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The Greek Revival-style John B. Walkup house, 5215 Walkup Road, Crystal Lake, Ill., was built in 1856 by mason Andrew Jackson Simons, of lake washed stones from Lake Michigan. It has “6 over 6” windows and three-paned transom windows and is similar in design (but grander) to the Columbus Wallace house. Simons was born in LeRoy, N.Y. and served in the 36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, during the Civil War.
Cobblestone Sites Built on Historic Foundation
Chicago Tribune, July 2, 1996
By Dave Barnes
Real estate agent and builder Don Wolf leans against the newel post at the foot of the narrow stairway leading to his second-floor office.
"If only these walls could talk," he says. "What a story they could tell."
Whatever the story, one thing is certain: After more than 140 years, it would be a long story, starting with the painstaking construction of those 16-inch thick walls.
Now the offices of Wolf Realty, the cobblestone building at 36 N. Virginia Rd. is one of only two examples of the 19th-Century mason's art still standing in Crystal Lake and, it is believed, in the entire county. A third was demolished in 1960.
It's listed in the McHenry County Historical Society's records as the Columbus Wallace House, and was built in 1850 or 1855--sources disagree on the date--by Andrew Jackson Simons who, in 1856, followed it up with a bigger one for the John B. Walkup family.
What sets the two structures apart from other stone houses sprinkled throughout McHenry County--what, in fact makes them "cobblestone" structures by definition--lies in the uniformity of the rounded stones and how they were laid in even, horizontal courses, according to Marty Perkins, curator of Interpretation and Research for Old World Wisconsin and an authority on cobblestone buildings.
"Cobblestone construction spread to northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin from New England by way of western New York," Perkins said. And although there are some in New York dating from the 1820s, "their primary period of construction was from 1842 to 1865," he said, "with most being built in the 1850s."
Perkins said most cobblestones were built near rivers where there was an abundant supply of the rounded stones that form the outer walls. As a result, many were built in the Beloit area with the Rock River having served as a handy quarry.
Does that mean that the stones in the Wallace and Walkup houses came from the Fox River? Not according to Wolf or to Mary Bodner, who now owns the Walkup house at 5215 Walkup Rd. Both agree that the stones were carted in from Lake Michigan.
"Can you imagine that?" the builder in Wolf said in amazement. "All those stones, in horse-drawn wagons."
The real estate agent in Wolf says that he bought the Wallace house in 1984 for "location, location, location," adding with a chuckle: "Now I can honestly say I have the oldest real estate office in Crystal Lake."
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Christopher Walkup Cobblestone House in Crystal Lake, Ill. Now Gone
Walkup Avenue is named for the Christopher Walkup family. Christopher Walkup was born in 1785 in Greenbriar County, Virginia (now West Virginia). In the spring of 1835, Christopher led one of the first settling parties into McHenry County. This was just a few months after the arrival of the county’s first inhabitants, and prior to Beman Crandall’s settling in Crystal Lake. Walkup’s group included James Dufield, John McClure, Christopher McClure, William Hartman, John L. Gibson and John Gillian. The area where they settled became known as the “Virginia Settlement” because so many of the settlers were from Virginia. This settlement was located in Dorr Township near today’s town of Ridgefield.
“The Historical, Biographical and Statistical Directory of McHenry County, Illinois,” dated 1877 provides the following description of the settlers: “These men were the real pioneers of the county, and for that reason deserve more than a passing notice; but it is chiefly on account of their true Southern hospitality to all new comers, to whom their latch-string always hung out, and who were always welcome to all assistance they could render through money, men and teams, that they are gratefully remembered by those who had occasion to claim their aid or hospitality.”
Christopher Walkup was the first sheriff of McHenry County, serving from 1840-1843. He was also Justice of the Peace and the first postmaster in Ridgefield. One of the first regular church services in the county were held in Christopher Walkup’s home. The Presbyterian Church of Ridgefield, which he helped establish in 1839, was built on his home site.
Christopher Walkup surveyed the streets for the towns of Crystal Lake and Nunda. He named the street which passed along the eastern edge of his property “Walkup Avenue.” It was the main North/South street in the town of Nunda. 130 acres of that Walkup family property is now known as Veteran Acres Park (formerly called Walkup Woods).
Christopher Walkup and his wife Sabrina had six children, John B., Margaret, Josiah, William, Janet and Sarah.
