The Elijah Holt home, built in 1840, is one of the first limestone homes built in Winnebago County, according to local historians. It’s part of Severson Dells Forest Preserve on Montague Road west of Rockford. (Photo provided by Craig G. Campbell)

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Commissioners with the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County have decided to spare a 184-year-old limestone home that was being considered for demolition.

Now they’ll look to the residents who called for the structure to be saved to help develop a plan to do just that.

The board voted 5-1 Wednesday against demolishing the Elijah Holt home on the Severson Dells Forest Preserve, 8724 Montague Road. Audrey Johnson was the lone vote in favor of demolition.

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The building is one of three on the property that has fallen into disrepair, and the Forest Preserves planned to raze all three structures as they prepared to create a new maintenance facility for its natural resources staff on the site.

A group of preservationists and historians called on the structure to be saved. They’ll now meet to explore ways to reuse and stabilize the building, as well as how to leverage sources such as historic tax credits to pay for that work.

“This home was built by one of the county’s earliest settlers,” said Gary Anderson, an architect and historic preservationist. “The sacrifices these settlers made for our benefit are all too often discarded, and we tend to just erase the memory and legacy of those who founded our community with a bulldozer because it’s an easy solution.”

There’s no set timeline for how long they have to create a plan for the building.

“We need to ensure that’s done hastily,” said Jeff Tilly, president of the board. “My fear is that a year will go by and we’ll be right where we are again, looking at a particular issue with this home that’s unsafe, it’s not being used, it’s ready to fall over and nothing will be done.”

Kyle Bevers, who was part of the group including Anderson that fought to save the former Amerock building in downtown, said the Holt home can be repurposed while maintaining its historic character. The Amerock building, sometimes called the Ziock building after its original owner, was saved from the wrecking ball and is now the Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront hotel and conference center. That project, which is at a much larger scale, shows the ability to save historic buildings, supporters said.

“I am convinced that our group of Winnebago County citizens in cooperation with (the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County) can find ways to achieve those goals just as some of us did when we took on the same challenges of the Ziock (Amerock) building in Rockford, now a premier Embassy Suites Hotel,” Bevers wrote to the board before its vote. “The financial tools are numerous. Give us the time and let us help you find a solution to preserving that wonderful old farmstead we possess.”

The structure was built in 1840 using ancient dolomitic limestone with stone sills, according to local historian Craig G. Campbell.  It has an Italianate low-pitched roof and porch, overhanging eaves and decorative brackets.

The board was also asked about demolishing two other structures on the property, a corn crib and small barn. It voted 5-1 to demolish those properties. An additional large barn on the property which is used for seed restoration efforts will remain on the site.

It’s not clear whether the Forest Preserves will go forward with building the maintenance facility while the Holt house remains in place. Tilly said the board can consider ways to work around it while creating the needed facility.

Board member Jerry Paulson said a master plan for the property after it was donated to the Forest Preserves in 1975 was to allow a farmer living in the home to stay there as long as possible, and then use the building for education purposes.

“When the farmer left, nothing was done,” he said. “When we changed over to the new Forest Preserve board it got forgotten, and it got neglected, and it was allowed to deteriorate.”

Paulson said work to try to save the building is overdue.

“This is something we should have been looking at long ago, and shouldn’t have had to come to a situation where all of a sudden we’re faced with a resolution to demolish it,” he said.

Tilly said he was encouraged by the community input on the structure and the willingness for people work with the Forest Preserves to help explore options for the building.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas