A Square Celebration: 150 Years of History

A Square Celebration: 150 Years of History

1994-06-22/26

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A Square Celebration: 150 Years of History June 22-26, 1994
An Illustrated History of the Woodstock Square

A SQUARE CELEBRATION 1994 150 YEARS
THE HISTORIC WOODSTOCK SQUARE Sesquicentennial
A Square Celebration: 150 Years of History June 22-26, 1994
An Illustrated History of the Woodstock Square
The spirit of Woodstock has often been centered on the Square, and so this illustrated history of the Square has been prepared to provide a lasting reminder of the Woodstock Square Sesquicentennial Celebration. Using the Woodstock Centennial Program of 1952 as our inspiration, we have tried to provide both pictures and stories that bring the past to life.
We have borrowed from histories written in 1877, 1885, 1903, 1922 and 1968. We have also taken information from newspaper articles and have used photographs from the files of the Woodstock Public Library. We apologize for any credit to the original writers and photographers which is missing.
Vicki Sullivan Danklefsen Memorial Hospital Editor
Maggie Field Woodstock Public Library Sesquicentennial Coordinator
Contributors: Trudie Dreyer, Don Peasley, Bev Ganschow, Joan Horne, Jim Keefe, Jane Koehler.
Original photographers and artists: Medlar Studio, Tripp Photographs, Don Peasley, Jim Pearson, Gus Persson, the Woodstock Independent.
Logo design: Allan Stebbins, Stebbins Graphic Design, Woodstock.
Film Output: Hulden Graphics Corporation, Crystal Lake.

"Centerville" is born near center of McHenry County
Drawing by Jim Pearson
The Woodstock Square was laid out in 1844 by early settler Alvin Judd as part of his scheme to get his imaginary "Centerville55 named as county seat.
Lake County had just been formed, reducing McHenry County by half, and McHenry, then the county seat, was now on the eastern boundary rather than in the middle. The first courthouse had been established in McHenry in 1840. The citizens of the county expressed some dissatisfaction that the county seat was not more centrally-located.
The battle over moving the county seat was bitterly fought between McHenry, Crystal Lake, Walkup's Corners (four miles east of Woodstock) and "Centerville,55 with Centerville being the winner in an election. As part of the deal, two acres of land were conveyed to the County, and a court house was built in the center.
The court records were officially moved in September of 1844. An unsubstantiated story from that time claims that the county seat dispute was so intense that officials from Centerville traveled to McHenry in disguise and moved the records in the dark of night.
After Judd layed out the plat, he sold it to George C. Dean, who recorded it in June 1844. The town was carefully planned, platted and surveyed into lots and blocks before
settlers came.
Because there were many villages and towns called Centerville across the United States, they decided to change the name of their town to something less common. In February, 1845, the Legislature of the State passed an act changing the name to Woodstock, after Woodstock, Vermont, which was the native place of early settler Joel H. Johnson, as well as others.
Woodstock was incorporated as a village June 22, 1852, with Alvin Judd serving as the first president. In 1873, the town changed to a city form of government.
The first courthouse was built by George Dean in 1844 in the center of the square. The courtroom of this building also served as the first church and the
first school.
The first house within the limits of the town plat was a log building built by Bradford Burbank in 1843. Alvin Judd erected a frame building, second house in the town, in 1844, and opened the first tavern. Joel H. Johnson built the third house in the winter of 1845-6.
A new courthouse was erected in 1857 at a cost of $47,000. In 1858, an arrangement was made whereby the citizens of Woodstock donated the land on the west side of the Square to the County, which in turn ceded the Square back to the village. The site was occupied by a tavern, so the old court house was made over to the tavern's owner. Less than a year later, however, it was destroyed by fire.


The Rat Hole, circa 1855. The structure was built to house additional county government offices. It became a saloon in 1844, as pictured above, and burned down April 15, 1893. The saloon keeper stands in front, in the apron. Shoemaker D. T Ring poses above his sign at left.
First courthouse annex offically known as the Rat Hole
When George Dean's frame court house proved too small to conduct all of the county business, additional office space was needed for the county officers.
County commissioners wanted a fireproof building to house offices for two clerks, the recorder and probate justice. The sheriff s ofice would remain in the original courthouse.
The county commissioners sought bids for a "fireproof" building to house both officials and records to be built on the corner of Jackson and Benton streets where the State Bank of Woodstock now stands.
H.M. Wait was awarded the contract to build "a suitable building, to be of eight-feet brick walls." Wait wanted to add a second story, but the commissioners were unwilling to accept the additional
expense. They finally agreed to allow the second story to be built if Wait would pay $600 for the privilege and provide the laborers and materials himself.
To further protect against fires, Wait topped the structure with a tin roof. Less than a year later, a big wind came up and blew the roof some distance away. Naturally, the county officers, Democrats at that time, came rushing out of the building. Henry Petrie, a staunch Whig, watching from the sidewalk, shouted, "See the damned rats crawl out of their holes!"
The name Rat Hole stuck and the building was actually on court records by that name. The building became Markus's saloon in 1844, and burned down in 1893.

Street Names in Woodstock and the Original Plat
The most common way of naming streets is the same today as when the town was laid out in 1844. The person filing the plat names the streets.
The original village included the names Judd (who surveyed the land), Dean (who purchased the land from Judd), Johnson (who changed the name from Centerville to Woodstock) and other early settlers.
By 1872, the oldest printed atlas, the original town has been extended to include "additions;" in which the name of the developer is in many cases preserved by a street name: Hutchins, Wicker, Smith, Griffing.
As in most midwestern towns, Presidents and politicians are honored by street names: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, Jackson, Roosevelt, Van Buren. Also honored were those on the ballot who did not win the election: Clay, Calhoun, Fremont, and Douglas.
New annexations seem to be filled with first names: Arthur, Carol, Charles, Dennis, Dona, Diana, Ellen, Greta, Joseph, Julie, Kathleen, Laurel, Linda, Margaret, Martha, Muriel, Mary Ann, Patricia, Sharon, Sheila, Terry, Thomas, Timothy, Wanda, and Marvel.
The second most popular practice, both in the old days and now, has been to name streets after trees: Ash, Beech, Birch, Cherry, Chestnut, Hickory, Maple, Oak, Oakview, Olive, Peachtree, Pine, Willow, Laurel, Locust, Walnut.
Many names show a lack of imagination, simply indicating place: North, South, East, West, Center, Central, Fair, Division, Church, First, Second, Third, Railroad, Country Club. Today, it seems funny that North and South run through the middle of town rather than on the edges. Others indicate direction, such as McHenry and Lake.
Some street names evoke the quality of life that their developers wished to portray to potential buyers: Bliss, Broadway, BelAire, Pleasant, Melody, Sunshine. Other names might be in the same category: Vine, Rose, Cobblestone, Grove, and Lawndale.
Sometimes street name fame is fleeting. What ever happened to Lumber, Fruit Alley, Dietz, or Parker? They're now E. Judd, Greenley, E. Judd again, and Quinlan. There have been three different Washington streets in Woodstock—the present location, E. Judd and Olson.

