Windwood [Page 11]
“Windwood," the home of Mr. and Mrs. George C. Ball, of Wenona, acquired its
name from the constant sound of the wind in the many trees surrounding the
stately old home at 310 West Elm. Standing on a gentle rise, far back from
the street, and enclosed by formal hedge and many varieties of trees it is
easy to comprehend how the slightest breeze is intensified, setting branches
in perpetual motion.
Built in 1863 by Nathanial Moore, a State Representative from this district,
the house is a tribute to the days when handsome walnut and oak mill work,
hand cut parquet floors and soaring ceilings were within the grasp of a
local landowner and merchant, who had recently been elected to the state
House of Representatives.
The homestead was purchased in the late l880's by Charles A. Burgess (Mr.
Ball's maternal grandfather), the younger of two English brothers who were
engaged in the business of importing and breeding draft horses. The estate
and barns then in existence were used as a breeding farm by Burgess
Brothers. Inc. for many years.
To this home Charles brought his bride, Kate, daughter of the local
physician and surgeon, Dr. Kendall E. Rich. Here their daughters, Lucy and
Amy, were born and grew to young womanhood.
At the demise of Kate in 1939, Lucy, with her husband, Roscoe L. Ball and
their children came to live at "Windwood." Their second son, George Charles,
had resided with his grandmother, Kate, since the death of his grandfather
Burgess in 1931.
Today, George and Rita Ball and son, Kevin, are the third and fourth
generations of the family to call "Windwood" home.
Basically the house has changed very little through the years. The major
structural changes being the enclosing of the front porch and the moving of
an open stairway from the center of the house to the west end, to make
possible more efficient heating when a furnace was installed at the turn of
the century.
The stained glass windows are unusually beautiful as the colors are the
seldom seen shades of rose, apple green, peacock and rich amber. The
ceilings are ornate, yet graceful in effect with delicate relief festoons
and garlands.
In the basement a brick "cooking fireplace" with crane and cast iron
utensils was uncovered by Roscoe Ball in the early 1940's while making
repairs to a scaling wall.
The dining room boasts a fireplace and suspended over a massive English oak
table is a heavy brass light fixture with Quezal art glass shades. Much of
the furniture is of the early Victorian era and of great sentimental value,
having been passed from one generation to the next. The bedrooms are a
veritable treasure-trove of family history since many of the appointments
came from the Ball family homestead in Toluca which pre-dated "Windwood."
The upstairs bath, reputed to be the first in Wenona, still has the clawfoot
tub and large pedestaled lavatory.
Lest you acquire the impression that the house is a musty museum, let us
hasten to say, that quite the reverse is true. The Ball's do indeed have a
healthy respect for their home and the many treasures therein, but, the
spacious rooms are, alive with color and sunlight.
Mrs. Rita Ball
[Page 13]
This home is located in Wenona, Illinois at 218 North Hickory Street.
On December 28, 1865, William Stephenson purchased the lot from the
railroad. It was sold to Jonathan Page in 1866 at which time the present
structure was built.
Mr, George Dickey purchased the property from Adelia Ludhem in October of
1917. Payments were $2.50 per month with $2.62 interest charges . . . a far
cry from the amounts we deal in 1976 !
The Alvin Kerns Dickey family are the present occupants and owners.
*****
Ft. Darnell [Page 14]
1832 Black Hawk War, 600 ft. S.E. Stood Log Stockade for protection of
pioneers, erected by Darnell and Judd Descendants 1951
On June 21, 1951, this Wisconsin mahogany granite marker was dedicated by
the people in Evans Township, The location chosen was the Cumberland
Cemetery.
In a sealed box at the base of the marker is a History of the Fort, a copy
of the June 21, 1951 issue of the Wenona Index, names of donors, a 1903
Indian head penny (70 years after the Fort was vacated), an Indian arrowhead
found on Sandy Creek in 1933 and several commemorative stamps.
The actual Fort into which the pioneers brought their families and livestock
for protection from a possible Indian attack was located on the Wilbur Mann
farm. The Cumberland Cemetery was chosen for the commemorative marker
because of its convenient location.
The well and one small brick building of the original Fort are still
standing on the late Mr. Mann's farm. As you drive by the farm this small
red brick structure is a sturdy, silent reminder of the steadfastness of our
sturdy ancestors who bravely overcame the dangers they faced in establishing
their homes in a new country.
William Hunt Memorial Tree [Page 15]
Illinois was admitted to the Union as the twenty-first state on December 3,
1818, however, the settlement of the new state was rather slow. Until most
of the Indians were pushed further west the pioneers hesitated in moving to
the prairie.
Among the early settlers who came to Illinois was the William Hunt family.
They chose to settle in the Wenona area along Sandy Creek. In the fall of
1863 their infant son, William, died and was buried in what is now known as
the Cumberland Cemetery (about five miles northwest of Wenona) .
A hundred years ago it was rather common practice for robbers to remove
bodies from graves and sell them to scientists who did medical research. Not
wanting this fate to befall their infant son, the Hunt family planted a
Norway spruce tree to mark the grave site. The twin-spired tree grew tall
and stately. When the fear of grave robbers no longer was a threat the
family placed a marker on the grave. As the years passed, the tree grew and
its massive trunk, like protective arms, has almost completely encased the
small marker.
In September of 1963, the Marshall County Historical Society dedicated this
tree in memory of the courage and compassion of the early settlers of our
county.
[Page 16]
Our home was the site of an old established business in Wenona started by
James Hodge who was the contractor and builder. Our heme was a planing mill
which started on October 12, 1866. James Hodge, originally from Ohio, came
to Wenona from Magnolia, Illinois in 1855. He established a lumber business
and planing mill and went into the contracting business. Hodge had three
associates, namely, R. Snodgrass, J. H. Taggart, and R. B. Work. They were
not only contractors; they also manufactured window sashes, doors, blinds,
molding, and dressed lumber to order.
The old planing mill, whose walls are 15 to 18 inches thick and made of
brick, was owned and lived in for over 40 years by the Gus Beckman family of
Wenona. It is presently owned by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kupec who live there
with their two children, Amy and David. It is a two-story structure with ten
rooms, a full attic and a half basement. There is a ten-inch thick brick
wall which runs through the center of the home from east to west. There are
also five iron beams for support which are between the first and second
stories. Three beams run north and south and two beams run east and west and
are marked by five-pointed stars (eight in all) which can be seen on the
exterior of the home. When the Beckman family excavated for a basement, they
found buried an old boiler. The east room of the building was used as a
boiler room by the planers.
The home is so solidly built that when it is windy and storming, its brick
walls soundproof any noise, providing the doors and windows are closed. The
occupants are sometimes totally unaware of the weather outside.
Mrs. Judy Kupec
309 North Pine
Wenona, Illinois
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