Building date: 1853
Original use: Residence
Corner structures:
Mortar application and content:
Types and uses of stones:
Types and choice of windows:
Structures with similar masonry details:
Masons who worked on building:
Unique features: Cobblestone foundation, brick structure
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 42°14'53.31"N 88°18'52.63"W. Current owner of record, Chechopoulos as of the 2020 Tax Roll.
Township of Nunda and McHenry County Maps.
The Daniel Ellsworth House - built ca 1853 (property purchased 1852)
Architectural Style - Greek Revival/Federal
Description - Two-storied brick house. Center section with a pedimented roof, rising between single-story wings on two sides, each with a porch. Cobblestone foundation on west foundation wall still viewable.
Current Condition - Poor, probably "endangered"
Plaque installed by Polly Crandall Questers - has no legal protection associated
Crystal Lake Historical Society, Diana Kenney email 10/18/2020.
Daniel Ellsworth was born 1796 in New York State. His wife was Elizabeth Hall (1804-1873). The couple came to McHenry County ca 1837. The Ellsworths had four children, 3 sons and a daughter. All three sons died within 4 days of each other (cholera) and are buried with their parents at the Crystal Lake Cemetery on Lake Avenue. Daniel Ellsworth died July, 1883.
The property was sold to Hiram and Mary Skinner in 1882. The Skinner's remained there until 1908. The vintage photo below, "Skinner_Home - Terra Cotta Rd-BW.jpg", shows the home during the time the Skinners lived there.
"The distant relative of this impressive brick building from the late 1850s is found in sixteenth century Italian villas as translated to Virginia by President Thomas Jefferson. It has the formality associated with the Federal style. The central section is two stories with a pedimented roof facing the front, flanked on each side by a lower wing each with a porch. The classical detailing is rendered by intricate brickwork like that observed at the holcombville School and characteristic of this settlement." Courtesy "A Guide to Chicago's Historic Suburbs" On Wheels & On Foot, by Ira J. Bach, assisted by Susan Wolfson, Swallow Press, 1981, page 213. Editor's Note: Structure has a visible cobblestone foundation wall.
Ellsworth Street, Local History, Street Scenes, Crystal Lake Historical Society.
 Skinner_Home - Terra Cotta Rd-BW.jpg ¹ |  Ellsworth-House.jpg ¹, ² |  West Foundation.jpg ¹ |  West Foundation-2.jpg ¹ |
 West Foundation-3.jpg ¹ |
¹ Image courtesy Crystal Lake Historical Society, Diana Kenney email 10/18/2020.
² Image courtesy Crystal Lake Historical Society, Polly Crandall Questers ca. 1980
