Bliss House Museum Sugar Grove Historical Society
If walls could talk, think of the stories the walls of the Bliss House could tell! The white frame structure with the brick filled walls stands on its new foundation south of the tracks on Main Street in Sugar Grove, filled with records and memoirs of over on hundred and seventy years. The move to Main Street in 1997 was the second move for the structure from its original site at the corner of Bliss Road and Merrill Road. It is recorded that on the 22nd day of November, 1838, the frame for the house was erected for Peleg Young Bliss (P.Y. Bliss) by a man known as “ Boss “ Read. The following spring, before the house was completed, the Methodists held their quarterly meeting in one of the rooms. On the first day of June, 1839, P.Y. Bliss filled the new building with such merchandise as was in demand by the settlers of the day, and opened the first mercantile establishment tin Sugar Grove township. The trade extended over a territory reaching from Dundee to Yorkville, and from the borders of Kane County on the east to Johnson and Shabbona Groves, DeKalb County, on the west. According to Mr. Bliss, the annual sales exceeded those of any other in the county by thousands of dollars, which was an astounding accomplishment for that day. Mr. Bliss had stated that in 1838, he rode horseback from his cabin in Sugar Grove to the county court house in Geneva, and saw nor a house nor living soul along the way. That simple statement attests to the remoteness of the area at that time, and may have sown the seed for the need of a general mercantile in the township. Most of the citizenry of Sugar Grove Township was originally of New England stock, with their roots in an area known for their strict adherence to record keeping. There were a few individuals who kept journals or at least passed their family lore on to their descendants, but much of the significant history of the township was lost when no one saw the importance of recording events in those early years. In a clipping from an Aurora newspaper of long ago, one sentence stands out from the remainder of an article about Sugar Grove. Although no documentation can be made, the few lines of print add greatly to the history of the Bliss House: “When Abraham Lincoln was riding the circuit as an active member of the Illinois bar, he frequently stopped at the Bliss store when driving between Geneva, county seat of Kane, and Ottawa, county seat of LaSalle.” Abraham Lincoln rode the circuit in the early years of his law career, before he formed a partnership and established himself in Springfield. He may have been “just another circuit rider” at the time he passed through Sugar Grove. He was know to have visited Aurora on more than one occasion, so why not Sugar Grove and the only mercantile store in the area? The P.Y. Bliss store would have been a welcome sight to a rider traveling the dirt trail of the day, hot and dusty in summer and undoubtedly muddy after a rain. The combination home and store was moved across Bliss Road from the prominent corner where it had stood, and P.Y. Bliss’s son Harrison built a larger, grander home on the site. The smaller house sheltered many families during the following century, as it grew shabbier in appearance with each passing decade. In 1997, the second move for the Bliss House was from the Bliss Road – Merrill Road area, south to Main Street within the Village of Sugar Grove. It was discovered at the time the house was jacked from its foundation, that the old building weighed far more than anticipated. It was then it was discovered that the walls were filled with bricks! While bricks act as a poor source of insulation, they did serve as a deterrent to frost build-up between the exterior clapboards and the horsehair plaster on the interior. The newly discovered weight of the bricks cause a beam to crack, but once the house was secured, the move south began. Because of the overpass on Route 47, the structure was forced to take a rather roundabout route to its new location. The house was transported east along Galena to Gordon Lane, south to Prairie, then west on Prairie, and back to Main Street to the newly prepared foundation awaiting the arrival of the 150-year old house. The restored Bliss House now serves as home to the Sugar Grove Historical Society. The rear of the building where the original kitchen addition had once been is used for commercial business. Preservationist Barbara Hollmier oversaw the move and five years of restoration work. The preservation of the Bliss House is important because of its historical significance to the community. The use to which it is now assigned as a repository for artifacts, journals, maps, court records, and genealogical records, is quite fitting with the character of the house. Source: “Sin-Qua-Sip: A History of Sugar Grove Township, Kane County, Illinois” by Patsy Mighell Paxton
Carriage Stop from Nicholas Farm on Jericho Road: Display at Bliss House Museum
Bliss House: "The Fox Runs Through it: Tales and Trails of the Fox River Valley"
As part of the "The Fox Runs Through it: Tales and Trails of the Fox River Valley", the history of the Bliss House and the creation of the museum was commemorated as the third place award winner in the 2000 Illinois Governor's Hometown Awards Program. Sign in the front lawn at the Bliss House Museum commemorating the history of the house and the creation of the museum as the third place award winner in the 2000 Illinois Governor's Hometown Awards Program. SIGN READS: P.Y. Bliss House The 1838 Greek Revival Peleg Young Bliss House is an example of post and beam construction, which utilizes large wooden timbers joined together with wooden pegs. While this construction technique was commonly used in homes, churches, barns and covered bridges in the nineteenth century, few examples survive today. This building housed the first mercantile business in Sugar Grove Township and was later a residence and Methodist meeting house. While the P.Y. Bliss House was slated for demolition to accommodate a new housing subdivision in the 1990s, the historically- and architecturally-significant building was relocated to Main Street by the Sugar Grove Historical Society to serve as a museum. The relocation and rehabilitation project was the result of a public-private partnership between the Society and the Sugar Grove Township Board, with additional support from the Kane County Historic Preservation Commission and The Custom Source, a division of St. Paul Financial Development Corporation. In 2000, the project received third place in the Illinois Governor's Hometown Awards Program. The Fox Runs Through It: Tales and Trails of the Fox River Valley
Bliss House Sign with History of House and Museum for "The Fox Runs Through it: Tales and Trails of the Fox River Valley"
Sign in the front lawn at the Bliss House Museum commemorating the history of the house and the creation of the museum as the third place award winner in the 2000 Illinois Governor's Hometown Awards Program. SIGN READS: P.Y. Bliss House The 1838 Greek Revival Peleg Young Bliss House is an example of post and beam construction, which utilizes large wooden timbers joined together with wooden pegs. While this construction technique was commonly used in homes, churches, barns and covered bridges in the nineteenth century, few examples survive today. This building housed the first mercantile business in Sugar Grove Township and was later a residence and Methodist meeting house. While the P.Y. Bliss House was slated for demolition to accommodate a new housing subdivision in the 1990s, the historically- and architecturally-significant building was relocated to Main Street by the Sugar Grove Historical Society to serve as a museum. The relocation and rehabilitation project was the result of a public-private partnership between the Society and the Sugar Grove Township Board, with additional support from the Kane County Historic Preservation Commission and The Custom Source, a division of St. Paul Financial Development Corporation. In 2000, the project received third place in the Illinois Governor's Hometown Awards Program. The Fox Runs Through It: Tales and Trails of the Fox River Valley
Sugar Grove Historical Society: Brochure
Click on the image to open a PDF of the Brochure.
https://www.sugargrovehistory.org/ 259 S Main St., Sugar Grove, IL 60554 The Sugar Grove Historical Society is typically open Tuesdays from 1pm to 4pm. FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH APRIL THROUGH SEPTEMBER 10AM-1PM. We are located at: 259 Main Street Sugar Grove Illinois 60554 Mail can be sent to: PO Box 102 Sugar Grove Illinois 60554 Phone: 630-383-6394 Email us at: SugarGroveHistory@att.net If walls could talk, think of the stories the walls of the Bliss House could tell! The white frame structure with the brick filled walls stands on its new foundation south of the tracks on Main Street in Sugar Grove, filled with records and memoirs of over on hundred and seventy years. The move to Main Street in 1997 was the second move for the structure from its original site at the corner of Bliss Road and Merrill Road. It is recorded that on the 22nd day of November, 1838, the frame for the house was erected for Peleg Young Bliss (P.Y. Bliss) by a man known as “ Boss “ Read. The following spring, before the house was completed, the Methodists held their quarterly meeting in one of the rooms. On the first day of June, 1839, P.Y. Bliss filled the new building with such merchandise as was in demand by the settlers of the day, and opened the first mercantile establishment tin Sugar Grove township. The trade extended over a territory reaching from Dundee to Yorkville, and from the borders of Kane County on the east to Johnson and Shabbona Groves, DeKalb County, on the west. According to Mr. Bliss, the annual sales exceeded those of any other in the county by thousands of dollars, which was an astounding accomplishment for that day. Mr. Bliss had stated that in 1838, he rode horseback from his cabin in Sugar Grove to the county court house in Geneva, and saw nor a house nor living soul along the way. That simple statement attests to the remoteness of the area at that time, and may have sown the seed for the need of a general mercantile in the township. Most of the citizenry of Sugar Grove Township was originally of New England stock, with their roots in an area known for their strict adherence to record keeping. There were a few individuals who kept journals or at least passed their family lore on to their descendants, but much of the significant history of the township was lost when no one saw the importance of recording events in those early years. In a clipping from an Aurora newspaper of long ago, one sentence stands out from the remainder of an article about Sugar Grove. Although no documentation can be made, the few lines of print add greatly to the history of the Bliss House: “When Abraham Lincoln was riding the circuit as an active