Lake County, IL
Community News
Lake County, IL
Community News
THE COURT HOUSE AT WAUKEGAN BURNED.---The Old Court House at Waukegan, built in 1843-4, was totally destroyed by fire on Thursday forenoon of last week. As to the cause of the fire the Waukegan Patriot says: "The cause of the burning is no mystery, though many at first were prone to believe it a case of incendiarism. It appears that the tinner who had been at work around the old razed cupola, left his soldering pot, with fire burning in it, while he went for more tin; that a few shavings were lying around loose and undoubtedly a draft of wind blew the shavings against the fire, or blew brands from the pot among the sha-vings, and in this way ignited the woodwork of the cupola. The Court House was built by B. P. Cahoon, of Kenosha, who commenced it in 1843 and completed it in 1844. About $600 worth of repairs were being made on it, and were nearly completed at the time of the fire. [McHenry Plaindealer, Wednesday, Oct 27, 1875]
