The Saga of the Courthouse Well

1998 color photograph of two buildings on Johnson Street, Woodstock, Illinois, the old McHenry County Courthouse and the old Sheriff's Residence and jail.

Old Courthouse and Jail at dusk, 1998

From the beginning, the Courthouse Well project was mired by problems. From clogged pumps to broken drill bits, the contractors digging the Courthouse Well consistently found themselves at odds with this stubborn hole in the ground.

Find yourself interested? Check out some of the articles below!

1888-05-03 (ws) county digs new well just behind courthouse.jpg

May 3 1888 | County Digs New Well Behind Courthouse

1888-05-24 (ws) new well behind courthouse 115 ft and still no water.jpg

May 24 1888 | Contractors Building New Well Dig 115 Feet to No Avail

1888-06-14 (ws) strike water in well behind courthouse at 180 ft.jpg

June 14 1888 | At 180 Feet, Contractors Strike Water in Well Behind Courthouse

1888-07-05 (ws) court house well filling up with sand.jpg

July 5 1888 | New Well Behind Courthouse Clogged with Sand

1888-07-12 (ws) court house well - digging deeper - through solid rock - at 200 ft.jpg

July 12 1888 | Sand Removal from Well Requires More Digging, 200 Feet Now Needed

1888-07-19 (ws) court house well having issues - brewery having issues with their well also.jpg

July 19 1888 | Well Behind Courthouse Still Under Construction After Drill Mishap

1888-10-11 (ws) still drilling well behind courthouse - struck water at brewery at 200 ft.jpg

October 11 1888 | Contractors for the Well Have Yet to Strike Water

1888-10-18 (ws) still drilling well behind courthouse - drill bit stuck 220 feet.jpg

October 18 1888 | Courthouse Well Delayed Further with Drill Bit Stuck at 225 Feet

1888-11-22 (ws) still trying to drill well at courthouse - 5th try.jpg

November 22 1888 | Fifth Attempt to Complete Courthouse Well Underway

1888-11-29 (ws) courthouse well diggers get down 90 ft.jpg

November 29 1888 | Progress Made in Courthouse Well Digging Project

1889-02-28 (ws) courthouse well diggers down to 250 feet.jpg

February 28 1889 | Courthouse Well Project has Reached a Depth of 250 Feet, Progress Slow

1889-03-14 (ws) well at courthouse finally strikes water.jpg

March 14 1889 | At 265 Feet, the Courthouse Well has Struck Water!

1889-10-24 (ws) new building erected to house new courthouse well pump.jpg