MCC offers historic school tour

Travel back in time to historic one-room schools in McHenry County with a one-day motor coach tour sponsored by McHenry County College from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 7.

The tour will be facilitated by Nancy Fike, director of the McHenry County Historical Society, and Bob Frenz, author of "Historic Country Schools of McHenry County, Illinois."

At one time, 140 rural schools dotted the McHenry County landscape, and approximately 90 of these structures remain today. The one-room schools were designed so that no farm child would have to walk more than two miles for an education, so the buildings usually stood near the intersection of two main roads.

After school consolidation in the late 1940s, many of these structures, including most of the buildings on the tour, were converted into private residences. The tour will depart from Union and concentrate on the southwestern quarter of the county.

The tour will feature 18 to 19 school houses on the route and participants will tour the inside of four.

Wearing comfortable shoes is recommended. Directions on the meeting place will be mailed to participants. Cost is $35, which includes a box lunch at the 1868 Riley Town Hall. To register with a credit card, call (815) 455-8588 using course ID NCC S01 001.

For details, call Molly Walsh at (815) 455-8697.