Letter: Preservation of Kennedy Way Station not likely

To the Editor:

Of the many perks McHenry County offers to its residents, one of my favorites is the McHenry County Conservation District with its numerous sites and programs. My family takes advantage of both and I’d never complain about supporting the district through taxes. During this horrific COVID-19 pandemic, being able to explore the natural areas of the county has been a lifesaver.

In 2020, the district reached the 50-year mark and in December produced a 33-page Historic Stabilization Report. In the many years of acquiring land for the public’s benefit, those properties often contained structures, so many dating back to and representative of the county’s rural past. Some 27 of those structures are identified in the report. One caught my attention.

It is historically known as the Kennedy Way Station, very prominently located on Illinois Route 14 between Woodstock and Harvard. It is a stately 1855 Greek Revival home that once served as an inn on the Northwest Stage Line. It is highly visible and probably the best and perhaps only remaining such stage line building left in the county.

While the MCCD’s mission and laws governing its operations haven’t changed over the past 50 years, its operational and funding source have. The original Conservation District Act gave the MCCD the power to purchase, preserve, stabilize and rehabilitate historic structures, but that is not its main mission. The resulting unintended consequences leave cultural treasures like the Kennedy Way Station threatened. Under its current governing laws, the district cannot sell to individuals property it has acquired. So the only other options include leasing for a 20-year span to either another governmental agency or nonprofit entity. That’s not an ideal situation for someone wanting to restore and live in a historical home like the Kennedy Way Station.

Baring that, the only options for the district are demolition by neglect, demolition or preservation. They’ve determined that preservation is probably not possible. As I said, unintended consequences.

Nancy J. Fike

McHenry