Two of Christopher’s sons, John B. and Josiah, settled in Nunda Township, and built houses on the west side of Walkup Avenue.
In 1856, John B. Walkup built his home across from what is now Veteran Acres Park. The foundation and walls of this Greek Revival house are made of over 70,000 cobblestones which were picked up on the shores of Lake Michigan and hauled back to McHenry County by oxen. John B. died shortly after the construction was complete. The home is still standing and is once again owned by a member of the Walkup family. This home was the second building designated as a county historic landmark under the McHenry County Historic Preservation Ordinance of 1991.
Josiah Walkup built his home in 1846 at the southwest corner of today’s intersection of Walkup Avenue and Route 176. Sadly, the house was demolished a few years ago. Josiah served as a trainman for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad during the mid 1800’s. For many years, the terminus of that line was at “Walkup’s Crossing” on his property. Josiah was also a partner in the Crystal Lake Pickling & Preserving Works, which was located just south of the railroad tracks near today’s intersection of Walkup Avenue and Woodstock Street.
Nicholson Drive and County Route 8, Rockton, Illinois
This cobblestone house at 302 W. Chicago St. in Elgin, Ill. is known as the Nancy Currier Kimball home. Nancy was the matriarch of the Kimball family that settled Elgin's west side. Her husband, Joseph, died from cholera in Ohio on a trip back east to retrieve his family in 1835. Her sons, Samuel and William, who both became mayors of Elgin, had this home built for their mother in 1846. Often referred to as Elgin's oldest existing home, it is certainly the oldest on the west side.
The Kimball house is one of six cobblestone structures remaining in Elgin. It is thought that Elgin has the largest number of cobblestone homes of any city west of New York State.
The house was converted to multiple apartments in the 1950's, had extensive fire damage in 1991. It was purchased by the city of Elgin in 2009. The city planned to rehab the home for use in the resident officer program. However, the cost of the quotes received to repair it were prohibitive, so the decision was made to shelve the project. Earlier in 2016, the Elgin Area Historical Society came into an agreement with the City of Elgin to rehabilitate the building as a satellite museum.
[Photos and information courtesy of the Elgin Area Historical Society].
The cobblestone house 328 Mountain Street in Elgin, Ill. was named the top Elgin Landmark by the Elgin Bicentennial Commission in 1975. The home is located at the highest point on the west side of the river, hence the name of the street, "Mountain". It was built in the 1850’s for Edson A. Kimball, a cousin of Samuel and William Kimball, who were among the first settlers of Elgin. Edson was born on July 3, 1820 in Vermont and married Ellen M. Willard who was born in 1824 in Canada. Edson ran a hardware store at the southeast corner of Chicago and State Street. Edson was also a member of the first city council in 1854.
The Willards had three children: Leonidas, Royal and Luella. Ellen died at the age of 38 on August 9, 1862. Edson remarried two years later. They had one daughter, Carrie, who died in 1899. The home was converted into two apartments in 1930 by the Solyom Family to help cover the mortgage costs during the Great Depression. It was originally lit by gas jet lamps. Running water was not introduced until 1921. The home features included a built-in pie cooler that doubled as a freezer in the winter and a spacious fruit cellar. Over the years owners and residents have heard stories about one hundred dollar bills encased in the walls, but no one has ever found anything.
It is of the Greek Revival style, with limestone lintels and quoins and is built of fieldstones. Of Greek revival style, its characteristics include a front gabled and wing with a low pitched roof, cornice lines that are emphasized with a wide band of trim, narrow sidelights with transom around the door as well as the eaves returns.
[Information and photos courtesy of the Elgin Area Historical Society]
This cobblestone building at 219 W. Highland Avenue was built in 1853 as the stables for the Waverly House Hotel, which was located just to the east at the corner of State Street and Highland Avenue.
William Kimball built the 3-story Waverly House in 1852-53 to take advantage of the new rail traffic on the west side. First-class accommodations attached travelers and its 100-person-capacity ballroom was the site of many grand balls and parties. By 1880, however, the Waverly was in decline and it closed in 1881.
It was subsequently converted to a city court and jail, a condensed milk factory, a bottling plant and a malted milk factory before being torn down in 1917. Note the segmental arched door and window openings. It is similar to the cobblestone house at 302 W. Chicago Street. [Information and photos courtesy Elgin Area Historical Society]
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