Have some fun learning more Huntley history with the new Our Town coloring book. Find interesting historical facts included on each page. Stop in the library to pick up your free copy of this Huntley treasure. The book was a collaborative effort between the Huntley Area Public Library Local History Department, The Huntley Historical Society … Read more
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
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
Huntley History Timeline The first permanent white settlers arrived in the Huntley area about 1838. But many other countries had laid claim to Huntley soil before that date. The homeland of the Native Americans was claimed by various nations through years of wars and exploration. 1492 Spain claimed the Western Hemisphere by virtue of Columbus’ … Read more