Old Courthouse / Sheriff's Residence & Jail : 1857 to Today HomeCopyright & Fair UseHistory of the CourthouseFAQsResourcesCourthouse Renovation HistorySheriff's Residence & JailFeatured StoriesCourthouse LecturesEconomic Impact of the CourthouseClarence Darrow & Eugene V DebsClarence DarrowEugene V. DebsNews Stories of InterestThe Saga of the Courthouse WellSearch by NewspaperChicago TribuneMcHenry County DemocratMcHenry County Republican Woodstock AmericanWoodstock DemocratWoodstock RepublicanWoodstock Sentinel19th CenturyEarly 20th CenturyLate 20th CenturyPhotographs & Other Media Early 20th Century 1900-1904 February 8 1900 | McHenry County Republicans Host Love Feast at Courthouse April 19 1900 | H. Darwin McIlrath Lecture at CourthouseAugust 1 1901 | Improvements to Courthouse AnnouncedOctober 9 1902 | Bandstand Demolished and Rubble Placed Behind CourthouseJanuary 8 1903 | V. E. Jones to Build Barn Opposite of CourthouseFebruary 26 1903 | Improvements to Courthouse Overseen by Deputy WandrackMarch 5 1903 | Barn Commissioned by V.E. Jones CompletedMarch 26 1903 | V.E. Jones Sale and Feed Stable AdMay 14 1903 | Penny Mite Society to Hold Social at CourthouseJune 4 1903 | McHenry County Board of Directors Meet at CourthouseJune 11 1903 | Board of Supervisors Hold Meeting at CourthouseJune 11 1903 | Runaway Horses Cause Commotion Near CourthouseJune 18 1903 | Debate Rages on Whether to Construct a New CourthouseSeptember 10 1903 | Building Committee Granted Extension for Courthouse Remodel PropositionNovember 26 1903 | Penny Mite Society to Vacate CourthouseDecember 3 1903 | Mass Meeting Held to Discuss New CourthouseDecember 10 1903 | Board of Supervisors Set Date for Public Meeting on New CourthouseDecember 17 1903 | McHenry County Voters Reject Proposal for New CourthouseDecember 24 1903 | Regardless of the Defeated Proposal the County Will Need a New Courthouse Soon February 11 1904 | Description of CourthouseMay 12 1904 | North Side of Courthouse Expansion AnnouncedJuly 14 1904 | Courthouse Expansion Project Breaks GroundSeptember 22 1904 | Courthouse Expansion Nearing CompletionSeptember 22 1904 | Courthouse Flag Pole Struck by LightningDecember 22 1904 | Woman's Restroom to be Added to CourthouseDecember 29 1904 | Courthouse Flag Pole Replaced After Lightning Strike ‹› 1905-1919 January 19 1905 | Penny Mite Society to Resume Meeting at CourthouseFebruary 2 1905 | Courthouse Improvements Inspected by SupervisorMarch 30 1905 | Fight Ends in Stabbing with One Injured and Assailant Jailed in CourthouseJuly 6 1905 | Proposal to Receive Bids for South Side Addition to CourthouseAugust 10 1905 | Construction Begins on South Side Addition for CourthouseJune 28 1906 | Public Building Committee Accepting Proposals for Courthouse SidewalksDecember 14 1906 | Courthouse Sketched by Former Circuit Clerk E.E. Richards December 14 1906 | History of the Courthouse's RenovationsMarch 19 1908 | Prohibition Convention Scheduled for CourthouseDecember 3 1908 | Woodstock Women's Club Establishes Restroom in CourthouseAugust 25 1910 | County Clerk's Office Accepting Proposals for a New Heating SystemOctober 13 1910 | Former Jail Underneath Courthouse Criticized for Brutal DesignMarch 16 1911 | Ladies Waiting Room in Courthouse Receives new TelephoneSeptember 12 1911 | Courthouse Rest Room Cleaned in Preparation for County Fair VisitorsDecember 26 1912 | Meeting at Courthouse to Discuss State Ownership of RoadsJanuary 9 1913 | Mass Meeting at Courthouse to Discuss Hospital PlansApril 16 1914 | Honorable B. F. Staymates to Lecture at CourthouseOctober 23 1917 | Mrs. L. M. Featherstone to Lecture at CourthouseJuly 25 1918 | County Demonstrator Eva Blair Establishes Office in CourthouseOctober 2 1919 | Courthouse Restroom Re-Decorated‹› 1920-1929 January 26 1922 | Memorial Service for Judge C. H. Donnelly to be Held at CourthouseJuly 20 1922 | Woman's Organization Meeting Held in Courthouse RestroomOctober 3 1922 | Tuberculosis Clinic to be Held at CourthouseOctober 24 1922 | Republican Mass Meeting Held at CourthouseOctober 25 1922 | Gov. Yates Delivers Keynote Lecture at CourthouseNovember 25 