Huntley’s Connection to the Iroquois Theater Fire In a small, unremarkable grave in St. Mary Cemetery in Huntley, a tragic story is buried. It is the tale of 18-year-old Mary Donahue, the granddaughter of early Huntley settler Daniel Donahue and Huntley resident Bridget Heelan. Over the Christmas holidays in 1903 Mary and a girlfriend arranged … Read more
Thomas Stillwell Huntley The village of Huntley was named for Thomas Stillwell Huntley (March 27, 1807 – May 21, 1894). Thomas Huntley and his wife, Eliza Fox Huntley, and children Charles, Harriet and William arrived in the area in 1846, having traveled weeks by wagon from upstate New York. The family settled on farm land … Read more
Latimer Brothers Bike In 1897, two inventive brothers based in Huntley developed a new type of bicycle they believed would revolutionize the industry. The Latimer brothers owned and operated a mill along today’s Mill Street, east of the present-day Route 47. But the brothers had other, more creative ideas. Frank Latimer designed a new type of … Read more
A Look Back in Time: Borden’s Milk Factory Recently a new business opened in Huntley – Sew Hop’d Brewery & Taproom— in a building that was once the “Queen of the West” Borden Milk Factory (circa 1907). The building has been a milk factory, Fencil’s gasket company, and currently also houses the Union Special Machine … 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