Early Settlers
In addition to Alvin Judd, early settlers in Woodstock included: James M. Judd, William E. Dean, E.L Smith, Neill Donnelly, John Donnelly, Abel Fuller, William Beach, Levi Sherwood, Oscar Beach, Josiah Dwight, George Griffing, and Lindsey Joslyn and his sons Merritt Lindsey, Edward and F.C. Joslyn.
Alvin Judd
Born in 1799 in Chester, Massachusetts, Alvin Judd moved to McHenry County in 1936, farming three miles north of Woodstock.
He was the original owner of the greater part of land on which the central portion of Woodstock now stands. He, along with his brother James, George Dean, Bradford Burbank, and Joel H. Johnson, laid out the village of Centerville (later named Woodstock) after a plan of his former home in South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts.
He built the first frame house near the intersection of E. Jackson and Benton Streets, and used his house as entertainment for travelers. Subsequently, he built a hotel, called the Exchange, where the Old Court House now stands.
In 1849, he and others from Woodstock traveled to the California gold fields. He returned 13 months later, ran a series of stages between Woodstock, Beloit, Elgin and Waukegan, and engaged in a mercantile business.
Judd was elected the first village president in 1852, and was Woodstock's first postmaster, running the post office out of his home. He was a Justice of the Peace, and a member of the Board of Aldermen. He and his wife, Eliza White, had 10 children. Alvin Judd died in October of 1881.
George Dean
An attorney, George C. Dean came to Centerville in 1844, buying the original plat from Alvin Judd and recording it in June of 1844. Dean built a frame court house and jail on the property and offered it to the county for the county seat.
William H. Beach
Beach came to McHenry County in 1837 and built the first county court house in McHenry in 1840. Beach later relocated to Woodstock with the transfer of the county seat in 1844.

Photo by J.S. Medlar
Joel H. Johnson
Originally from the town of Woodstock, Vermont, Johnson was instrumental in securing passage of the bill changing the name of Centerville to Woodstock in 1845. Johnson, pictured above, came to McHenry County in 1836 and to Woodstock in 1844. Johnson built the third building in the new town, a frame house in the winter of 1845-6.
Josiah Dwight^ Oscar Beach
Dwight and Beach opened the first store in Woodstock in 1845.
Lindsey Joslyn
Born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, Joslyn arrived in Crystal Lake in the mid-1830s and moved to Woodstock in 1848 upon his election as probate and county judge. His son Merritt Lindsey Joslyn was a lawyer in Woodstock, a captain in the Union army, a member of the Illinois House and Senate, and the first assistant secretary of the Interior under President Chester Alan Arthur. The Joslyn addition to the city of Woodstock was platted in February 1899.

Original Spring House served as trysting place
The Spring House was built in 1873 as an "ornamental feature" of the park to shelter the mineral water pump that received water from the well located in the southeast corner of the park.
Designed and built by Cornelius Florentius Lemmers, its design was inspired by buildings at the centennial exposition in Philidelphia, Pennslvania.
"Every scroll and bracket upon it was wrought by hand," according to a letter from Chas. A. Lemmers in 1840. "While it stood there, it became the trysting place, not only for the people of the city and its visitors, but to the lovers of the city, who visited it for refreshment after much visiting and discussion on the seats of the park."
Victorians traveled by train from Chicago to drink the mineral waters, following nearly the same path that the Indians had walked to obtain its medicinal properties. The water contained bicarbonate of soda, lime, magnesia, and iron, as well as sulphurated hydrogen.
A study by Rush Medical College of Chicago in 1879 found the water to be mildly alkaline which was valuable in diseases of the stomach, bowels and kidneys. The water also contained iron.
The original Spring House stood until the 1930s. A replica was built in 1976 as a Bicentennial project by the Woodstock Business and Professional Women. The medicinal spring has been capped, but a water fountain was added to give the proper atmosphere.
Photo by Don Peasley
The Spring House and Civil War Monument, Woodstock Square.

Civil War Monument
Fort Sumner was fired upon on April 12, 1861. McHenry County sent 2533 men to save the Union—more than the required number.
The Square's Civil War Monument was erected by the Women's Relief Corps No. 223 in honor of the Soldiers and Sailors of 1861-65. Made by Anthony Zoia, the monument was presented to the City of Woodstock in a ceremony held November 3, 1909. Speeches were delivered by Commander of Woodstock Post No. 108, and members of the WRC. The event also included a recreation of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and performances by the Oliver Typewriter Band, grammar school chorus, and high shool boys glee club.
During World War II, an Honor Roll was placed around the monument, and today the monument honors the dead from all wars.
Summer Band Concerts
The summer of 1994 marks the 110th season of the free Wednesday evening concerts in the Square by Woodstock's City Band. The band called itself the Spring City Band in 1885 when the first concert was given. The bandstand pictured above was dedicated in 1909. Later, the roof was removed and each stone pillar was topped with light posts. The most recent version of the bandstand was built in 1973 and remodeled in 1977 to improve the sound.

