SCHAUMBURG TOWNSHIP BARNS THEN AND NOW–POST 2

On September 10, 2022 the Schaumburg Township Historical Society conducted a well-received, sold-out bus tour of the barns of Schaumburg Township. Attendees visited five barns that still exist and were also provided with information on five “ghost” barns that have vanished from the landscape.

Researched by the Society’s barn tour committee, this is the second of two posts from the pamphlet that they produced for the tour. This post centers around the bygone “ghost” barns–barns that could once be found on the farms of Schaumburg Township.

The Kern Barn/Home – Robert Atcher Home
Built circa 1860
Meacham Road
Schaumburg, IL

Photo of Kern barn donated by Jerry Kern.

This old barn was on property that is now Lexington Fields. It was built before the Civil War.

Mr. L.D. Kern wanted to have architect Paul Schweikher rehab the farm house on the farm he just purchased, but Paul saw the huge barn and suggested that he rehab the barn into a fabulous home.

Mr. Kern swapped land he owned to the south of his farm to Paul Schweikher in exchange for him building a barn home with 4 levels and 22 rooms for Kern. Schweikher built his own home on the swapped land at 645 Meacham Road that is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Kern Barn/Home later became the home to Schaumburg’s second mayor, Robert Atcher. When you slowly drive down Meacham Road by Lexington Fields there may still be smoke in the air. The beautiful Kern Barn/Home and Atcher Home burned to the ground in May of 1963. All of architect Paul Schweikher’s work was in ashes, as well as the Atcher’s treasures they had accumulated over the years. Only the Ghost Barn remains.

The Helen Brach Barn
Purchased from Henry Moeller
East Schaumburg Road
Schaumburg, IL
Build date unknown

Photo of Moeller barn donated by Elfrida Mengler.

Is there more than one ghost here? Helen, also known as the Brach Candy heiress of Chicago, rehabbed the barn and its bright red color was beautiful to see out in the fields, north of Schaumburg Road and west of Meacham Road.

The beautiful horses living in her barn loved her gentle care. On a quiet morning you may still hear the horses whinny. Helen would never hear them again. She is thought to have been murdered. Helen disappeared in 1977. Her body has never been found. Did anyone think to look under the barn?

The Thies Barn
Wise Road
Schaumburg, IL
Built circa 1880

Photo of William and Clara Thies farm. Donated by LaVonne (Thies) Presley

Sadness is a very distinct feeling in the area of this Ghost Barn along Wise Road, west of Roselle. The ghostly herd of milking cows was destroyed when they came down with tuberculosis, and the barn fell silent.

The Palatine or Roselle train cars [or a truck] took them to their end at the Chicago Stock Yards. Mr. Thies never again raised a dairy herd. It was too heartbreaking to destroy animals you love.

Paul Hassell Barn
Jones Road
Hoffman Estates, IL
Built circa 1900

Photo of the Paul Hassell barn. Credit to the collection of the Village of Hoffman Estates.

As you catch a glimpse of movement at this ghost barn, are those people sneaking around the side? Rumors from neighbors tell of gangsters getting water for whiskey stills in Chicago. “The best water in the area” they tell their friends. Was there a still in the barn during Prohibition?

Paul Hassell bought this property just north of Higgins Road, on Jones Road, after all these shenanigans ended. Can you smell whiskey drifting across the fields while you drive down Jones Road?

Johann Sunderlage Barn
Volid Drive
Hoffman Estates, IL
Built circa 1860

Photo of the Sunderlage house and barn donated by the Hoffman Estates Historical Sites Commission

On quiet misty mornings, just before the sun comes up, you may see a ghost barn out of the corner of your eye as you walk down Volid Drive, south of Higgins Road. As you turn to see more, the barn is gone.

The smell of hay and manure seems to be in the air but how can that be? The energy of everything built from stone and wood remains once it’s gone. This is a ghost barn.

The windmill on top of the barn provided the energy to keep the milk cold that was obtained from the dairy herd of the Johann Sunderlage family. He was one of the pioneers to settle in today’s Hoffman Estates in the 1840s.

Special thanks to the Bus Tour Committee of Carole Pye, Pat Barch, Denise Suender Carolyn McClure and Nancy Mamson for their work in putting this brochure together. It is a unique perspective on our township’s history, given the fact that these barns are no longer part of our vista.

SCHAUMBURG TOWNSHIP BARNS, THEN AND NOW–POST 1

On September 10, 2022 the Schaumburg Township Historical Society conducted a well-received, sold-out bus tour of the barns of Schaumburg Township. Attendees visited five barns that still exist and were also provided with information on five “ghost” barns that have vanished from the landscape.