member of the Illinois bar, he frequently stopped at the Bliss store when driving between Geneva, county seat of Kane, and Ottawa, county seat of LaSalle.” Abraham Lincoln rode the circuit in the early years of his law career, before he formed a partnership and established himself in Springfield. He may have been “just another circuit rider” at the time he passed through Sugar Grove. He was know to have visited Aurora on more than one occasion, so why not Sugar Grove and the only mercantile store in the area? The P.Y. Bliss store would have been a welcome sight to a rider traveling the dirt trail of the day, hot and dusty in summer and undoubtedly muddy after a rain. The combination home and store was moved across Bliss Road from the prominent corner where it had stood, and P.Y. Bliss’s son Harrison built a larger, grander home on the site. The smaller house sheltered many families during the following century, as it grew shabbier in appearance with each passing decade. In 1997, the second move for the Bliss House was from the Bliss Road – Merrill Road area, south to Main Street within the Village of Sugar Grove. It was discovered at the time the house was jacked from its foundation, that the old building weighed far more than anticipated. It was then it was discovered that the walls were filled with bricks! While bricks act as a poor source of insulation, they did serve as a deterrent to frost build-up between the exterior clapboards and the horsehair plaster on the interior. The newly discovered weight of the bricks cause a beam to crack, but once the house was secured, the move south began. Because of the overpass on Route 47, the structure was forced to take a rather roundabout route to its new location. The house was transported east along Galena to Gordon Lane, south to Prairie, then west on Prairie, and back to Main Street to the newly prepared foundation awaiting the arrival of the 150-year old house. The restored Bliss House now serves as home to the Sugar Grove Historical Society. The rear of the building where the original kitchen addition had once been is used for commercial business. Preservationist Barbara Hollmier oversaw the move and five years of restoration work. The preservation of the Bliss House is important because of its historical significance to the community. The use to which it is now assigned as a repository for artifacts, journals, maps, court records, and genealogical records, is quite fitting with the character of the house. Source: “Sin-Qua-Sip: A History of Sugar Grove Township, Kane County, Illinois” by Patsy Mighell Paxton
Sugar Grove Historical Society: Hosting 3rd Grade Class from John Shields Elementary School, 2017
The Sugar Grove Historical Society hosted Sarah Linden's third grade class from John Shields Elementary School in 2017. Historical Society Members Sue Jacobson and Lori McCaffrey assisted and told the children stories.
Sugar Grove Historical Society: Presentation
Information about the Sugar Grove Historical Society from a presentation.
Bliss House Museum with Bell from Sugar Grove Normal and Industrial School
Sugar Grove School Bell, Sign installed by Danny Moore (L) and Jim Murray (R) 8-17-17
Old Sugar Grove school bell finds new home at Bliss House Published: Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 11:39 a.m. CST By CHRIS WALKER - editorial@kcchronicle.com SUGAR GROVE – The old Sugar Grove school bell finally has a new home. Originally located at the Sugar Grove Normal and Industrial School, which opened in 1906, the bell was recently installed in front of the Bliss House. https://www.kcchronicle.com/2016/12/07/old-sugar-grove-school-bell-finds-new-home-at-bliss-house/aozmlu/?fbclid=IwAR1Dpaad-kHEh_J4vcfqJCeGVj1YvSSxk_kNMHTeMB04AcO-XuPym5g89Ss Azim & Sons, Inc., which also relocated the Bliss House from Bliss Road to where it’s now situated at 259 Main St., was hired by Sugar Grove Township to handle the project. “It’s beautiful,” said Tom Rowe, township supervisor. “It does need a sign so people understand the significance of it, and I think that will come in the spring.” The bell had been stored in the old bus barn behind the Sugar Grove Township Community Building as well as in the senior center in the Township Building for eight to 10 years before a proper home was chosen. There had been considerations to display it in front of its old home, but since those are now apartments that didn’t seem to make much sense. “We thought for a while about what we were going to do with this so we contacted the Sugar Grove Historical Society and they had some interest in it,” Rowe said. “Then it was just a matter of getting a quote and getting it done.” No restoration work was needed on the bell as it has withstood the test of time. It can still operate but it’s been installed in such a way that it will not ring. It’s unknown if the bell was installed when the school first opened, although Ruth Frantz, a long-time volunteer with the Sugar Grove Historical Society, has a picture from 1922 that shows the bell. “I’m not sure how long it had been up there prior to 1922,” she said. “I do remember them taking that down because my husband was one of those who helped take it down. You can still see the enclosure in front of the building of where it was at.” Since the bell is on display in front of the Bliss House, at 263 Main St., Sugar Grove, visitors can come see it daily. The Bliss House is open from 1 to 4 p.m. every Tuesday, or by appointment. Call 630-466-9726 for information.