Crown Jewel of the Woodstock Square
While many cities around the country are lamenting the destruction of their former opera houses or working to restore the long-closed buildings, Woodstock's Opera House has been in continuous use since it opened its doors in 1890.
The city's Opera House has been called the "artistic kindergarten" of Orson Welles, Paul Newman and Geraldine Page. And Welles himself dubbed Woodstock the "grand capital of Victorianism in the Midwest."
In 1888, the City of Woodstock purchased a lot on the corner of Dean and Van Buren streets for the construction of a city hall.
At that time, Woodstock was not large (the 1890 census was 1683), but it was prosperous, and the money was available to build an edifice that would display the civic pride of its citizens.
Known as "City Hall," the building was more of a civic center, housing not only city government offices, a council room, a justice court, and police and fire departments, but a public library and 400-seat second floor auditorium as well. The term "Opera House" referred only to the auditorium at that time.
The fire department was located in the front on the west side. Instead of the glass doors, there were large wooden doors and a wooden ramp leading down to the Square.
The public library was in an L-shaped room facing Dean Street, with the justice court located behind it.
Built in 1890 at a cost of $25,000, the structure was
designed by Smith Hoag of Elgin. The exterior architecture has been described as Romanesque and the interior as "Steamboat Gothic." Built of white brick, it is trimmed in Superior red sandstone and terra cotta.
The premiere performance in the new auditorium was a production of Margery Daw by the Patti Rosa Company, billed as the Midwest's leading opera troupe, on September 2, 1890. In the early years, the Opera House presented a variety of touring vaudeville, minstrel and dramatic companies.
The stage was also a forum for public speakers, including Jane Addams, who informed people of sociological consequences of industrialization.
When the traveling circuits disappeared, at about the start of the Depression, the opera house became the site for the Chicago area's first—however short-lived—summer stock theater. Skipper Hill, headmaster of Woodstock's Todd School for Boys, began producing productions with his students in 1934. One of the stars of the Summer of Shakespeare was former Todd School student Orson Welles. In 1947, a group of citizens
formed and supported the Woodstock Players. This group provided acting experience for students of the Goodman School, including Paul Newman, Tom Bosley, Betsy Palmer, Geraldine Page, Shelley Berman and Lois Nettleton. These young actors were working in stores and offices on the Square by day and

Opera House
honing their stage skills each evening.
Functions decreased in the 1950s due to structural decline of the building. The Woodstock Public Library moved to a new building on Judd Street in 1959 and city offices were moved into the former library.
The Woodstock Fine Arts Association, Inc., was formed in 1961, providing programming contributions, volunteer services and support.
The city government moved its offices to the current location on Calhoun Street, a restored 1906 schoolhouse, in the mid-1970s.
After two years of interior restoration work, the former "city hall" opened its doors as the Woodstock Opera House Community Center in February, 1977.
The most noticeable restoration feature is the return of the unique cupola atop the building which was missing for many years. The cupola you see in 1994 is a reconstruction of the original; it was craned onto the top of the tower it one piece.
The highlight of the restoration is the meticulous reproduction of the stenciled auditorium ceiling.
Additional interior restoration or reproduction has included
woodwork, lighting fixtures, hardware, flooring, wall surfaces, stained glass windows and furnishings.
The restoration work has received an award from the Northern Illinois Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Woodstock Opera House currently hosts professional theatre, two community theatre groups, concert series, special events, children's activities, and more—serving the community as a cultural, recreational and meeting center.
Now appearing... Orson Welles
Best known for his masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941), a film in which he played the title role as well as directed, Orson Welles attended the Todd School for Boys in Woodstock. He performed in Shakespearian plays at the Woodstock Opera House only a few years before gaining fame for his dramatization of H.G. Wells5 The War of the Worlds on Halloween in 1938. A tale of an alien invasion illustrated with fake newscasts and interviews, the broadcast was thought to be true by many and a great panic ensued.

Restored Court House listed on National Register
The building now called the Old Court House and Arts Center was built as the McHenry County Court House in 1857 at a cost of $47,000. This building replaced the original facility built inside the town square by George C. Dean in 1844, and served as the county's seat of government until 1972.
The project architect was John Mills Van Osdel, who also designed the Ogden mansion in Chicago (1937), Rush Medical College (1844), the Palmer House, and the old Chicago Court House Building (1853).
A sheriff s residence and separate jail were built adjacent to the Court House in 1887. The sheriff and his family lived in the front half of the building and inmates occupied about a dozen cells in the back. Previously, prisoners had been kept in the basement of the Court House.
One of the county's longest-serving lawmen, Lester "Doc" Edinger returned from World War I to become the state's youngest sheriff at 28 years old in 1922. Edinger served as sheriff from 1922-26 and 1930-34, and as Woodstock chief of police from 1927-30. He later was county treasurer, sheriff again (1938-42), then clerk of circuit court and recorder of deeds.
During prohibition, 73 federal prisoners were housed in the Woodstock jail. For six months, two members of the Dino Banion gang (Dapper Dan McCarthy and Heimie Wiess) were in the jail, and helped to build the sheriff s garage next to the Court
McHenry County Court House, 1865
House while they served their time.
Other famous prisoners included labor leader and presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs (see next page) and the Haymarket Square conspirators. Famous visitors included Ralph Capone (Al's brother), and reporter Nellie Bly.
Local residents Cliff and Bev Ganschow bought the structure in 1972 from McHenry County officials when county offices moved in to a new facility on Route 47. The Ganschows' goal was to preserve the historic structures and allow the public continued access to the facility.
The classic Federal design of the restored building includes pressed metal ceilings, hand-carved woodwork, and restored safe paintings on vault doors.
Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building houses an arts center, the Chester Gould/ Dick Tracy Museum, and Harlow's restaurant, and also has rooms available for special events, including the Grand Courtroom and the Jail Cells.
The building has hosted many regional and national events, including Smithsonian Institution cultural exhibits, the National Historic Trust's national meeting tour, and political events ranging from local sheriff campaigns to United States Senate races.

Jail's most famous prisoner:
Presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs
Five-time presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned in the Woodstock jail in the 1890s for illegally encouraging a railway strike.
Founder and president of the American Railroad Union, in 1894 Debs directed union members to boycott work on any trains in which there were Pullman cars. The strike was in support of the employees of railroad baron George Pullman who had gone on strike in June after they received a one-third cut in wages.
Wanting to prevent a massive shutdown of the postal service, which was then transported primarily by train, President Grover Cleveland ordered that the trains must run.
Eugene V. Debs (1855-1926)
A federal court in Chicago filed an injunction against the American Railroad Union, which Debs ignored. President Cleveland then sent federal troops to Chicago to enforce his order.
In the trial that followed, Clarence Darrow served as Debs' defense attorney. Debs was sentenced to six months in jail. The judge chose Woodstock, 55 miles from Chicago, to keep Debs out of the public spotlight and to prevent possible demonstrations. Six other members of the ARU were sentenced to three months, also in Woodstock.
Debs and his fellow union members entered jail on January 9, 1895. Debs started a daily regimen of physical exercise, reading and debate for himself and his small group of inmates.
Debs dined on roast chicken with Sheriff George Eckert and his family, slept in a comfortable bed with clean sheets, and received numerous distinguished visitors during his stay.
Visitors included socialist Victor Berger from Milwaukee who left him Das Kapital by Karl Marx; British labor leader Keir Hardie; the Chancellor of Germany; !J|f; Governor Waite of Colorado; and reporter Nellie
Bly, best known for her 1889 trip around the world in 80 days.
Debs read voraciously during his incarceration as well as wrote and received hundreds of letters, and carried on union activities from his cell. He also worked on a speech he planned to deliver in Chicago upon his release.
On his last day, the other prisoners presented Debs with a signed testimonial, and the townspeople carried Debs to the train station on their shoulders.
Debs has said that he made his conversion to socialism from unionism during his stay in Woodstock. In 1900, a newly-formed Social Democrat party drafted Debs for president. He ran again in 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920.
During World War I he was imprisoned again for his criticism of the war.
Debs made several visits back to Woodstock, including one on the campaign trail as he ran for president in 1908.

