey: Wheatland Township . St, Louis, Missouri: Surveyor’s Office, 1839. Wheatland Township. Tax Assessment, 15 September 1851. Wheatland Township. [Circa 1860–1865.] Burhans, S.H., and J. Van Vechten. Map of Will County, Illinois. 1862. Combination Atlas Map of Will County. Elgin, Illinois: Thompson Brothers & Burr, 1873. Geo. A. Ogle & Co. Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Chicago, 1893. Map of Will County, Illinois. Joliet, Illinois: News Company, 1902. Geo. A. Ogle & Co. Standard Atlas of Will County, Illinois. Chicago, 1909. Plat Book of Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois, W.W. Hixson and Co., 1920. Plat Book of Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: W.W. Hixson and Co., n.d. [circa 1928] United States Agricultural Adjustment Agency. Aerial photographs of Will County, 1939. Plat Book of Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois, W.W. Hixson and Co., n.d. [circa 1942] Farm Plat Book and Business Guide: Will County, Illinois. Joliet, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, Inc., 1948. Farm Plat Book: Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, Inc., 1953. United States Commodity Stabilization Service. Aerial photographs of Will County, 1954. Farm Plat Book: Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, Inc., 1957. Will County Illinois Official Plat Book and Directory. LaPorte, Indiana: County Plat and Directory Co., Inc., 1962. Three Year Atlas & Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1963. Tri-annual Atlas & Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1966. Atlas & Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1969. Will County Illinois Official Plat Book and Directory. LaPorte, Indiana: County Plat and Directory Co., Inc., 1970. Atlas & Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1972. Atlas & Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1974. Atlas & Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1976. Atlas & Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1978.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 12 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1980–81. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1985. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1988. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois . Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1990. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois . Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1994. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois . Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1996 . Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois . Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1998. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois . Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 2000. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois . Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 2003. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Will County, Illinois . Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 2005. Kendall County, Oswego Township, and Na-Au-Say Township Maps Bennitt, L.G., and J. McWilliams. Map of Kendall County, Illinois, 1859 . Oswego, Illinois: L.G. Bennitt, 1859. “Lith. by Ed. Mendel. Engraved, printed, colored & mounted by Edw. Mendel Chicago.” Margins include business directory and 22 vignettes of private homes, businesses and public buildings. Vignettes drawn from photographs by D.C. Pra tt of Aurora, Illinois. Atlas of Kendall County, Illinois. Chicago: Warner, Higgins, & Beers, 1870. Standard Atlas of Kendall County, Illinois. Chicago: George A. Ogle & Co., 1903. Standard Atlas of Kendall County, Illinois. Chicago: Geroge A. Ogle & Co., 1922. Plat book of Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: W.W. Hixson & Co., [circa 1932]. With foldout map of county. Kendall County Board of Supervisors. Atlas and history of Kendall County, Illinois. Maps and plats by Burt L. Henning and Maynard Clark. History by Oliver C. Johnson and Anna French Johnson. Elmhurst, Illinois: Friendly Map & Publishing Company, 1941. Farm Plat Book and Business Guide, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1947. Farm Plat Book and Business Guide, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1951. Farm Plat Book and Business Guide, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1955. Farm Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1959. Farm Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1964. Biennial Farmers Atlas & Residents Directory, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1967. Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1970.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Bibliography – 13 Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1975. Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1980. United States Soil Conservation Service. Kendall County, Ill. Important Farmlands. [Washington]: Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 1980. Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1988. Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1990. Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1994. Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 2002. Land Atlas & Plat Book, Kendall County, Illinois. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 2005. Other Historical Maps Atlas and Supplement: Indian Villages of the Illinois Country. Compiled by Sara Jones Tucker (1942) with supplement compiled by Wayne C. Temple (1975). Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Museum, 1975. Tanner, H.S. Illinois and Missouri: Improved to 1825 . [Map located in the collection of the Map and Geography Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.] McBean, Williams. A Map of a part of the Southern & Western States Showing the Contemplated Route of the New Orleans & Ohio Railroad and the Central Railroad of Illinois, also the Route of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad Representing the Most Central, Direct and Practical Route for a Great National and Commercial Highway Between the Gulf of Mexico and the Gr eat Northern Lakes, and by Various Branches and Intersections with Other Railways Connecting With All the Principal Cities of the United States. New Orleans, 1850. Map of the Counties of Cook, DuPage, the East Part of Kane and Kendall, the Northern Part of Will, State of Illinois. Chicago: James H. Rees, 1851. Ensign, Bridgman & Fanning. Railroad and County Map of Illinois Showing Its Internal Improvements 1854. New York, 1854. Burhans, S.H., and J. Van Vechten. Map of Cook County, Illinois. 1861. Burhans, S.H., and J. Van Vechten. Map of Cook County, Illinois. 1862. Chicago & Northwestern Railroad- Land Department. Map showing the Location of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway with its Branches & Connections through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan. Chicago, 1862. G.W. & C.B. Colton & Company. Map of the Chicago and Southwestern Railway and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad and their Connections . New York, 1869. G.W. & C.B. Colton & Company. Map of Danville, Olney & Ohio Ri ver Railroad and its Connections. New York, 1881. Snyder’s Real Estate Map of Cook County, Illinois. Chicago: L.M. Snyder and Co., 1886. Rand McNally and Company. Map of Illinois Central R.R. Chicago: 1892.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 14 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Snyder’s Real Estate Map of Cook, DuPage, and Part of Will Counties. Chicago: William L. Mitchell, 1898. Rand McNally and Company. Railroad Map of Illinois Prepared Under the Direction of, and presented by, Cicero J. Lindly, Chas. S. Rannells, and Jos. E. Bidwell, Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners . Chicago: 1 April 1898. State of Illinois Department of Registration and Education, State Geological Survey Division. Joliet Quadrangle. 1921. Map of Illinois Showing State Highways. State of Illinois Department of Public Works and Buildings, Division of Highways, 1 July 1930. Contained in Illinois Tourists Guide, 1930.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Glossary – 1 Glossary abutment. A masonry mass (or the like) which receives th e thrust of an arch , vault, or strut. adaptive reuse. The conversion or functional change of a building from the purpose or use for which it was originally constructed or designed. Such conversions ar e accomplished with varying degrees of alterations to the building. The more change that is necessary, the less likel y that particular new use is appropriate for a historic building. addition. An extension or increase in floor area, number of stories, or height of a building or structure. arch. A curved construction which spans an opening; usually consists of wedge-shaped blocks call voussoirs, or a curved or pointed structural member which is supporte d at the sides or ends. Arches vary in shape from semicircular and semi-elliptical to bluntly or acutely pointed arches. architectural conservation. The science of preserving architecture and its historic fabric by observing and analyzing the evolution, deterioration, and care of struct ures; the conducting of investigations to determine the cause, effect, and solution of structural problems; and the directing of remedial interventions focused on maintaining the integrity and quality of historic fabric. balloon frame. A system of framing a wooden building where all ver tical structural elements of the exterior walls and partitions consist of light single studs (usually 2x4, but sometimes larger) which may extend the full height of the frame and are fastened by nails to the studs. Ball oon framing differs from a braced frame in that a balloon framed wall acts as a bearing wall and does not rely on posts and beams to support joists. baluster. One of a number of short vertical members, often circular in section used to support a stair, porch, or balcony handrail or a coping. balustrade. An entire railing system (as along the edge of a balcony) including a top rail and its balusters, and sometimes a bottom rail. barrel vault. A masonry vault of plain, semicircular cross section, supported by parallel walls or arcades and adapted to longitudinal areas. bay. one architectural subdivision of a wall, roof, or structure marked by repetition of similar elements, such as columns or windows. beam. A horizontal structural member whose prime function is to carry transverse loads, as a joist, girder, rafter, or purlin brick. A solid or hollow masonry unit of clay or shale, molded into a rectangular shape while plastic, and then burnt in a kiln column. A slender vertical element carrying compressive loads from other structural elements above. contributing. A historic property which retains historical integrity and forms a part of a grouping of related properties corbel. In masonry, a projection or one of a series of projections, each stepped progressively farther forward with height; anchored in a wall, story, co lumn, or chimney; used to support an overhanging member above or, if continuous, to support overhanging courses
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Bibliography – 2 Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey cornice. The exterior trim of a structure at the meeting of the roof and wall or at the top of the wall in the case of a parapet, usually consisting of bed molding, soffit, fasc ia, and crown molding; any molded projection which crowns or finishes the part to which it is affi xed; the third or uppermost division of an entablature, resting on the frieze; an ornamental molding, usually of wood or plaster, running round the walls of a room just below the ceiling; a crown molding; the molding forming the top member of a door or window frame course. a continuous horizontal range of masonr y units such as bricks, as in a wall. dormer. a projecting structure built out from a sloping roof , usually containing a vertical window or louver. elevation. A drawing showing the vertical elemen ts of a building, either exterior or interior, as a direct projection of the vertical plane; also used for the exterior walls of a building other than the facade (front). fabric. The structural and material por tions that make up the building (f rames, walls, floors, roof, etc.). facade. The exterior face of a building which is the architectural fron t, sometimes distinguished from the other faces by elaboration of architectural or ornamental details. gable. The vertical triangular portion of wall at the end of a building having a double-sloping roof, from the level of the cornice or eaves to the ridge of the roof. gambrel. A roof which has two pitches on each side. hip. A roof which has equal pitches on all sides of a building. integrity. A district, site, building, structure, or object with intact original location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and associa tion, to an extent that its hist oric character is discernible. joist. One of a series of parallel beams of timber, reinforced concrete, or steel used to support floor and ceiling loads, and supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls; the widest dimension is vertically oriented. landmark. A property or district which has been designate d by a government entity as possessing historic significance. lintel. A horizontal structural member (such as a beam) over an opening which carries the weight of the wall above. mansard. A roof having a double slope on four or more sides of the building, the lower slope being much steeper. mortar. A mixture of cementitious materials (such as cement and/or lime) with water and a fine aggregate (such as sand); can be troweled in the plastic state; hardens in place. When used in masonry construction, the mixture may contain masonry cement or ordinary hydraulic cement with lime (and often other admixtures) to increase its plasticity and durability. mortise. A hole, cavity, notch, slot, or recess cut into a timber or piece of other material; usually receives a tenon, but also has other purposes, as to receive a lock. National Register of Historic Places. The official list of the Nation's cultural resources worthy of preservation. The National Register includes districts, sites, buildings , structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and cultures. National Historic Landmark (NHL). Historic and archeological sites, buildings, and objects possessing exceptional value as commemorating or illustrating the history of the United States. NHLs are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects are of exceptiona l national significance in American history and culture.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Glossary – 3 non-contributing. A property physically located within a historic di strict or area of study which does not relate to the defined criteria of historic significance for the area. parapet. A low guarding wall at any point of sudden drop, as at the edge of a te rrace, roof, battlement, balcony, etc; in an exterior wall, fire wall, or party wall, the part entirely above the roof. pointing. In masonry, the final treatment of joints by the trowe ling of mortar into the joints. The removal of mortar from between the joints of masonry units and the replacing of it with new mortar is properly called “repointing.” pyramidal. A hip roof in which all planes of the roof come together at a single point. rehabilitation. Returning a property to a state of usefulness through repair or alteration which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions or features of the property which are significant to its historical, architectural , and cultural values. restoration. Accurately recovering the form and details of a pr operty and its setting as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of late r work or by replacement of missing earlier work. ridge. The horizontal line at the junction of the upper edges of two sloping roof surfaces. shed. A roof consisting of a single, sloping plane. significant. A district, site, building, structure, or object that has integrity and that is associated with historical events or patterns of events; or that are associated with the lives of significant persons; or that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, style, period, or method construction, or possess high artistic values. sill. A horizontal timber, at the bottom of the frame of a wooden structure, which rests on the foundation; the horizontal bottom member of a window or door frame. spandrel. In a multistory building, a wall panel filling the space between the top of the wind ow in one story and the sill of the window in the story above. stabilization. Applying measures designed to reestablish a weather-resistant enclosure and the structural stability of an unsafe or deteriorated property while maintain ing the essential form as it exists at present. stud. An upright post or support, especially one of a seri es of vertical structural members which act as the supporting elements in a wall or partition. tenon. The projecting end of a piece of wood, or other material, which is reduced in cross section, so that it may be inserted in a corresponding cavity (mortise) in another piece in order to form a secure joint. tension. The state or condition of being pulled or stretched. truss. A structure composed of a combination of members that resist axial loads, usually in some triangular arrangement so as to co nstitute a rigid framework. vault. A masonry covering over an area whic h uses the principle of the arch. wythe. One thickness of brick or other masonry material in a wall, commonly about 4 inches.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey APPENDIX A HISTORIC PLAT MAPS This appendix contains historic farm atlas and plat maps for Plainfield, Wheatland, Oswego, and Na-Au-Say Townships. The limits of the present study are indicated on the maps by shading or dashed lines.Refer to Bibliography for map sources. Also, refer to the 2000 survey report of Plainfield, Wheatland, and Lockport Townships for additional Plainfield and Wheatland Township maps.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey 1851 map, showing all four townships.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1862.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1873.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1893.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 1909.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 1920.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1928.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 1942.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1948.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1953.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 1963.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 1969.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1978.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 1985.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield , 1998.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 2002.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Plainfield, 2004.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1862.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1873.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1893.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1909.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1920.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1928.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1942.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1948.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1953.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1963.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1969.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1978.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1985.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 1990.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 2002.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wheatland, 2004.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey 1859 map of Kendall County.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1870.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1903.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1923.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1932.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1941.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1947.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1955.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1964.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1970.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1975.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1980.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1988.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 1994.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 2002.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Na-Au-Say, 2005.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1870.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1903.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1922.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1932.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1941.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1947.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1951.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1964.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1970.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1975.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1980.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1988.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 1994.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 2002.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Oswego, 2005.
APPENDIX B AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY This appendix contains aerial photography of the survey area. The first series of photography is dated August and September 1939 and was obtained online at the Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse (http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/nsdihome). The second series is summer 2005 and thus depicts the survey area at the time of the field work for this project and was obtained online from the U.S.Geological Survey. Dashed lines are used to indicate the survey limits. The photographs are split horizon-tally on 15100 South (Illinois Route 126 / Lockport Road), and divided between facing pages on 25600 West (Steiner Road).Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Northwest portion of survey area, 1939 aerial photography.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Northeast portion of survey area, 1939 aerial photography.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Southwest portion of survey area, 1939 aerial photography.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Southeast portion of survey area, 1939 aerial photography.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Northwest portion of survey area, 2005 aerial photography.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Northeast portion of survey area, 2005 aerial photography.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Southwest portion of survey area, 2005 aerial photography.
Plainfield Rural Structures and Farmsteads Survey Southeast portion of survey area, 2005 aerial photography.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. APPENDIX C SURVEY MAPS The following maps were generated as part of this study using ArcGIS software. The background aerial photography and baseline maps were downloaded from the Illinois Na tural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse internet site, http://www.isgs.uiuc.e du/nsdihome/ The aerial photograph for the Will County portion of the survey area is dated 2005; th e aerial photography for the Kendall County portion is dated 1999. Later in 2006, it is expected that fu ll color 2005 photography will be made available for Kendall County, but this data was not availa ble in time for publication of this report. This appendix contains: Key list of sites with ID number, organized by township Map 1 – Overview of Survey Map 2 – Significance of Sites Map 3 – Limestone Farmsteads Map 4 – Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads Map 5 – Plainfield Road Corridor District Map 6 – House Types Map 7 – Barn Types Map 8 – Crib Barns
Key to Properties by Database ID Number, Parcel Number, and Address IDPIN NumberName Address PlainfieldTownship 29803-03-100-002120135th StreetNorton–Eaton farm (Eaton Preserve)41403-09-400-00214735Wood Farm Road 41503-09-300-00414834Wood Farm RoadCoe–Cheeny farm 41603-08-400-005721Lockport Road 41703-17-205-002121Indian Boundary Line RoadHerath house 41803-16-400-020River Road 41903-18-300-00326160Renwick Road 42003-19-300-00216523Indian Boundary Line Road 42403-07-300-001Lockport Road 42503-18-100-00426049Lockport Road 42603-18-200-00425857Lockport Road 42803-08-300-0141907Lockport Road 43103-05-300-0042005143rd StreetSteigle farm 43203-07-100-00125725143rd StreetF. W. Steiner farm 43303-06-400-00225710143rd StreetFred Steiner farm 43403-08-100-0091828143rd Street 43703-04-400-0092205Van Dyke RoadFindley House 44103-10-204-011151IL Route 126Flagg house 44203-02-400-004846IL Route 126Rathburn House 44303-11-200-0061052143rd StreetZacharias Spangler farm 44403-02-400-0161019143rd StreetJohn Spangler farm 45303-22-400-03416608Lily Cache Road 45403-15-306-01839Renwick RoadHenry Spangler farm 45503-21-200-00915916U.S. Route 59Hess-Brown farm 45703-16-400-008711Renwick Road 45803-21-100-0341018Renwick Road 46203-28-200-00316710IL Route 59Kapps farm 46303-27-100-00116761IL Route 59 46503-27-200-01316850Lily Cache Road 46903-20-200-0201628Renwick Road 470n/aRenwick RoadSpring Banks Road bridge 47303-11-300-00623004Lockport Road
IDPIN NumberName Address 47403-28-100-003Fritz RoadWoelfel-Fritz farm 47903-17-100-018Rowley RoadWillow Tree Farm 48403-02-300-004413IL Route 126 48503-15-402-012364U.S. Route 30 at Renwick RoadBrown House 48703-10-103-03121Main StreetHyland house
IDPIN NumberName Address WheatlandTownship 23101-19-100-00911152Heggs Road 23301-19-400-00211619Heggs Road 23401-30-200-008Heggs RoadLoeffel farm 23601-30-300-00612464Heggs RoadStar farm 23701-30-300-00226042127th Street 23801-31-400-002Heggs Road 24101-19-300-00926202119th StreetGarden Visions Nursery 24201-19-300-01026200119th Street 24301-19-400-004Heggs RoadWheatland Presbyterian Church 24401-19-400-01026002119th Street 24501-19-400-004119th StreetParsonage, Wheatland Presbyterian Church 24601-19-400-00825958119th Street 24701-30-200-00126021119th StreetFormer schoolhouse 24801-30-200-00225963119th Street 25801-20-100-00311230Normantown Road 25901-20-300-002119th Street 26101-21-300-00324462119th Street 26701-26-200-00112002Essington RoadDague farm 26801-26-300-00412655Naperville-Plainfield RoadFry farm 26901-35-100-004Naperville-Plain field RoadGrill–Weinhold farm 27001-26-100-00712211Naperville-Plainfield RoadFry tenant house 27201-27-200-00212264Book RoadBoughton farm 27301-27-200-00123459119th Street 27401-27-100-00823721119th Street 27501-27-400-00223358127th Street 27901-28-100-002Van Dyke Road 28101-28-300-01812415248th Avenue 28201-29-400-01312130248th Avenue 28301-29-400-01312248248th AvenueSillar farm 28501-29-300-00225228127th Street 28801-32-200-001U.S. Route 30 29701-34-400-00623528135th StreetHerzog farm 29901-33-100-00612906Van Dyke Road
IDPIN NumberName Address 30501-26-100-00512052Naperville-Pla infield RoadFry tenant house barn 30701-29-300-01225224U.S. Route 30Plainfield Propane 30901-34-100-00512905Cathy Lane 43901-34-401-031385135th StreetChutney House 47501-19-100-00411150Heggs Road 47601-19-300-007119th Street and Heggs RoadBaseball field 47701-19-400-004Heggs RoadCemetery, Wheatland Presbyterian Church 48101-31-200-008Heggs Road 48201-23-300-002119th Street
IDPIN NumberName Address Na-Au-Say 35606-01-100-011833Plainfield Road 35706-01-200-0036398Stewart RoadMcMicken farm 35806-01-100-006510Plainfield Road 35906-01-400-0016610Plainfield Road 36006-01-100-012Plainfield Road 36106-02-300-0151690Cherry Road 36206-03-400-0032440Cherry Road 36306-03-100-0022833Cherry Road 36506-03-100-0016120Schlapp Road 36706-03-300-0036916Schlapp Road 36906-10-200-0042018Johnson Road 37006-11-100-0041998Johnson Road 37106-11-100-002Johnson RoadCollins-Johnson farm 37206-11-200-006Johnson Road 37306-12-200-0027150Plainfield Road 37406-12-100-003Plainfield RoadCampbell farm 37506-12-100-0037557Plainfield Road 37606-12-400-001137IL Route 126Folsom–Wheeler farm 37706-13-200-002150IL Route 126Tuttle farm 37806-13-126-001724IL Route 126 38006-14-200-0101050IL Route 126 38106-14-100-001IL Route 126Falkenberg farm 38206-14-100-0051576IL Route 126 38306-10-300-0052525IL Route 126Thompson farm 38506-15-100-009IL Route 126 38606-15-100-0022730IL Route 126 39006-22-200-0012324Wheeler RoadWhitlock-Thompson farm 39106-15-300-0012311Wheeler Road 39206-22-300-001Schlapp RoadKellogg Farm 39806-22-400-0012251Walker Road 40006-23-400-001Ridge Road 40106-23-100-0021312Wheeler Road 40206-14-300-0021515Wheeler Road 40306-14-400-0058841Ridge RoadPearson farm
IDPIN NumberName Address 40406-24-300-004655Walker RoadStryker farm 40506-25-100-009512Walker Road 40606-25-100-00110420Ridge RoadSmith farm 40706-24-200-001Wheeler RoadHager farm 40806-13-400-00215637County Line Road 40906-25-400-002Caton Farm RoadSchroeder farm 48606-22-100-001Wheeler RoadNa-Au-Say Township Hall [?]
IDPIN NumberName Address Oswego 31303-24-200-00590111th Street (Rance Road)31503-24-200-0013202Stewart RoadCochran farm 31703-24-400-0023716Stewart Road 31803-24-300-001744Woolley RoadHafenrichter farm 32903-27-301-0032732Collins Road 33003-27-377-0152543127th Street (Simons Road)Simons farm 33303-34-226-0022080127th Street (Simons Road)33503-26-300-0051850Collins RoadSmith farm 33803-25-100-0014271Stewart RoadKiehl farm 33903-26-400-0024535Gilmore Road 34103-25-400-002115127th Street (Simons Road)Stewart farm 34203-25-400-00326034127th Street (Simons Road)34303-25-300-006571127th Street (Simons Road)34403-25-300-003825127th Street (Simons Road)34503-36-100-002870127th Street (Simons Road)34603-26-400-0091111127th Street (Simons Road)34703-35-200-0061336127th Street (Simons Road)34803-36-400-00431135th Street (Paydon Road)Findley farm 34903-34-100-0062616Plainfield Road 35003-34-251-002Plainfield Road 35103-34-400-0092280Plainfield Road 35203-35-100-0022025Plainfield Road 35303-35-351-0061842Plainfield Road 35403-35-377-001Plainfield RoadGilbert Gaylord farm 35503-35-476-0021237Plainfield RoadAnderson farm
)D )D E E E E ))))))))D D )D )))D )D D )D E E E D )))D E )E )D )E )))))))D D D ))))))D )D D ))))D ))))))D D D )))))D D )))D D ))D D ))))))D ))D )))D D ))))))))D E D D )))))E E E E E E E E E E ))E E E )E )E E )))))E )))))))))))))))))))))))E )E )E )E ))E E )))E E E E ))))))))))))))E ))))))))))E E E E )485 482 481 258 248 243 242 238 237 236 234 233 231 474 473 470 469 465 463 462 458 457 455 454 453 444 443 442 441 439 437 434 433 432 431 428 426 425 487 484 479 424 420 419 418 417 416 415 414 309 307 305 299 298 297 288 285 283 282 281 279 275 274 273 272 270 269 268 267 261 259 486 409 408 407 406 405 404 403 402 401 400 398 383 382 381 380 378 377 376 375 374 373 372 371 370 392 391 390 386 385 369 367 365 363 362 361 360 359 358 357 356 355 354 353 352 351 350 349 348 347 346 345 344 343 342 317 315 313 341 339 338 335 333 330 329 318 Map 1 - Overview of Survey Legend )Existing Farmstead E Existing Farmstead Outside Survey Limit D Farmstead Demolished Since 1999 Rural Survey Limits Plainfield Municipal Limits 4 012 0.5 Miles
)*))))*(******)))(*))()!*)*))**)*))**))))*)*)()(()))*))))))**!)**)()(!!)))))))))))())))**()**))*)*)**)))()*))*!!)()*))*)*(*))))()())*)))())))))**)1 1 9 t h S t r e e t 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t N o r m a n t o w n R o a d L o c k p o r t R o a d B o o k R o a d R e n w i c k R o a d I L R o u t e 5 9 I L R o u t e 1 2 6 C a t o n F a r m R o a d U .S . R o u t e 3 0 H e g g s R o a d D r a u d e n R o a d S t e i n e r R o a d F r a s e r R o a d R i v e r R o a d 2 4 8 t h A v e n u e 1 1 1 t h S t r ee t 1 2 7 t h S t r e e t O l d I n di a n B o un d a r y L i n e R o a d V a n D y k e R o a d E s s i n g t o n R o a d F r i t z R o a d L i l y C a c h e R o a d N a p e r v i l l e -P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o d F a r m R o a d I L R o u t e 5 9 1 2 7 t h S t r e e t V a n D y k e R o a d I L R out e 5 9 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t U .S . R o u t e 3 0 I L R o u t e 1 2 6 U .S . R o u t e 3 0 J o h n s o n R o a d I L R o u t e 1 2 6 W h e e l e r R oa d C o l l i n s R o a d S i m o n s R o a d C h e r r y R o a d S c h l a p p R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o l e y R o a d R i d g e R o a d W a l k e r R o a d S t e w a r t R o a d D o ug l a s R o ad C o un t y L i n e R o ad G i l m o r e R o a d S ch l a p p R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d 486 407 403 402 401 400 398 383 381 380 378 375 373 371 392 391 390 