HomeMy Public PortalAbout04-11-2019 Historic Preservation Commission Agenda PacketHistoric Preservation Commission
Thursday, April 11, 2019
7:00 PM
Village Boardroom
24401 W. Lockport Street
Plainfield, IL 60544
Agenda
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Approval of the Minutes of the Special Historic Preservation Commission held on
January 24, 2019 and the Special Historic Preservation Commission Workshop held on
February 7, 2019.
01-24-2019 Special HPC Minutes.pdf
02-07-2019 Special HPC Minutes.pdf
CHAIR'S COMMENTS
COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS
PUBLIC COMMENTS (5 minutes per topic)
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
CASE No: 1832-031819.HPC
REQUEST: Landmark Nomination (Public Hearing)
LOCATION: 14930 S. Illinois St.
APPLICANT: Bryan Buss
14930 S. Illinois Street Staff Report.pdf
Landmark Nomination for 14930 S. Illinois Street.pdf
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Historic Preservation Commission Page - 2
CASE No: 1833-031419.COA
REQUEST: Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)
LOCATION: 15326 S. Joliet Rd.
APPLICANT: Laura Zaidi
15326 S. Joliet Road Staff Report and Graphics.pdf
DISCUSSION
ADJOURN
REMINDERS -
April 15, 2019 - Village Board Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
April 16, 2019 - Plan Commission Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
May 2, 2019 - Joint LDDC & Public Outreach Meeting at 5:00 p.m.
May 9, 2019 - Historic Preservation Commission Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
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Agenda Item No:
Historic Preservation Commission Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: April 11, 2019
Submitted by: Tracey Erickson
Submitting Department: Planning Department
Item Type: Minutes
Agenda Section:
Subject:
Approval of the Minutes of the Special Historic Preservation Commission held on January 24, 2019 and the
Special Historic Preservation Commission Workshop held on February 7, 2019.
Suggested Action:
Attachments:
01-24-2019 Special HPC Minutes.pdf
02-07-2019 Special HPC Minutes.pdf
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Special Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission
Record of Minutes
Date: January 24, 2019 Location: Village Hall
CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, PLEDGE
Chairman Bortel called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Roll call was taken: Commissioners Lucas, Barvian, Schmidt, Olsen, Derrick, Hendricksen, Hagen, and Chairman Bortel were present.
Commissioner Rapp was absent. Also, in attendance: Kendra Kuehlem, Associate Planner. Chairman Bortel led the pledge to the flag.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Derrick made a motion to approve the agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Olsen. Voice
Vote. All in favor. 0 opposed. Motion carried 8-0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Derrick made a motion to approve the minutes dated December 18, 2018 as amended. Seconded by Commissioner Hendricksen. Vote by roll call: Lucas, yes; Barvian, yes; Schmidt, yes;
Olsen, yes; Rapp, yes; Derrick, yes; Hendricksen, yes; Hagen, yes, and Bortel, yes. Motion carried 8-0.
CHAIR’S COMMENTS
Chairman Bortel informed the commission that he received an email regarding a property on Joliet Road
requesting to install a fence. Chairman Bortel stated the property is located in a historic district and will require a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Chairman Bortel asked Commissioner Barvian about realtors getting continued education credits for attending a possible BTD event in the Spring. Commissioner Barvian provided the commission the
information he received from Main Street Organization for Realtors. The commission discussed who to
invite to the possible BTD event this Spring.
COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS Commissioner Hendericksen requested for a Code Enforcement Officer to attend an HPC meeting. Chairman Bortel stated maybe the Code Enforcement Office and the new Fire Chief can attend the
February joint LDDC and Public Outreach meeting. Commissioner Hendricksen suggested not having them at the same meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT Chairman Bortel asked for public comment and there was no response. OLD BUSINESS None.
NEW BUSINESS 1826-123118.COA 24042 W. Lockport Street Plainfield Castle LLC
Ms. Kuehlem presented the staff report dated January 24, 2019, stating the applicant, Plainfield Castle LLC, is the owner of 24042 W. Lockport Street, and wishes to modify the exterior of the building
performing tuckpointing and painting. Because the property is located in the Downtown Historic District,
this work requires a Certificate of Appropriateness. 4
Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 24, 2019
Page 2 of 3
Ms. Kuehlem stated in advance of any public comment or discussion by the Historic Preservation Commission, staff supports the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness and believes that the
restoration work is appropriate.
Chairman Bortel swore in Michael Kelly, applicant. Mr. Kelly provided a description of the work that is
being proposed. Commissioner Barvian asked why the applicant is using vinyl windows. Mr. Kelly indicated there are no
real windows currently there and they chose them because they know someone who sells vinyl windows. Chairman Bortel indicated that the addition of the screen porch was probably added in the 1960’s.
Chairman Bortel asked if there will be all new gutters and downspouts. Mr. Kelly confirmed. Chairman Bortel asked if the commission wants a period specific gutters and downspouts on the rear of the building.
Commissioner Hendricksen stated he thinks a galvanized gutter would be nice and asked the applicant to
consider using them. Commissioner Hendricksen asked if the windows will be traditional double hung. Mr. Kelly confirmed.
Commissioner Schmidt asked what window material is on the front. Mr. Kelly stated he believes the windows are wood. Commissioner Schmidt asked if the rear windows will be same size as the front
windows. Mr. Kelly stated they are not because he is trying to fill the space. Commissioner Hendericksen stated concrete block and the area above was an addition to the original structure. Commissioner Olsen asked if the concrete block goes all the way up. Mr. Kelly stated it is only as high
as the first floor. Chairman Bortel asked if the north west corner of the porch will have windows or siding. Mr. Kelly stated there will be windows on all sides.
Commissioner Derrick stated that the 2005 Urban Core Survey referenced the features of the rear to of the building. Commissioner Derrick asked if the applicant knew when the concrete block in the rear of the building was installed because if it was after 1931 there would be different criteria. Mr. Kelly indicated
to the best of his knowledge the concrete block dates back to the 1960’s and explained why based on a previous owner’s use of the building which was for the Enterprise Newspaper.
Chairman Bortel asked if there will be windows on the north, east and west façade. Mr. Kelly confirmed.
Commissioner Hendericksen asked if there are drawings for the side elevations. Mr. Kelly stated no.
Commissioner Hendericksen suggested Mr. Kelly provide them a copy of the scope of work to use to write the letter of agreement. Commissioner Hendericksen indicated that this case will set a precedent for
future alley façade projects in the downtown area. Chairmen Bortel stated this part of downtown is unique because previous owners restored the front of buildings.
Commissioner Derrick asked the applicant if any materials or changes have been made to the plans since submittal. Mr. Kelly stated no. Commissioner Derrick asked if the windows will be 2 by 2 windows. Mr. Kelly confirmed. Commissioner Derrick stated the mortar joints will need to be the same depths,
widths and using a mortar that is appropriate for the concrete block. Mr. Kelly stated the mortar will be type “N”. Commissioner Hendericksen stated the commission does not want the mortar to look like it was patched.
Mr. Kelly asked the commission if he will need period appropriate gutters and drawings of all elevations.
Commissioner Hendericksen confirmed. Commissioner Derrick asked if anyone know what gutters from
the 1960’s look like. Mr. Kelly indicated that Commissioner Hendericksen was asking for galvanized gutters. Commissioner Hendericksen asked the applicant to work with his contractor to find a period
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Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 24, 2019
Page 3 of 3
appropriate gutter. Chairman Bortel asked if the commission was good with 1 by 6 siding reveal. Commissioners confirmed.
Commissioner Hendricksen made a motion to recommend approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness for 24042 W. Lockport Street, subject to review and approval of a Letter of Agreement with the HPC,
applicant and Village staff with the following stipulations: 1. Period appropriate gutters; and
2. Draws of east and west rear elevations to be submitted to staff. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Derrick. Vote by roll call: Barvian, yes; Schmidt, yes; Olsen,
yes; Derrick, yes; Hagen, yes; Lucas, yes; Hendericksen, yes; Bortel, yes. Motion carried 8-0.
DISCUSSION
Chairman Bortel asked staff if there are dates for the Historic Guidelines Manual. Ms. Kuehlem reviewed the dates she thought were possible. The commission agreed to have the Workshop on February 7th at
5:00 p.m., instead of having an LDDC meeting.
ADJOURN
Commissioner Hendericksen made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Barvian seconded the motion. Voice vote. All in favor; 0 opposed. Motion carried 8-0.
Meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tracey Erickson
Recording Secretary
Click on the link to view the video of the January 24, 2019 Historical Preservation Commission Meeting.
http://plainfieldil.granicus.com/player/clip/449?view_id=2
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Special Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission
Record of Minutes
Date: February 7, 2019 Location: Village Hall
CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL
Chairman Bortel called the meeting to order at 5:06 p.m. Roll call was taken: Commissioners Barvian, Schmidt, Olsen, Derrick, Hendricksen, Hagen, and Chairman Bortel were present. Commissioners Lucas
and Rapp were absent. Also, in attendance: Kendra Kuehlem, Associate Planner. PUBLIC COMMENT
Chairman Bortel asked for public comment and there was no response. WORKSHOP
At the Historic Preservation Commission workshop, the commission discussed the content and layout for
the Design Guidelines for Historic Preservation manual.
ADJOURN
Commissioner Derrick made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Barvian seconded the motion. Voice vote. All in favor; 0 opposed. Motion carried 7-0.
Meeting adjourned at 6:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tracey Erickson
Recording Secretary
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Agenda Item No:
Historic Preservation Commission Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: April 11, 2019
Submitted by: Tracey Erickson
Submitting Department: Planning Department
Item Type: New Business Item
Agenda Section:
Subject:
CASE No: 1832-031819.HPC
REQUEST: Landmark Nomination (Public Hearing)
LOCATION: 14930 S. Illinois St.
APPLICANT: Bryan Buss
Suggested Action:
Attachments:
14930 S. Illinois Street Staff Report.pdf
Landmark Nomination for 14930 S. Illinois Street.pdf
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HISTORIC URBANIZED CORE SURVEY Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission
ADDRESS
14930 S. Illinois St.
PIN/Property Index Number
#06-03-09-404-010-0000
Historic Property Name(s)
Common Name(s)
Architectural Style
Italianate
Vernacular Building Type
Cross Plan
Construction Date
c. 1875
Architect/Builder
Historic Use(s)
Single Family Residential
Present Use(s)
Single Family Residential
History (associated events, people, dates)
Doud’s Subdivision. The 1931 Sanborn map is the first to show this block. This house was then 134, sharing the lot with
the nearly identical house to the south at then 135. At this house, the large rectangular lot extends in a tall, narrow
triangular tract, with a large 2 story carriage barn in the lot extension. The adjacent house had the bulk of the lot, with 3
outbuildings. This house is shown with the full SE reentrant angle porch and a complex series of rear wings including a 1
story NW reentrant angle wing, filling the angle; a 1 story rectangular wing set narrow end flush north; then what appears
to be an open porch which connects the other wings/main house to a 1 story rectangular wing (which may have been a
summer kitchen.)