Fires often brought destruction
The architecture of the buildings around the Square is largely determined by when fire struck any particular spot. In nearly every instance, wooden buildings were replaced by brick. The eastern half of the south side of the Square burned in 1851, so many of the oldest buildings are located there.
The first courthouse which had been in the center of the Square and was later made into a tavern, burned approximately a year after the new courthouse was completed in 1857.
On the day of the Great Chicago Fire, October 8, 1871, Woodstock also had a fire on the Square which destroyed $20,000 in property in nine buildings. The fire began in the southwest corner of the square in a haystack behind a saloon.
The Harvard Pumper fire engine was unavailable to assist because it had been loaded on a train car and transported to Chicago to assist with the great disaster.
Woodstock got its own fire department in 1873 when the citizens raised a fund for this purpose.
Another fire in 1872 destroyed the buildings on the east side of the square from Jackson Street north, including the National Bank, the Exchange Hotel, Holcomb Brothers boot and shoe store, E. Furer Building, F. Arnold Stock and Building, T. Whitson and Sons Hardware, D.W. Robinson Building, J. Foreman and Son Grocers, J.L. Hoyt Boots and Shoes, T.B. Wakeman and J.A. Parrish, lawyers. All of the buildings were replaced within a year, giving that side a similarity in style.
On March 6,1880, fire destroyed buildings in the T.J. Dacy block and R.C. Jefferson s grain warehouse. Burglars had been at work, blowing the safes of the American Express Company and Mr. Dacy s business.
Much of Main Street burned in 1892, and the east side south of Jackson, including the Rat Hole, burned in 1893.
In 1902, fire destroyed the Woodstock Brewing and Bottling Company located where Copy Express is now.
In modern times we have seen continued destruction with two recent major fires on Main Street.
Inspecting the damage following afire February 1, 1892, on Main Street, looking North to the railroad, away from the Square.

Served by an active press
Woodstock has always had an active and vocal press. The Illinois Republican newspaper was first published in 1846, and became the Woodstock Sentinel in 1856.
The Woodstock Democrat came out from 1849 to 1862; and the Woodstock Argus started in 1856.
The Republican Free Press opened in 1854, and in 1916 this paper was also purchased by the Sentinel.
In 1921, the Woodstock Sentinel became a daily newspaper. Despite a relatively small population to support a daily paper (5500), the Sentinel thrived.
The weekly Woodstock Journal began in 1929 to compete with the larger daily. In 1947, a managing
editor named Don Peasley was hired. This paper was also sold to the Sentinel in 1950.
The Sentinel merged with the Herald newspapers to become the daily Northwest Herald in 1986.
Believing that Woodstock could support its own paper, the Woodstock Independent was formed. The first issue of the weekly paper rolled off the press April 23, 1987. This publication, with offices on Dean Street, marked its seventh anniversary in 1994.
The city is currently served by the daily Northwest Herald, and the weekly Woodstock Independent, and Star Newspapers.

Post Office moves from Square in 1989
Alvin Judd was the first postmaster in 1844, with the Post Office most likely located in his home. In the early years, the post office was located at the discretion of each postmaster. In the 1880s and '90s, it was located in a variety of businesses approximately where Beard and S to vail is today.
In the early 1900s, the first official Post Office was built on the corner of Jefferson and East Jackson. Later to be known as the Odd Fellow's Hall, that location is now part of the State Bank of Woodstock. A new Post Office (pictured above) was built on the Johnson Street side of the Square in 1931. The current Post Office on Country Club Road was built in 1989.
Library provides education, entertainment since 1856
Woodstock's first library was established in 1856, when citizens donated books and money. This library was not free to the public but was kept up by subscription.
The Woodstock Literary and Library Association formed in 1877. Borrowing from this library of books was free only to members of the association.
In 1880, A.R. Murphy was elected the first librarian for the literary association. At this time, the collection of books was kept at varying sites, depending upon who was serving as librarian.
When the City Hall was completed in 1890, all of the books belonging to the literary association were housed there and a reading room was established. The following year, the collection was transferred to the city and the Woodstock Public
Library was formed.
The public library was free to all citizens of Woodstock. Funds were raised through dues, donations, lectures and collections. The library held 900 books at this time.
The library continued to grow, as did the city government, and in 1959, the library moved to its current location at 414 W. Judd Street. The collection had grown to 23,000 books by the mid-1960s, and an addition was completed in 1966.
Today, the library holdings include 77,500 books, as well as periodicals, audiocassettes, compact discs, miscrofilm and toys. Its card catalogue is on a computer shared with 10 other libraries in Northern Illinois. Many reference books are now available in CD-ROM.

Photo by J. Medlar
Northeast side of Square, 1864.
The current location of this photograph is 100 to 108 Cass Street. Businesses depicted here include J. Medlar (photographer and artist), the Woodstock Sentinel newspaper, Dr. H.W. Richardson (sold drugs, medicines, books and stationery), Fuller & Sherwood, Dodge (stoves and tinware), and the State Bank of Woodstock. Stone Shoe Store, located in the frame building on the left, was destroyed by fire on January 28, 1936. The Woodstock Square is surrounded by white railings.
As you can see, Benton Street does not go through to Church Street as it does now. It is believed that a stable and a mill block the way.
State Bank of Woodstock established in 1889
The first incorporated bank in McHenry County was the First National Bank of Woodstock, established in 1864 with assets of $50,000. It closed in the mid-1880s and had no relation to the later institution of the same name.
The State Bank of Woodstock was established in 1889 on Cass Street near the courthouse. In
1910, the bank moved to its current location at Benton and East Jackson.
The original bank at its current site was 20 feet wide. The current building has undergone many expansions.
The bank now offers two locations and a drive-up automated teller at a third site.

Welcome Home, Soldiers
World War I ended with the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. Because many soldiers had to remain in Europe for six additional months, the city held Soldiers Homecoming Week in June of l919. The city spent thousands of dollars and prepared for the event for two weeks.
Fifteen to twenty thousand people came for the festivities. A "Welcome Home" arch spanned the street at the north end of the square, and the sign was illuminated by electric bulbs at night. Upon their return from Fort Grant in Rockford, 700 soldiers, still in uniform, marched in a parade. A street dance was held that night that saw hundreds dancing in from on City Hall until the wee hours.
The 57 McHenry County residents who failed to return from the war were not forgotten. At the southeast corner of the Square, a miniature "Flanders Field" was erected with 57 white crosses in rows flanked by poppies. "In Flanders Field," by Joyce Kilmer was read.
A Welcome Home arch spanned the street at the north end of the Square. The sign was Illuminated by electric bulbs at night.

The Square was festively decorated for the soldier's homecoming.
In this vingette, you are standing at Cass and Main. To your left is Cass and Benton; to your right is Cass and Johnson.


Public mourning has changed through the years
McHenry County's first day of public mourning occurred upon the death of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 following his assassination by John Wilkes Booth.
President James A. Garfield's death in September 1881, following his July assassination again found the Square draped in mourning. Three thousand people gathered in the Square to share their grief. The principal address at the assembly was made by the Rev. J.D. McLean of the Presbyterian Church, who lauded the virtues of the dead president who had gone from a log cabin to the White House.
Public mournings were later made for Presidents U.S. Grant (1885), and William McKinley (1901).
In later years, with the advent of radio and television, people relied on these devices for news and mourned in private.
When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in April, 1945, Governor Dwight Green issued a proclamation that all state offices would be closed in respect to the memory of President Roosevelt, and urged all business houses to close from Noon to 5 p.m.
Congressman C.W. Reed appeared at the high school auditorium as a guest of the Civic Club to discuss the last hours of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination, and the capture of John Wilkes Booth. He also briefly reviewed his observations of President Roosevelt's last appearances in Washington and his impressions of President Harry Truman (Truman served in the Senate; Reed was in the House).
When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, flags flew at half-mast for 30 days. A national day
of mourning was observed on November 24, with a vast majority of businesses, schools and public accommodations closed. Institutions not closing for the day observed various periods of respect beginning at 11 a.m. Banks remained open due to state banking laws. Trains halted at 11 a.m. for one minute wherever they were at that time.
In the Spring of 1994, flags were flown at half-mast for 30 days out of respect for former President Richard M. Nixon and former First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy.

A Square Draped in Morning
The Woodstock Square was draped in black mourning upon the death of President James A. Garfield in September of 1881. Garfield had been shot in he back by a disturbed supporter of Chester Alan Arthur who became president upon Garfield's death.

Morning at the Grocery
Above, Austins grocery store, which opened in 1881, was located on the corner of Cass and Main where Town Square Realty now stands. Garry Austin stands in the doorway. The man in the hat with the basket is Frank Doton, who had a bakers shop on Benton Street. The first store in Woodstock was opened in 1845 by Josiah Dwight and Oscar Beach. Henry Petrie opened another store that same year.
First "Chamber of Commerce" formed in 1913
Woodstock has always had an active mercantile association. The Woodstock Business Men's Association was formed in 1913 and was changed to the Woodstock Commercial and Community Club in 1918 with its stated purpose "to promote furtherance of the social, civic, mercantile and industrial advancement of the city of Woodstock and surrounding community."
The current Woodstock Chamber of Commerce was established in 1945. Over the years, its many promotional events have included: Salute to Industry, Miss Woodstock Contest, Fall-Fun-Get-Together, Crazy Days, and the Woodstock Showcase.

First Woodstock Industries
The Pickle Industry
The growing of cucumbers was at one time a principal crop of many farmers in the area. Pickle factories were an important first industry in Woodstock.
Around the mid-1870s, the first pickle factory was erected in Woodstock. It was by Heinz, Noble, and Co., and was eventually purchased by Norman Frame, who with his son G.W. conducted the business. Later, they opened the Squire Dinghee Pickle Company (now the site of Knoll Grain).
Early maps also show the Woodstock Canning and Pickling Company located on the east side of Madison Street, between Calhoun and East Jackson (the current site of Copy Express and other businesses). In 1893, the Standard Pickle Company did business in the same location.
Claussen Pickle Company purchased the Borden Milk Plant in 1976, returning the pickle industry to Woodstock.
Breweries
Woodstock was also once known as a brewery center. The first brewery was established 1.5 miles west of Woodstock in 1858. Through the 1950s, barley was one of the major crops grown in the area.
The Woodstock Brewing and Bottling Company was located on the corner of Washington and Mary Anne Street. Although partially destroyed by fire several times, the company rebuilt each time on a more elaborate scale until the entire set of buildings was destroyed on May 5, 1902.
The Oliver Typewriter Factory, established in 1895.

Typewriters
The typewriter industry put Woodstock on the map all over the world. Two plants were established in Woodstock during the turn of the century. Oliver Typewriter came to Woodstock in 1896. This machine was invented by the Rev. Thomas Oliver who began manufacturing in Dubuque. Seeking a location closer to Chicago, the Oliver Typewriter Factory was established in Woodstock in 1895. At peak production, the factory employed 875 people and turned out 375 typewriters a day.
During the early years, the average work time was 10 hours a day, six days a week, and employees were paid $3 a day in cash. During World War I, the factory made munitions for the British.
The plant closed in 1926. Following the closure, this site became the home of Alemite Die Casting and Manufacturing, Electric Auto-Lite Co., and finally, Woodstock Die Casting.
The Woodstock Typewriter Company opened in 1915, and employed 350 people by 1922. This typewriter began as the Emerson and was reorganized according to the redeisgn of Alvah Roebuck of Sears, Roebuck & Co. The plant closed in 1971, and is now the site of Woodstock Wireworks. A Woodstock Typewriter was used as evidence to convict State Department official Alger Hiss. Hiss was accused of having been a secret agent for the Soviet Union in the 1930s.

