Huntley Town Square Gazebos The first gazebo was built in the town square in the late 1800s. This gazebo, often referred to as a bandstand at that time in history, can be identified by its vertical wooden slats and dark columns. Note how small the town square is in this photograph. The buildings behind the gazebo were located west of the First Congregational Church. … Read more
The Huntley Area Public Library Local History Department honors Huntley’s rich heritage in collections available on Illinois Digital Archives. There you will find digitized photographs, documents, and other records including the entire run of the Huntley Farmside Newspaper. These materials are available to all and preserve the information for future generations. If you have additional information pertaining … Read more
The Huntley History Alliance recently announced the winners of its photography contest, Then and Now. The Alliance consists of representatives from the Huntley Park District, the Huntley Area Public Library Local History Department, The Huntley Historical Society, and the Village of Huntley Historic Preservation Commission. These groups work together as the Huntley History Alliance to preserve … Read more
On March 31, 1963, Huntley residents were shocked to learn of a tragic airplane accident that took the lives of two Huntley residents, one of them a Catholic priest. The pilot, Robert Heinemann, 20, was born and raised in Huntley. He invited his brother, the Rev. Harold Heinemann, 27, and two friends to go for an evening flight. … Read more
The Village of Huntley, founded in 1851, is a rapidly growing community located in southern McHenry County and northern Kane County. Huntley is bisected by Illinois Route 47 north and south, the Union Pacific Railroad northwest and southeast, and bordered on the south by Interstate 90. The Blackhawk Wars of 1834 resulted in terms that … Read more
Enjoy this Sawyer Kelley photo slideshow from the mill in Huntley, IL before it was demolished. The Huntley History Alliance was invited by the Village of Huntley to walk through the Mill and make a photographic record of the building before demolition. Photographs were taken by members of the Huntley Historical Society, the Village of … Read more
The Huntley Area Public Library has an extensive Local History collection. The staff have selected 25 must see items in the local history collection in honor of the library’s 25th Anniversary. 1. Daily Journal from the Fencil Fuze Plant 1944-1945 2. Fuzes & Tubes from the Fencil Fuze Plant 3. Huntley High … Read more
The Chicago Tribune put together this look at the career of Huntley Native Margaret “Midge” Donahue, who became the first female front office executive in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs. Huntley Library Historian Mary Beth Manning is interviewed in the video. Donahue is credited with creating the concept of season tickets. Huntley Native … Read more
Members of the Huntley Historical Society visited the Huntley Area Public Library on Monday, February 25 to present the Library’s Local History Department with DVDs of oral history recordings from long-time local residents. Historical Society members produced the interviews. Elaine Kadakia and Jim Donohue interviewed residents, and Mark Skaja filmed each session. Below is a … Read more
Huntley Area Public Library Historians Mary Beth Manning and Nancy Bacheller presented “Huntley History: 100 Years Ago” at the library for the monthly program — Local Voices. It was the second time the duo spoke to the community to a packed house. For those that could not make it, and Huntley history buffs, we recorded … Read more