Our 2023 McHenry Area Historical Society Calendar is now available:
The 2022 calendar features 13 historic photos of our most recognizable landmarks.
You can order it from the McHenry Area Historical Society online store.
The Legacy Of Nicholas Bohr
The city of McHenry, like all communities in our beautiful country,
is the culmination of work done by many citizens.
Throughout McHenry’s 183 years of documentation,
there is an endless list of names that come to the foreground while researching our past.
The list of contributors is extensive but sadly, sometimes forgotten.
No longer here to speak for themselves, their names and contributions remain silent,
until the need for recognition arises.
At this time, such recognition is necessary to preserve the unique aspects of our city’s
Old Town neighborhood and to perhaps, set a precedent for future consideration and
discussions regarding what was once known as Centerville and West McHenry.
Nicholas Bohr
One such name to be recognized at this moment, is Nicholas Bohr.
Nick was born in Germany in 1862 to Michael Bohr and Catherine Schmitt.
The family arrived in America in 1864 and settled in Deerfield, Illinois.
In 1880, Nick was living in Kansas with his family and by 1900 he was living in
Chicago with his brother George. Later that year, Nick was residing in Volo and by 1901,
he moved into the Village Of McHenry.
At St. Mary’s church in 1902, Nick married Magdalena Schaffer, widow of John A. Schaffer
who died in 1900. Magdalena was also the sister of John J. Buch, owner of Buch’s Place
now known as The Old Bridge Tavern.
Nick Bohr was a Cement and Stone Mason as well as a Brick Layer and in the year 1903,
he built a home in Old Town for his new wife and step - children located at 1508 Green Street.
An article from the 24 December, 1903 issue of The McHenry Plaindealer reports as follows:
“Nick Bohr’s house on Green Street is nearly completed and is one of the best in McHenry,
which is saying much, for we have several elegant homes in the village.
The house contains ten rooms besides several closets, halls and bathroom,
all finished in oak and cypress.
The plumbing is all outside the walls, the pipes being bronzed.
The basement is divided into several apartments, for furnace, fuel, vegetables, laundry, etc.
Everything about the house is thoroughly modern and the mason work especially is the finest in
McHenry.
Mr. Bohr is an excellent workman in that line himself.
He put forth his best efforts and took plenty of time in doing the work.
The front porch is built entirely of cut stone, while on both porches the posts rest on
Corinthian columns made of cut stone.
Cement walks extend from the street to the front and back doors.
Mr. Bohr and family are now occupying the house altho the interior is not entirely finished.”
The Bohr family lived in the Green Street home until 1911 when Nick built a
new stone home for his family located at 3511 Broad Street which also still stands today.
The Green Street house was sold to Joseph Justen who lived in the home
until his death in March of 1936. Joseph’s eldest son John continued to live in the
home until his death in 1954.
Nick Bohr’s Other Contributions
The Green Street and Broad Street homes are not the only contributions that Nick Bohr
made to our city. His legacy remains today throughout our vast historic district.
In 1908, he did cement work at Buch’s Place to accommodate new electrical machinery
and in 1909, he put in a new cement floor in the basement of the Public School (Landmark).
Other masonry work by Nick Bohr can be found in the Simon Stoffel home
located at 3814 Main Street, the Marshall Merriman house at 1407 Court Street,
the John H. Kennebeck house located at 1502 Richmond Road
and the Nicholas Justen home located at 3804 Waukegan Road.
Nicholas Bohr died in his home on Broad Street in February of 1923.
The cut stone Corinthian columns at the Green Street home are gone now,
replaced by iron supports but thankfully, the Carriage House remains.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the warm, nostalgic charm of McHenry’s historic neighborhoods is due to
the vision and hard work expended by early citizens such as Nicholas Bohr,
who’s top priority was to protect and give comfort to his new wife and children as well as to
bestow something of value upon our city.
Today, the range of architectural elements in our historic areas are a glimpse into our city’s past
and a reminder of those citizens who left their footprints behind, though their names only appear
from time to time.
Retaining McHenry’s historic appeal is dependent upon respecting and preserving the intentions
of our city’s founders and early residents as well as maintaining the identity and integrity of our
landmarks, historic homes and neighborhoods.
Sources
The McHenry Plaindealer
Ancestry.com
On Saturday, June 11, the MAHA held a wonderful program at Veteran's Memorial park. Our speakers included Lee Lexow representing the American Legion, Ronnie Reber who represented the VFW, Ron Bykowski representing the Polish American Legion and Ernie Stetz who represented the Polish Legion Of American Veterans.
They each spoke about their role in these organizations and gave us a history of the organizations they represented.