Hospital expands to meet growing needs
"Woodstock has always been fortunate in the skill, character and equipment of her physicians and surgeons, then whom there are none better anywhere," from the Woodstock Sentinel in December, 1901. "Perhaps the most important man in the community is he who attends the sick and dresses the wounds of the injured, and in this calling it is essential that the practitioner be a man who is of good character and studious, steady habits, for when he is needed, he is needed badly an at once, as a general thing."
The earliest doctors in Woodstock included Almon W. King and Luke Hale, who arrived soon after the town was established in 1844.
Physicians tended to establish their offices in or above drug stores on the Square. In 1901, Dr. Anderson had office space at the A.S. Wright drug store; Dr. Page and Dr. Doolittle had offices near the Murphy Drug Store, and Dr. Windmueller's office was at the rear of L.T. Hoy's drug store.
Dr. Emil Windmueller had the distinction of bringing the first automobile to Woodstock, using the car to visit patients in the summer.
Dr. J.E. Guy established a private hospital in 1906 that was taken over by Dr. Hyde West in 1912. Woodstock Public Hospital was established in 1914 at the site of the American Legion Post on Clay Street, and moved to west South Street, to the old home of Judge Murphy, in 1915 (15-17 beds).
The first major expansion took place in 1937, when the Woodstock Public Hospital Association received donations of $50,000 from Dr. George Bentley and $12,000 from Julia Herrington to build the Bentley Wing (45 beds). More construction followed, including in 1958, 1962, 1965, 1971, and several major projects in the 1980s.
In 1994, Memorial Hospital will open a new hospital facility at Route 14 and Doty Road, and will also continue to use the remodeled South Street building.
The first "Woodstock Hospital" was located on Clay Street.

Celebrations abound
Woodstock residents have always known how to celebrate, whether it be the Fourth of July, the towns Centennial in 1952, VJ Day, Dick Tracy Days, or this years Woodstock Square Sesquicentennial Above is a "Ladies Footrace" held on July 4, 1910. The women are on Benton Street, heading toward Cass. See the following pages for information aboutpast andpresent celebrations in the city ofWoodstock.
Dogs and animals ran freely on the grassy area and the dirt streets surrounding the Square until the Dog Ordinance was passed in 1853:
"Be it Ordained by the President and Trustees of the Town of Woodstock
1st That from and after the passage of this ordinance, dogs shall not be permitted to go at large on the Public Square, Streets or highways in the Town ofWoodstock.
2nd That if any person or persons shall knowingly permit his, her or their dog or slut to go, and be at large within the Corporate limits of said Town, without being Securely Muzzled, he, she, or they Shall, on complaint being made to the proper officer, be fined in a sum not less that one dollar, nor more than five dollars and costs of
suit. The fine to be paid into the Treasury of said Town.
3rd That from and after the publication of this
Ordinance it shall be lawful for any inhabitant of said Town to shoot, kill, or otherwise destroy any dog or slut which shall be found going or being at large within said Corporate limits, not being Muzzled as aforesaid.
By order of the Board Charles Fitch, Clerk Woodstock, February 7, 1853
At the March 8, 1853, meeting, the Board "voted that the Clerk notify the Street Commissioner in each Ward that they cause all dead animals on the limits of the Corporation to be removed to a proper distance and buried."
Ladies Footrace, July Fourth, 1910, Woodstock, Illinois

Woodstock goes all-out for 1952 Centennial
Woodstock marked the centennial of its incorporation as a village with a celebration June 19-22, 1952.
The four-day celebration included a Centennial Ball and coronation of queen, an all-day sports show at city park; kiddies parade, afternoon program in city square; huge float parade; church service and mass choir at city park, and another afternoon program at city park.
A highlight of the celebration was a 20-episode pageant called "The Woodstock Centurama." Scenes included a primitive Indian village; the first white settlers;
election ofWoodstock as the county seat; the first store, churches and schools; incorporation of Woodstock as a village; war remembrances from the Civil War, World War I and World War II; period life in "Antebellum Days" and "Bikes, Bustles and Mustaches;" a salute to industry; and a review of the changes in transportation throughout the first 100 years.

Photo by Don Peasley
Dressed in period costumes, Woodstock citizens welcomed Governor Adlai Stevenson to the Woodstock Centennial Celebration held June 19-22, 1952.

Looking Back on the V-J Day Parade & Pageant of Drums
by Don Peasley
Woodstock's most popular and successful event in recent decades has been the V-J Day Parade and Pageant of Drums, presented from 1955 to 1974 with the Square as the centerpiece for the colorful parade.
Nationally-acclaimed drum and bugle corps were attracted to this event, established a few years after the end of World War II by the Woodstock Veterans of Foreign Wars and supported by community organizations, businesses and dozens of individuals.
The VFW assumed responsibility for the financial success, guaranteeing the state drum and bugle corps association prize money, expenses for the corps, and travel expenses.
The National VFW called this annual production "the most outstanding single event presented by any VFW Post in the nation/5
A combination of things made this parade and pageant a top attraction, drawing crowds of 15,000 to the community. The quality of the drum and
bugle corps is reflected in recalling the popular corps: Chicago Cavaliers, Belleville Black Knights, Norwood Park Imperials, Skokie Vanguards, and Madison Boy Scouts.
Maynard Wilkerson's organizational talent and the community's warm reception for participants was a major factor in bringing top corps back year after year. Encouraged by the nationally-acclaimed corps, businesses and community organizations were delighted to participate in the parade with special floats.
The parade was well organized and crowds flocked to the Square and along the parade route, south on Clay Street, around the Square to Dean Street School where the parade ended.
The name, V-J Day, was chosen by veterans as a reminder that this nation must always be alert and strong—to realize an enemy can lurk in the most innocent disguises.
The first V-J Day event was held September 11, 1955. Later, the date shifted to late July or early August to accommodate the rigid competitive schedule of the drum and bugle corps.
VJ Day Parade, 1955
Photo by Don Peasley