Description
See reverse side/Continuation Sheet.
Integrity/Major Physical changes from original construction
Subsidiary Building(s)/Site
2 story carriage barn, c. 1890 or earlier. Architectural asphalt shingle gable front roof, shiplap sided walls, varied
fenestration. Gable front faces side/north with double wide opening; door assumed to be modern overhead door, but open
at time of survey. Modern pedestrian door and 2 horizontal/2 horizontal double-hung sash (modern replacement) face
front/east. House with broad south side lot which blends with open lot of 802.
Registration & Evaluation
National Register of Historic Places: Currently Listed: ___yes X no
If not currently listed, recommend: Individually ___yes X no; historic district X yes no
Contributing XX or non-contributing
Significance statement: Exceptionally detailed building with a high degree of integrity. Modern dark screens prevent
clear view of some windows; some windows may be modern replacements; others are c. 1930, now historic, replacements.
An interesting combination of a vernacular house form with Italianate style and early 20th century minor changes. VP;
AA.
Village of Plainfield designation: Currently Listed: ___yes X no
If not currently listed, recommend: Historic Landmark X yes no; Historic District X yes no
Contributing XX or non-contributing
Form prepared by: ArchiSearch Historic Preservation Consultants (Alice Novak) Date of Field Survey: 12.02.05 - 414
806 N. Illinois St.
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HISTORIC URBANIZED CORE SURVEY Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission
ADDRESS
PIN/Property Index Number
#06-03-09-404-010-0000
Description
Limestone foundation; medium gauge clapboard walls (painted green); plain,
narrow cornice, corner boards, and water table (painted ivory); architectural
asphalt shingle gable roof. 2 stories, cross plan, 3 facade bays. Windows and
doors with identical surrounds consisting of a shouldered pedimented drip cap
with corner blocks and base blocks as to effect the base of a pilaster or column.
House nearly identical to adjacent house to south @ 802. Enclosed SE
reentrant angle porch with three 3 vertical/1 double-hung sash facing south
and entrance with original door and modern storm door facing front/east.
South elevation with broad truncated 1 story semi-hexagonal bay (as to effect
a Mansard roof) with paneled bulkhead and cornice, petite brackets. Paired
1/1 above and square attic sash in apex. 2 story enclosed sleeping porch out of
rear/SW reentrant angle, an early 20th century addition. 3 modern 1/1 and
modern door; 2nd story with 5 shorter and wider 1/1. Facade/east gable front
with paired 3 vertical/1 double-hung sash, also an early 20th century, c. 1930,
alteration, though done within the original fenestration opening. Paired 1/1
on 2nd story and square apex sash as on side elevation gables. Single 3v/1 faces
front from 1st story of north side gable; blind above. Steep shed side porch
north behind side gable. 1 story rear shed wing historic/original.
806 N. Illinois St.
14930 S. Illinois St.
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Village of Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission
Nomination for Individual Landmark Listing in Register of Historic Places
For the property located at:
14930 S. Illinois Street
Plainfield, IL 60585
April 4, 2019
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Table of Contents
Cover 1
Part I
Survey Description 3
Part II
Overview 4
Part III Architecture 5
Part IV
Photo Descriptions 21
Appendix A 22
Early Plainfield
Appendix B 27
The Levi Arnold Connection
Appendix C 29
The Jacobs-Bates-Crist-Doud Connection
Appendix D 32 The Levi Baldwin Overman, Jr. &
Elisha Brown Connection
Appendix E 35
Summary Statement of Significance
Appendix F 36 Exhibit Table of Contents
Exhibit A 37
Ingersoll’s Original Plat of Planefield
Exhibit B 38
Ingersoll’s Addition to Plainfield
Exhibit C 39
Plat of Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield
Exhibit D 40
Chittenden & Smiley’s subdivision
of a part of the SE ¼ of Sec. 9
Exhibit E 41
Edgar L. Doud’s Re-Subdivision of
Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield
Exhibit F 42 Chain of Title for 14930 S. Illinois
Bibliography 46
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Part I
Survey Description
Nomination for listing in the Plainfield, Illinois Register of Historic Places
Individual Landmark
Overman – Brown – Buss Residence - 1884
14930 S. Illinois Street, Plainfield, Illinois Note: at the time of construction the name of the street was Arnold which was later changed to Illinois - f/k/a
806 N. Illinois Street, Plainfield, Illinois
PIN: 06-03-09-404-010-0000
That part of Lots 2 & 3 in Doud’s subdivision of Block 3 of Arnold’s Addition, begin at a point in the
westerly line of Arnold (Illinois) which is 30’ southeasterly from the NE corner of said Lot 2, thence in a
southeasterly direction along the westerly line of Arnold (Illinois) St., which is 30’ southeasterly from the
NE corner of said Lot 2, thence in a southeasterly direction along the westerly line of Arnold (Illinois) St. 119’, thence in a southwesterly direction at right angles to the West line of said street, 120’, thence in a
westerly direction 61.78’ to a point which is 82 ½’ East of the east line of said DesPlaines Street, thence
North 105.77’, thence northeasterly 109’ to the place of beginning, except the West 1 ½’ thereof, all in SE ¼
of Sec. 9
Petitioner: Bryan & Jennifer Buss
A request to the Village of Plainfield to consider designating the structure at 14930 S. Illinois Street, a local landmark.
This residence was included in a field survey conducted in December 2005 by Alice Novak representing
ArchiSearch Historic Preservation Consultants.
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Part II
Overview
Buildings can be viewed as puzzles of sorts, with different pieces – the roof, the windows, the door
placement, the decoration-forming one picture. Then groupings of buildings, even community-wide can be
pieces of a broader puzzle, putting together a picture of how and when a community developed. Buildings can be organized and analyzed by looking at details, architectural elements, scale and massing, and width
and depth. This generally falls into two categories – architectural style and vernacular building types.
Architectural styles and vernacular building types help illustrate how communities developed – periods of
our history where more growth occurred, what the favored tastes of the times were and more.
Architectural terminology can take years to learn and can be rather over-whelming. It is important to note
that some buildings may reflect architectural style and a vernacular building type. The house under
consideration for this nomination was begun in the spring or summer of 1884, since the owner Levi Baldwin
Overman, Jr. purchased the lot from Riley and Mary Hess on May 13, 1884 for $250. This property is a
Cross Plan house with intersecting gable wings with an Italianate influence – broad roof overhangs, shaped brackets on broad cornices, taller vertical double-hung sashes and hoodmolds. This was one of the most
popular residential styles in the mid to late nineteenth century and Plainfield has only six documented Cross
Plan properties. This style coincided with a period of great population growth, commercial and industrial
expansion in the United States and is commonly found throughout Illinois. Residential versions saw a boxy,
square shape and often featured a reentrant angle porch that emphasized one side of the gable front more than the other.
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Part III Architecture
Plate 1 – South Façade, Original House
Plate 1
Gives us a glimpse of how the residence appeared shortly after construction (note the small saplings and
ornamental shrubs). The view shows the south-facing facade of a typical Cross-Plan residence, the character of which is determined by many applied elements consisting of: door trim, window trim, eave brackets, gable embellishment and shutters. Not discernible in this photograph are the decorative panel details above and
below the bay windows. The value of this historic photograph cannot be overestimated! It is possible to
create a time-lapse sequence of imagined photographs that take this structure from 1888 to the present.
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Plate 2 – South Façade, Current
Plate 2 Taken in March 2019 this image nearly duplicates the viewing angle of Plate 1. Notable changes include the completion of a two-story addition added onto the south side of the original structure. In addition the
original entry vestibule has been extended to the east to align with the main house along the street-facing
main entry facade. Gable trim and shutters have also been removed.
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Plate 3 - East Entry Façade, Current
Plate 3 Note the symmetrical primary façade as evidenced by the side-by-side double-hung windows aligning below
the center gable on each floor including a single-sash attic window. As noted, the original single-story entry
vestibule was extended to align with the east wall and was constructed to retain the trim details reminiscent
of the period style.
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Plate 4 - East Façade, First Floor Window Detail
Plate 4
Very popular at the time of construction, side-by-side, double-hung, 3-over-1 cottage-style windows. The
wood trim provides a significant Italianate influence including pediment blocks, fluted trim and capital
blocks meant to simulate the look of a column. See photo descriptions in Appendix A (p. 21) for more detail.
A7
A5
A4
A3
A1
A2
A6
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Plate 5 - East Façade, Second Floor and Attic Window Details
Plate 5
The second floor windows in this facade mirror those on the lower floor. The attic window includes a very similar design without the emulated pitched moulding articulation at the top and with detailed contrasting
color panels in the side trim in lieu of fluted trim.
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Plate 6 - East Façade, Entry
Plate 6
The entry door trimmed in a similar style to the windows however does not retain the base and capital blocks. We know that this entry is a modification of the original construction, however it does fit in with the
facade as a whole. The pre-cast concrete steps were added after the modification of this entry vestibule.
In addition with the trim detail, this face contains detail common to many homes in this locality and era -
water table drip edge, lap siding with a five inch exposure and narrow vertical corner boards to allow the siding to make a butt fit.
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Plate 7 - North Façade, with Addition ‘A’ (view from NE)
Plate 7 The area in the forefront of this view clearly shows two of the wings of the original Cross Plan design. The
windows and wood trim generally follow the same stylistic expression as the east façade with the exception
of the second story window on the north face of the east wing which, as a result of the roof eave utilizes a
straight horizontal cap trim detail in lieu of the more embellished pitched moulding as constructed elsewhere.
This view also shows the natural cut limestone foundation which is utilized around the entire perimeter.
Please note a lean-to addition (Addition ‘A’) along the north face of the west wing with shed roof extending
to the north side of the original house. While the addition incorporates a similar foundation and base trim
height as the original home it is unfortunately not successful in incorporating comparable trim around the
windows.
See photo descriptions in Appendix A (p. 21) for more detail.
Addition ‘A’
F1
B1
B2
B3
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Plate 8 - North Facade
Plate 8
Here we can see a better view of the very tall first floor window and a small octagon window which is
trimmed in a contemporary style brick mold.
See photo descriptions in Appendix A (p. 21) for more detail.
G1
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Plate 9 - West Façade, with Addition ‘B’ (Looking SE)
Plate 10 - West Façade, with Addition ‘B’
Plates 9 & 10
A single-story addition (Addition ‘B’) to the first floor west face of the west wing with low-pitched shed-
style roof. Some elements of the addition attempt to reproduce the style patterns of the original residence including the foundation/first floor heights, base trim and window proportions. The roof overhang (along the west edge) and fascia height is also a similar to the original. The wood trim however, including the door &
window surrounds, frieze boards and corners is similar but not exact.
Addition ‘B’
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Plate 11 - West & South Façade, with Addition ‘C’
Plate 11
A two-story addition (Addition ‘C’) ‘filling-in’ the southwest open corner of the cross plan appears to be two separate additions. The first story portion seems to be an enclosed addition not unlike the west and north
side additions though likely constructed at a later date. The second story portion was likely added as a
screened in porch and was later enclosed with double-hung windows. A door and wood stair along the west
side were also added.
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Plate 12 - South Façade, with Addition ‘C’
Plate 12
Very few features of the first story addition attempt to mimic key stylistic elements of the original. While
the windows are double-hung, they are dissimilar in proportion, scale and height to the original. The limestone foundation is not expressed and base trim board is missing. The door and windows do not
incorporate comparable trim articulation and the embellishment of vertical trim pieces above the windows is
grossly incongruent. The pilasters (faux columns) flanking the door and at the corners of the addition do not
match the existing style, size or proportions of the original structure.
The second story portion is unremarkable and not noteworthy as it pertains to the continuation of stylistic
elements of the original. The addition appears to be or have been a sleeping porch with double-hung
windows arranged ribbon-style which are simply trimmed and have a common sill all of which has little to
no similarity in size, scale or proportion to the original.
Addition ‘C’
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Plate 13 - South Facade
Plate 13
This view provides an excellent feel for the Cross-Plan design. The 12 inch rise over 12 inch run roof pitch is most evident from this location. All of the original Cross Plan roof elevations followed this roof design.
The triple window under the eave on the south face of the entry vestibule is a mirror image of the window on
the north side of the east wing and much like the window above, is placed tight against the frieze and
therefore lacks the pitched cap embellishment trim prevalent on many of the other windows. The windows,
soffit, fascia and siding detail of the second floor match the common trim expressions of the residence.
See photo description in Appendix A (p. 21) for more detail
C3
C1
C4
C2 C6 C5
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Plate 14 – 5-Sided Bay Window, South Facade
DE2 DM6
DM5
DM2
DM1
DM4
DM3
DB5
DB3
DB1
DB2
DB4
DR1
DR3
DR2
DE1
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Plate 15 - 5-Sided Bay Window, South Facade (Lower Detail)
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Plate 16 - 5-Sided Bay Window, South Facade (Upper Detail) Plates 14, 15, & 16
The base of the bay incorporates recessed panels with perimeter moulding and diagonal butt-joint wood
infill, separated with a simple flat board surround. The corners of the bay are elaborated with turned and
slightly detailed vertical trim elements. A simple continuous wood sill caps the base of the bay.
The middle portion of the bay features tall double-hung windows flanked with wood trim pilasters including
fluted articulation and decorative wood blocks at the base and top. Again the corners of the bay are
elaborated with turned vertical trim elements continued from below. The top of this middle portion is
finished with offset-depth, horizontal trim boards and crown mouldings between the top blocks and above the windows. The entablature (top horizontal band) of the bay features decorative panel moulding and Ionic-
style scroll brackets beneath a minimal wood soffit.
The roof, while closely matching the original has been altered. The fascia is similar in scale to the rest of the
house and includes crown moulding. The main roof of the bay is flat and switches to asphalt-shingled pitched roof at the perimeter.
See photo descriptions in Appendix A (p. 21) for more detail.
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Plate 17 – Foundation at SW Corner of West Addition (Addition ‘B’)
Plate 18 - Foundation Detail at the 5-Sided Bay Window
See photo descriptions in Appendix A (p.21) for more details
E1
E1
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Part IV
Photo Descriptions
A. TYPICAL WINDOWS
A1 Three over one cottage sash design
A2 Pediment blocks
A3 Routed trim representing columns
A4 Detailed horizontal upper window trim
A5 Drip edge extending between capital blocks
A6 Simple sill
A7 Low pitched roof like structure with horizontal
center band and wings extending to the sides
B. TYPICAL SIDING
B1 Water table drip edge and lap siding with a five
inch exposure.
B2 Narrow vertical corner boards to allow the siding to
make a butt fit.
B3 Paint scheme: earth tone green siding, ivory trim
and medium brown detail.
C. TYPICAL ROOF
C1 12 inch rise over 12 inch run roof pitch
C2 Wide frieze
C3 24 inch width enclosed roof overhang
C4 Narrow fully trimmed fascia
C5 Hanging galvanized gutters and traditional
corrugated downspouts
C6 Three tab asphalt shingles
D. 5-SIDED BAY WINDOW
BASE (up to and including sill)
DB1 Diagonally planked recessed panels
DB2 Flat board surround
DB3 Crown mold
DB4 Turned and lightly detailed vertical trim elements, 4
total
DB5 Continuous wood sill
MIDDLE
DM1 Three-over-one, cottage-style window, 3 total
DM2 Turned and lightly detailed vertical trim elements, 4
total
DM3 Base block, 6 total
DM4 Routed board, 6 total
DM5 Meeting block at head of window, 6 total
DM6 Additional trim consisting of simple boards with
one small horizontal bead mold.
ENTABLATURE
DE1 Diagonally planked recessed panels
DE2 Scroll and drop bracket at each side, 8 total
ROOF
DR1 Partial asphalt-shingled pitched roof terminating in
partial flat, membrane
DR2 Narrow soffit
DR3 Crown molded fascia
E. FOUNDATION
E1 Natural cut limestone foundation
F. CHIMNEY
F1 Chimney appears to be altered
G. MISC
G1 Octagon window trimmed in modern-style brick
moulding
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Appendix A
Early Plainfield
The Land Ordinance of 1785 was adopted on May 20, 1785 by the Continental Congress and set the stage for
an organized and community-based westward expansion of the United States in the years after the American
Revolution. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was the effort of a five-person committee led by Thomas Jefferson that established a systematic and ubiquitous process for surveying, planning, and selling townships on the
western frontier.
Each western township contained thirty-six square miles of land which was divided into thirty-six sections,
each containing one square mile or 640 acres. Section 1 was located at the northeast corner of each township with subsequent sections numbered east to west; each tier had six sections and there were six rows of six
sections for a total of thirty-six sections with Section 36 found in the southeast corner. This mathematical
precision of planning was through the concerted efforts of surveyors which allowed these sections to be
easily subdivided for re-sale by settlers and land speculators. Initially government land offices sold land to
pioneers at the price of $1.25 per acre. Each township contained dedicated space for public education and other government uses, as the centermost of the 36 sections were reserved for government or public purposes
- Sections 15, 16, 21 & 22, with Section 16 dedicated specifically for public education. Additionally
roadways were often constructed along the north-south or east-west Township or Section division lines that
comprised the Township and Range delineations.
Revolutionary War land bounty land warrants were first awarded through an Act of Congress on September
16, 1776. These were grants of free land from Congress or states like Virginia who claimed lands west of the
Appalachian Mountains in areas that would later become the states of Ohio and Kentucky as a reward for
serving in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and later the War of 1812. The grants were
not automatic as veterans had to apply for them and if granted, use the warrant to apply for a land patent which granted them ownership of the land that could be transferred or sold to other individuals. Land
warrants issued by Congress were usually for the newly established lands created by the Land Ordinance of
1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Long before there were railroads, most Chicagoans’ link to civilization was primarily by schooner to and from New York City via the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal and the Hudson River. In the early 1830s, Chicago
was closer to a Wild West town than a metropolis. The two principal cities of the Midwest were the river
towns of Cincinnati and St. Louis, both which had good steamboat service. The closest a river steamer could
get to Chicago was Ottawa, more than 90 miles from Chicago on the Illinois River.
The Postal Act of 1792 established the role of the Postmaster General and made the United States’
Government responsible for creating post offices and establishing the delivery of the mail by private
contractors. The first Post Office in northern Illinois opened in Galena in 1826, five years before Chicago
saw one established at their settlement. With the establishment of a post office in Galena in 1826, John D.
Winters began running stagecoaches between St. Louis and Galena, carrying passengers and the U.S. Mail.
The stagecoach became the pre-dominant mode of overland public transport for passengers and mail.
Stagecoach lines were chosen not just for the convenience of passengers but to accommodate the timely
collection and distribution of the mail. Without mail contracts most stage lines would not have survived.
Chicago’s first stagecoach line arrived from Detroit in 1833 after the end of the Blackhawk War of 1832 that ended an Indian revolt over ownership of Illinois farmland which now made overland travel safe west of
Chicago. In July 1833, John Taylor Temple (1804-1877) of Virginia, who had received a homeopathic 34
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medical degree in 1824 from the University of Maryland arrived in Chicago with his wife and 4 children
with a contract from the U.S. Postmaster General to carry the mail from Chicago to Fort Howard at Green Bay. He soon built a two-story frame house at the corner of Wells & Lake Street and a medical office at the
southwest corner of Franklin and South Water Street.
In 1831, the High Prairie Trail from Chicago to Ottawa had been laid out by State officials as both northern
Illinois’ newest official road that also used established Indian trails. Soon after the Chicago to Fort Howard at Green Bay route began, it was discontinued and on January 1, 1834, Temple had political connections that
allowed him to secure the mail contract from Chicago to Peoria and had money to purchase a coach and set
up the necessary way stations. Temple was given a contract for operating a stagecoach line and conveying
the U.S. Mail from Chicago southwest to Peoria to meet the steamboats navigating the Illinois River from St.
Louis and later a route to Ottawa via Walkers’ Grove. The route to Ottawa started at the shore of Lake Michigan near the banks of the Chicago River and extended almost due west following the old
Pottawattamie Indian trail along the DesPlaines River which is now part of U.S. 6 to the ford across the
DesPlaines River at Riverside, thence the road headed west to Captain Joseph Naper’s settlement at the
DuPage River ford before turning southwest towards Walker’s Grove averaging about 10 miles each hour.
Initially stage passengers stayed with settlers in Walker’s Grove, which consisted of three or four crude log huts that offered limited comforts. Later the route was moved north to the newly platted settlement at
Plainfield (1834). Leaving Plainfield, the trail passed into what would become Kendall County in 1841,
crossing the prairie to the tiny cluster of cabins at the southernmost point of a grove of towering black walnut
trees before continuing on to Ottawa which was located at the head of navigation on the Illinois River.
The area from which Plainfield developed was first inhabited by the Potawatomie Indians. The Potawatomie
hunted the dense forests along the banks of the DuPage River and had some semi-permanent settlements.
When Illinois achieved statehood in 1818 most of the territory was wilderness. Occasional explorers, soldiers
on the marches to distant outposts, as well as Native American traders and trappers, had given glowing
descriptions of the beauties of the region. The Illinois and Michigan Canal project had been conceived during the Wat of 1812 which prompted the initial purchases of Native American lands commencing in 1816. The
first Europeans arriving in the area were French fur traders in the 1820s, who traded peacefully with the
Potawatomie but did not establish any permanent settlements. By about 1826, American missionaries began
to arrive to Christianize the Native Americans and establish permanent settlements.