Researched by the Society’s barn tour committee, this is the first of two posts from the pamphlet that they produced for the tour. This post centers around the barns that can still be found today in the villages of Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg.

Hattendorf Barn at Volkening Heritage Farm in Schaumburg. Photo credit to Carole Pye.

Volkening Heritage Farmhouse & Hattendorf Barn
201 South Plum Grove Road
Schaumburg, IL 60194

This property was originally purchased from the federal government by Johann and Sophie Boeger, shortly after they arrived from Germany in 1845. At least 8 more families lived on this farm over the next 100 years.

The Boeger farm was saved from destruction in 1979, when the Cook County Highway Department straightened Plum Grove Road near Schaumburg Road. Various civic organizations raised the money to move it to its current location, where it serves as the farmhouse for the 1880s operating farm. It is called Volkening because of the generous donation of Fred Volkening, a 90-year Schaumburg resident.

The barn dates back to 1883, and was donated by Kennedy Builders when they began to develop land that was the Hattendorf farm. The foundation and timbers are original. The roof and siding are new. The Hattendorf barn was reassembled at Spring Valley in 1993 during a community barn-raising event.

Turret House Barn / Coach House in Schaumburg. Photo credit to Carolyn McClure.

Turret House Barn / Coach House
17 East Schaumburg Road
Schaumburg, IL 60194

The Turret House was built in 1901 by prominent Schaumburg architect Louis Menke, and is an example of Queen Anne architecture. Mr. Menke lived there with his wife and six children.

The coach house, which is a reconstruction of the original barn, but with the original cupola, was used to house the wagon and buggy and also served as a stable for the horses. The shed was heated and was used as Menke’s workroom.

Eventually, Lou Malnatis owned it, but in 2010 the Village of Schaumburg acquired it through a land swap. The Turret House was completely renovated in 2011 and now houses the Schaumburg Family Counseling Center. A cement marker behind the Turret House has been preserved as a marker for Stratford Farms.

Mennonite Church, a former barn on the Stratford Farms property in Schaumburg. Photo credit to Pat Barch.

Stratford Farms / Mennonite Church Barn
888 South Roselle Road
Schaumburg, IL 60194

Stratford Farms, which started around 1913, was originally owned by prominent Chicago attorney and real estate mogul, Levy Mayer, who also owned the Stratford Hotel, at Jackson and Michigan in Chicago. Produce, dairy and meat went to the hotel, “farm to table.”

It was eventually purchased by nationally known orchestra leader Wayne King, famous for his nine year run at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. He built the ranch house in front of the barn and rehearsed with his band in the living room. He sold the farm in 1957.

In 1988, the property was purchased by the Mennonite Church to serve as a church and Sunday School. To help the community, they renovated the barn and in 2007, Big Barn Preschool opened its doors.

The cement marker that once identified Stratford Farms has been preserved and stands behind the Turret House.

The Barn in Schaumburg. Photo credit to Pat Barch.

The Schaumburg Barn
231 Civic Drive
Schaumburg, IL 60193

The Schaumburg Barn was part of the farm owned by slot machine magnate, Ode D. Jennings, who bought the 200-acre farm in 1918, as a retreat from the business world of Chicago.

It was eventually purchased by Campanelli Brothers, developers of Weathersfield, Schaumburg’s first subdivision. Campanelli Brothers donated 11 acres, including a large barn, a farmhouse and other buildings to the Village of Schaumburg.

The Barn, which was built around 1920, was renovated and during the 1960s, was Schaumburg’s first police station and jail, and also a circuit court. It is now used as a Senior Center and Teen Center.

Vogelei barn in Hoffman Estates. Photo credit to Carole Pye.

Vogelei Barn
650 West Higgins Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169

The Vogelei home and barn were built around 1916 at a cost of $5500. It was owned for many years by Edward and Amanda Sunderlage, who inherited it from her parents, the Giesekes. The original barn burned down in 1937 and a new one was built.

In 1952, the property was purchased by Ida Vogelei. Approached by the Hoffman Estates Park District in 1968, she sold it for $150,000, with the agreement that the park be named for her.

Throughout the years, the barn has housed preschool programs, a teen center, a theatre group and gymnastics programs.

Special thanks to the Bus Tour Committee of Carole Pye, Pat Barch, Denise Suender Carolyn McClure and Nancy Mamson for their work in putting this brochure together. It is a unique perspective because these barns are a symbol of a bygone era of Schaumburg Township’s rural, agrarian history.

Next week there will be an account of some of the ghost barns of the township. Be sure and drop in.