461 DIVISION STREET

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

On February 6, 1890, Mary Carpenter Lord and her husband George P. Lord, sold the west half of Lot 3 in Block 3 of Walker’s Addition to Elgin to George W. Reed for the sum of $1,356.00. This sum was a mortgage, repayable to Mary Lord in the amount of $10 per month. The address (then 317 Division Street) is first listed in the 1890-91 City Directory, and George Reed is listed as a gardener for George P. Lord. Gilbert Turnbull took out a contract in 1889 to build a house for W. Reed on Division Street for $1,000.

George Willard Reed was born in April of 1858 in Minnesota. His wife Jennie L. Bumstead was born in 1859 in Illinois. She died May 12, 1899 in Elgin. According to the 1880 census, the Reeds lived in Dundee, where George was a farmer. George lived on Division Street with his two sons Frank and Lawrence until he moved to Washington in 1901, where he married his second wife, Miss Carrie Masters.

George’s wife, Jennie, is not listed as an occupant during the time George owned the house, although she did not die until 1899. Her whereabouts during this time are unknown. According to the 1900 City Directory, George was a gardener, his son, Lawrence J. worked at the Elgin National Watch Factory, and his other son, Frank J. was a student at the Academy. The 1900 census lists occupants of 461 Division as George Reed age 42, Lawrence Reed age 20, and Frank Reed age 15.

On February 21, 1901, Reed sold the property to Grace MacDonald for $1,500. MacDonald took out a mortgage for $600 on February 26, 1901.

Born May 10, 1866 in Scotland, Grace MacDonald came to this country as a young woman. Before purchasing 461 Division, MacDonald boarded at 45 Commonwealth in Elgin. She worked at the Elgin National Watch Factory from 1882 until her retirement in 1930. During those years she worked in the Escape, Dial, Motion, Plate and Jewel Departments. She died January 26, 1941 at age 74. The youngest of five children, she was preceded in death by Allen MacDonald, James MacDonald, Mrs. Mary Taylor and Mrs. Florence Gilliland. There is no evidence that her siblings ever lived in Elgin. Her obituary appears in the Elgin Courier January 27, 1941 and in the Watchword in February 1941.

Grace MacDonald occupied the house from 1901-02. The 1903 City Directory lists George W. Gough, his wife, Alice, and children Albert and James as living at 461 Division. George W. and Albert worked at the Watch Factory. The Goughs presumable rented the house, which was still owned by Grace MacDonald.

The 1903-04 City Directory shows MacDonald living at 408 Chicago Avenue, the home of John B. Newman. However, she returned to live in her home in 1905 until 1938.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

The December 14, 1889 Elgin Building Report states that architect Gilbert M. Turnbull took out contracts to build a number of houses, including 288-290 Villa (historically 250 Villa, $7,000), 160 N. Spring Street ($3,500, demolished), 730 Douglas Avenue ($2,500), and 366 and 370 North Street ($2,000 each).  The least costly was the one on Division Street for George W. Reed for $1,000.  Although the contract was dated 1889, the property was not transferred to Reed until 1890.

Gilbert M. Turnbull (1856-1919) designed and built structures in Elgin dating from 1887-1903. The son of a carpenter, Turnbull was born in Iowa. He came to Elgin as a contractor during the 1880s building boom, where he designed and/or constructed 20 buildings in the Gifford Park neighborhood of Elgin, including 11 brick flats. In 1892, Turnbull built Elgin’s first “skyscraper”, a five-story building still standing, although in an altered form, at 40 DuPage Court.  From 1895-1903, he sometimes partnered with Elgin architects William C. Jones (1868-1930) and David E. Postle (1863-1939).

Like the neighboring 465 Division Street, 461 started life as a simple worker’s cottage, similar to many of those homes in Elgin occupied by workers at Elgin National Watch Factory. Due to a major alteration between 1903-1913, the original architectural details are unknown. Based on the Sanborn Fire Insurance map and on the low construction cost of $1,000, it was likely a simple 1.5 story gable front house with a one-story wing on the rear. The windows on the north and west elevations are graced with simple window hoods typical of the Victorian era.

Sources: 2019 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud