IRQ Cap 2014 Watseka, IL Historic County Courthouse

Back Handicap entrance

PR downtown 1 blk away

Outside Picnic Grounds

Entrances

Security mirrors

Original Courthouse As Auditorium

Historic Building details metal plate staircases, fixtures

Original Ventilation Tower need a small screen in lower & upper area to draft

Iroquois County Historical Society Collection - Watseka Timeline of Building Projects 1866- 2014

May 15, 1865: It was decided the county needed a new courthouse. Micajah Stanley, an early settler, donated 8 lots for the building of a new courthouse. Jan. 2, 1866: Construction began. The new courthouse was to have two vaults and a jail in the basement. Nov. 1, 1866: It was completed at a cost of $28,000, which would be equivalent to over $400,000 today. 1881: More room was needed, so an addition was added on the south end with 14’ extensions on both sides. Upon completion, the cost of the addition was $12,775. 1889: The original octagonal windowed dome had deteriorated badly. It was replaced at a cost of $2,860 with a convex-roofed structure having 4 circular dormer windows. 1890: Central heating was installed, replacing individual stoves. 1893: A new jail was built at the southeast corner of 3rd and Cherry Streets, thus replacing the jail facilities previously used in the basement of the courthouse. 1895: Waterlines were laid to the building, and restrooms were put in the basement. Electricity was also installed at this time. 1903: A fire occurred in the county clerk’s office. Records were preserved, as they had been stored in the vault. Repairs to the damage caused by the fire cost $6107. 1927: A second addition on the south end was completed at a cost of $38,000. It contained office space and enlargements to two older storage vaults. The additions provided a total of 45 rooms. (mm11/12/13) At the same time, the no longer needed chimneys were removed. 1928: The dome was again replaced, this time with one that had concave-sloped sides that matched the contours of the roof. The dome is the current one.

1962: The Katharine Clifton estate left land to the county for the construction of a new jail and courthouse.

1965: The new Iroquois County Courthouse opened.

1967: After the old courthouse had fallen into disrepair for three years, a group of concerned individuals formed the Iroquois County Historical Society and restored the old courthouse as a county historical museum.

June 13, 1975: The Old Courthouse was registered as a Historic Place by the U. S. Department of the Interior.

1975, Listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the Department of Interiors

1976 Survey

1989 AASLH Survey of Collections

1990 Wood Storage shelving and rods were installed in the vault collections storage and some of the ledgers and dockets always in the vault were moved to storage so they had some collections space.

2002 New sidewalks Town of Watseka,

2005- improved Museum storage and display conditions

2004-2014 Building Changes: painting inside & out, roof repair, soffit & gutter repair, broken tower window closed with plexiglass, electric wire replacement, broken window glass replaced

2004-2014 Collections Changes- “items moved from cardboard boxes to plastic storage bins, quilts placed in white cotton cases, photos placed in file cabinets & being organized,

2014 new cement slab laid over front entrance

2013-14 new Historic- Style front doors planned & purchased for two North entrance doors

2014 CAP Smithsonian Grant acquired, Spring visit from a conservator to determine a 10 year plan for their concerns from IMLS – Inter-Museum Support Grants- Federal Funding

Parlor With Case Of Enameled Glass

Kitchen For Use & Display With Glass Canning Jar & Dinnerware Collections

School Room & regional photos

Music Rm With Relief Maps Outside

Military Open Storage Exhibit

Military Vignettes

Ca. 1900 Laybourn Rm With Period Strip Rug Carpet

Interdenominational Chapel the Christian portrait could be moved further back ,

that is why its not photographed

Rock Exhibit

Office Display With Dictionary Stand

Back Parlor With Vacuum Cleaner Collection

Back Kitchen Display Area

1st fl Nature Room Taxidermy, Minerals, shells

But wait, there is more – Basement Displays

Basement / Lower Level Sports Rm

Taxidermy Rm 2

General Store- Post office

Hat Shop

Tools & Corn Rm

Farming Display this is actually a bit underlit in areas

and could use 2 smaller units instead of one.

And a Jail, so almost anything you can imagine

A few of my favorites , the multi-roll map in orig. co.

The yarn wreath & relief maps are special.

Thank you for taking care of these historic objects.

Jennifer Hein http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferHein /

Google- Jennifer Hein & textiles or flags

http://www.linkedin.com/ JenniferHein

Museum Studies - Preservation, Exhibition & Storage Techniques. ISM Preservation Conservator for a collection of 300,000 cultural history objects for 7 years , then in the next 10-15 years as a part-time advisor to several groups concurrently. 35 Historic Sites in 8 states to produce long term conservation plans through the IMLS CAP Smithsonian Grant program.

conservatour@msn.com you can email me with ideas as long as you wish.