386 367 365 362 359 358 356 353 351 350 347 346 345 338 335 333 330 318 377 376 374 352 348 341 406 354 409 408 405 404 382 372 370 385 369 363 361 360 357 355 349 344 343 342 317 315 313 339 329 485 258 248 242 238 236 235 233 477 475 474 465 462 458 455 453 441 439 434 432 431 428 487 479 420 419 416 307 305 299 298 288 285 283 282 281 279 275 274 273 272 270 261 234 470 454 433 415 297 267 259 444 443 269 268 482 481 237 473 469 463 457 442 437 426 425 484 424 418 417 414 309 Map 2 - Significance of Sites Legend )Contributing (Local landmark potential !National Register potential *Non-contributing Rural Survey Limits Proposed Districts 4 012 0.5 Miles
h g h g h g h g h g h g h g B o o k R o a d I L R o u t e 1 2 6 I L R out e 5 9 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t E s s i n g t o n R o a d 1 2 7 t h S t r e e t Fry farm Dague farm Herzog farm John Spangler farm Grill–Weinhold farm Fry tenant house barn Zacharias Spangler farm Map 3 - Limestone Farmsteads Legend h g Eligible for inclusion in Limestone Farmsteads Thematic Designation Rural Survey Limits 4 00.250.50.751 0.125 Miles
h g h g h g h g h g h g h g h g h g h g Baseball field Former schoolhouse Garden Visions Nursery Wheatland Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Wheatland Presbyterian Church Map 4 - Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads Legend h g Part of Wheatland Presbyterian Church Rural Crossroads Minimum Boundaries of Proposed District 4 02505007501,000 125 Feet
*))(***)))(*))()!*)*))**)*)**)*)*)()(()))*)J o h n so n R o a d I L R o u t e 1 2 6 S i m o n s R o a d C h e r r y R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d S t e w a r t R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d 383 382 381 380 378 377 376 375 374 373 372 371 370 386 385 369 363 362 361 360 359 358 357 356 355 354 353 352 351 350 349 348 347 346 345 344 343 342 341 333 330 240 237 Map 5 - Plainfield Road Corridor District Legend Proposed District Boundary 4 00.511.52 0.25 Miles
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""1 1 9 t h S t r e e t 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t N o r m a n t o w n R o a d L o c k p o r t R o a d B o o k R o a d R e n w i c k R o a d I L R o u t e 5 9 I L R o u t e 1 2 6 C a t o n F a r m R o a d U .S . R o u t e 3 0 H e g g s R o a d D r a u d e n R o a d S t e i n e r R o a d F r a s e r R o a d R i v e r R o a d 2 4 8 t h A v e n u e 1 1 1 t h S t r ee t 1 2 7 t h S t re e t O l d I n di a n B o un d a r y L i n e R oad V a n D y k e R o a d E s s i n g t o n R o a d F r i t z R o a d Li l y C a c h e R o a d N a p e r v i l l e -P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o d F a r m R o a d V a n D y k e R o a d I L R o u t e 1 2 6 U .S . R o u t e 3 0 I L R out e 5 9 U .S . R o u t e 3 0 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t I L R o u t e 5 9 1 2 7 t h S t r e e t 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t J o h n s o n R o a d I L R o u t e 1 2 6 W h e e l e r R oa d C o l l i n s R o a d S i m o n s R o a d C h e r r y R o a d S c h l a p p R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o l e y R o a d R i d g e R o a d W a l k e r R o a d S t e w a r t R o a d D o u g l a s R o ad C o un t y L i n e R o ad G i l m o r e R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d S ch l a p p R o a d 238 469 457 455 453 487 479 288 285 283 272 270 261 241 236 234 474 454 441 437 434 433 431 420 419 416 297 281 275 274 273 268 267 259 485 258 237 235 444 443 442 425 484 415 299 279 269 246 475 465 462 458 432 428 426 417 309 282 482 481 233 439 414 408 398 373 372 385 369 363 350 317 339 335 333 330 406 403 383 380 375 371 391 365 362 361 360 357 354 352 351 341 338 318 405 404 401 382 378 392 359 344 407 381 390 367 358 356 353 347 346 313 486 409 402 400 377 376 370 386 355 349 348 345 343 342 315 329 Map 6 - House Types Legend "Upright and Wing "Gabled Ell "Four over Four "American Foursquare "Other Types Rural Survey Limits 4 012 0.5 Miles
