McHenry County IL Archives History .....Nunda Township History - 1877 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 20, 2008, 8:36 pm

NUNDA, TOWNSHIP 44, RANGE 8 AND 1/3 OF 9.

   The first settler in Nunda was Benjamin McOmber, who, in 1836. built his
house on Section 6, where he lived until his death. Cameron Goff came in 1837,
and still resides upon the land first taken up by him. George Stickney, Samuel
Terwilliger, George T. Beckley and others settled in the northwest part of the
township, and in the southeast Abram Vincent, Dewitt Brady and others.

   Near the center of Section 18, a little west of C. Goff's, in 1838, the first
log school house was built, and Amanda McOmber first opened school within its
walls, having five pupils in charge.

   This township was without a place of worship till 1867, when the Methodist
Church at Crystal Lake was taken down and moved to Nunda, where it was occupied
till 1874, when a new one was built at an estimated cost of $3,000. The name of
the first pastor was Tilton. In 1863, Elder Lovelace organized a society of
Disciples at the village.

   In 1844, James and Samuel McMillan, seeing a demand for a saw-mill, and
having the necessary water power, 'erected one on Section 22, and sawed logs
till 1863, when it was turned into a grist-mill at an expense of $6,000 to
$7,000, and is still running.

   A carding-mill was built, in 1846, in the north part of the town, by Mr.
Truesdell, on Boone Creek, but not paying, was discontinued after two years.

   The first flouring-mill was put up by T. J. Ferguson, in 1856, costing,
probably, $6,000.

   The only manufactory in the town is the Crystal Lake Pickling and Canning
Works, started in 1872, by William Archdeacon. This establishment carried on a
large business and, under the stimulus thus given it, the population of Nunda
village doubled in two years. In 1874, it was turned into a stock company, with
a capital of $300,000, and owing, probably, to the general depression in
business in 1875, it went into the hands of a receiver, but, having done a small
business the present season, it is probable that the enterprise which promised
so much for that region will not be abandoned.

   Nunda has two railroads, both of them having been built through the town in
the same year. The Chicago & North-Western Railway enters the township near the
southwest corner of Section 33, running in a northwesterly direction, and
passing out near the middle of the west side of Section 30. The Elgin & State
Line crosses the township line a few rods west of the former, traverses Sections
33, 28, 21, 16, 9, a corner of 10, and in its exit cuts the north line of
Section 3 about 100 rods west of its east line, this and the Chicago &
North-western together having about nine miles of main track in the township,
and one depot common to both at Crystal Lake Crossing.

   The first depot was shipped from Chicago, ready-made, on a flat car, in 1856,
and set carefully down near where the two roads crossed. At that time, Nunda
village was not thought of. This depot was for the accommodation of the
railroads and, not being very well ballasted, it was feared that the prairie
winds might blow it away, to prevent which, it was stayed with guy-ropes
fastened to stakes driven into the ground. The Fox River Valley Railroad built a
substantial depot near the center of Section 16, but finally removed it.

   Nunda has two cheese and butter factories and one for cheese alone,
altogether using the milk of six to seven hundred cows. The village of Nunda is
the only one in the township, and one Reed opened a store there in 1855. The log
building first erected for a school house, however, had the honor of being the
first store in the township, which was owned by E. M. Sever.

   This township is the best watered of any in the county except McHenry, being
traversed from north to south, in its eastern half, by Fox River, containing two
lakes-Griswold's and Lake Defiance-and half of Lily Lake, besides numerous small
creeks, of which the largest is Stickney's Run, which furnishes water-power for
two grist-mills. It is well adapted to grain or stock, and, containing all of
Township 44, Range 8 and one-third of Range 9; has forty-eight square miles.
Hanley Creek crosses the northwest corner of the township in a northeasterly
course.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF THE TAX-PAYERS AND VOTERS
OF
McHENRY COUNTY;

CONTAINING ALSO

A Map of the County; a Condensed History of the State of Illinois; an Historical
Sketch of the County, its Towns and Villages; an Abstract of Every-day Laws of
the State; a Business Directory; Officers of Societies, Lodges and Public
Officers; a Department of General Information for Farmers, Dairymen, Etc., Etc.

CHICAGO: C. WALKER & CO.
1877.


Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by
C. WALKER & CO.,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

CULVER, PAGE, HOYNE & CO.,
PRINTERS, CHICAGO.


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