Accident on RT. 20
Viewer submitted
Read moreIn 1853, a railroad survey by B. Dornblazer determined a course through present-day Lena. Samuel F. Dodds, who owned 80 acres (320,000 m2) of land in the area, purchased an additional tract of 80 acres (320,000 m2) on behalf of the railroad company and grading work was begun. Dodds owned a stone residence which still occupies Lot No. 1 on Lena Street, while Dr. F. Voightheld owned a log home (which has subsequently been demolished) near the train depot. At the time, these two buildings made up the extent of the town.
The town was originally shaped as a parallelogram covering twenty-six blocks for a total of 304 housing lots. During the summer of 1853, lots sold rapidly, commanding prices varying from $50 to $150 each. On New Year’s Day 1854, track was laid, and railway cars began running between Freeport and Warren. The population began to grow, mostly with English and Irish residents. In 1854, there were about a dozen families in Lena.
During the summer of 1855, Reber & Cheney and Dodds erected a three-story brick building at the corner of Railroad and Schuyler streets. It was completed in the fall of 1856 at a cost of about $4,000. The building is still used by local businesses. The Panic of 1857 had little effect on the growth of the town, and rapid expansion continued through 1860.
As growth continued after the Civil War, the first town newspaper called the Lena Star was established in 1867, with Dodds as editor. During its first year, the newspaper reported a local fire and called for a town water pump. Several fires erupted through 1868, and J.M. Shannon (who took over as editor of the newspaper) continued calls for a pump.[1] The Lena Water Tower was finally established on May 15, 1868.
By 1870, Lena’s population had reached 1,295 people and its social and business community continued to grow. The Lena Fire Department was established in 1869 and officially met for the first time in 1870. Despite the presence of the fire department and well, fires continued to plague Lena. During the early 1870s, structure fires consumed a warehouse, a stable, a rural school and several Lena houses. News of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was unsettling to the residents of Lena, and a fire of 1874 nearly destroyed the old railway depot and freight houses.[1]
A local opera house, constructed in 1879, was featured on the History Channel show American Pickers in February 2010. The Opera House, now reconstructed, was closed in 1938.[2]
Viewer submitted
Read morePritzker has repeatedly said bars and restaurants are among the most common identifiable locations where the virus is spread.
Read moreRegion 1 includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.
Read moreThe program allows high school students to take college-level classes to earn both a high school diploma from their school and an Associate’s Degree from Highland simultaneously.
Read moreYes, it’s multiple new businesses.
Read moreA Statewide effort is underway to recall Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and on Monday, Memorial Day, you can sign the petition in Freeport.
Read more“It’s an absolute joke, especially when I can leave my church on Sunday, I can go into the Menards that’s got 300 people,” Cassell said.
Read moreU.S. District Judge John Lee rejected a federal lawsuit filed by Pastor Steve Cassell and Beloved Church in Lena.
Read moreOriginally published on Tutty’s Town.
Read moreThe church says it fears arrest, prosecution, fines, and jail time now if they open their building or hold religious services of any kind, citing illegal and discriminatory hostility to religious practice, churches, and people of faith.
Read moreIt is time to safely reopen Stephenson County by asking vulnerable people to stay at home until its safe while at the same time allowing everyone else to use informed common sense.
Read more“We feel that a one-size-fits-all set of restrictions isn’t feasible for the entire state of Illinois. Stephenson County is not Cook County, and quite frankly, counties like ours have a different culture that, by nature, normally utilizes social distancing. “
Read moreTo participate, all first responders and healthcare workers have to do is call in their order from the menu below to Logan’s at 815-232-4592.
Read moreThe Lena-made hand sanitizer will debut Friday with a special social distancing-compliant event from 2 – 7 p.m. at the Lena Brewing Company.
Read moreCONTACT is the point of referral for anyone needing volunteer services during the Coronavirus Pandemic or in any community disaster.
Read more