Scales Mound Historic District

About this property

The Scales Mound Historic District is a historic district in the small Illinois village of Scales Mound. The district encompasses the entire corporate limit of the village and has more than 200 properties within its boundaries. The district was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Scales Mound has always been a small, agricultural community and development of the village and the buildings in the historic district was closely tied to the arrival of the railroad. Most of the few commercial businesses in Scales Mound were concentrated around the railroad right-of-way. The Scales Mound Historic District is roughly bounded by the corporate limits of the village itself. The district includes the original 1854 limits of the village plus three additions to the village that were platted later. Properties within the historic district include residential, commercial, civic, and a few industrial buildings. There is also one structure, a fire siren, that is considered a contributing resource to the district. There is a total of 290 properties within the boundaries of the Scales Mound Historic District; 185 of those are considered historic, and thus, contributing properties. Of those properties considered part of the district there are 89 houses, 52 garages, two barns, 15 commercial buildings, eight wash houses/sheds, seven churches, four privies. Only outbuildings of special interest were included in the district, others were ignored. The 105 non-contributing buildings include, 57 houses, 25 garages, 20 commercial buildings, three civic buildings and one apartment building. Some of the non-contributing buildings are 19th-century structures that have lost their integrity due to alterations. Some of these would be contributing if alterations, such as siding, were removed. Most of the non-contributing buildings in Scales Mound are less than 50 years old. The Allan Warehouse is located near the railroad tracks and is a wood-framed two-story building with board and batten siding. The warehouse sits on a stone pier foundation and has large double hung sash windows with curved window hoods. It was constructed around 1864. Scales Mound has always been, largely, an agricultural community. What little industry that did spring up in town has been concentrated on the railroad tracks' south side. The more upscale commercial enterprises were always located along North Railroad Street. Through the years Scales Mound has been home to such businesses as: grain and produce warehouses, stock yards, lumber yards, a creamery, three hotels and a bank. The 1883 United Methodist Church is built in rectangular plan and has a large spire on its front elevation. The building has a stone foundation and an attached parsonage. The windows are a Gothic style and feature stained glass. Scales Mound Holy Trinity Catholic Church has had two additions, the first altered the front facade c. 1915 and the second was a large rear addition in c. 1970. The building, a contributing property despite its alterations, is a gable-front design with a side tower. The church is of brick construction and has stained glass windows with curved window hoods. The First Presbyterian church is another example of a gable-front church in Scales Mound. It was built between 1875–90 and features an offset tower. Its foundation is of stone and rusticated block. It has Gothic style stained glass windows and was added onto the rear one time.

Location

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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