Tucked away in what is now the Lakeland Park subdivision, lies the old homestead of Martin Boyle.
Born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1815, Martin came to McHenry in 1849 and worked for several local farmers.
In 1855, he was married to Margaret Davis and purchased 110 acres of farmland slightly southwest of McCullom Lake.
The 1862 McHenry County Plat map shows the location of his home:
The 1872 McHenry County Atlas shows that he added a few more acres and again, you can see the location of the farm house:
When Martin passed away in 1899, his son John took over the farm and lived there until his death in 1931. John Boyle was the McHenry Township Road Commissioner for 30 years.
According to Realtor.com, the home now sitting on the exact location of the Martin Boyle house, was built in 1900. I believe this is a vague estimate. The McHenry Plaindealer yielded no record of the original farm house ever being replaced.
Since John Boyle was born in 1861 on the homestead of his parents, I believe the house, perhaps with some additions, is the original house built prior to John's birth.
There are no historic photos of the house in our collection. Perhaps a reader has more information. If so, please drop us an email.
This is a current photo of the house. (Please respect the privacy of the owners.)
Click on any image to see a larger version.
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