122 Year Old, 16 sided Barn Collapses

Sad to read today about the loss of the historic Teeple Barn in Elgin, Illinois, due to the high winds of Thursday, May 24th. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and had managed to withstand the onslaught of suburbia and Chicago's continual urban sprawl outward.

It was located south of the I-90 toll road on Randall Road. I have often admired it while on the bus to O'Hare. We have a last stop at a motel the other side of the interstate. It always looked so strange sitting there; an example of the area's agricultural past completely surrounded by modern life. I always wondered how come it was able to still be there.

Preservationists have spent thousands of dollars keeping it repaired and recently another $100,000 was spent to fix the cupola which holds the structure together. At one time there was a plan to move it to a more rural setting, but plans were in the works to turn it into an agricultural center.

Always sad to have something like this happen, but at least it was the victim of the elements and not some developer, or worse yet, a Walgreens.

--RoadDog