Irv Ochsenschlager: Certificate of Appreciation from Sugar Grove Historical Society
"Sugar Grove Historical Society, Certificate of Appreciation is awarded to Irv Ochsenschlager for his invaluable help up-dating the Sugar Grove Historical Society's Bliss House lease with the Sugar Grove Township. Thank you from all the members." Signed by President Kathleen Whildin and Secretary Sue Jacobson, December 6, 2010
History of Bliss House. Source: "Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois". 1878
On the 22nd day of November 1838, a man popularly known as “Boss” Read, who still lives in Blackberry, erected for P.Y. Bliss a frame house, which is still occupied by its original owner, on its original site. In the Spring of 1839, the Methodists held their quarterly meeting in on of its rooms, before it was quite completed; but religious exercises had been introduced into the township some time previous, the first sermon having been delivered by the devout and conscientious “Father” Clarke. On the 1st of June, 1839, Mr. Bliss filled the new building with such goods as are demanded by the country trade, and opened the first mercantile establishment in the township. Its trade extended over a territory reaching from Dundee to Yorkville, and from the borders of Kane County on the east to Johnshon’s and Shabbona groves, DeKalb County, on the west. No other store in Kane County ever drew such a wide range of custom, and according to Mr. Bliss, the annual sales exceeded those of any other in the county by thousands of dollars. In order to have exceeded the sales of any establishment by thousands, the population must have increased very rapidly during the two or three preceding years, for when, in 1837, a vote was taken for the division of Kane and DeKalb Counties, the ballot stood 170 for to 83 against the erection of the proposed new county. It is known, however, that it had increased thus rapidly, and that real estate had become proportionately dear, while in the main, other property which had been previously introduced into the settlements at a greater expense had become relatively cheaper. Source: "History of Kane County", "Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois". 1878, page 415.
"Blisswood Farms, Res. of P.Y. Bliss, Esq., 1847, The Sizers, Sugar Grove, Illinois"; Ceramic Ash Tray
Rosie Eroth: Memorial Garden at Bliss House
The Rosie Eroth Memorial Garden at the Bliss House blooms and provides colorful accents to the garden. The garden sign is engraved "In Memory of Rosie Eroth".
Sugar Grove and the Underground Railroad
Sugar Grove and the Underground Railroad Hello again from the Sugar Grove Historical Society...This time of year it’s nice to remember the good in people and to be thankful for what we have. Here is a story about Sugar Grove and the Underground Railroad. It was around the 1840’s that the Kane County Anti-Slavery Association was organized. Many of the members resided in the Sugar Grove and Aurora townships. There were two routes that converged in Sugar Grove, and it was a secret among a local Sugar Grove family that they had an “active participant” right in their own home. They say the slaves that passed through the area were primarily from Missouri, although it is possible they traveled from the southern states along the Mississippi before reaching Missouri. Once they hit the Sugar Grove area, they would travel east on Prairie road which ended at that time at the farm of John Wagner, on South Lake Street in Aurora. Some slaves were directed which trail to take to stay safe and would walk at night so they were undetected. Sometimes they were given rides in wagons that had hidden compartments. Back then, there would often be a bounty on a slave of $1,000, making it a lucrative job to be a bounty hunter. It seemed to be that people who lived along the route here in the Sugar Grove area were aware of the slaves that were passing through during the night. Most Underground Railroad Station Masters felt the satisfaction of having helped slaves gain freedom far out-weighed the possibly of losing everything they possessed if they were caught. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year!