1898
A dairy barn for M.E. Davis
The barn that’s now Village Hall was built in 1898 for M.E. Davis, who owned 243 acres here, according to Phil Gardner of the Ela Historical Society. The property was sold by 1936.
Source: Daily Herald, 2025
Farm country
Before it was a village, this was farmland. The dairy barn that now serves as Village Hall was built in 1898 for M.E. Davis, who owned 243 acres, according to Phil Gardner of the Ela Historical Society. The property was sold by 1936 and sold again. In 1945 Matt and Germaine Larson bought the Forest Farm, and in 1953 they broke ground for a road system so homes could be built nearby.
Incorporating to stay country
A mammoth home and apartment proposal would have added tens of thousands of residents to the area. On March 10, 1958, the 71 residents who made up the community voted unanimously to incorporate, to control their own future and keep a country atmosphere. In 1960 the Illinois Supreme Court rejected an appeal and let zoning ordinances in Long Grove, Kildeer, Deer Park and Hawthorn Woods stand, ending that development plan.
The barn
In 1967 the village bought the barn at Old McHenry Road and Lagoon Drive for $35,000. The soaring original structure has been kept largely intact, and it’s one of the oldest barns around with a Roman truss bracing system. An attached brick building, thought to have housed farmhands, became village offices, and the police department is on the lower level. Donated farm pieces, from a working seed sorter to a hand plow, are on display inside.
Board meetings, birthday parties, weddings, town halls and New Year’s Eve parties have all happened in the barn. In 2025 the village replaced worn cedar siding on two sides with a matching engineered product to protect the building for the long haul.
Rural by Design
The original village seal, unveiled after a 1976 contest, showed a hawthorn tree, a family and a home. Joe Mancino, elected mayor in 2009, later pushed for a redesign around the barn, and the village logo shows it today. “Rural by Design” became the village’s motto.
With the Arnold Palmer-designed Hawthorn Woods Country Club, the village grew steadily, with many estates on an acre or more. It built an aquatic center, holds free concerts in the park on summer Friday evenings, and dedicated Brierwoods Preserve in 2017.
Source: Daily Herald: Hawthorn Woods village barn a symbol of being “rural, by design” · Village of Hawthorn Woods: History · Village of Hawthorn Woods: FAQ · Village of Hawthorn Woods: Brierwoods Preserve