DRINK UP HISTORY AT THIS OAK LAWN BAR

Oak Lawn, IL landmark farmhouse turned tavern embodies the history of early agricultural development in Worth Township

Copyright Jennifer Kenny and Local Architecture Chicago, 2021. All rights reserved. 

Many Oak Lawn residents have enjoyed a beer (or maybe even two) at the Homestead Barr, one of the most historic taverns in Chicago’s Southland. Patrons find it special to have a drink at a historic place, and thanks to longtime owners the Adomaitis family, this farmhouse at 9306 South Central Avenue is a designated Village of Oak Lawn historic landmark. One of the worst kept secrets in town is that the bar is currently for sale. This farmhouse and bar needs a new owner, a bit of love, and an good eye to improve its aesthetics after many alterations through the years. If you do visit, please don’t trouble the staff with questions about the sale. Call us at Longwood Real Estate Company at (708) 423-2900. We’d be happy to show you around, tell you about its history, and help you with your purchase.

History of the Charles Simpson Farmhouse (Homestead Barr)

Charles Simpson Farmhouse (Homestead Barr)

9306 South Central Avenue

Cross-Form Vernacular, with Queen Anne details, built ca. 1880s

Although in use as a tavern since 1951, the building is one of Oak Lawn’s few remaining residential structures that embodies the history of early agricultural settlement in Worth Township, Cook County, Illinois. It also has historic significance for its associations with the Simpson Family, who not only were mid 19th-century settlers in Oak Lawn but actively fostered village development as a suburb of Chicago.

Shortly after the forced governmental removal of Native American tribes, including the Potawatomi, Miami, and Illini, European farmers began to purchase and settle on lands in Northeastern Illinois in the 1830s. Worth Township, located in the southwest portion of Cook County, IL, was principally an agricultural region in the 19^th– and early 20^th-centuries. Many 19^th-century residents were wheat and corn crop farmers who also kept livestock, and their farms typically featured numerous agricultural outbuildings along with their principal residence. While many county townships around Chicago were experiencing community and suburban growth after the arrival of railroads in the 1850s, much of Worth Township retained an agrarian way of life and a small population up until World War II. One of Oak Lawn’s last remaining farmhouses representing this era is the highly visible landmark at today’s Southwest Highway and Central Avenue. This vernacular residential design is one of the few remaining farmhouses in Oak Lawn from the 19^th -century, built by the Charles Simpson family sometime between 1869 and 1886.

Simpson Family Settles in Worth Township

The Simpson family was one of the earliest to settle in Worth Township, whose patriarch John Simpson (1798-1880) was a Scottish immigrant who came to Illinois from Geneva, New York and began purchasing agricultural lands in Will County in 1835[i] and Cook County in 1843.[ii]  It is unclear exactly when the family arrived in Illinois, but John Simpson’s wife, Alice “Elcy” Palmer Simpson (1802-1891), gave birth to their fourth son, George, in Hadley, Illinois in 1836.[iii] The Simpson family farmed in Hadley,[iv] located in Will County’s Homer Township[v] until 1858[vi] when John and Elcy had moved their family to their farmland just south and east of today’s 95^th Street and Central Avenue in Worth Township.[vii] Worth Township was established on November 6, 1849 as an agricultural settlement in Cook County, just south and west of the City of Chicago. Settlers were attracted to the area’s Stony Creek and black oaks, from which a new name for the village was taken. John and Elcy built a farmhouse that does appear on the 1861 Map of Cook County, at the far northwest corner of the farm, just across from the area’s first schoolhouse. The first schoolhouse was once located on the north side of 95^th Street, between 54^th Court and 55^th Avenue. Ninety-fifth Street became a principal dirt road through 19^th century Worth Township shortly after surveyed by township officials in 1853.[viii]

