Long Grove Historical Society

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Long Grove Historical Society

The Long Grove Historical Society was formed in 1974, to preserve and disseminate the history of the Long Grove, Illinois area.

09/06/2026

Did you know Long Grove's covered bridge was dedicated in 1973 — and the fall festival began that year?

Long Grove's covered bridge was dedicated in 1973. To mark the dedication, the village held its first Turn of the Century Days fall festival that same year. The Village Board, the Long Grove Fire Department, other community organizations, and the crossroads merchants all joined in. The festival was a beloved annual tradition for years, and the bridge — which the village fought to preserve through a 2020 reconstruction — remains Long Grove's most famous landmark.

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08/30/2026

Then and now.

In the winter of 1916, fire broke out on the second floor of the Sauer Store and burned the place to the ground. Enough goods were saved to set up a temporary shop in the empty Stempel Store across the street while the rebuild went on. The new building came back narrower — about twenty feet less in width — and is commonly known today as the old Farmside Store.

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08/23/2026

From the LGHS records:

Chris Sauer was a Stempel Store employee when he went away to fight in the Civil War. He lost a leg at the Battle of Missionary Ridge. After recuperating in Chicago, he returned to Long Grove and in 1869 opened his own store. The crossroads' two general stores were both, in their way, monuments to small-town Long Grove rebuilding after the war.

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08/16/2026

Before this was Long Grove...

Chris Sauer worked for Charles Stempel before going off to fight in the Civil War. After the war he returned to Long Grove and in 1869 opened his own general store on the southeast corner of the crossroads — directly across the road from Stempel. His brothers Victor and Albert later joined him. For decades the two stores competed across the same intersection.

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08/09/2026

What was here before?

Charles Stempel established Long Grove's first store on the southwest corner of the crossroads in 1855 — a date that is, as the records put it, 'a matter of record.' For so long was it the heart of town that the crossroads themselves were known for years as 'Stempel's Corners.' The original Stempel Store building still stands at the crossroads today, attached to his former home.

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08/02/2026

Tucked away in the archives:

Beyond running the general store, Charles Stempel served as Long Grove's postmaster for over forty years. At the time of his retirement, he was the oldest postmaster in point of continuous service in all of Illinois. The 1898 Lake County Independent praised his 'sterling integrity and honorable dealing not exceeded by any man hereabouts.'

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07/26/2026

Right under your nose.

To the early colonist, wood and water were the most important things when picking a homesite. He needed wood to build his home and feed his fires, and he believed land that supported trees would support crops. Long Grove offered both — the wide oak grove and several creeks meandering through. Look at early maps and you'll see long, narrow parcels marked just 'Timber' — settlers' wood lots, sometimes far from where their homes actually stood.

What features made early settlers stop at Long Grove?

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07/25/2026

Long Grove Vintage Days 2026

07/19/2026

Before any of this was here:

Early writers described the prairie surrounding Long Grove as a 'sea of grass.' The dominant species was bluestem, which could reach eight feet in height with roots stretching fifteen feet below the surface. The Turk's cap lily grew nearly as tall, with up to forty blossoms on a single stalk. The compass plant outdistanced the goldenrod and asters and was actually used to mark wagon trails.

What if Long Grove still looked like its original prairie?

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07/12/2026

From the archives:

Vernon Township claims a remarkable list of Lake County firsts. The first marriage on record was Captain Daniel Wright's daughter Caroline to William Whigham in January 1836. The first lawsuit came when the Reverend William Hurlbutt sued William Easton for not paying his private school fee. The first public school teacher was Laura B. Sprague.

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Address

338 Old McHenry Road
Long Grove, IL
60047

Telephone

+18476346155

Website

http://www.LongGroveHistory.org/

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