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r . . - • . N • • German Emigrants Founded Johnsburg AUGUST 6 , 197$ PLAIN DEALER CENTENNIAL EDITION-PAGE 7 m AERIAL VIEW OF JOHNSBURG LOOKING NORTH As the Fox river flowed south it made, northeast of McHenry, a chain of placid and beautiful lakes, most of them in what is now Lake county. The larger ones became known as Fox Lake. Channel Lake, Long Lake. Grass Lake. Round Lake, and. in McHenry County. Pistaqua <now Fistakee) Bay. Then the river continued southwest.and it was generally at this point that German emigrants, on Aug. 2. 1841, chose to settle and call their little community Johnsburg, taking the Christian name of one of their leaders, John Baptist Mueller. The other two first settlers were Joacob Sch- mitt and Nicholaus Adams} On of the first things these settlers did was to build a church Fred Schmitt. who had gone through a bad storm on the ocean, had promised the Almighty that if he was spared, he would build a church. It was done in 1843. For decades Johnsburg continued to be the most pronounced German colony in McHenry county. The beautiful St. John the Baptist Catholic church, organized in 1843, built in 1879, burned in 1900 and rebuilt at that time, is reminiscent in its lofty ar­ chitecture of the German cathedrals around Coblenz, Eiffel and vicinity. In June of 1937, Johnsburg's dream of a precinct for voting came true. It was designated that the polling place would be in Bildner's Barber shop, which was convenient for all voters. Previously all voters had to vote in King wood. Other big events also hap­ pened in the year 1937. It was in September of 1937 that the matter of replacing the old wooden bridge over .the Fox river at Johnsburg/Avas also taken up by „the Johnsburg Community club. The site and right-of-way had been secured. In February of 1938, a representative crowd from various towns in this district •rnet at Johnsburg to hear the report of an investigating committee regarding the ad­ visability of securing fire- fighting apparatus for John­ sburg and vicinity. The com­ m i t t e e c o n s i s t e d o f A H . Severinghaus, Chairman; Joe B. Hettermann, Jos. (Butch) Freund, s Tony Schmitt, Jos. Iwanis, and Peter Meersman. Another meeting followed in March of 1938. At this meeting it was decided not to pur chase any apparatus or equipment but to cooperate with neighboring fire departments in every way possible. Five volunteer firemen were selected to work in the rural districts and assist the fire trucks in clearing roads, fighting fires, and all necessary work. These volunteers were Joe B. Hettermann, Fred J. Smith, Otto Adams, Joe Huemann, Jr. and Henry Doden. In March of 1938 the big news arrived from Springfield, with the promise of a new $150,000 bridge across the Fox river at Johnsburg. The new bridge was built just south of the present site and was a substantial structure of iron, steel and .cement, 450 feet in length over the river, in addition to the approaches. On June 18. 1939, the dream of all the community was realized -- the dedication of the Bridge. The whole countryside was alive as civic pride swept over Johnsburg and surrounding territory. The new bridge was dedicated and officially opened to traffic. Answering a call to lend his presence to the dedication ceremony came F. Lynden Smith, director of Public Works and Buildings from the state Capitol at Springfield. Quiet in manner and obviously a man deter­ mined in purpose, Mr. Smith -revealed in his dedicatory remarks a keen knowledge of progress in the community. Shortly before 2 o'clock on Sunday afternoon the school children from St. John's Catholic school lined up in March formation. The Alemite band tuned up, a couple of --Hags waved gloriously and the spirited saddle horses pranced parade was on. with excitement, American In the center of the parade marched the Rev. Father A.J. Neidert. who gave his blessing to the new structure as the parade moved onward. Returning to the speakers' stand at the Johnsburg side of the new bridge, the band struck up "The Star Spangled Ban­ ner". Earl Walsh, master of ceremonies, stepped to the microphone and the program took form. Johnsburg today has one of the most active Community clubs in the county. Johnsburg Bridge Of 1800's J Old Johnsburg bridge, erected in the late 1800's. New, modern bridge now replaces it. Lakemoor '51 Incorporation Follows Dissolution In 1942 The early history of the area of what is now the Village of Lakemoor had its beginnings with the county of McHenry at a time when the county borders reached all the way to the city of Waukegan on the east bank of Lake Michigan. McHenry county was officially