While many of the Simpson’s eight children later moved out of Illinois, John and Elcy’s son Charles Simpson (b. 28 September 1842, Hadley, IL – d. 30 October 1918, Oak Lawn, IL) remained with his parents on the family farm in Worth Township, even after his marriage in 1868 to Emeline R. “Emma” Smith (b. 9 July 1843, Troy, Michigan – d. 9 September 1925, Oak Lawn, IL).[ix] In the 1870 United States Census, Charles and Emma are living and working on the family farm, with John Simpson now a retired farmer. The two families resided together, along with four farmhands and school teacher, Edwin Judd. Charles and Emma had four children, Burt J. Simpson (b. May 1870, Oak Lawn, IL – d. 14 April 1950, Missaukee County, MI), Ary Belle Simpson Johnson (b. 23 January 1873, Oak Lawn, IL – d. 7 April 1938, Oak Lawn, IL), Elmer William Simpson (b. 11 July 1875, Oak Lawn, IL – d. 21 November 1936, Norwich, Missaukee, Michigan), and Emeline “Emily” M. Simpson Beach (b. 1887, Cook County, IL – d. 27 December 1907, Oak Lawn, IL). Over the years, the children at times resided and helped out with the family farm.

Farming continued to dominate the Worth Township economy through the 1880s. By 1886, Charles and Emma were living and working on the 80-acre farm Charles purchased from F. F. Hundley on April 3, 1869. Charles and Emma Simpson’s farm was located very close to his father’s farm, both hugging the corner of today’s 95^th Street and Central Avenue. The 80-acre Charles Simpson Farm was once located between today’s 91^st Street on the north, 95^th Street on the South, Central Avenue to the East, and Menard Avenue on the West. The 1886 Map of Cook County shows the Charles Simpson farm and the farmhouse at this location in Section 5, Township 37 North, Range 13 East in Worth Township.[x] Charles and Emma built the farmhouse at 9306 South Central Avenue sometime between 1869, when the 80-acre farm was purchased, and 1886, when the house appears on a Cook County Map. Further research in 1882 Circuit Court of Cook County probate records mention that after John Simpson’s death, “That Charles H. Simpson is now, as tenant in possession of said premises, and that except said tenant and the above named heirs, no person has any interest in or title to said premises or any part thereof.” From this document, Charles was perhaps residing on and/or farming his father’s farm. Yet, this document does not assist in narrowing down a date of construction for the Farmhouse at 9306 South Central Avenue.

The Wabash Railroad and Suburban Development of Oak Lawn

The Simpson family played an important role in the historic settlement and development of Oak Lawn. Not only is the Simpson family notable for their associations with the early agriculture in Worth Township, but also with Oak Lawn’s development as a promising late 19- and early 20^th-century railroad suburb of Chicago. It is believed that In November of 1879, three members of the Simpson family, John, John, Jr., and Charles, entered into an agreement with an agent of the Wabash Railroad to build a line through Oak Lawn. The Wabash (Chicago & Strawn Rail Road) laid a new mainline track in 1880 that ran north from Strawn, IL to connect with the Chicago & Western Indiana tracks and terminating at Chicago’s downtown. The Wabash Railroad completed track through Oak Lawn (then known as Black Oak) in March 1881, setting the stage for new residential development for commuters into the city. Today, Metra’s South West Service still operates passenger service into Chicago’s Loop on this same line.

With expanded railroad service to Oak Lawn, the Simpson famlily continued their influence on Oak Lawn’s growth and development. In December 1880, patriarch John Simpson died, leaving quarrels between his heirs in Cook County Court. Charles received a portion of the family estate, and he other heirs proceeded to sell off portions of their Oak Lawn landholdings for future residential suburban development. In March 1882, the John Simpson heirs united with early settler James A. Chamberlain to plat lots and streets for the first Oak Lawn subdivision adjacent to the new Wabash Railroad depot. The plat ran from 95^th Street on the north, Cook Court on the west, 96^th Avenue (Simpson Street) on the south, and Tulley Avenue on the east. In that same year, a post office was established and the name “Oak Lawn” became widely used to describe the village.

Although tracks were laid for passenger and freight service in the early 1880s, it was not until November 1890 that the Wabash Railroad began true operation of suburban passenger service from Chicago to Worth. As was typical in railroad communities on the lines running outward from Chicago’s downtown, suburban land development almost always followed railroad expansion. With improved passenger service, the Wabash Railroad’s activity spurred further real estate speculation in Oak Lawn, led by real estate firms such as Monson and Smith and Erasmus G. Minnick who focused on south suburban development.

