New President: Henry Wendt
By September 18, 1894, henry-wendt|Henry Wendt had become President of East Dundee, replacing henry-peters|Henry Peters who had served since approximately 1893. The exact election (likely April 1894) has not yet been confirmed.
Wendt presided over a board whose membership had remarkable continuity. The September 18, 1894 Adjourned Regular Meeting, held at Village Hall at 7:30 PM, included Trustees Henry Rover, William Bohn, Fred Roth, Fred Conrad, Charles Bauer, and John Forlachow.
The Fox River Footbridge Ordinance
Among the most significant actions in this period was a joint ordinance authorizing repair of the footbridge connecting East Dundee and West Dundee across the Fox River. The bridge's eastern terminus rested at the foot of North Street in the Village of East Dundee.
The ordinance accepted the bid of the Lane Bridge and Iron Works — amounting to $1,720.00 — for the repairing of the bridge. Key provisions:
- The acceptance was conditional on the Village of West Dundee, Illinois also assenting; if West Dundee did not concur, "this ordinance and all therein contained shall be absolutely void and of no force."
- Repairs would be supervised by the Committee on Streets, Alleys and Bridges of East Dundee's Board of Trustees, alongside a comparable committee from West Dundee.
- The bridge was to be thoroughly repaired: old piles removed where possible, four new steel plate piers placed in the river, the old structure repaired throughout.
This joint ordinance is remarkable evidence of the cooperative relationship between the two Dundee villages. The Fox River was both the physical boundary between them and a shared responsibility.
Ongoing Infrastructure: Dundee Electric Light Co.
The Dundee Electric Light Company franchise granted in April 1892 continued to operate into this period. The company appeared in the September 18, 1894 claims list, paid $25.67 by the village — consistent with a service or lighting fee rather than a one-time payment. The franchise was evidently performing as expected, with regular payments persisting through at least 1894.
Henry Guldan: Seven-Plus Years of Service
henry-guldan|Henry Guldan continued to appear in the village claims lists as East Dundee's sole law enforcement officer. His September 1894 payment confirms his service extending into at least his seventh year. No successor or resignation appears in this record book through the portion examined.
Police Magistrate: Rev. W. Harvey
A Committee on Judiciary report dated April 22, 1895 references payment of the "Bill of Police Magistrate Rev W. Harvey" — the only identified Police Magistrate in the East Dundee record. The title "Rev." before his name indicates that East Dundee's police magistrate was a reverend or minister, a not-uncommon arrangement in small 19th-century Illinois communities where local clergy often held civic judicial roles. The specific bill investigated was found correct and was authorized for payment.
Creek Encroachment Complaint, September 1894
At the September 10, 1894 Regular Meeting, the Board received a written petition from property owner C. Jens Schmutt (or a similar name — handwriting unclear) complaining of:
"the damage to my property on last Friday evening and the dangerous condition of the creek as it is at the present time. Property owners on each side of it are continually narrowing it until it will hardly carry the ordinary flow in its banks."
The writer warned that if the Village allowed the creek to continue narrowing and property was again damaged, the author would hold the village financially liable. The communication was referred to the Committee on Streets, Alleys and Bridges.
This petition offers a rare citizen's-eye view of the village's natural waterways — the creek in question was likely a tributary of the Fox River — and highlights the tension between private property improvements and shared drainage infrastructure.
Liquor License Administration
East Dundee maintained an active liquor licensing regime throughout this period. Licenses and corresponding bonds appear repeatedly in the record. Licensed establishments and their sureties in 1894–1895 included:
- Joseph Loung — sureties: John Schultz, Fred Schroder; dram shop bond $3,000, license bond $500
- Fred Ahrens — sureties: Fred Holbrecht, Fred Schultz
- Helmuth Schumacher — sureties: Christian Guth, Chas. Schumacher
- Henry F. Holzmann — sureties: F.W. Segar, William Henne
- August Koeman — sureties: Fred Wolbert, Chas. Nadke (April 1895)
- Herman Ahrens — sureties: Julius Polak, Wm. Heine (April 1895)
Superintendent of Streets
The April 1895 meeting record includes an instruction for the Committee on Judiciary to "bring in an ordinance relating to the office and duties of Superintendent of Streets" — suggesting the village was formalizing this position. This follows several years of street and sidewalk petitions documented in the previous record book.
Board of Local Improvements (1913 documents)
Loose typewritten pages from a later period were found stored with this record book. These are minutes from the Board of Local Improvements of the Village of East Dundee, dated July 25, 1913 — a separate municipal body from the Board of Trustees, responsible for assessing and overseeing infrastructure improvement projects. At that 1913 meeting:
- William Rahn served as President of the Board of Local Improvements
- The Board met in the second-floor room of the Village Building, located at the southwest corner of Barrington and Third Street
- The Dundee Hawkeye (published in West Dundee) was formally adopted as the official newspaper for legal notices required by the Board