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""1 1 9 t h S t r e e t 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t N o r m a n t o w n R o a d L o c k p o r t R o a d B o o k R o a d R e n w i c k R o a d I L R o u t e 5 9 I L R o u t e 1 2 6 C a t o n F a r m R o a d U .S . R o u t e 3 0 H e g g s R o a d D r a u d e n R o a d S t e i n e r R o a d F r a s e r R o a d R i v e r R o a d 2 4 8 t h A v e n u e 1 1 1 t h S t r ee t 1 2 7 t h S t re e t O l d I n di a n B o un d a r y L i n e R o a d V a n D y k e R o a d E s s i n g t o n R o a d F r i t z R o a d L i l y C a c h e R o a d N a p e r v i l l e -P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o d F a r m R o a d 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t I L R ou t e 59 V an D y k e R o ad I L R o u t e 5 9 1 2 7 t h S t r e e t U .S . R o u t e 3 0 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t I L R o u t e 1 2 6 U .S . R o u t e 3 0 J o h n s o n R o a d I L R o u t e 1 2 6 W h e e l e r R oa d C o l l i n s R o a d S i m o n s R o a d C h e r r y R o a d S c h l a p p R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o l e y R o a d R i d g e R o a d W a l k e r R o a d S t e w a r t R o a d D o u g l a s R o ad C o un t y L i n e R o ad G i l m o r e R o a d S ch l a p p R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d 234 419 298 416 272 474 462 458 429 288 236 487 299 268 267 444 431 415 297 280 381 359 353 401 400 386 365 333 330 404 403 398 376 373 390 385 367 362 352 346 406 380 392 369 357 354 348 315 341 335 409 407 374 355 351 338 318 Map 7 - Barn Types Legend "Dairy barn "Feeder barn "Plank Frame barn "Three-bay Threshing barn "Other Types Rural Survey Limits 4 012 0.5 Miles
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""1 1 9 t h S t r e e t 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t N o r m a n t o w n R o a d L o c k p o r t R o a d B o o k R o a d R e n w i c k R o a d I L R o u t e 5 9 I L R o u t e 1 2 6 C a t o n F a r m R o a d U .S . R o u t e 3 0 H e g g s R o a d D r a u d e n R o a d S t e i n e r R o a d F r a s e r R o a d R i v e r R o a d 2 4 8 t h A v e n u e 1 1 1 t h S t r ee t 1 2 7 t h S t re e t O l d I n di a n B o un d a r y L i n e R o a d V a n D y k e R o a d E s s i n g t o n R o a d F r i t z R o a d L i l y C a c h e R o a d N a p e r v i l l e -P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o d F a r m R o a d U .S . R o u t e 3 0 I L R o u t e 5 9 I L R o u t e 1 2 6 U .S . R o u t e 3 0 1 3 5 t h S t r e e t I L R ou t e 59 1 4 3 r d S t r e e t 1 2 7 t h S t r e e t V an D y k e R o ad J o h n s o n R o a d I L R o u t e 1 2 6 W h e e l e r R oa d C o l l i n s R o a d S i m o n s R o a d C h e r r y R o a d S c h l a p p R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d W o o l e y R o a d R i d g e R o a d W a l k e r R o a d S t e w a r t R o a d D o u g l a s R o ad C o un t y L i n e R o ad G i l m o r e R o a d S ch l a p p R o a d P l a i n f i e l d R o a d 258 246 474 462 443 431 420 416 299 288 283 279 273 272 267 261 259 234 406 405 403 402 400 398 383 380 376 373 370 385 369 367 362 354 351 350 348 347 341 339 338 335 318 365 333 381 377 4 012 0.5 Miles Map 8 - Crib Barns