Help Save a Piece of Crystal Lake’s History

The Crystal Lake Academy building—a local landmark built in the early 1850s—is under threat of demolition. We have a narrow window of time to save it, and we need your help.

This building isn’t just old—it’s a cornerstone of our community’s story. Built from locally sourced brick by Andrew Jackson Simons, known for his craftsmanship and cobblestone work, it was originally Crystal Lake’s first schoolhouse. Many of our city’s early founders walked through its doors.

Today, it still stands strong—solid, structurally sound, and full of history—but the property owners, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, have other plans for the land on which it sits. Unless we act now, this rare piece of McHenry County history could be lost forever.

Thanks to the partnership between the Crystal Lake Historical Society and the Historic Preservation Commission, there is a plan: MOVE the building to a new location where it can be preserved, celebrated, and shared with future generations. But moving a structure like this requires significant funding, logistics, and urgency.

How You Can Help

We’re asking the people of Crystal Lake and beyond—anyone who cares about history, preservation, and community pride—to help us raise the funds needed to save the Academy building from demolition.

All donations are tax-deductible. Every contribution brings us one step closer to saving this irreplaceable piece of our past.

If you're not in a position to financially contribute, you can email City Council and tell them that you are one of the many people in our community who do NOT want to see the building demolished and urge them to landmark the building.

Let’s not lose another piece of our history. Help us move it by contributing today. Because once it's gone, it's gone.