Along with the occasional pioneers who ventured into the lands covered by the Northwest Ordinance came
several early Methodist missionaries. One of these early Methodist missionaries was The Reverend Jessie
Walker who came to the area before statehood. Walker had been born in Virginia and first visited the Indiana
territory in 1806 and later was appointed to the circuit in Illinois and likely introduced his son-in-law, James
Walker, to the region. In 1828, James Walker led a party that established a small settlement and sawmill along the DuPage River at Walkers’ Grove just south of present-day Plainfield.
This new settlement was known as Walker's Grove and the saw mill thrived in the midst of the thick forests
in the area. The DuPage River along with its links to other waterways provided essential transportation
between the settlements at Fort Dearborn at Lake Michigan (now Chicago) and Ottawa along the Illinois River. Walker's Grove was an important link along these water and trail routes. Walker's sawmill and the
area's timber also supplied the fast-growing settlement of Chicago with lumber to build their first wood-
framed houses. It has been documented that the lumber used to build the first structures in Chicago were
hauled by wagons built in Plainfield by John Bill and driven by Reuben Flagg and Timothy Clark from
Walker's Mill – the George Washington Dole Forwarding House and the Philip Ferdinand Wheeler Peck House – a two-story frame building in which Peck kept a store at southeast corner of South Water and
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LaSalle Streets that was built in the Autumn of 1832. Walker’s Grove was also reportedly the first permanent
settlement in Will County.
In 1828, Chester Ingersoll had traveled from his home in Vermont to northeast Illinois and settled at the
Walkers’ Grove settlement and four years later, joined with others to help defend Fort Beggs and later
opened one of the first hotels in Chicago. In October, 1833, Chester purchased 160 acres of land in the NE ¼
of Section 16 and in December 1833, married a young actress, Phebe Wever in Chicago and together they ran the Traveler Hotel until 1834. Ingersoll platted a town in August 1834, northeast of Walkers’ Grove,
naming it Planefield. Ingersoll platted his town with thirteen nearly square blocks consisting of rectangular
lots on a modified grid plan that would be familiar to many of those newly arriving pioneer families from
New England. Ingersoll’s east-west streets were named for the three main towns in Northeastern Illinois at
the time - Ottawa, Chicago and Lockport - while his north-south streets were named for the region’s rivers - DuPage, Kankakee, Fox River, DesPlaines, and Illinois. He envisioned a public square to become his
central business district that would be centered about the northern half of Block 3 with DesPlaines Street to
the east and Fox River Street to the west along a proposed east-west thoroughfare to be built on the section
line where Sections 16 and 9 met (Reference Exhibit A - Ingersoll’s 1834 Plat of Planefield). In 1834 Chester Ingersoll built a house for his family on an open tract of land that was south of Lot 26 in Block
13 of his newly platted town; this house was recently restored and designated a Village Landmark in September
2013. In October 1837, Ingersoll’s oldest daughter, Melissa married Thomas Jefferson York and soon
thereafter, Ingersoll had a small cottage west of his house built for them. The location of this house was south
of Lot 25 in Block 13 and was designated a Village landmark known as “Pioneer House” in 2008. In May 1837, Ingersoll recorded an addition to his original town plat comprising of twelve additional blocks – 6 blocks
on either side of a new east-west street, named Juliet. Thus Ingersoll’s 1834 house would come to be located
on Lot 2 and the house built for his daughter came to be built on Lot 3 in Block 1 of Ingersoll’s Addition to
Plainfield which became Shreffler’s Addition in 1851 (Reference Exhibit B – Ingersoll’s Addition to Plainfield).
Research conducted by Michael Lambert, a local Plainfield architect and historian on the James Mathers
family has found that Levi Arnold, a bachelor, likely traveled to the settlement around Walker’s Grove in
late 1831 or 1832 in the company of the family of James and Sarah Mathers, who he had met in the area of
St. Joseph, Indiana. Arnold staked claims in the area near the DuPage River and in present-day Kendall County before returning to St. Joseph, Indiana to marry Mariah Skinner on August 6, 1833. Sometime in
early 1834, Levi Arnold and his wife Mariah arrived from Indiana and purchased the quarter section of land
north of Ingersoll’s newly platted town – the SE ¼ of Section 9 on December 11. Arnold was particularly
interested in land adjacent to the DuPage River and parcels that straddled the Chicago-Ottawa Road.
Unlike Ingersoll who preferred a pre-planned orderly development as shown in Exhibit A, Levi Arnold soon
laid out four streets in his addition and allowed settlers to build homes and businesses on his land however he
did not always sell the land to them, but instead continued to own the land with the lots often becoming
irregular in shape and size. By 1835 Ingersoll had abandoned his public square concept and created a public
park in Block 10 of his original plat, that came to be known as the Village Green, which was immediately south of his failed public square and soon would be surrounded by residential housing. It seems likely that
Arnold also allowed entrepreneurs to build stores along the Lockport Road choosing not to sell them the land.
Ingersoll’s first recorded sale along the Lockport Road took place in May 1836 and Arnold’s first recorded
sale on his side of the roadway did not happen until March 1840 with the sale of a five-acre parcel to Chester
Bennett in what would eventually become Block 6. Arnold did not embrace Ingersoll’s concept of a New England town square since a portion of Block 4 in his corresponding addition would be needed to join
Ingersoll’s planned segment - [Reference Exhibit C – Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield]. 36
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Arnold cultivated a new friendship with Lewis B. Judson and together in 1835, they started a new town on
the east bank of the Fox River called Hudson. Arnold only lived in Plainfield a short time, choosing to devote most of his energies toward the development of his new town, Hudson. Initially the new town which
was located 10 miles northwest of Plainfield, attracted few settlers and in the Spring of 1836, Levi Arnold
moved his family to Hudson renting his Plainfield home on the Chicago to Ottawa Road, later becoming
known as Main Street to Dr. Erastus G. Wight, a circuit riding physician.
Chester Ingersoll abandoned his public square concept in 1836, opting instead for a public park located in Block 10, now called the Village Green, which was immediately south of his failed public square concept
that was eventually surrounded by residential housing. In 1840, as the family of Chester and Phebe Ingersoll
grew, they moved from the village north to a farm in Wheatland Township and within three years were living
on a farm near Lockport. In 1847 Ingersoll along with members of his family and numerous families from
the area left Illinois and traveled to the West to settle in California where Ingersoll died unexpectedly in September 1849.
Within a short time, businesses spread randomly throughout Ingersoll’s Plainfield with a concentration of
restaurants, blacksmiths, liveries and hotels along DesPlaines Street where it intersected with the east-west
roadway known as DuPage Street and by 1844, the first commercial buildings were being erected on this thoroughfare that would later become known as “the Lockport Road” as it was known outside of the village.
This thoroughfare separated the two communities begun by Arnold and Ingersoll branching eastward 6 miles
to the canal port at Lockport which in 1848 saw the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Once this road
was completed, it carried travelers going between the canal docks at Lockport and the accelerating farm
settlements west of the DuPage River with the village of Plainfield growing significantly after 1850.
With the construction of commercial buildings on numerous lots along the roadway in the 1840s, many
buildings were moved from other sites in Plainfield and set on every other lot so that the infill buildings only
required two walls, a floor, and a roof. By 1849 the only centralized commercial and industrial center in
Plainfield that had formed was located about the intersection of present-day Joliet Road, Division Street, and Commercial Street. Kankakee Street was renamed James Street, in honor of James Fairbanks, who created
Fairbanks’ Addition along the street bearing his name in 1853 and DuPage Street along the DuPage River
had been abandoned. Unfortunately, no formal adoption of street names existed between the Ingersoll and
Arnold sides of the village. In fact, names of streets changed—typically—at DuPage Street (now Lockport Street) which divided the two sides of the village. A residential neighborhood grew around the Village Green in Ingersoll’s original part of Plainfield.
Simultaneous to efforts of Ingersoll and Arnold, a third distinct community began to develop. In November
1834, James Mathers and James M. Turner purchased a quarter section of land in the SW ¼ of Section 10
that was east of Arnold’s SE ¼ of Section 9. In June 1836, James Mathers purchased Turner’s half share and in July 1836, platted East Plainfield which was comprised of 96 lots along Main Street and Water Street
(which is now Plainfield-Naperville Road), which paralleled the DuPage River on which Mathers built a
sawmill and gristmill. Mathers also built himself a house in 1835 at the northeast corner of Mill and Water
Streets (which is now Plainfield-Naperville Road) near his sawmill and gristmill and his partner James
Turner built a small cottage for his family at the southeast corner of Section 10 (currently the house at the northeast corner of Lockport Street and Eastern Avenue).
The southeastern part of the Village or the NW ¼ of Section 15 was the last portion of the Village to be
developed. In December 1834 Robert Chapman had purchased 280 acres in the NE ¼ & N ½ of the NW ¼ of Sec. 15 & S ½ of the NW ¼ of Sec. 15 and in July 1838 sold all of his holdings “excepting & reserving from the SW corner of the S ½ of the S ½ of said NW ¼ of Sec. 15,” a 2 ½ acre parcel in the southwest
corner or 20 square rods to be used as a cemetery that Chapman donated to the residents in the Spring of 37
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1837. In 1840, Dr. Oliver J. Corbin purchased a twelve-acre parcel south of Joliet Road and in 1845 sold a
small three lot triangular parcel of land to John Dillman to build a foundry, creating Plainfield’s first industrial park in what would become Oliver J. Corbin’s Subdivision in 1856. In 1852, a forty-acre parcel
was purchased by Elihu Corbin who had the land subdivided into an addition to Plainfield as well as several
subdivisions.
Commercial development was scattered in each quadrant of the village, but soon began to concentrate along either side of the east-west DuPage Street or what later became known as “the Lockport Road” which
occupied the area where Section 16 of Ingersoll’s Original Plainfield and Section 9 of Arnold’s Addition
met. As was the case in most of the newly established towns and villages of the Northwest Territories, once
the pioneer families had built their houses and established businesses, places of worship and schools for their
children were soon to follow. Plainfield’s commercial and residential development became concentrated in portions of the four quarter sections of prairie lands along or near to the DuPage River that made up the
Village. Soon a North-South roadway (West St. or Division) and an East-West Roadway (Lockport Road)
were created along the division lines of Sections 9, 10, 15 and 16.
1. Chester Ingersoll’s - NE ¼ of Sec. 16 (1833), 2. Levi Arnold’s - SE ¼ of Sec. 9 (1834),
3. James Mathers’ - SW ¼ of Sec. 10 (1835),
4. Elihu Corbin’s - NW ¼ of Sec. 15 (1852).
By 1869, the northern and southern portions of Plainfield were incorporated into a single community and by the 1870s, DuPage Street became commonly known as Lockport Street.
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Appendix B
The Levi Arnold Connection
Levi Arnold was born in Pennsylvania in May 1804 and moved to White Pigeon in the Michigan Territory in
1825 where he met James and Sarah Mathers. In 1828 the Mathers’ moved to Indiana and Levi Arnold
traveled with them and this he met Mariah Skinner in Elkhart, Indiana. By 1829 he was back living in St. Joseph County, Michigan where he was enumerated in the 1829 Michigan Census. Again he traveled from
Indiana with the Mathers to the settlement at Walker’s Grove and eventually returned to St. Joseph, Indiana,
marrying Mariah Skinner on August 6, 1833. They moved west to Illinois sometime in early 1834 arriving
before the birth of their first child, Harriet, who was born in Plainfield on July 12, 1834.
Arnold realized the business opportunities that soon presented itself at Walkers’ Grove and established a
friendship with Dr. John Temple. On December 11, Arnold purchased 160 acres of land in the Southeast
Quarter of Section 9 along the DuPage River which was immediately north and adjacent of Chester
Ingersoll’s newly platted village of Plainfield. Thus Arnold’s 1834 land acquisition adjacent to the DuPage
River and along the Chicago-Ottawa Road gave him a strategic advantage along this new stagecoach line – he could establish a small inn or tavern, provide a stable for the teams of horses needed to pull the coaches
and hopefully procure an appointment as a Postmaster to handle the mail carried by the Temple stagecoach
line. Before the end of the year Levi opened a tavern that later became known as Halfway House – located
halfway between Chicago and Ottawa on the Chicago-Ottawa Road. West and near to his tavern, he built
several barns with the capacity of 100 horses to accommodate the changing of stagecoach teams that would stop in Plainfield along the Chicago to Ottawa Road. A “tavern” in the 1830s was a place where weary
travelers could rest for the evening after suffering a hot, dusty summer ride, a bone-jarring winter ride over
frozen ruts and/or helping to push coaches out of the mud plus helping with repairs in the Spring and
Autumn. Passengers and lodgers in the areas west of Chicago often paid 12 ½ cents a night or 25 cents for a
combined supper and breakfast. Sleeping accommodations were generally in one large room, usually with more than one traveler per bed. Arnold’s Halfway House became the mid-point stop on the ninety-mile
Ottawa – Chicago stagecoach line and with Arnold’s appointment as Plainfield’s first postmaster in 1834, his
post office franchise became a windfall for the newly created Plainfield settlement which would increase its
importance and allow land values to rise. Juliet’s (Joliet’s) postmaster, Albert W. Bowen regularly picked up
his settlement’s mail that arrived by stagecoach at Plainfield’s post office until a stage operation was inaugurated between Chicago and Joliet in mid-1837. Arnold relinquished his Plainfield postmaster
appointment in January 1837 after relocating to Hudson (now Oswego).
In 1836, John Temple opened a stagecoach line carrying passengers and mail between Chicago and Galena.
John Frink, a Connecticut-born entrepreneur and stagecoach operator from New England, arrived in Chicago with his wife and 3 children in 1836. He had previously visited the “West” in 1830 to gauge business
opportunities and when the fledgling railroads in 1831 began to make inroads into the exclusive contracts
initially given to stagecoaches in the East, he eventually decided to relocate to Chicago. Later that year Frink
joined John Trowbridge who had already established a stagecoach line that was competing against Temple.
By 1837, the population of Chicago had grown to 4,179 and Frink purchased Temple’s stagecoach line that year and secured the lucrative mail contract that came with it, combining it with other routes that he and
Trowbridge had previously established. In 1839, John Frink and Martin Walker began a business relationship
and in 1840 created Frink & Walker - they became the stagecoach powerhouse for the next 16 years in
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Missouri.
Temple ordered a new stagecoach from the Abbot-Downing Company in Concord, New Hampshire for his
new ninety-mile route that would run twice a week for the day and one-half journey charging each passenger 39
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five dollars, however the lucrative portion for his stagecoach line was the coveted procurement of the United
States’ Mail contract. Beginning in January 1834, Temple’s first driver on his Ottawa to Chicago line was John Dean Caton (1812 – 1895). Caton had arrived in Chicago from New York in early 1833 when the
settlement numbered just 200 residents and in July become the first lawyer in Chicago. Caton rented a room
at John Temple’s house on Lake Street for his office and in December was elected the Village Attorney for
Chicago. By 1842 he was living in Ottawa and was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court, serving for 22
years – both as a Justice and twice as the Chief Justice – 1855 and 1857-1864.
In 1835 Arnold and Lewis Judson laid out the new settlement of Hudson at the shallow ford on the east bank
of the Fox River just above the mouth of Waubonsie Creek. In the Spring of 1836 shortly after the birth of
their second child, Lydia on March 19, Levi Arnold moved his family ten miles northwest of Plainfield to
Hudson and leased his tavern in Plainfield to Dr. Erastus G. Wight. The settlement of Hudson changed its name to Lodi and on January 24, 1837, Arnold was appointed its Postmaster. On July 31, 1838 after the
residents of Lodi decided to rename their community, Oswego, Arnold was re-appointed Postmaster.
In 1838 the completion of the Archer Road from Chicago to Lockport and commencement of work on the
Illinois & Michigan Canal finally established Joliet as the main artery of stagecoach travel to Ottawa & later Springfield & St. Louis – but from 1834 – 1837 the Plainfield route was the most direct and preferred by
western travelers and freighters.
In February 1841, Arnold sold to Elihu Springer, the minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a 1¼ acre
parcel where the congregation planned to construct their house of worship. This parcel was located in the western half of Block 6 between Chicago Street (now DesPlaines Street) on the west, Arnold Street (now
Illinois Street) on the east and the diagonal Oak Street on the north. Beginning in January 1850 the Trustees
of the Methodist Episcopal Church began selling their lots in the western portion of Block 6 in favor of
buying the lots in the eastern portion of Block 6. By May 1850 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal
Church had purchased the eastern half of Block 6 or that portion of the block that would become known as Chittenden & Smiley’s subdivision after the Assessor subdivided the area in 1867. After this parcel was
surveyed, the lots therein became designated as Lots 16 – 24 with subsequent contracts selling lots along
what would eventually become Lockport Road and had the written stipulation that the “South 30 feet is reserved for a road running East-West.” [Reference Exhibit D – Chittenden & Smiley’s subdivision].
In September 1844 Levi Arnold died at the age of 37 after a brief illness. Having to raise four young children, his wife Mariah had her husband’s holdings in Plainfield surveyed and in September 1845 began
selling all of the parcels in the section of Plainfield that would eventually become known as Arnold’s
Addition to Plainfield. The Plats of Survey revealed many irregular lot configurations with long legal
descriptions since many structures had been built on un-surveyed lots (Reference Exhibit C – Map of Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield).
By 1855, all of the holdings of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the western portion of Block 6 had been
sold and replaced with those lots in the eastern half of Block 6. As the economy began growing after the
conclusion of the Civil War, the Trustees of the Church saw an opportunity to sell their lots to commercial
entrepreneurs and build a new house of worship one block south of the noise and expanding traffic artery of Lockport Street. In October 1866, the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church purchased Lots 10 and 11
in Block 2, at the northwest corner of Illinois and Chicago Streets in Ingersoll’s Original Plainfield from
Limon and Leah Tobias for $350. They sold their parcels of land along the north side of Lockport Street and
west of Arnold Street (now Illinois Street) in March 1867 to James H. Smiley and George N. Chittenden
once their new place of worship had been completed.
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Appendix C
The Jacobs-Bates-Crist-Doud Connection
In the Spring of 1837, John Price Jacobs, a widower and a veteran of the War of 1812 decided to relocate to
Tazewell County in central Illinois and claim his land warrants received for his service during the War of
1812. Living in what would become Loudoun County, Virginia, his oldest son William B. Jacobs along with
his pregnant wife Maria (Chamblin) and their four young children accompanied him as did William’s youngest brother Samuel Jacobs. His two married sisters - Elizabeth and her husband James Lewis Wrenn
and youngest sister Mary May Jacobs and husband Roderick Triplett followed in the early 1840s with their
families.
William Jacobs was listed in the 1840 Census as living in Washington Township in Tazewell County. James
and Elizabeth Wrenn were identified in the July 3, 1845 Illinois Census of Tazewell County having settled in Washington Township during the summer of 1843 or about six years after John Price Jacobs and his son
William arrived. On November 20, 1845 John Price Jacobs added a codicil to his last Will and Testament
that set aside 4 square rods of ground to be reserved from his farm to be used as a family cemetery. The
cemetery was located on the main road leading from Springfield to Chicago and was west of his house at the
end of the lane. Soon after the creation of this family plot, Jacobs’ youngest son, Samuel died at the age of 49 and was the first burial in the cemetery. In November 1847, the patriarch of the family, John Price Jacobs
passed away at seventy-nine and was buried in this newly created burying ground. Less than five months
later, Elizabeth Jacobs’ husband, James Lewis Wrenn died unexpectedly at the age of fifty-six and was
buried in what would become known as the Wrenn Cemetery.
With the death of his father in November 1847, William B. Jacobs and his wife Maria along with their ten
children moved to Will County, Illinois. On May 17, 1848, a contract (P-161) for the purchase of 60.10 acres
including a house and barn for $720 was completed with Harmon and Martha Searles and nearly five months
later on October 1,1848, William Jacobs agreed to purchase another 50 acres adjacent to his farm for $375
from Benjamin and Mary Hill. The 1850 Census of Plainfield taken on September 9 listed William B. Jacobs (55) and his wife Maria with their ten children living in Plainfield Township. However records from the
Plainfield Township Cemetery indicate that his wife Maria had died over two months earlier on July 16,
1850. On March 20, 1851, William Jacobs passed away and was buried next to his wife at the Cemetery. The
agreement to purchase 50 acres of land adjacent to the Jacobs’ farm from Benjamin and Mary Hill on
October 1, 1848 was finally consummated on August 4, 1851 by the heirs of William Jacobs.
Jabez Rose Bates, Jr. was one of five children born to Jabez R. Bates, Sr. and Elizabeth Barker and the only
child in the family to relocate from his home state of Maine to Illinois in 1852. His father had served for six
months during the American Revolution in 1780 as a private in Massachusetts arm of the Continental Army
and lived his entire life in and around the village of Greene in Kennebec County, Maine. In January 1822 Jabez married Olive Sturgis and opened up a blacksmith shop in Dexter, Maine with his younger brother
Charles. In the Census of 1850, the family of Charles and Eunice Bates with their five children and Jabez and
Olive Bates with their six children were enumerated on the same page, listing both with occupations as
blacksmiths. Jabez’ two sons, Harrison and Elijah apprenticed with Jabez and his brother Charles to learn the
trade of blacksmithing.
In the Spring of 1853 Jabez sold his share of the blacksmith partnership to his brother Charles and moved his
wife and four of their children to Plainfield to work with his son Eli who had opened a blacksmith shop in
1852 when he moved to Plainfield from Brooklyn, New York. Jabez soon became friends with William S.
Keen, another Plainfield blacksmith and on September 1, 1853, purchased Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition to
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Plainfield for $1,000 from William S. Keene and moved his family into the house located in Block 3.
William S. Keen and his wife Roxanna had purchased Block 3 some eighteen months earlier in March 1852 for $500. On October 26, 1855, Jabez Bates died unexpectedly and was buried in Plainfield Township
Cemetery two days later.
After the death of their father, the two surviving brothers Harrison Bates of Manchester, Iowa and Eli Bates
of Channahon, Illinois completed a Quit Claim Deed in 1856 relinquishing claim to Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition that had been purchased by their father soon after he arrived in Plainfield in 1853. The Census of
1860 taken in July indicated that Olive Bates was living in the house with her seventeen year old daughter
Sarah. In June 1862, Olive Bates died unexpectedly after a short illness at the age of fifty-nine and was
buried next to her husband. Their oldest surviving daughter, Frances Elizabeth moved into the house after
burying her mother and lived with her sister Sarah until her untimely death on March 16, 1866 at the age of twenty-one. On April 14, 1867, Frances Bates married Robert H. Crist in Plainfield and twenty months later
on January 22, 1869, they sold Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition to Edgar L. Doud for $1,000 which was the
same price that Frances’ parents had paid for the property from William and Roxanna Keen nearly sixteen
years earlier. After the sale of the property, Robert and Frances Bates moved to Wilmington, Illinois.
Edgar Lawrence Doud was the middle child of three born to Jesse H. Doud and Jerusha Day of Nicholville,
New York. Nicholville was located in northwestern New York State near the western foothills of the
Adirondack Mountains. Edgar was born on December 8, 1837 in Nicholville, New York, joining his older
brother Joel Lawrence (Dec. 5, 1834) and later a sister, Clarissa Agnes, born on December 22, 1840 soon
after the Census of 1840 had been taken. In February 1847, their mother, Jerusha died and with three young children left to raise, Jesse soon remarried within a year in early 1848. In the Spring of 1849, Jesse moved
his family west to the village of Frankfort in Will County, Illinois where he purchased two parcels of
farmland containing eighty and forty acres, each with a house for $400 and $300 respectively in Section 27
in Twp. 35 N Range 12 E.
The Census of 1850 listed the family of Jesse and Lois L. Doud living on a 120 acre farm located east of the
Village of Frankfort with their 3 children, Joel (15), Edgar (13) and Clarissa (9). In August 1852 Jesse
purchased a five acre timbered lot for $42 from James Boorman. On August 15, 1855 Jesse and Lois Doud
sold their 120 acre farm and five acres of timbered land to J. M. Brown for $2,200 agreeing to provide him a
mortgage of $833 using the aforementioned 120 acres of farmland as collateral.
On December 16, 1856 Edgar Doud married Ann Maria Jacobs, the twenty-one year old daughter of William
and Maria Jacobs of Plainfield who had moved to Plainfield from Washington Township in Tazewell County
in 1848. Several deeds located in the archives of the Will County Recorder of Deeds for Edgar and Ann
Doud indicated that the couple were residents of Frankfort for the remaining three years of the decade ending in 1859. In the Census of 1860 from Plainfield, Edgar and Ann Doud were living with their two year old son
Omer along with Edgar’s older brother Joel (25) and sister Clara (17), their father Jesse Doud (53) and
Virginia Jacobs, the youngest sister of Edgar’s wife, Ann Maria Jacobs. The whereabouts of Jesse Doud’s
second wife, Lois is not known after the sale of their farm east of Frankfort in 1855. She was not listed in
any of the cemetery records around Frankfort nor in any 1860 Census enumerations for Illinois. In July 1861, Jesse Doud, the father of Edgar, Joel and Clarissa passed away and was buried in the Plainfield
Township Cemetery. In May 1866 Joel Doud married Mary Vanolinda the youngest sister of Ira Vanolinda
in Plainfield.
In the Spring of 1845, Peter M. Crist along with his second wife Nancy Jane Fraser moved to Plainfield along with his five children from Bethel, New York where he had been a master carpenter. In May 1846 his
youngest son Albert passed away at the age of three. On June 1, 1848, Peter Crist purchased two parcels of 42
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land totaling nearly fifty-six acres of land in Section 19 of Plainfield Township from the U. S. Land Office to
farm and raise stock with his nineteen year old son Robert to supplement the family’s income between Peter’s carpentry jobs. While working alongside his father at the farm, Robert decided to learn the carpentry
trade and became an apprentice to his father. In March 1850, a daughter Amelia was born to Peter and Nancy
and the 1850 Census taken in September listed them and their six children living on their farm in Plainfield
Township.
By the Spring of 1852 Robert Crist had completed his apprenticeship as a carpenter with his father and
moved to West Liberty, Iowa to work on the relocation of many of the downtown’s buildings so they would
be closer to the railroad. By the fall of 1854 with that project completed, Robert moved back to his family in
Plainfield. In 1859 Robert moved to Natchez, Mississippi and by early 1860 was employed by the West
Feliciana Railroad as their master mechanic. The railroad was one of the earliest lines in the South and ran from St. Francisville, Louisiana to Woodville, Mississippi to carry bales of cotton to area trade centers. A
local vigilance committee noted that Robert’s outspoken loyalty to the Union cause forced him out of the job
so he moved to Bedford, Indiana where he joined the 21st Regiment of the Indiana Volunteers enlisting as a
private and served in various battles and assumed many quartermaster responsibilities in July 1861. He was
mustered out on January 10, 1866 with the rank of Captain and moved to Wilmington in south-central Will County setting up a business for the next thirty years as a contractor and a builder specializing in the art of
mosaic woodworking. On April 14, 1867, he married 39 year old Florence Elizabeth Bates, the last surviving
daughter of the late Jabez and Olive Bates in Channahon. Eventually the couple sold Block 3 in Arnold’s
Addition purchased by Jabez Bates in September of 1853 to Edgar L. Doud for $1,000 on January 22, 1869
and relocated to Wilmington.
The 1870 Census in the Village of Plainfield lists Edgar L. Doud as a carpenter living with his wife Ann (30)
and their two children Omer (12) and Ewell (6). A cursory investigation of the records at the Will County
Recorder of Deeds, indicates that brothers, Joel and Edgar Doud along with their wives were over a twenty-
five year stretch from about 1860 to 1885, speculators in land and/or property or buildings in and around Plainfield and Will County. By May 6, 1875, Edgar Doud had Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition which he had
purchased on January 22, 1869, re-surveyed, subdivided and platted into three lots (1, 2, & 3) with the
distances in feet and hundredths by A. J. Mathiesson, the Will County Land Surveyor. This parcel became
known as Doud’s Re-subdivision of Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition and that was approved by the Board of
Trustees of the Village of Plainfield on December 4, 1875[Reference Exhibit E – Doud’s Re-subdivision of Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition].
A month later on January 5, 1876, Edgar and his wife Ann sold all of Lot 2 in Block 3 to Philip and Rebecca
Dundore for $400. They further sub-divided Lot 2 into additional lot divisions in 1881 and 1884. On May 13,
1884, they sold a newly crafted part of Lot 2 to Riley and Mary Hess who further subdivided Lot 2 into a parcel for Levi Baldwin Overman for $250 [Note: The legal descriptions for many lots in Arnold’s
Addition are quite complex and often require the use of a map to follow the legal description – Reference
Exhibit E].
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Appendix D
The Levi Baldwin Overman, Jr. & Elisha Brown Connection
The roots of the Overman family had its beginnings in northeastern North Carolina in Pasquotank County.
Zebulon Overman married Mary Dempsey in 1782 and raised their family of four boys and four girls.
Zebulon moved to Highland County, Ohio soon after the death of his wife Mary in 1827, joining his four sons, Elias, Enoch, John and Nathan who had earlier relocated to southwest-central Ohio. Zebulon
Overman’s oldest son Dempsey died in April 1830 and less than three months later the patriarch of the
family died after having moved to Ohio following his wife’s death.
Before his father moved to Ohio, Enoch Overman along with his partner John Hulitt were merchants in Petersburgh in Highland County, Ohio around 1826. In early 1842 Enoch’s younger brother Elias and his
wife Sarah with members of their family journeyed to Muscatine County in eastern Iowa near the community
of Powasheek to set up a ferry concession across the Cedar River. The Cedar River was a 338 mile long river
whose headwaters began in Dodge County, Minnesota and coursed through Iowa and eventually joined the
Iowa River before it emptied into the Mississippi River. On April 18, 1842, Elias Overman was granted a license to pilot a boat across the Cedar River at Boggs’ ferry near the community of Powasheek which was
located in the southeast part of Section 24 in Goshen Township on the Cedar River. Soon after Elias received
his ferry license, his son John Milton Overman built a hotel near the location of the ferry and in early 1844
the name of the community was changed to Overman’s Ferry. In October 1847, Enoch Overman brought his
wife and several members of his family to Overman’s Ferry from Ohio. On March 16, 1848 Enoch was named the postmaster of Overman’s Ferry and in July was granted a one year ferry license across the Cedar
River with that license later extended through 1853. In 1856, the community of Overman’s Ferry was
renamed Atalissa. In December 1855 Elias Overman died and the day after Christmas three years later in
1858, Enoch Overman passed away.
It is unclear whether Enoch Overman’s oldest son Levi Baldwin Overman accompanied other members of
his father’s family to Iowa in October 1847 to assist Enoch’s brother Elias with his ferry contract across the
Cedar River or remained in Ohio and joined his family at a later date. Nevertheless, Levi while traveling
through central Illinois in 1849 made the acquaintance of the widow of James Welch in Peoria County. Mary
Ellen Brock had been born and raised in Canton, Illinois and married James Welch in Fulton County, Illinois on March 18, 1841. Soon they had two children – Jordan born in December 1841 and Mary Ann born in July
1844. James Welch died in 1848 and Levi Overman married Mary Ellen (Brock) Welch in Peoria County on
April 10, 1850 and when the Census of 1850 was taken on October 14, Levi, Mary and her two young
children were living in Wapsinonoc, Iowa where Levi was a farmer and Mary’s sixty-four year old father
Benjamin Brock was teaching school and living with them.. At the time the census was taken Mary was pregnant with their son Benjamin, who was born sometime after the Census was completed and before the
end of 1850.
The Census of 1860 shows Levi, Sr farming in Muscatine County and they have had three sons – nine year
old Benjamin, five year old Levi, Jr., and one year old Jesse. Mary’s two children, twenty year old Jordan and sixteen year old Mary were also living with them. By the 1870 Census, Levi was working as a carpenter
and their 3 sons – Benjamin, Levi, Jr. and Jessie were presumably in school plus the Overman’s had had two
additional children – John in 1861 and Elizabeth in 1863. Mary’s son Jordan Welch enlisted with the Iowa
35th Infantry Regiment in August 1862 and was wounded at the Battle of Tupelo on July 14 and 15, 1864 and
died from wounds received in that battle sometime in November 1864 after being discharged. Mary’s daughter Mary married William Henry White in August 1861 and remained in the area.
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The Census of 1880 lists Levi, Sr.as being retired and living with his wife Mary and their son Levi, Jr.
working as a clerk in a dry goods store and their other two children John and Elizabeth attending school. Soon after the 1880 Census, Levi, Jr. moved to Joliet to work at a dry goods merchant - N. D. Dryer &
Company and the following year moved to Plainfield working as a clerk at the George N. Chittenden &
Company store at the northwest corner of Lockport and Arnold (now Illinois Street).
On May 13, 1884, Levi purchased Lot 2 located on the west side of Arnold Street (later renamed Illinois) in Edgar L. Doud’s Re-subdivision of Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition from Riley and Mary Hess for $250 to
build a house for himself and his new bride-to-be – Harriet Cropsey Hyland. On November 5, 1884 Levi
borrowed $400 from James Beggs using the property on Arnold Street as collateral. The next day after
securing the loan from James Beggs, Levi Overman married twenty-year old Harriet Cropsey Hyland. On
June 10, 1887, their first child Guy Hyland Overman was born. On September 29, 1888, Levi and Harriet sold the house on Arnold Street to Civil War veteran Elisha Brown and his wife Elva for $2,600.
Levi Overman remained employed at Chittenden & Company until 1890 when he rented a space on the north
side of Lockport Street between DesPlaines and Arnold Streets and opened his own store. On December 29,
1891, a large fire destroyed all but the last three buildings on the north side of Lockport Street at the east end of the block. In 1892 Levi rented new space and re-opened his dry goods business in Plainfield, operating
until 1897. He sold the business and took over the operation of the Hyland family farm that was owned by
his wife’s family in Plainfield Township. He soon became one of Will County’s leading stockman, breeding
Durham cattle and Duroc Jersey hogs. In March 1899 their second child, Warren was born to Levi and
Harriet. In 1911 Levi’s oldest son Guy Overman, a graduate of Plainfield High School and the Joliet Business College took over the managerial reins of the Hyland farm, as his father had decided to begin
working in the real estate and loan business specializing in farm properties.
Elisha Brown was one of five sons born to Charles and Nancy Brown of Morristown, New York. Elisha and
his older brother Joseph Platt Brown likely journeyed to the area together in the mid-1850s. Joseph purchased land in Kendall County and on October 7, 1857 married Mary Jane Bronk. It appears that Elisha
Brown may have initially settled in Kankakee County farming some 80 acres of farmland before moving to
Plainfield and marrying Elva Keziah. Smith in March 1862. Five months later on August 1, Elisha agreed to
serve in the Union Army and reported on August 30 to Joliet to be mustered in as a private in Company D of
the 100th Illinois Infantry. In February 1863, his wife Keziah gave birth to their son, Ernest. On June 12, 1865, Elisha was mustered out as a first Sergeant at Nashville, Tennessee having fought at Stone River,
Chickamauga, Franklin, Nashville and Sherman’s battle of Atlanta and the subsequent march to the sea.
In July 1868, Elisha Brown made his first purchase of 62.61 acres of farmland in Plainfield Township
southwest of the village in Section 19 from Henry and Mary Stevens for $1,800. Over the next fifteen years he would make an additional four purchases of land in Section 19, owning about 336 acres by 1909. On
November 5, 1874, their second son Clarence was born however he dies at the end of February 1875. On
September 29, 1888, Elisha and Keziah Brown purchased the house built by Levi and Harriet Overman on
Lot 2 in Doud’s Re-subdivision of Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield located on the west side of
Arnold Street for $2,600 [Reference the c.1888 image of the house on page 2 of this nomination].
On July 30, 1892 Elisha’s wife Keziah passed away unexpectedly at the age of forty-nine. On April 17.
1894, Elisha Brown married Mary C. Cheney, one of the daughters of the late David Cheney and his wife
Sarah of Wheatland Township. In the Census of 1900, Elisha and Mary Cheney Brown were living on
Arnold Street with their servant Effa Rausch. On January 24, 1909, Elisha Brown’s wife, Mary of almost fifteen years passed away at the age of 57. In the Census of 1910 Elisha now 73 was living with his forty-
seven year old son Ernest and their servant Effa Rausch. 45
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Sometime between September 1888 when Elisha Brown purchased the house on Arnold Street from Levi and
Harriet Overman and the printing of the 1931 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps covering this part of Plainfield for the first time, a two-story addition was placed onto the west façade of the house. The 1912 Sanborn maps
did not cover this portion of the Village and between September 1888 to 1931 the property was still in the
hands of the Brown family. No records from the Will County Recorder of Deeds could be found that
identified any mortgage obtained by Elisha Brown during his period of ownership. It would appear that a
two-story addition was added to the existing 1888 house by Elisha Brown during his first marriage with his first wife Elva or during the period during his second marriage to Mary C. Cheney. Since no mortgage was
found during the forty year period ending in 1928, it would be safe to assume that Elisha Brown likely used
cash to build his addition to his house.
In November 1900, Sarah Cheney, the widow of David Cheney who had passed away in 1876 and her two
surviving daughters – Emma Cheney and Mary Cheney Brown and along with her husband, Elisha Brown sold several parcels of land in Plainfield Township to William and Grace DeMeritt for $5,800. Additionally
Elisha Brown had sufficient resources in the 336 acres of land that he owned in Section 19 of Plainfield
Township. Thus it is likely that the two-story addition was added soon after Elisha Brown purchased the
property from Levi Overman or during the first five years of the twentieth centuryafter the sale of the
Cheney property while Elisha Brown and his second wife were living at the house. Elisha Brown died in 1916 nearly nine years after the death of his second wife, Mary Cecilia Cheney Brown.
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Appendix E
Summary Statement of Significance
Records from the Will County Recorder of Deeds indicate that the lot where the house at 806 S. Illinois
currently stands was vacant based on the chain of title research at the Recorder’s Office in Joliet. Edgar L.
Doud purchased Block 3 of Arnold’s Addition and had the entire block surveyed and divided into three very large lots that would be later subdivided. On Doud’s plat of Block 3 there is nearly a square lot that was
located to the west of Lot 2 where the house for this nomination was begun in 1884. That lot on DesPlaines
Street was owned by Lena Van Horn.
This house had an addition placed onto the west façade sometime after its sale to Elisha Brown in 1888 and was likely completed by 1905. The period of significance associated with this residence is 1884 – 1935
which reflects the four year span when the original house was constructed, owned and occupied by Levi
Baldwin Overman (1854 – 1940) and his wife Harriet C. Hyland (1864 – 1940), then sold in September 1888
to a prominent veteran of the Civil War and farmer, Elisha Brown (1836 – 1916) who added the two-story
addition to the west facade and shared this house with his two wives – Elva K. Smith (1842 – 1892) for four years and Mary C. Cheney (1851 – 1909) for fifteen years . Elisha Brown died in 1916 and members of the
Brown family owned this house until 1935.
This residence meets each of the identified criteria below because it is an excellent example of a late
nineteenth century residence and has an addition that is difficult to discern. The addition blends almost seamlessly with the original house and both portions are historic. According to ArchiSearch surveyor, Alice
Novak, it is “an exceptionally detailed building with a high degree of integrity and is an interesting
combination of a vernacular house form with Italianate style and early 20th Century minor changes.” The
current owners are only the fifth family to have lived in this 135 year old house which has stood the test of
time and still looks much like it did at the beginning of the last century.
The Overman-Brown-Buss residence is nominated for designation as a local landmark in the Village of
Plainfield under the following criteria:
Criterion a: has character, interest, or value which is part of the development, heritage, or cultural character of the community, county, state or nation;
Criterion c: is identified with a person who significantly contributed to the development
of the community, county, state, or nation;
Criterion d: embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style valuable for
the study of a period, type, method of construction, or use of indigenous
materials;
Criterion j: is suitable for preservation or restoration;
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Appendix F
Exhibit Table of Contents
A. Ingersoll’s Original Plat of Planefield – 1834
B. Ingersoll’s Addition to Plainfield – 1837
C. Plat of Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield – September 4, 1845 – this shows the quarter section that came to be known as Arnold’s Addition - was surveyed almost a year after Levi Arnold’s death. D. Chittenden & Smiley’s subdivision of a part of the SE ¼ of Sec. 9 -1867
E. Edgar L. Doud’s Re-Subdivision of Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield
F. Chain of Title for 14930 S. Illinois
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EXHIBIT A
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EXHIBIT B
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EXHIBIT C
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EXHIBIT D
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EXHIBIT E
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EXHIBIT F 14930 (806) S. Illinois St.
06-03-09-404-010-0000
That part of Lots 2 & 3 in Doud’s subdivision of Block 3 of Arnold’s Addition, begin at a point in the westerly line of Arnold (Illinois) which is 30’ southeasterly from the NE corner of said Lot 2, thence in a southeasterly direction along the westerly line of Arnold (Illinois) St., which is 30’ southeasterly from the NE corner of said Lot 2, thence in a southeasterly direction along the westerly line of Arnold (Illinois) St.
119’, thence in a southwesterly direction along a line which forms a right angle to the West line of Arnold
Street, 120’, thence in a westerly direction 61.78’ to a point which is 82 ½’ East of the east line of said DesPlaines St., thence North along a line parallel to the East line of DesPlaines 105.77’, thence in a northeasterly direction along a line parallel to & 30’ distant Southeasterly from the Northerly line of Lot 2, 109’ to the place of beginning, except the West 1 ½’ thereof, all in SE ¼ of Sec. 9
GRANTOR GRANTEE
Buss, Bryan/Jennifer
11/05/1999 Hustad, Raymond [TD – R99136728] $181,900 Buss, Bryan/Jennifer
Schwab, Linda J.
2/28/1984 Klett, Bradford L./Carol A. [WD – R94022480] $129,000 Hustad, Raymond Beard, Linda J.
7/030/1991 Klett, Bradford L./Carol A.[MTG – R91-044350] $80,000 Amerifed Fed. Savings
Bank 6/30/1989 Klett, Richard S. [WD – R91044349] Klett, Bradford L./Carol
A.
