Crystal Lake houses that were once occupied by veterans of the Civil War will be highlighted in this year’s Trolley Tour, hosted by the Historic Preservation Commission and the Historical Society.

Each year, the commission puts on the fundraising event highlighting different significant historic structures. This year’s tour on June 14 coincides with America’s 250th anniversary, so organizers decided to focus on the war that almost disbanded the country, marking a significant time in the nation, as well as Crystal Lake.

This year’s theme, “Homes of Our Civil War Veterans,” will showcase houses and buildings connected to local veterans, along with stories of their service in the war and the community.

“There’s a lot of history around the people that were participating in the Civil War,” Historic Preservation Commission Chairperson Ana Freund said. “It’s dense with information.”

This is the first time the historic commission is partnering with the Crystal Lake Historical Society. Before, commissioners spent so much time organizing the event and researching the locations, and they wanted to focus more on their mission of landmarking and assisting those with landmarked properties, Freund said.

With the help of Historical Society Executive Director Diana Kenney, who researched the locations and helped coordinate the event, this year’s tour will be bigger than ever.

“This is our 26th year doing it,” Freund said. “So, it really has become an event that people can count on and that they do return to every year because the topic is so different every year.”

The tour starts and ends at the historically landmarked Colonel Palmer House, where there will be food trucks, Civil War reenactments and live music. Inside the Palmer House, there will be displays of a diary, letters and photos from local Civil War veterans.

According to the Crystal Lake Historical Society, 240 men and one woman from Crystal Lake and the surrounding area served in the Civil War. Of those who served, 53 were killed in action or died in service, and more than 100 returned home sick or disabled.

The tour will feature about two dozen stops, including at Old St. Paul’s Church, the current home of Nunda Masonic Lodge No. 169. The Colonel Palmer House itself has ties to the Civil War, as it was built by local stone mason and Civil War veteran Andrew Jackson Simons.

The Crystal Lake Trolley Tour will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. June 14 at the Colonel Palmer House, 660 E. Terra Cotta Ave.

Tickets are $25 and include the trolley tour, a commemorative booklet and an interior tour of the Colonel Palmer House. Tickets are sold online at crystal-lake-trolley-tour.ticketbud.com/2026.

Tickets also can be bought with cash or check at Heisler’s Bootery, 50 N. Williams St.

This year is another first for the historic commission. Earlier this year, the City Council approved $14,800 in historic preservation grants through this year’s hotel/motel tax fund. The Trolley Tour is a substantial piece in the commission’s fundraising efforts that allows it to officially landmark properties and provide grants to landmarked property owners.