Will County Historic Preservation Commission

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Joliet, IL
Will County Historic Preservation Commission

The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) promotes and assists in the preservation of Will County's

03/15/2021

A colorful and bustling prairie outside Chicago becomes the site of a manufacturing facility for ammunition during World War II, AKA the Joliet Arsenal. But the history of the area goes back well b…

01/27/2021

Why preserve? What is character? In 1976, Will County created its first Cultural and Historic Preservation Plan. This document, created in the midst of the bicentennial celebrations, laid the groundwork for establishment of the Commission which occurred in 1992. Here's an excerpt from the opening pages which is still relevant today.

01/20/2021

It's inauguration day and we're looking back in history...do you know which president had his inauguration 100 years ago??? Warren G. Harding! Take a look at this historic panoramic view of his inauguration from 1921, photo from Library of Congress. Harding's presidency is perhaps most well known for the Teapot Dome Scandal.

01/12/2021

Happy 185th Birthday Will County! On this day in 1836, an act was passed creating the County of Will out of parts of Cook, Iroquois and Vermillion Counties. At that time, Will County also included the northern part of what is currently Kankakee County. "No region presented a more inviting prospect to the farmer than that embraced in Will County. Here, too, were mill-sites up and down our streams inviting the manufacturer, and any quantity of sites for towns and cities to catch the eye of the speculator" (from History of Will County, 1878).

01/07/2021

We've been on hiatus for a bit trying to manage meetings with COVID restrictions and figuring out the new Facebook - but we're back! We're happy to announce yet another landmark designated, the George Flood Farmstead in Peotone! The owners are before us tonight with plans to rehabilitate the c. 1910 former farmhouse. At this time, only the farmhouse has been designated, but there are older farm buildings still extant on the property.

08/05/2020

We are so excited that St. Paul's Cemetery in Monee has been officially designated as our 59th landmark! Our past couple of posts on the cemetery have highlighted different pieces of its history. Another interesting bit of information is the use of "Fraktur" script on some of the grave markers. With a large German immigrant population, many grave markers are in German with Fraktur typeface or font (as we call it now). Below is an image of the Voigt marker which is in German and Fraktur.

07/10/2020

The landmark nomination of St. Paul's cemetery in Monee was approved by the Will County Historic Preservation Commission last week and is moving on to County Board for final approval on July 16! We are hopeful and eager for the site to become our 59th landmark. Pictured here is the William Deutsche monument, an example of the “white bronze” metal gravestone (zinc alloy) briefly popular in the Midwest.

06/29/2020

The Village of Monee was established in 1849 by Augustus Herbert and platted in 1853. St. Paul's United Church of Christ, originally called St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church, was established only four years later. The congregation and Church have been a part of Monee's history from the very beginning. We are excited that the congregation, Monee Historical Society, and the Village of Monee have all worked together to bring forward the nomination of the Church's cemetery as a Will County landmark!

06/24/2020

We are excited to once again hold an in-person meeting for July! It is a traveling meeting to Monee to hold a public hearing for the landmark nomination of St. Paul's Cemetery on Margaret Street in Monee. The cemetery was established c. 1857. Stay tuned for more information and views of cemetery as our July meeting approaches.

06/01/2020

Have you ever wished you had full access to a certain paid-subscription-only historical record collection for just one day? This June, you just might have your chance! Each day, we will open one of our paid-subscription-only historical record collections to the public, providing full, free access to...

05/28/2020

Learn more about the origins of Preservation Month, celebrated by preservationists and history enthusiasts each year throughout the month of May.

05/21/2020

Monday is Memorial Day, and while it often heralds the kick-off to summer, let's pause to remember the true history and origins of the holiday. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Decoration Day, as it once was called, began shortly after the Civil War when people would decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers.

Address

58 E Clinton Street, Ste 100
Joliet, IL
60432

Website

http://www.willcountyillinois.com/County-Offices/Economic-Development/Land-Use/Development-Review/Historic-Preservation

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