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 19th Century 1856-1859 August 7 1856 | Fremont for President Club Meeting at Courthouse October 9 1856 | Courthouse Meeting to Discuss Agricultural FairOctober 23 1856 | New Neil Donnelly Store Opens North of CourthouseNovember 20 1856 | Unusually Large Crowds Gather at Circuit CourtMay 7 1857 | Call to Destroy the Old Courthouse with a Controlled BurnJune 11 1857 | Agricultural Society Meeting at CourthouseJune 11 1857 | Courthouse Repairs UnderwayJuly 23 1857 | Framework for Courthouse Cupola CompletedFebraury 2 1858 | Woodstock Courthouse CompletedJuly 29 1857 | Drainage Ditch Proposal Submitted to Board of SupervisorsJuly 20 1859 | Agricultural Society Meeting at CourthouseAugust 31 1859 | Courthouse Dome Painted WhiteAugust 31 1859 | Self-Proclaimed Spiritual Medium Speaks at CourthouseNovember 9 1859 | New Railing Built around Courthouse DomeNovember 9 1859 | Opinion Piece: Republicans in the Courthouse‹› 1860-1864 January 11 1860 | Thomas Brown Slavery Lecture at CourthouseFebruary 15 1860 | H. F. Douglass Pro-Slavery Lecture at CourthouseMarch 21 1860 | Description of Courthouse PrisonersApril 11 1860 | Another Incendiary Fire on Property Behind CourthouseJune 27 1860 | W. J. Anderson- A Former Slave- To Give Lecture at CourthouseJuly 4 1860 | W. J. Anderson Lecture at CourthouseAugust 22 1860 | E. B. Washburne Lecture at CourthouseApril 17 1861 | Call for Volunteers to Meet at CourthouseApril 20 1861 | Meeting Held at Courthouse to Discuss Civil WarMay 1 1861 | Secession Sympathizers Brought to CourthouseJuly 3 1861 | Fight Behind Courthouse Ends in ArrestAugust 14 1861 | Volunteer Company Formed at Courthouse to Enlist in WarSeptember 4 1861 | McHenry County Cavalry to Meet at CourthouseJanuary 8 1862 | The Nationals to Perform Concert at CourthouseJanuary 29 1862 | Sherman Booth Lecture at CourthouseMarch 12 1862 | Major C. M. Willard Pro-Slavery Lecture at CourthouseAugust 20 1862 | Col. Farnsworth of the 8th Illinois Cavalry Lecture at CourthouseSeptember 3 1862 | Lt. Colonel F. S. Joslyn Lecture at CourthouseApril 29 1863 | The Woodstock Ladies' Soldiers Aid Society to Begin Meeting at Courthouse Every WeekJuly 8 1863 | Sherman Booth Lecture at CourthouseDecember 21 1864 | Library Association to Meet at Courthouse‹› 1865-1874 February 29 1865 | Concert to Benefit Young Men's Library Association Held at CourthouseOctober 18 1865 | Public Meeting on School Construction to be Held at CourthouseJune 6 1867 | The Committee on Painting the Courthouse to Issue Contract SoonJune 6 1867 | Opinion Piece: Praise for the Beauty of the SquareJuly 11 1867 | Courthouse Exterior Coated with Red PlasterAugust 29 1867 | Courthouse's New Red Exterior CompletedSeptember 12 1867 | Neil Donnelly to Outfit Buildings with Exteriors Matching CourthouseJanuary 23 1868 | Call for Woodstock Ladies to Organize Library at CourthouseMarch 26 1868 | Fight in the Square in Front of CourthouseApril 9 1868 | General Hurlbut, Candidate for Congress, Lecture at CourthouseJuly 1 1869 | Firework Display at CourthouseSeptember 2 1869 | Veterans of Illinois' 95th Infantry Regiment to Meet at CourthouseJuly 7 1870 | Professor M. C. McKinney Lecture at CourthouseSeptember 29 1870 | Maj. General Logan Lecture at CourthouseOctober 6 1870 | Maj. General Logan to Give Lecture at Courthouse (ad)October 13 1870 | Maj. General Logan Lecture at CourthouseOctober 27 1870 | General Farnsworth Lecture at CourthouseOctober 12 1871 | Meeting Held to Discuss Fire Protection for WoodstockJanuary 18 1872 | Board of Trustees Purchases Throop Street Lot near Courthouse for Fire DepartmentMay 23 1872 | Meeting Held to Discuss the Purchase of a New Fire EngineNovember 7 1872 | Newly-Elected Congressman Hurlbut Lecture at CourthouseNovember 7 1872 | New Roof Built on CourthouseNovember 14 1872 | General Hurlbut Lecture at CourthouseApril 24 1873 | Dinner at Courthouse to Benefit Woodstock Fire DepartmentOctober 22 1874 | Gov. Beveridge to Give Lecture at Courthouse‹› 1875-1886 February 18 1875 | Benefit Sociable for the Poor at CourthouseMay 4 1876 | Wolf Pups Brought to Courthouse for BountyJune 15 1876 | Runaway Wagon Smashes into Well Outside CourthouseMay 10 1877 | Tin Roof