sanc­ tioned by the State Legislature in 1836. Before 1836, the area was occupied by the Winnebago Indian Nation consisting of the * Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatami tribes. In those early years the McHenry county seat was the village of McHenry, since it was situated near the center of the county - most of the population being east of the Fox river. Lake county was organized in 1840. During 1838 and 1839 when the county line was to be re­ established, the state at first thought to make the boundary the Fox river but the people of $ McHenry protested being left at the eastern end and so a compromise was reached making the county line three miles east of the river. Today, the east boundary line of the Village of Lakemoor is the. Lake-McHenry county line. The first settlers during those years are contained in the McHenry county history books but a reminder of the past is a small cemetery without a name located on Lily Lake and Wagner roads. The headstones in the cemetery date back to the 1700's and 1800's. The natural lake located in the area was named for the abundant lily pads that dot the lake in the early Fall. State highway 120 is paved now, but in the early years, credit for the road is given to the Rev. Joel Wheeler, one of the first white settlers in the area who blazed a wagon road from Lily Lake to Wauconda in 1838 while making his calls. The first thoroughfare was the trail from Chicago to McHenry which later became a paved highway. One-room school houses were erected during the early years and as the population grew, they were situated throughout the county, where first through eighth grades were taught. The schools at that time were governed by appointed school land commissioners for each township. According to early records, the land com­ missioners in 1841 for Lily Lake school were Alden Harvey, Alfred Stone and Chauncy Beckwith. The children either walked to school or were taken by their parents to attend, there being no bus transportation until the 1900's. In the years before the Village of Lakemoor came into being, the area was farm land, owned by the Frank Stein- sdoerfer, Gerhard Weggener, George Weggener, William Etten, Mathias and Peter Brown, and Jake Diedrich families. In the early 1900's, John Wagner (father of Joseph Wagner who still resides in the village) farmed the Jake Diedrich place. Some time during this time, Frank Steinsdoerfer sold 3' 4 acres to a Henry Broecker, who con­ structed the Lily Lake hotel. The hotel had ten rooms for rent by the day or week and served meals. Boats were available for those wishing to spend a day fishing on the lake. O.C. Broecker was the first proprietor of the hotel. In 1914, Gerhard Weggener applied to the Chicago Telephone com­ pany for the erection of telephone lines for his home. The Illinois Bell Telephone company did not come to McHenry county until 1920. Lily Lake Subdivision In 1924. Frank Sampson and Leon S. Sex. of Chicago, founders and developers of Pell Lake addition in Walworth county, Wis., were driving to Pell lake and put up at the Lily Lake hotel for overnight. In the morning, upon arising and looking out over the lake and surrounding land, they thought it would make a beautiful spot for a new town and so through (Continued on page 8) THE ^PEOPLE PLEASERS SELLING CARS IS ONLY PART OF OUR JOB Our business is built on the premise of service; before you buy - after you buy. Our people are proud of the work they do to make YOU a satis­ fied customer. It is this kind of dedication that will enable us, like the McHenry Plaindealer, to grow and prosper for years to come. THEBOCNCMY EXfER^S 907 N. FRONT STREET McHENRY, ILL. (815) 385-0403 "YOUR ON AND OFF THE ROAD HEADQUARTERS" AMCri v MITCHELL AMC-JEEP Brake Parts Company - v v,, Producing quality brake parts to keep America's trucks and cars operating safely. The Brake Parts Company, a subsidiary of the The Eehlin Manufacturing Company, is engaged in a single business - replacement parts. A broad variety of brake parts are produced in McHenry for ears and trucks. This line includes hydraulic brake cylinders, repair kits for cylinders, hoses, brake fluid, disc brake rotors and calipers, cables and special systems such as brake lock systems. In 1967, Brake Parts Company was established ^ hy ^ie construction of a new 80.000 square foot \ factory. A 120.000 square foot addition was added j to the McHenry plant in September of 1968. ® ^e ,lovv have over 500 employees engaged in manufacturing, administration, and sales at our McHenry facility. . ? A SUBSIDIARY OF THE ECHLIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY \ 1600 N. Industrial Drive McHenry, 111.