721 N. SPRING STREET
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
721 N. Spring Street was built in 1903 for Eva and Mellen Whitney for $3,800. Mellen was listed as the Superintendent of Schools. Uniquely, an article was found in 1901 in the Elgin Daily News stating that a model of a Queen Ann cottage created by first and second graders at Abby Wing School was on display in the office of school superintendent Mellen Whitney, on the third floor of City Hall. The structure was constructed from a cracker box, and was an example of the results of the manual training introduced as part of the school’s curriculum!
The Whitneys did not remain long at 721, and sold it in October of 1909 to Minnie Nerge for $4,750. The 1920 and 1930 census data show Mellen and Eva Whitney as living in Springfield, Massachusetts where they operated a retail grocery store -quite a change from the school superintendent’s job!
Minnie Nerge transferred the property in 1909 to her daughter, Anna Harz and her husband. The Harz family owned the property until 1983.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
725 N. Spring Street is modest one-and-a-half story house was built in what eventually became known as the Queen Anne Free Classic Style. It was built after the heyday of Victorian architecture, and is therefore less elaborate in detail than its predecessors from the 1890s. Since it is small for a Victorian style house, it has been lovingly referred to as a “Princess Anne”.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 2018 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud