Date range: January 1891 – early 1892 Location: East Dundee, Illinois Source: Village Record Book of the Corporation of East Dundee, pages 167–235 (original ledger)
Overview
Planning Begins (January 1891)
On January 19, 1891, the Board of Trustees appointed a three-member committee — Fred Roehl, Henry Rover, and Fred J. Mueller — to have plans and specifications drawn for a new town hall. The same meeting ordered the prosecution of saloon keepers for ordinance violations, and gave the President authority to appoint an attorney for that purpose if needed.
Plans Rejected, Then Reconsidered (February 1891)
By February 2, 1891, the committee's plans and specifications for the town hall and engine house were put to a vote — and rejected, 3 to 2 (Joseph Steffen, Henry Rover, and John Miller against; Fred J. Mueller and Fred Roehl in favor). The same meeting ordered a separate committee — Henry Rover, John Miller, and Fred Roehl — to inspect the condition of the existing jail.
Two weeks later, at a Special Meeting on February 17, 1891, that committee reported back through chairman Henry Rover: the jail was "bad and not a fit place to confine prisoners." The board reversed itself, voting 5 to 1 to reconsider its own rejection of the plans, and instructed the Clerk to advertise for bids on a combined town hall, jail, and engine house — in the Dundee Hawkeye and Dundee Courier, with bids due by March 1, 1891, contract to go to the lowest responsible bidder.
Bids and the Building Contract (March 1891)
Two bids came in: Chas. H. Kelley at $2,150.00, and Markhoff Bros. at $1,706.00. The board opened and read both bids at the March 2, 1891 meeting, and formed a special committee — Fred Roehl, Fred J. Mueller, and President Chas. J. Bethke — to work with Botsford & Wayne on the contract. Markhoff Bros. was awarded the job.
The Contractor Defaults (June 1891)
At the Adjourned Regular Meeting of June 19, 1891, the board recorded that "Markhoff Bros. cannot build the [town hall,] engine house and jail combined." The contract was reassigned to John Hank of the City of Elgin, under the same terms originally granted to Markhoff Bros.
Finishing the Building (Summer 1891 – early 1892)
Construction continued under the new contractor through the rest of 1891. The Building Committee ordered iron sills for the engine house windows and an extended cornice, and on August 10, 1891 the board heard a report from its jail inspection committee (Fred Roehl reporting) and voted on walkway materials for the grounds. Later meetings authorized having the jail interior and vault finished, and Fred Roehl was separately tasked with securing wells for the jail.
By early 1892, work had shifted to interior finishing — a concrete floor and walks, a painted ceiling, brass lamps, an oak desk — alongside a board debate over stoves versus a furnace for heating the building.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan 19, 1891 | Committee (Roehl, Rover, F.J. Mueller) appointed to draw town hall plans |
| Feb 2, 1891 | Plans and specifications rejected, 3–2; jail inspection committee appointed |
| Feb 17, 1891 | Jail inspection: "bad and not a fit place to confine prisoners"; board reverses itself, orders bids |
| Mar 2, 1891 | Bids opened: Chas. H. Kelley $2,150.00; Markhoff Bros. $1,706.00 |
| Jun 19, 1891 | Markhoff Bros. defaults; contract reassigned to John Hank of Elgin |
| Aug 10, 1891 | Building committee orders and jail-inspection follow-up |
| Late 1891 – early 1892 | Interior finishing: concrete floor, painted ceiling, furnace/stove debate |
Links
- East Dundee, Illinois
- Charles J Bethke (President throughout the project)
- F J Mueller (building committee)
- 1890-1893-east-dundee-village-governance
- Browse the full Record Book Vol. 1 index, page by page