Crystal Lake Historic Trolley Tour unveils secrets of ‘moved and removed’ buildings

Inside the downtown Crystal Lake Starbucks hangs a large black-and-white photo of a church. Most people walk past it without thinking much of it, but it’s actually a photo of the church that once stood exactly where that Starbucks is today, Crystal Lake Historic Preservation Commission member Boy Wyman said.

“There’s a lot of secrets out there,” Wyman said.

Those little trinkets of Crystal Lake history are what the Historic Preservation Commission aims to share each year in the annual Heritage Trolley Tour. This year’s theme, “Moved and Removed,” will focus on locations where the buildings that now stand there are not the first or sometimes second or third to occupy the space.

The 24th Heritage Trolley Tour will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 9, and tickets went on sale Wednesday. This year also marks the 110th anniversary of the city.

The tour, which has been taking place since 1998, celebrates the city’s rich history and architecture. Last year was the first tour since 2019, as the commission put events on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023 tour featured 13 Sears and Roebuck “kit” homes that can be found throughout downtown Crystal Lake and nearby neighborhoods.

More than 20 locations will be highlighted on the tour including the Butler House, Crystal Lake Public Library, Methodist-Episcopal Church and the Jewel grocery store once located in downtown Crystal Lake. The “Moved and Removed” theme also was used in 2011 and the commission decided to bring it back because of its popularity, Wyman said. The repeated theme does not mean repeated locations, Wyman said. He was surprised to discover so many new places to highlight this year. Commission member Bob Kosin said it’s easier than ever to find historic records with the help of technology and digitalization of documents.

“We hope to prove to you that we are not running out of places anytime soon,” Kosin said.

The tour won’t be a “dark march” to make attendees feel like they are losing a past landscape, Kosin said. Rather, organizers hope to show the journey and history of Crystal Lake that carries on.

This is the first year tickets will be available to buy online at crystal-lake-trolley-tour.ticketbud.com/historic-preservation-commission. Tickets can also be bought with cash or check at Heisler’s Bootery, located at 50 N. Williams St. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the tour.

All funds raised from ticket sales and advertising support preservation activities throughout the year, including repair, upkeep and the cleaning of veterans’ gravestones, as well as the grant program, which aids in the upkeep of historic landmarked properties in Crystal Lake.

Each tour is like another chapter in the history book of Crystal Lake trolley tours, Kosin said. It’s a long-term goal of the commission to assemble a comprehensive history of the city. Records of previous trolley tours can be found at the public library.

“It’s almost like binge watching and we’re the Netflix of Crystal Lake,” Kosin said.