All-America City Recognition and What it means to Woodstock citizens
by Don Peasley
Woodstock's successful quest for the All-America City honors in 1963-64 is a tribute to community volunteerism and hard work.
The award by Look Magazine and the National Municipal League was based on "community involvement to improve a city after evaluating the needs for better living and better working and environmental conditions."
Woodstock built its presentation on an eight-goal platform, imaginatively illustrated before the All-America Cities jury at Detroit on Nov. 19, 1963, with large 50 x 70 inch photos dramatizing the eight goals. In his presentation, John Strohm explained Woodstock's goal is "to make a good city better/and that Woodstock is "on the move" by building on the eight goals:
1. Safer City, with a photo illustrating mutual trust between a child and the Chief of Police in front of a sign that welcomed people to the community at that time: "Welcome to Woodstock: No radar, no timers, we don't rely on gadgets, we count on you."
2. More Jobs, with a photo showing city officials breaking ground for a new Borden Company milk bottling plant.
3. Better Health, pointing out the city's local hospital, its physical therapy center sponsored by Easter Seals and support to expand the hospital when needed.
4. Better Education, featuring the new city library.
5. More Fun, stressing the construction of a special field for Little League, a new public swimming pool and an expanding number of parks in different parts of the city.
6. Expanded Culture, with a photo of the Woodstock Opera House, and Strohm asserting in his talk, "Man does not live by bread alone."
7. Better Living, illustrated with nationally-known artist Chester Gould's drawings to highlight the eight goals in a single illustration.
8. Better People, illustrated with dedication ceremonies at St. John's Lutheran Church on Illinois Route 47 and Rev. Clarence Kerr during the flag-raising ceremony in the Square, praying that God "Help us understand that if we are to expect Thee to be a partner in our efforts to build a better city, we must seek Thy council."
This photograph was used to illustrate the point of "A Safer City showing trust between a child and the Chief of Police in front of a sign that welcomed people to the community at that time.

"This flag is symbolic of our past achievements. I would like to see it as the banner under which we chart our course for the future. For having won the grand prize, we are going to be disappointed if we think that we have arrived. It is where we go from here that is important."
John Strohm March 30, 1964.
• All-America City
The Square was the centerpiece for the celebration when the official announcement was made that Woodstock had been chosen an All-America City. The celebration occurred March 30, 1964.
Strohm placed the recognition in perspective when he said, "Woodstock will progress only through ideas, the work and the achievements of individual citizens. Government did not make America great. It was the achievement of millions of individuals within the framework of freedom."
Turning to the flag-raising ceremony, Strohm asserted: "This flag is symbolic of our past achievements. I would like to see it as the banner under which we chart our course for the future. For having won the grand prize, we are going to be disappointed if we think that we have arrived. It is where we go from here that is important."
Summarized Strohm in his official presentation in November 1963: "What we have accomplished is important. It means we cannot lose because we have already won with a revived community spirit and an improving community."
Nationally-known Dick Tracy cartoonist Chester Gouldy a long-time Woodstock resident, contributed this drawing to highlight Woodstock s eight goals for the All-America City presentation.

Cartoonist Chester Gould made Woodstock his home
Dick Tracy cartoonist Chester Gould resided in Woodstock from 1935 until his death in 1985. Both Gould and his wife Edna donated much of their time to community service projects.
Born in Pawnee, Oklahoma, in 1900, Chester Gould arrived in Chicago in 1921. The young man had $50 in his pocket and a dream of becoming a cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune.
His first purchase with that $50 was a drawing board and a taboret (small stool) to use in his $6/week room on LaSalle Street.
First called Plainclothes Tracy, the Dick Tracy strip was inspired by the gangsters and hoodlums of a depression-era Chicago. Dick Tracy first appeared in the DetroitMirror'in October of 1931, followed by the New York Daily News and finally, the Chicago Tribune.
Gould came to Woodstock in 1935, where he bought a farm and raised cows. He drew Dick Tracy at home and took the train to his Chicago Tribune office once a week.
The Goulds became very involved in community affairs, donating their time and talents to several projects. Both Chester and his wife, Edna, worked with the Easter Seal Society for McHenry County in the 1950s. Chester donated artwork for the All-America City campaign in 1964 (see page 28) and served as honorary chairman for the Memorial Hospital fund drive in 1980.
Gould retired on Christmas Day, 1977, having written and drawn Dick Tracy for more than 46 years. He passed away on May 11, 1985.
First Crimestoppers Club started in Woodstock in 1947
The original Crimestoppers Club started in Woodstock in 1947. Saturday morning meetings were run by Chester Gould and Police Chief Emery Hansman. Meetings in the basement of the Opera House featured guest speakers, movies, safety talks and tours of interest, including the fire station and jail. Merchants often donated prizes for the club members. Crimestoppers Clubs for kids to help combat crime soon formed across the country.

AT HEADQUARTERS
WHEN'LL TRACY BE BACK, PAT?
SHOULD BE HERE ANY MINUTE, JUNIOR. WHAT'S UP?
OH NOTHING MUCH. I JUST WANTED TO SHOW HIM A LITTLE DRAWING
-AND WE'RE GOING TO CALL OURSELVES THE CRIMESTOPPERS. WE FELL WE CAN DO A LOT OF GOOD AMONG KIDS. "CRIMESTOPPER," EH?
We'll help kids that need help. We'll find odd jobs for 'em to do after school. We'll be friends with them.
Sort of a detective club of helping hands, Mr. Tracy.

Annual Dick Tracy Days event benefits Chester Gould/Dick Tracy Museum
The Chester Gould Memorial Museum Foundation was formed in February 1990 as a not-for-profit corporation.
To raise funds for the museum, the first Dick Tracy Days event was held in June 1990, with the major benefit event being the preview of the Walt Disney movie, Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty.
The five-day celebration included a Crimestoppers Breakfast, Murder Mystery Dinner, parade and Taste ofWoodstock, and a presentation on "Growing up with Dick Tracy" by the Goulds' daughter Jean O'Connell.
The Chester Gould/Dick Tracy Museum opened its doors on June 20, 1991, during the second annual Dick Tracy Days event. Located in the Old Court House Arts Center on the Woodstock Square, the museum displays include works of cartoon art as well as a history of Chester Gould, his family, and his activities in the community.
Featured in the museum's window are the original drawing board and stool purchased by a 21 -year-old man with dreams of becoming a successful cartoonist.
Event chairman Cav Peterson (center) with several Dick Tracy villans during Dick Tracy Days.
A highlight of the Dick Tracy Days parade is the shootout on the Square.