1922 | House of Attorney M. A. Carmack Set Ablaze Amdist TrialNovember 12 1923 | Illinois Anti-Tuberculosis Vigilance Association By-Laws Ratified at CourthouseDecember 24 1923 | Local Woodstock Resident Climbs Tree to Set Turkey FreeFebruary 13 1924 | Annual Meeting of Woodstock Community Shippers' Association Held at CourthouseMay 3 1924 | Woodstock Woman's Club Spearhead Restroom RedecorationJune 17 1924 | Help Wanted Ad for Courthouse AttendantJuly 25 1924 | Prohibition Crackdowns Filling Courthouse Jail FastAugust 1 1924 | In First Week Courthouse Tourists Bureau Welcomes Over 1,000 TravellersAugust 11 1924 | Confiscated Alcohol Overflowing in Courthouse BasementSeptember 24 1924 | Candidate for U.S. Senate Charles S. Deneen to Hold Lecture at CourthouseSeptember 26 1924 | Charles Deneen Visits Woodstock for Courthouse LectureJanuary 9 1925 | Leonard Fisher Declared Not Guilty in Courthouse RulingJanuary 8 1926 | McHenry County Milk Producers Switch Meeting from Harvard to Woodstock CourthouseFebruary 20 1926 | Woodstock Chamber of Commerce Meeting at CourthouseMarch 2 1926 | Cosgrove Case Goes to Jury Late TodayMarch 18 1926 | Senator William McKinley to Give Lecture at CourthouseApril 23 1926 | Courthouse Flag Pole Sports New Coat of PaintMay 12 1926 | Meeting at Courthouse to Discuss Road ImprovementsMay 14 1926 | Courthouse Restroom to be Open on Decoration DayMay 15 1926 | Representatives from Across McHenry County Meet at CourthouseAugust 23 1926 | Brewery Discovered on Hartland Farm to be Transported to CourthouseAugust 25 1926 | McHenry County Sheriff Oversees Transportation of Brewery to CourthouseAugust 26 1926 | Oklahoma City Band Delights Crowd Outside of Courthouse‹› 1930-1935 March 19 1930 | Senator Chas S. Deen to Lecture at CourthouseAugust 25 1931 | Water Fountain Dedication to be Held in Front of CourthouseSeptember 8 1931 | Busy Session at Courthouse this MorningSeptember 15 1931 | Proposed Renovations to Courthouse Present ProblemsOctober 14 1931 | No Action on New AdditionOctober 16 1931 | Construction Contract for Courthouse Addition AwardedNovember 4 1931 | Grand Jury Indictment Expected in Smith CaseDecember 7 1931 | Sheriff Moves into New Home at CourthouseDecember 26 1931 | Oscar Nelson Trial Resumes after Christmas AdjournmentJanuary 8 1932 | Harvard Resident Sent to Hospital After Episode at CourthouseJanuary 26 1932 | McHenry County Farm Bureau to Vacate CourthouseJune 21 1933 | French Actress, Fifi D'Orsay, Gives Performance Outside CourthouseAugust 1 1933 | Dairy Farmers Protective Association Formed at CourthouseSeptember 28 1933 | Grand Jury Delivers Eleven IndictmentsApril 19 1934 | Two Residents of Fox River Grove Plead Guilty to LarcenyJune 10 1935 | Suspects Tied to 'Torture Gang' Indicted and Brought to TrialJuly 9 1935 | First Concert of the Season to be Held in Front of CourthouseJuly 10 1935 | 700-800 Chairs to be Delivered to Courthouse Ahead of Concert July 16 1935 | Second Series of Summer Band Concerts to be held in Front of CourthouseJuly 23 1935 | Another Band Concert Slated to Perform in Front of CourthouseJuly 30 1935 | Fourth Summer Band Concert Scheduled for Courthouse Appearance August 6 1935 | Final Summer Band Concert AnnouncedAugust 19 1935 | Legion Harvest Festival to Open in Front of Courthouse October 8 1935 | Legion Auxiliary to Sponsor Rummage Sale at CourthouseOctober 18 1935 | State's Attorney Vincent S. Lumley Returns to Courthouse in Good HealthDecember 24 1935 | Santa Claus to Make Appearance at Courthouse‹› 1936-1939 April 23 1936 | Pension Board Headquarters Relocated to Courthouse Main FloorJuly 3 1936 | Boy Scouts to Nominate Candidates for City Election at CourthouseJuly 6 1936 | Boy Scouts Hold Convention at Courthouse to Elect Officers for a DaySeptember 11 1936 | Republican Rally to be Held at CourthouseSeptember 19 1936 | Courthouse Becomes Home to State and Federal Project PlanningSeptember 24 1936 | Republican Volunteers to Gather at CourthouseOctober 7 1936 | Photograph of McHenry County Courthouse c.1866March 13 1937 | Fence Built to Protect Courthouse Wood SupplyMarch 13 1937 | New Baptist Church