Through most of its existence, McHenry County has been an area focussed on agriculture. In the late part of the 19th century, pickle factories became something of a fad in the county. Woodstock, Crystal Lake, and Nunda were just some of the local towns to have them. By 1880, McHenry actually had two pickle factories.… Continue reading The McHenry Pickle Factory
In August of 1919, a local resident named “Buff” Feltz stopped by the McHenry Plaindealer office with an old dance program he found in walls of a Crystal Lake house he helped raze. Plaindealer editor, F. G. Schreiner found the program interesting and posted the details of the dance thinking that some of the “old-timers”… Continue reading The Masquerade Ball of February 1878
The drive-in theater was one of the iconic crazes of the 1950s. While the first drive-in was actually in Camden, New Jersey in 1933, the popularity of the drive-in didn’t take off until the 1950s. Drive-ins offered some things that their indoor counterparts didn’t. Overall, the atmosphere befitted its casual summertime setting. At a drive-in,… Continue reading McHenry’s Skyline Drive-In Theater
In the summer of 1935 St. Mary's softball charity game proved to be a memorable one. It pitted teams from the McHenry Elderly Men and St. Mary's Holy Name Society and featured a bonus game that between the Married Men vs. the Single Men. People were really looking forward to the game as it featured… Continue reading Red Faber Pitches in McHenry
McHenry's first venture into the electric world started in February 1908. Town leaders wanted to bring McHenry into the electronic age for some time, but this wasn't as easy as one might think. Electric companies weren't like the giant corporations that we have today. Many were start-ups, most of which failed. For example, towns… Continue reading McHenry Electric Service Company
The Everett Hunter Manufacturing Company was a staple in McHenry for many years. Everett Hunter's boat making business started in 1889 when he immigrated to the US from England. In 1919, business was booming and it was decided that they would expand into producing phonographs as well. What put phonographs on the map was that… Continue reading The Everett Phonograph & Music Store
During the early 1900s, McHenry was a bustling tourist town that attracted many people from the city and other local areas as a vacation spot. By 1911, it was becoming apparent to some citizens in the village of McHenry that the town hall no longer met the needs of its people. If the town was… Continue reading McHenry’s 2nd City Hall
In July 1938, the McHenry area had some of the worst floods in its history. A huge storm on June 30th brought torrential rains The storm saturated the area and caused area rivers and lakes to swell. Damage and destruction to local fields, crops and buildings were due to the rivers flooding their banks. However, probably the… Continue reading The Flood of 1938
Baseball was a small town's game and many towns featured semi-professional clubs during the 1900's. McHenry was no exception. The baseball team the McHenry Blues started in 1905 and played through 1909. The town was also home to the McHenry Shamrocks who played from the early 1930s until the mid-1960s. Semi-Pro baseball was similar to today's… Continue reading The 1907 McHenry Blues
Here was September's This Week In History that was published weekly on the McHenry Public Library's homepage. September 4, 1930 - Headline: HS Enrollment Breaks Records The McHenry High School saw a drastic rise in its population securing 63 new students in its freshman class alone and total attendance up to 200 students. Credit was given to Superintendent C. H. Duker in promoting the importance of… Continue reading September’s This Week In History