Woodstock on Film, or Reel Life on the Square
Photo courtesy of The Woodstock Independent
Gobbler's Knob, where Punxatawneys famed "Phil" the weather-predicting groundhog lives, was recreated in the southwest corner of the Square for the filming of Columbia Pictures! Groundhog Day in 1992.
Groundhog Day
The Woodstock Square was transformed into Punxatawney, Pennsylvania, in the Spring of 1992 for the filming of Columbia Pictures' Groundhog Day.
Starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott, and directed by Harold Ramis, the film tells the story of a weatherman (Murray) who is sent to cover Groundhog Day in Punxatawney, PA, and relives February 2 again and again.
Gobbler's Knob, where Punxatawney5s famed "Phil" the weather-predicting groundhog lives, was recreated in the southwest corner of the Square.
Many buildings had their storefronts changed for the filming: Town Square Realty on the corner of Cass and Main became a Rexall Drug Store, and the famed Woodstock Opera House became the Pennsylvanian Hotel.
Murray's character also shares a moonlit dance with MacDowelfs character in the bandstand.
Many local people had a chance to work as extras during filming. Many of the businesses on the Square continue to display their photos of the stars who came into their establishments. However, the only sign of the
filming that remains on the square is that the empty Wien building on the corner of Cass and Main that was refurbished as the "reef Tip Top Cafe for the film has now become the "real" Tip Top Cafe.
Dick Tracy
One of the premieres of the Walt Disney film Dick Tracy produced and directed by, as well as starring, Warren Beatty, was held in Woodstock to kick off the first annual Dick Tracy Days event in 1990.
The movie also featured Madonna as Breathless Mahoney, and Dustin Hoffman and AlPacino as villans.
Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould made his home in Woodstock for many years. For more information on Mr. Gould, please see page 30.
Other films and commercials
Parts of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, starring John Candy and Steve Martin, were filmed in Woodstock and featured the theatre on Main Street.
Commercials filmed in the area include a Honda car commercial featuring the Opera House and a Frosted Mini-Wheats advertisement.


Fair Diddley held on the Square for more than 25 years
Fair Diddley, an old-fashioned country craft show on the picturesque Woodstock Square, has been a May event for more than 25 years. The first craft fair, in 1967, hosted artists showing their handcrafted wares in the park and has grown to more than 350 booth spaces in and around the park on the quaint bricked streets.
Over the years, the lovely Victorian Gazebo featured local entertainment and the adjoining Spring House featured homemade bakery goods donated by the sponsors. A quilt raffle has been part of the tradition.
The sponsor of Fair Diddley is the Mental Health Resource League for McHenry County. Founded in 1967 as an auxiliary to the McHenry Mental Health Center, MHRL broadened its scope in 1976 to support and give financial aid to mental health-related agencies in McHenry County.
MHRL is an all-volunteer league. The membership has grown to more than 100 women and men from McHenry County. Many Woodstock citizens have contributed to the success of the League's largest fundraisers, Fair Diddley and Fall Diddley. Borne on the success of the May fair, Fall Diddley has been an October event at the McHenry County Fairgrounds since 1986.
In the first year, $500 was raised for the community. In February, 1994, the League donated $165,000 in grants and scholarships generated from the successful 1993 craft fairs.
Marcia Porter (Woodstock), Sandra Howell (McHenry), Cav Peterson and Jean Headley (Woodstock) of MHRL welcome visitors to Fair Diddley 1993.
Quality hand-crafted country bunnies and bears are often featured at Fair Diddley on the third Sunday each May on the picturesque Woodstock Square.

Woodstock Square Sesquicentennial Celebration
Summary of events June 21-26,1994
June 21 7 p.m. Miss Woodstock Pageant at the Woodstock Opera House; sponsored by the Woodstock Chamberof Commerce ($8)
June 22 7:30 p.m. Band Concert/Ice Cream Social "In the Square" offered by the Woodstock City Band in its 110th season. The Ice Cream Social is sponsored by the Woodstock Jaycees, and during the intermission the Spring House will be dedicated to Frances Kuhn by the Woodstock Professional and Business Women (WPBW).
June 23 2 p.m. A Garden Walk sponsored by the Woodstock Professional and Business Women. ( $12)
3:30 p.m Victorian Tea at the Woodstock Opera House sponsored by the WPBW and underwritten by Pat-Ex Properties.
7:30 p.m. Sweet Adelines will perform on the Square.
9:00 p.m. Film Festival on the Square. See Groundhog Day where most of the movie was filmed, followed by a showing of Orson Welles' The Stranger,
June 24 9 a.m. Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum Jail and Bail.
2 p.m. Old Tyme Magical Medicine Show with Dr. Fred Smart at the Woodstock Opera House. ($2)
6:30 p.m. Box Supper at the Woodstock Opera House sponsored by the Museum. Suppers are $9 or $10.
Enjoy Jim Keefe's History ofWoodstock slide show.
8 p.m. Old Tyme Magical Medicine Show at the Woodstock Opera House. Witness the arrival of Sam Slick—the fastest snake-oil salesman in the west! ($5)
June 25 9:30 a.m. Crimestoppers Breakfast at the VFW. Kids will enjoy this traditional event commemorating the first Crimestoppers Club which started here in Woodstock. Meet cartoonist Dick Locher. (No charge.)
9:30 a.m. Card and Comic Extravaganza at the Woodstock Square Mall, sponsored by the Dick Tracy Museum. Garyn Roberts; author of Dick Tracy in America, will sign his book in the Museum.
Noon-5 p.m. Square Events:
• Old-fashioned Toys and Games for young children provided by Girl Scout Troops 751 & 307, Potawatomi Neighborhood • Victorian Fancies homemade refreshments and handmade articles from members of the Interfaith Fellowship of McHenry County • Footraces, Tug of War and other traditional community competitions run by the Woodstock Recreation Department • "Olden Days" Demonstrations: Tony Vargas, blacksmith; McHenry County Fibres and Wheels, spinners and weavers • Antique Photos provided by DLI Photography
Noon McHenry County B & B Square Dance Club
1 p.m. Yesterday's Boys Barbershop Quartet
2 p.m. Borderline Cloggers clog dancing
3 p.m. Crystal Lake Community Choir
4 p.m. McHenry County Youth Orchestra
1 & 3 p.m. Storytelling in the Woodstock Opera House by the McHenry County Storytellers Guild
8 p.m. Mark Twain in Person at the Woodstock Opera House starring Richard Henzel ($8 adults, $6 seniors/students)
9 p.m. Sesquicentennial Ball at the Old Courthouse sponsored by the Community Music Boosters. ($50)
June 26 11 a.m. Taste on the Square
11 a.m. Ken Schultz, The Flying Fool.
Pepsi Cola Music Wagon Noon Costume and Beard Contest sponsored by the Woodstock Fine Arts Association
2 p.m. Parade including seven Drum & Bugle Corps, community groups, veterans and returning residents, Stiltwalker, Antique bicycles, Burlington Bathtub Clowns & more! 3:30 p.m. Sesquicentennial Jazz Festival (History of Jazz)
7 p.m. Drum & Bugle Corps Pageant at Woodstock High School ($5)