Foundation Laid West of CourthouseMarch 13 1937 | A Dozen Trees Planted on Courthouse LawnMarch 13 1937 | Reflection: 80 Years of the CourthouseMarch 23 1937 | Courthouse Painting and Restroom Remodel CompleteAugust 10 1937 | Safety Lane for Woodstock Car Owners Opens South of CourthouseDecember 16 1937 | Hunters Meet at Courthouse to Organize Sportman's ChapterJune 9 1938 | Sportman's League to Host Move Night at Courthouse for MembersJune 29 1938 | Grand Opera Star Applies for Marriage License at CourthouseDecember 16 1938 | Call for Christmas Trees in the CourthouseFebruary 9 1939 | Central Street Girl Scouts Meet at CourthouseMarch 16 1939 | Boy Scouts Tour Courthouse with Sheriff EdingerApril 4 1939 | State Representatives Meet with Milk Producers at Courthouse to Discuss Recent LegislationMay 10 1939 | Courthouse Repairs Approved by the Board of SupervisorsMay 17 1939 | Courthouse to Host Meeting on Weed EradicationAugust 29 1939 | Chicago Attorney Dies Suddenly at CourthouseSeptember 26 1939 | Sportman's League to Meet at Courthouse November 2 1939 | Room Underneath Treasurer's Office in Courthouse to House New Polling Place‹› 1940-1946 February 14 1940 | Dorr County Third Precinct Voters Can Now Use New OfficeFebruary 15 1940 | Scout Leaders Unveil Training Course at CourthouseFebruary 17 1940 | Scout Leaders Gather at Courthouse to Oversee Training Course March 25 1940 | Fourth Session of Scout Training Course Held at CourthouseMarch 26 1940 | Republican Candidate for Governor to Lecture at CourthouseMarch 29 1940 | Dwight H. Green Lectures at CourthouseJune 29 1940 | Courthouse Flag Pole Painted by Aurora ManOctober 8 1941 | Food for Defense Program Meeting at CourthouseApril 3 1942 | Militia Company to Hold Drill in Front of CourthouseApril 6 1942 | Army Day Drills to be Held by Milita Company and Legion Color GuardApril 29 1942 | County Welfare Department's Public Assistance Office Moved from CourthouseApril 30 1942 | Civil Defense Observers to Meet at Courthouse to Inspect Rooftop Lookout PostJune 13 1942 | County Rationing Board Opens New Office in CourthouseJune 22 1942 | Retailers Called to Courthouse to File Price ListOctober 15 1942 | Alderman Matt Hoesley Chosen as Chairman of Russian War Relief DriveJune 12 1943 | Flag Day Program to be Held in Front of CourthouseJune 14 1943 | Flag Day Program Services at Courthouse TonightOctober 10 1945 | Project to Decorate Courthouse Interior Referred to CommitteeDecember 19 1945 | Interior Courthouse Project UnderwayMay 14 1946 | Photostatic Machine Purchased for Circuit Clerk's OfficeJuly 3 1946 | Courthouse to Host Navy RecruiterJuly 18 1946 | Navy Recruiter to Interview Applicants at CourthouseAugust 14 1946 | County Board of Supervisors Approves Series of Renovation Projects for CourthouseDecember 4 1946 | Red Cross Offices Temporarily Relocated to Courthouse‹› 1947-1949 January 10 1947 | Improvements Being Made to Courthouse CourtroomMay 15 1947 | Public Buildings Committee to Study Need for More Room in CourthouseJune 11 1947 | Courthouse Improvements Discussed by Board of SupervisorsSeptember 10 1947 | New Courthouse Addition Approved by Public Buildings CommitteeSeptember 16 1947 | Strom Company Awarded Contract for Courthouse AdditionSeptember 17 1947 | Concept Sketch for Upcoming Courthouse Renovations September 30 1947 | Committee Protesting Courthouse Renovations Met at CourthouseSeptember 30 1947 | Protests Against Courthouse Renovations Grow to Include TownsfolkOctober 7 1947 | Call to Carry Protest to Next County Board MeetingOctober 10 1947 | Career Profile of Contractor Oscar StromOctober 13 1947 | Final Action on Courthouse Renovations to be Taken by Board of SupervisorsOctober 15 1947 | County-Wide Protests Successfully Delay Courthouse RenovationsOctober 15 1947 | Protest of Courthouse Renovations by Local Women Slows Committee ActionsNovember 13 1947 | Architect Reports Courthouse is a Fire HazardJanuary 14 1948 | Board of Supervisors Approves Pigeon Culling Outside CourthouseJune 15 1949 | Call for Old Courthouse Well to be SealedDecember 13 1949 | Six Suspects Sentenced to Jail Over Tire Theft‹›