It was a wonderful and insightful program. Thank you to each and everyone of these gentlemen!!
From left to right:
Ronnie Reber - VFW, Ron Bykowski - PAL, Ernie Stetz - PLAV and Lee Lexow - AL.
Photo courtesy of Pat Wirtz.
We at the McHenry Area Historical Society as well as the McHenry Landmark Commission, are pleased to announce that our little yellow brick mill, The A. H. Hanly & Sons McHenry Brick Mill is now a designated Landmark! Thank you to the McHenry City Counsel for voting yes!
Today, I'm sharing a very unique, one of a kind McHenry treasure from my personal collection. This is a handwritten letter dated May 26, 1891. It is written on stationary from the Office Of A. H. Hanly & Sons - Proprietors Of The McHenry Brick Mills.
Yours of the 17th at hand and I am quite tardy in answering but - was glad to hear that all the folks were feeling so well and that you have struck the right thing to make a fine grade of butter, as it will sell well there as the western butter go East - about 1/4 of it and the Eastern cheese comes west - so think you have a start in right direction and think it would be a good thing for us to make full cream cheese
There is nothing written on the back and there is no 2nd page so I'm not sure who wrote it however, I do have a few clues.
First, the letter is dated May of 1891. Alexander Hanly passed away in January of 1891 so I know it wasn't written by him.
He had four sons, Samual, George, John and Daniel.
The letter is addressed to "Cousin Daniel". Back in the day, the words brother and cousin were interchangeable.
I suspect that the letter was written by George to his brother Daniel. George spent most of his time working on the farm and at the mill and I believe Daniel did some traveling. Although I can't confirm this theory right now, I may be able to with a little more research.
For now, our newly designated landmark will have a plaque soon. I will post here when I have specific date.
The McHenry Area Historical Society Newsletter
Dear Members,
Welcome to summer, as we enjoy the warm weather after our volatile spring. We are again able to hold our June meeting in Veterans Park as we did last year. As we continue to fight the Covid-19 battle, I hope that all of you are doing your best to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe.
See you on June 11 at 10 am.
Greg Lofgren, Pres.
Summer Meeting
Join us for our summer meeting, June 11, at 10 AM in Veterans Park. Since this meeting falls between Memorial Day and Independence Day, it is only fitting that this meeting will honor those who have served in the military.
Our speakers will include Ronnie Reber representing the McHenry VFW post and Lee Lexow representing the McHenry American Legion Post. They will share with us a bit of their history in the service and the history of the VFW and American Legion in McHenry. Perhaps there will be another speaker but it has not yet been confirmed. Join us as we share the memories and learn more about these organizations.
We will meet in the shelter in the park, near Pearl and Court Streets where we can enjoy being out of doors. Bring a folding chair and if it is a warm day, bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated. No food or drink will be provided.
In honor of Memorial Day here is a short quiz about this day.
1. When was Memorial Day declared a national holiday?
A. In 1950 when Pres. Harry Truman declared it a National Holiday.
B. After the Civil War.
C. In 1971 by a declaration of Congress.
2. Who does Memorial Day Honor?
A. All those who have served in the military.
B. Those who died while in the service defending their country.
C. Only those who served in the Army.
3. Was this day always known as Memorial Day?
A. Always known as Memorial Day.
B. Originally known as Decoration Day.
C. Originally known as Veteran’s Day.
Thank you Pat Wirtz
The April meeting concentrated on board games. Not the board games that we enjoy today, but board games that Pat Wirtz has collected over many years. Many of the games are over 100 years old.
Pat shared the history of the games and brought a large number of them which were placed on display, while he shared their history.
Thank you, Pat, for sharing your collection with us.
Quiz Answers
1.C Although the day had been celebrated unofficially for many years, it was often celebrated on different days depending on the state. In 1971 Congress officially created Memorial Day as a Federal Holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May.
2.B Memorial Day is the holiday to honor those who perished in service to their country. Veteran’s Day, in November, celebrates all who have served the nation.
3.B Originally the day was known as Decoration Day in honor of placing flowers on the graves of those who had died in the Civil War by family members.
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Membership Renewal
Please remember to renew your dues. Dues will be increased slightly in 2023, because of increased costs. So, renew now and take advantage of the lower rates.
Please mail to Danielle Miller, 1411 N. Green Street, McHenry, IL 60050 or bring to the June meeting.
Please Print
Name___________________________________Address______________________________________ City, State, Zip_________________________________________________________________________ Home Phone_______________________________Cell Phone__________________________________ EMail_____________________________________________________________________________
Membership: Individual $15______ Family $25_____Lifetime $250______Senior (60+) $10 ____ Student$10___ Contributing business (Owner and spouse) $75___