Several people have asked for information on the house at the SW corner of 3rd Avenue and Cedar. That house is nearly 180 years old! Here’s the story behind it, courtesy of our Past President, Steve Gibson.
Historians and preservationists often use the term 'witness tree' to describe trees that have survived from the past, serving as reminders of significant events. In Saint Charles, we have such trees, some even record holders in terms of their species. However, we also have homes that could be considered 'witness homes', and 217 Cedar Avenue is one of these unique dwellings, each with a story to tell.
Commonly known as the Judge Barry house, this house has witnessed history in a way that almost no other existing house does in Saint Charles. Let's start at the beginning.
Judge Barry is truly one of the leading historical figures in St. Charles and Kane County history. Born in Oneida, New York, in 1809, William was the oldest of 9 children born to John and Eunice Berry – note the different spelling of the last name. His father, John Berry, was a native of Connecticut, and his mother, Eunice (Sweet) Berry, was from Vermont, originally born in Ireland. In 1828, young Barry, nineteen years of age, was employed as a stage driver on a route leading from what was then the village of Utica and later an attendant of the Auburn state prison. History tells us that he was always fond of speaking, and his stories of the period when the great Erie Canal was underway were very interesting.
In 1835, having applied himself closely and carefully to the study of medicine, Mr. Barry was licensed by the New York Medical Society and began practicing. That same year, at Napoleon, Henry, Ohio, he saw a chance to better his finances and took a contract to construct a portion of the Wabash and Erie Canal. He could not, however, renounce his professional career, and since the practice of medicine didn't suit him, he gave it up to study law in the office of State Senator Bates. In short order, he was admitted to practice and a month later was elected state's attorney of Henry County.
The "western fever" infected him, and in 1840, he moved to St. Charles, Illinois, according to Samuel W. Durant's History of St. Charles, Illinois, Revised and Corrected, published in 1885. In 1843, he purchased land at 3rd and Cedar Avenues and built a simple two-story home just up the hill from his law office on Main Street.
He was married twice, first to Eliza Sealbrooke (who died in 1843 and is buried in St. Charles's North cemetery) and then to Isabella Thom, a native of Scotland, on January 18, 1845, in St. Charles (she is also buried in the Barry family plot at the Noth Cemetery). Her father, John Thom, was a soldier in the British army and a lieutenant in the famous 42nd regiment of Highlanders, the "Black Watch," with which he participated in the Battle of Waterloo. They had two children of their own: Eliza D. (named after William's first wife), born in 1846 and died in 1851, and William T., born in 1852 and died between 1860 and 1865. A later census documents the adoption of a son, Edwin Pollard, age 10, in the 1870 census (shown as "Edwin Pollard Berry"). John Lenhart resided in their house in the 1860s and later inherited the Barry home. He was listed as a "farmer", aged 29 in the 1860 census.
Mr. Barry was an acknowledged leader as an attorney. He was always willing to take on law students. Many of those students became famous, including his younger brother Alonzo, who became a judge in Elgin, and Terence Ryan, famous in St. Charles for being helpful in many ways, including railroad negotiations, the temperance movement, and the Board of Education.
During the early years of his residence in Illinois, he conducted many hard criminal trials, among them being the defense of Taylor Driscoll of Ogle County, a member of the infamous "Banditti" gang of robbers, who shot Captain Campbell, the head of the vigilante group, the "Regulators" in cold blood in front of his family in the early to mid-1800s when horse stealing and other serious crimes were epidemic in northern Illinois. Through his efforts, Driscoll was acquitted. In 1849, Barry represented Dr. Richards of the Franklin Medical College in St. Charles. Dr. Richards was suing several people for events that occurred during the infamous “Richards Riots’.
In 1851, Barry was first elected county judge of Kane County, holding the position for six years. In 1869, he returned to the office for four more years. The venerable Judge was President of the Bar Association of Kane County for many years. During the Civil War, he served on the St. Charles Enrollment Board.
Judge Barry, being an able politician and wise in all the old-time methods of political management, was also intensely patriotic. His ringing words on behalf of the country and the flag created enthusiasm among those who listened to his earnest eloquence. He never claimed to be a polished orator, but his strong voice and peculiar style had its desired effect when it became necessary to deal with hard knocks or cause opponents' discomfort. His shots flew straight to the mark, and a person seldom came out of an encounter with him with colors flying. An earnest Republican at the dawn of that party, he assisted greatly in growing that party into full strength and stood by it from the day of birth until his death. During the long service of General John F. Farnsworth in Congress, Judge Barry was one of his trusted advisers and led the great abolitionist's allies in many hard-fought campaigns. When Farnsworth left the Republican Party in 1872, Judge Barry refused to follow him and denounced his old chieftain on the stump in unmeasured terms.
Mrs. Barry died on January 19, 1892, and the judge joined her on January 27, 1892. The judge was 82.
At Judge Barry's death, the Barry home passed or was sold to John Lenhart, who then deeded the home to his daughter Jennie Lenhart upon his death in 1894. In 1898, the home was sold or transferred to Charles M. Wheeler. Census information indicates that Wheeler and his family lived in the house and even had boarders and a maid living there, as well" in the 1900 census. In the 1900 census Wheeler's occupation is listed as "capitalist." Charles Wheeler's father, Timothy, was one of the earliest settlers in the St. Charles area. Charles and his wife, Alexina, moved to Ventura, California, where they lived the rest of their lives.
In 1914, Mrs. and Mrs. Wheeler sold the home to Frederik and Agnes Rasmussen. Frederik was a supervisor at the Milk Condensing Company in downtown St. Charles. According to his sister-in-law, Edith Kohlert, Frederik was anxious to remodel the home. When he purchased it, it was just a shell of a house. He set about completely remodeling the interior, and Fred and Agnes lived in that home until Fred’s death in April 1942.
Fred and Agnes Rasmussen
Sometime after Fred's death, his wife's sister, Edith Kohlert, moved into the home. Edith was involved in politics most of her life, including acting as secretary for Mayor I. V. Langum during the Depression. After moving into 217, Edith hosted many political gatherings at the home as she worked on the campaigns of Ralph Richmond (Mayor, 1957-1961) and George Neumark (alderman and mayor of St. Charles -1961-1969) and also Mayor Ralph Richmond.
Edith was the sister of St. Charles businessman Henry "Cap" Kohlert, who piloted a military balloon in World War One, competed in 3 Indy 500 races, started the DuPage Airport, and owned an auto dealership in St. Charles.
Henry Kohlert’s Indy Race Car
EDith Kohler and her nephew Bob Kohlert
The sisters lived together in that house until Agnes' death in 1950. Edith inherited the home and lived there until her death in 1973. At her death, the house was transferred to Edith's niece, Gloria Geske, who lived in it and sold the home to the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in 1993.
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
The home is a simple two-story building, oriented north and south on the lot. It appears to be stuccoed, and there is some evidence from the roof line design details that the building was designed in a Greek Revival style. The front of the building is nondescript, with a pedimented door on the first floor and evidence of a decorative fan motif in the stucco at the top of the front wall below the crest of the roof. The rear of the house includes an addition to the house on the first floor and what appears to be a door leading to the basement or lower level of the home. Sanborn maps from 1898 indicate that this addition is original to the home, although the lower-level door was on the west rear side of the building. Recent photos show deterioration in the concrete walks around the house and may be evidence that some structural repairs are necessary.
REASONS TO DECLARE THIS A HISTORICAL LANDMARK
Given the depth and breadth of history that has occurred directly within the four walls of this building, as well as its location near some of the most significant early settlements of St. Charles (the Franklin homestead, the Hunt House, the Eastside Park – now Baker Memorial Park, Penny's Brickyard, the Chamberlain House, Judge Barry's Law Office), this building helps complete the story of where St. Charles came from, and why it is the city it is today.
The addition of the stories of Frederick Rasmussen and his sister-in-law, Edith Kohlert, longtime secretary and aide to some of the most beloved and honored Mayors in St. Charles history, as well as the linkages to Abraham Lincoln and Gen. Farnsworth, only strengthens the case that this home represents a singular opportunity to preserve the heritage of St. Charles in a way that can help make future generations of St. Charles residents understand how St. Charles developed from a shallow ford in the Fox River to the great city it is today.