(Widower)
4/25/1949 Fraser, Claribel [QCD – 1252-533] Klett, Warren W./Jessie (Spinster)
Legal description same as 1937 (382-577) & current (2018
4/25/1949 Klett, Warren/Jessie [QCD – 1252-532] Fraser, Claribel 8/13/1940 Klett, Lois E. [QCD – 887-8-9] Klett, Warren W./Jessie
Legal description same as 1937 (382-577) & current (2018)
8/13/1940 Klett, Warren W./Jessie [QCD – 858-380] Klett, Lois
Legal description same as 1937 (382-577) & current (2018)
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10/27/1937 Master in Chancery [Deed – 382-577] $2,500 Klett, Warren W. (John J. Wellnitz) That part of Lots 2 & 3 in Doud’s subdivision of Block 3 of Arnold’s
Addition - Begin at a point on the westerly lines of Arnold (Illinois) which is 30’ distant southeasterly
from the NE corner of Lot 2, thence in a southeasterly direction along the westerly line of Arnold (Illinois) St., 119’, thence in a southwesterly direction along a line that forms a right angle to the westerly of said Arnold St., 120’, thence in a westerly direction 61.78’ to a point which is 82.5’ East of the East line of DesPlaines St., thence North along a line parallel to the East line of DesPlaines, 105.77’, thence in a
northeasterly direction along a line parallel to & 30’ distant southeasterly from the northerly line of said
Lot 2, 109’, to place of beginning. 4/24/1935 Rausch, Effa [QCD – 795-542] Brown, Earl C. (Spinster) Brown. Charles Clinton
Lot 2 in Block 3 in Edgar L. Doud’s subdivision, north of the Brown, Merwin
Evan’s Property 9/29/1888 Overman, Levi B./Harriet [WD – 262-161] $2,600 Brown, Elisha
Commencing 30’ southeasterly from the NE corner of Lot 2 in Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition & running
southeasterly on the line of Lot 2 next to Arnold Street 119’, thence southwesterly 120’, thence northwesterly parallel with Arnold Street to lands owned by Lena Van Horn to within 30’ of the North end of Lot 2, thence northeasterly about 110’ to place of beginning, being so much of Lot 2 as above described, the same more or less. Also a fractional part V-shaped of Lot 2 in Block 3 of E. L. Doud’s
subdivision of Block 3 of Arnold’s Addition – commencing at the SE corner of land owned by Lena Van
Horn & running East or nearly so 62’ to the corner of lots owned by Daniel Birkett & Levi. B. Overman, thence northwesterly on the line of said lot of Levi B. Overman till it strikes the land of the said Lena Van Horn, thence South on said Vanhorn’s line to the place of beginning, supposed to contain 10 rods of ground more or less – hereby conveying all the land owned by the Grantors in Arnold’s Addition
11/05/1884 Overman, L.evi B. [Mtg – 231-72] $400 Beggs, James W.
Commencing 30’ southeasterly from the NE corner of Lot 2 in Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition and running southeasterly on the line of Lot 2 next to Arnold Street 114’, thence southwesterly120’, thence
northwesterly to lands owned by Lena Van Horn to within 30’ of the North end of Lot 2, thence
northeasterly about 110’ to place of beginning, being ½ of Lot 2. [Secure payment of a note dated
10/01/1884 & signed by Levi B. Overman payable 10/01/1885 for $400 plus interest for $400 with interest at 8% - release 9/29/1888]
5/13/1884 Hess, Riley W./Mary L. [WD – 235-107] $250 Overman, Levi B.
Commencing 30’ southeasterly from the NE corner of Lot 2 in Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition and running southeasterly on the line of Lot 2 next to Arnold Street 238’, thence southwesterly along the line of Lot 2 113.36’, thence northwesterly parallel with Arnold Street 89.36’, thence southwesterly 6.64’, thence
northwesterly parallel with Arnold Street to lands owned by Lena Van Horn to within 30’ of the North end
of Lot 2, thence northeasterly about 110’ to place of beginning, being so much of said Lot 2 as above described.
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3/20/1884 Dundore, Philip Y./Rebecca [WD – 233-362] $182.44 Hess, Riley W. Lot 2 in Block 3 of Edgar L. Doud’s subdivision of Block 3 of Arnold’s Addition, except 3’ in width &
132’ in length off of the West side of Lot 2, also except the following described piece – beginning at the
SW corner of Lot 2 running North 35 degrees 40’ West 89.36’, East 35 degrees 40’ North 32’, South 35 degrees 40’ East 89.36’, West 35 degrees 40’ South 32’ to place of beginning, also further excepting the following described piece – commencing at the NE corner of Lot 2, run 30’ southeasterly on Arnold Street, thence 110’ 4” southwesterly, thence North along the line of a lot belonging to Lena Van Horn 24’
7”, thence West along the line of said lot of L. Van Horn 18’ 7”, thence Northeasterly 110’ to place of
beginning. 9/13/1881 Dundore, Philip Y./Rebecca Y. [WD – 151-580] $37.50 Harbaugh, Isaac
Commence at NE corner of Lot 2 in Block 3 of Doud’s subdivision of Block 3 of Arnold’s Addition,
running 30’ southeasterly on Arnold Street, thence 110’ 4” southwest, thence North along the line of a lot belonging to Lena Van Horn 24’ 7”, thence West along the line of said lot of Lena Van Horn 18’ 7”, thence northeasterly 110’ to place of beginning
1/05/1876 Doud, Edgar L./Ann M. [Deed – 169-288] $400 Dundore, Philip Y.
All of Lot 2 in Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition, except 3’ wide & 132’ long on the West side of Lot 2 & a joining lot owned by Lena Van Horn.
12/04/1875 Creation of Doud’s Re-Subdivision of Block 3 - Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield into Lots
1, 2, & 3 by A.J. Mathiesson on May 6, 1875 & approved by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Plainfield on this date – Alexander McClaskey 1/22/1869 Crist(Bates), Frances E./Robert H. [WD – 112-406] $1,000 Doud, Edgar L.
Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition excepting ¼ A. out of West part of said Block 3 described as follows – commencing at the NW corner of Block 3, South 4 ½ rods as place of beginning – thence South 8 rods, East 5 rods, North 8 rods, West 5 rods to place of beginning.
9/01/1853 Keen, William S./Roxana [Deed – 31-133-4] $1,000 Bates, Jabez Rose
Known & described as Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield being the same land that was conveyed on 9/05/1845 by Lucien Sanger & Maria Arnold, administrators of the estate of Levi Arnold, deceased, also the land conveyed by Stephen R. Beggs on
9/17/1845 to William Sanford. (Mentions a house)
3/09/1852 Sanford, William/Lavina [Deed – 31-132-3] $500 Keen, William S. Known & described as Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition to Plainfield, being the same land
that was conveyed on 9/05/1845 by Lucien Sanger & Maria Arnold, administrators of the
estate of Levi Arnold, deceased, also the land conveyed by Stephen R. Beggs on 9/17/1845 to William Sanford.
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9/05/1845 Arnold, Levi F. [Deed – 31-129-30] $25 Sanford, William E ½ of Sec. 9 in Twp. 36 N Range 9 E, Block 3 in Arnold’s Addition, reserving that part
of the same heretofore deeded to Stephen R. Beggs by Levi F. Arnold
2/17/1837* U. S. Land Office [Land Patent – 401-356 (1584)] $200 Arnold, Levi 12/11/1834* The SE ¼ of Sec. 9 in Twp. 36 N Range 9E, containing 160 A.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
A Brief Synopsis of the James Mathers Family at Plainfield, IL, Plainfield Historical Society, 2010
A Field Guide to American Architecture, Carole Rifkind, A Plume Book, 1980, ISBN 0-452-25334-5
A History of Plainfield: Then and Now (2nd Edition), Plainfield Bicentennial Commission (Plainfield
Enterprise: Plainfield, Illinois, 1976
Ancestry.com
Appointments of US Postmasters – 1832 - 1971
Historic Urbanized Core Survey, Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission. ArchiSearch Historic
Preservation Consultant Alice Novak, Sept. 12, 2005
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Plainfield
The History of Will County, Illinois - 1878
Plainfield Enterprise
Plainfield Historical Society Archives – Plainfield, Illinois
Plainfield Township Cemetery Records
Restoring Old Houses, Nigel Hutchins, Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY, 1997, ISBN 1-55209-144-9
U.S. Federal Census Records – 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
Will County Clerk’s Office
Will County Recorder’s Office Archives: Joliet, Illinois.
Researchers:
Michael Bortel
Leif Henricksen
Michael A. Lambert
David Schmidt
Images:
Bryan & Jennifer Buss
Leif Hendricksen
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Agenda Item No:
Historic Preservation Commission Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: April 11, 2019
Submitted by: Tracey Erickson
Submitting Department: Planning Department
Item Type: Certificate of Appropriateness
Agenda Section:
Subject:
CASE No: 1833-031419.COA
REQUEST: Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)
LOCATION: 15326 S. Joliet Rd.
APPLICANT: Laura Zaidi
Suggested Action:
Attachments:
15326 S. Joliet Road Staff Report and Graphics.pdf
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HISTORIC URBANIZED CORE SURVEY Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission
ADDRESS
15326 S. Joliet Rd.
PIN/Property Index Number
#06-03-15-108-024-0000
Historic Property Name(s)
George Chittenden Family Residence
Owens Family (remodeling)
Common Name(s)
Spangler Residence
Architectural Style
Italianate
Vernacular Building Type
no type
Construction Date
c. 1880; c. 1915 - 20 stucco
Architect/Builder
Historic Use(s)
Single Family Residential
Present Use(s)
Single Family Residential
History (associated events, people, dates)
Sanborn map coverage excludes most of N. Joliet Road., ending around 220 N. Joliet Rd.
Description
Foundation not visible; stucco walls being restored to clapboard; architectural asphalt shingle steeply-pitched, broad
truncated hip roof. 2 stories; irregular shape; 3 facade bays. Full-facade porch wraps west; flat roof with extending piers.
Solid rail of stucco; broad cornice . Porch curves over entrance bay west/rounded corners. Left bay entrance with nicely
detailed door and multi-light sidelights; single 1/1 double-hung sash to nearby right. Tall 1/1 double-hung sash paired
above. Right/west pavilion with two 1/1; cut-away bay on 2nd story with paired 1/1 front, single to sides. Wood cornice
band. Round arched roof dormer asymmetrically placed on main roof, round arched sash. Porch wraps west where it is
screened. Porte cochere west; also two round arched dormers, 1 roof and 1 wall. Two shallow extending sections vary the
west elevation. East elevation with 1 story flat roof semi-hexagonal bay.
Integrity/Major Physical changes from original construction
Stucco applied sometime around c. 1915 - 20, with the porte cochere added a few years later, according to Plainfield
Historic Preservation Commission Chair Michael A. Lambert. Cornice would seem to have had brackets. Windows
would have likely been 2/2 double-hung sash originally.
Subsidiary Building(s)/Site
Enormous large lot with generous front setback. Low-pitched hip roof garage to rear/SW of house on west side of lot. 4
car, 2 overhead doors, architectural shingles, wide wood siding. Appears to date to c. 1965+. Tree row lines east lot line.
Registration & Evaluation
National Register of Historic Places: Currently Listed: ___yes X no
If not currently listed, recommend: Individually ___yes X no; historic district X yes no
Contributing X or non-contributing X (garage)
Significance statement: Stately property with large scale home on an unusually large lot; under renovation. VP; EP.
An good example of the Italianate style in the Village, with historic alterations.
Village of Plainfield designation: Currently Listed: ___yes X no
If not currently listed, recommend: Historic Landmark X yes no; Historic District X yes no
Contributing X or non-contributing X (garage)
Form prepared by: ArchiSearch Historic Preservation Consultants (Alice Novak) Date of Field Survey: 11.07.05 - 382
Rte. 30./U.S. iet Rd208 N. Jol
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HISTORIC URBANIZED CORE SURVEY Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission
ADDRESS
PIN/Property Index Number
#06-03-15-108-024-0000
208 N. Joliet Rd./U.S. Rte. 30
15326 S. Joliet Rd.
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