Volunteer Park and Baseball Field, July 6, 1990
Click on the first image to open a PDF with a compilation of photos.
Photos courtesy of: Fred Neiser, Insurance Broker PO Box 662, Sugar Grove, Illinois
Volunteer Pavilion (Prairie Building) in Volunteer Park
In a story about the Sugar Grove Corn Boil in 2017, The Kane Country Chronicle noted: "In 1985, Ted McCannon and volunteers were able to build Volunteer Pavilion in Volunteer Park. This also resulted from the community working together, as donated materials were used. Up to 30 volunteers labored creating the building’s features, including garage, kitchen and fire place. The finishing touch on the building was two bicentennial coins that were placed into the floor." Source: https://www.shawlocal.com/2017/06/19/sugar-grove-corn-boil-celebrates-long-storied-history/aatssyd/ See also: https://www.sgparks.org/parks-facilities/
Bliss Woods Forest Preserve Caretaker's House
This was the Caretaker's House for the Bliss Woods Forest Preserve located at 442 Bliss Road, Sugar Grove, Illinois. "The Chicago, Aurora & DeKalb Railway linked Sugar Grove to Aurora and DeKalb from 1902 to 1928. It started as gasoline driven cars - then went to steam and finally to electric cars. The present gate into the caretaker's residence of Bliss Woods Forest Preserve was the road bed and a stop for the passenger train." From "Sugar Grove, Illinois 1834 - 1984" by Ruth Frantz and Frank Damon. "The present path of the Virgil Gilman Nature Trail going through Bliss Woods Forest Preserve was the roadbed [for the Chicago, Aurora and DeKalb Railway.] The train had a stop in the woods." From "Sin-Qua-Sip: Sugar Grove, A History of Sugar Grove Township, Kane County, Illinois" by Patsy Mighell Paxton. "The Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary Railroad, a freight line, ran to the south of the Chicago, Aurora and DeKalb Railway. The two lines merged just north of Galena Blvd., before heading into Aurora. The entry to the [Village] Bible Church on Rte. 47 [at the location of the Bliss Woods Caretaker's House] was its road bed." From "Sin-Qua-Sip: Sugar Grove, A History of Sugar Grove Township, Kane County, Illinois" by Patsy Mighell Paxton. The Bliss Woods Caretaker's House was demolished as part of the project to widen the bridge on Bliss Road over Blackberry Creek. The resolution approving demolition was passed by the Kane County Board on June 13, 2017. The cost of the building demolition services was $23,400 plus $29,222.75 to pay for sanitary sewer disconnection.
Bliss Woods Forest Preserve, 1938 Concrete Bridge Abutments "John H. Bloomdahl, Contractor, 1938, Geneva, Illinois"
The concrete bridge abutments in Bliss Woods were poured by John H. Bloomdahl, Contractor from Geneva, Illinois in 1938 during the time that the Civilian Conservation Corps was doing work to develop natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state, and local governments. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a nearby swimming pool in Bliss Woods fed by Blackberry Creek, which is no longer in existence. Only remnants of the concrete work remain.
Bliss Park in Kaneville, Illinois: Dancing Pavillion
Historic Postcards of Bliss Park in Kaneville, Illinois
Volunteer Park Pavilion Construction (Prairie Building)
Sign to Kane County Forest Preserve District, Bliss Woods
Sign: Welcome to Kane County Forest Preserve District Campground
Sugar Grove Forest Preserve Swimming Pool, Lewis H. Washburn, Aug. 14, 1938
Sugar Grove Forest Preserve Swimming Pool, David D. Washburn, Aug. 14, 1938
Looking South on Bliss Road. Campground on right side of street.
From Hollmier's back yard, looking North into Bliss Woods Forest Preserve. The garden area is Jack & Kay Morleys. Also the old railroad track goes through there, which now is the Sugar Grove Bible Church driveway onto Bliss Rd.
Kenneth McGill, Sugar Grove Swimming Hole