Installed on CourthouseApril 11 1878 | Baptist Sociable Held at CourthouseDecember 5 1878 | Professor D. P. Hurlbut Hosts Horse Exhibition Outside CourthouseOctober 30 1879 | Courthouse Steps Replaced January 29 1880 | Militia Company to Form at CourthouseFebruary 26 1880 | Interior Improvements Made to CourthouseJuly 8 1880 | Company G Parade in Front of Courthouse October 21 1880 | Gov. Cullom Lecture at Courthouse February 24 1881 | Reunion of Illinois' 95th Infantry Regiment Held at CourthouseMay 12 1881 | Clay Street Residents Awaiting Renovations Begin Lodging at Courthouse February 2 1882 | Ceiling Renovations Underway for Courtroom March 2 1882 | Artists at Work Painting CourthouseApril 13 1882 | Update on Courthouse RenovationsApril 12 1883 | Presbyterian Sociable to be Held at CourthouseMay 8 1884 | Prohibition Home-Protection Party Meeting at CourthouseNovember 13 1884 | New Iron Fence Installed Around CourthouseMarch 19 1885 | New Lamps Installed Outside CourthouseMay 6 1886 | Judges Object to Dacey Execution at Courthouse, Seek RelocationMay 13 1886 | Arrangements Made to Satisfy Judges, Dacey Execution Moves ForwardJune 17 1886 | Dacey, Awaiting Execution at Courthouse, Declares Intent to Escape July 1 1886 | Meeting Held at Courthouse to Discuss Bid for Sewing Company‹› 1887-1888 September 29 1887 | Prisoner Escapes from CourthouseOctober 20 1887 | Roof and Dome of Courthouse RepairedNovember 3 1887 | Foundation Laid for Old Vaults in Courthouse November 10 1887 | Planning for Courthouse New Vault Construction CompleteNovember 17 1887 | Foundations for New Vaults CompletedDecember 1 1887 | End in Sight for Courthouse Renovations December 22 1887 | Courthouse Renovations to be Complete within the WeekJanuary 5 1888 | Board of Supervisors Adopt Resolution Removing Woodstock Police from CourthouseJanuary 5 1888 | Richards & Jewett to Rent Space in Courthouse Basement May 3 1888 | County Digs New Well Behind CourthouseMay 3 1888 | Prohibition Meeting at CourthouseMay 24 1888 | Contractors Building New Well Dig 115 Feet to No AvailJune 14 1888 | Prohibition County Convention to be Held at CourthouseJune 14 1888 | At 180 Feet, Contractors Strike Water in Well Behind CourthouseJuly 5 1888 | New Well Behind Courthouse Clogged with SandJuly 12 1888 | Sand Removal from Well Requires More Digging, 200 Feet Now NeededJuly 19 1888 | Well Behind Courthouse Still Under Construction After Drill MishapAugust 23 1888 | Republicans Hang Campaign Banner in Front of Courthouse October 4 1888 | New Sidewalk Constructed on South Side of CourthouseOctober 11 1888 | Contractors for the Well Have Yet to Strike WaterOctober 18 1888 | Courthouse Well Delayed Further with Drill Bit Stuck at 225 FeetNovember 22 1888 | Fifth Attempt to Complete Courthouse Well UnderwayNovember 29 1888 | Progress Made in Courthouse Well Digging Project‹› 1889-1899 February 28 1889 | Courthouse Well Project has Reached a Depth of 250 Feet, Progess SlowMarch 14 1889 | At 265 Feet, the Courthouse Well has Struck Water!October 24 1889 | Building Erected to House Pump for Courthouse WellNovember 27 1890 | McHenry County Agricultural Board Meeting at CourthouseOctober 27 1892 | Inscriptions to be Carved into Courthouse StepsNovember 3 1892 | A. J. Zoia Completes Courthouse InscriptionsJune 22 1893 | Courthouse Dome Painted YellowJuly 13 1893 | Steam Heating to be Installed in CourthouseAugust 10 1893 | Baker, Smith, and Co. Awarded Contract for Courthouse Steam HeaterOctober 5 1893 | Man Imprisoned in Courthouse Jail for Wrecking TrainJanuary 18 1894 | McHenry County Farmers Institute to Hold Meeting at CourthouseSeptember 20 1894 | Courthouse Lightning Rods ReplacedOctober 25 1894 | Spring City Band not Disbanded, to Practice at CourthouseNovember 5 1896 | Election Night at the CourthouseJanuary 28 1897 | The Opening of the McHenry County Farmers Institute Sees Low Turnout due to WeatherFebruary 25 1897 | Prohibitionists of McHenry County Meet at CourthouseDecember 23 1897 | W. S. Skinner Awarded Contract for Wiring CourthouseJanuary 27 1898 | Ladies Day at the CourthouseApril 13 1899 | Courthouse Flag Flown at Half-Mast to Honor Spanish-American War DeathsJuly 20 1899 | New Blacksmith Shop Open Opposite of Courthouse‹›
