McHenry County to conduct survey of historic properties

Residents living in rural, unincorporated parts of eastern McHenry County may see people driving slowly and taking photos near their property, but officials said there’s no need to worry.

The McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission is conducting a survey of old, historic structures to catalog them in the hopes of potentially rescuing them down the road, according to a news release.

Surveyors, who are slated to start their work soon, will not need to go onto private property and will be photographing properties from the public right of way, Deputy Director of Planning and Development Renee Hanlon said.

The historic properties being surveyed sit within unincorporated areas of Algonquin, Grafton, Nunda and McHenry townships, according to the release.

Once the survey is completed, which is expected around May, the county’s historic preservation commission will use it to plan preservation projects in the future, Hanlon said.

History is more than something that’s just old and dusty. It’s relevant today and it has a place.

—  McHenry County Historical Society Administrator Kurt Begalka

Potential future projects, along with the potential to identify future landmarks, is something McHenry County Historical Society Administrator Kurt Begalka is excited about when it comes to the survey.

“It’s doing a cursory survey of properties that look like they have some historic bones to them,” Begalka said. “So that’s of value.”

The survey is the first conducted in almost a decade, as the last one finished in 2015 and covered northwestern McHenry County, including Alden, Chemung, Dunham, Hartland, Hebron, Marengo, Riley and Seneca townships, according to the county’s website.

This also will be the first time Algonquin, Grafton, Nunda and McHenry townships have been surveyed since 1998-99, according to the county’s website. That survey was a volunteer one and was not accurate, Hanlon said. This new professional survey will replace the old one.

The survey will cost about $50,000, Hanlon said. It will be carried out by the architectural firm of McGuire Igleski and Associates of Evanston, according to the release.

The county was awarded a $35,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which is expected to cover about 70% of the costs, Hanlon said.

Begalka said he hopes the survey continues the effort of showing how important historical preservation is. History in an area, whether buildings or trails, can bring economic value. He pointed to the historic Woodstock Square as an example that sees tourism related to the various movies shot there over the decades.

“History is more than something that’s just old and dusty,” he said. “It’s relevant today and it has a place.”