Railroad service expansion was just one force in developing Chicago’s railroad suburbs. Government activities also drove residential real estate speculation. The City of Chicago absorbed many former suburbs through annexation of lands adjacent to its borders. As the city expanded, so did interest in real estate speculation in and around the annexed lands. Residential development exploded in nearby Washington Heights (now Beverly) and Morgan Park, so real estate developers began looking to invest in nearby communities like Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Palos Park, and Orland. Desiring to attract families who wanted to live in idyllic settings outside of the city and commute to business in Chicago, developers improved subdivisions with desirable lots and recreational spaces. Real estate firms such as Monson & Smith and Erasmus Minnick purchased and laid out subdivisions in the heart of Oak Lawn, in hopes of attracting suburban dwellers who looked for an easy commute for business into the city on the Wabash Railroad. Upon the former Simpson family lands, a portion of the creek was dug and enlarged to form Oak Lawn Lake around the time of subdivision in 1898 to attract future homebuyers to the area. Lakeshore Park, with homes lining both East and West Shore Drives, remains one of the suburb’s most picturesque settings.

On February 4, 1909, Oak Lawn was incorporated as a municipal village in Cook County. Even with residential land speculation around the depot in the heart of the town, the village’s population still hovered around 300 and covered only 1.5 square miles. The Simpsons continued to work the family farm following Charles’ death in October 1918. Emma lived a few more years, and by the time of her death in September 1925 the farmland had been sold off for residential development. Elmore’s Parkside Terrace opened up over 400 lots for sale on what had been the 80-acre family farm. As common with other subdivisions, the developer laid out streets and installed services. However, most homes were not built in this subdivision until the Post World War II era when Oak Lawn’s population boomed.

The Automobile Age and Cook County Highway Improvements

The area surrounding the former Charles Simpson Farm experienced further change with the arrival of highways in the early 20^th-century. When the Cook County Forest Preserve District began acquiring forested lands for recreational and educational purposes in 1915, the county was simultaneously creating a system of concrete highways that would not only bring its motoring residents to the district’s public playgrounds, but meet demands of the new automobile age. Urban dwellers began to ride out to the country on newly paved roads for pleasure and recreation, many on day, weekend, or longer-term vacations. The joys of the open road and tremendous touring potential created by the automobile was captured and popularized in magazines in the 1920s. Others saw beyond the excursion possibilities of the automobile and used their cars to commute greater distances from home to their job. Cook County established its Highway Division in 1913, allowing for regional transportation planning once left to individual townships. Oak Lawn benefited from the acquisition of the nearby Palos Preserves and increased transportation routes, particularly with the widening of 95^th Street and the arrival of the Southwest Highway. Approved in 1927 and built in 1929, the Southwest Highway provided a direct route from Chicago’s boulevard system connecting Chicago with Joliet, IL via Oak Lawn, Chicago Ridge, Worth, Palos Park, and Orland. In Chicago, Southwest Highway begins at 75^th Street and Western Avenue and runs southwest to the city limits at 87^th Street (along what is now known as Columbus Avenue). As a “gateway” highway, the road was built with 40 feet wide pavement for a total of 11 miles from 74^th Street to 123^rd Street and 20 feet wide southwestward from 123^rd Street. In places the road bed mainly follows the former Wabash Railroad right of way, abandoned following the straightening and relocation of the tracks a few years earlier. The Simpson family witnessed changes to Oak Lawn, as Southwest Highway came through right outside their front door.

Oak Lawn experienced explosive growth in the Post World War II era. With increased transportation on major highways such as 95^th Street and Southwest Highway, as well as the arrival of Interstate 294 on the community’s western edge, the community became highly desirable for suburban dwellers. In 1951, Edward A. and Dorothy Guthrie Adomaitis purchased the farmhouse from John Simpson for a tavern, likely seizing opportunities from increased traffic. Quite a few remaining farmhouses in Cook County are  19^th-century and 20^th century vernacular structures that were later converted to roadhouses or taverns, especially if they are located on a major highway. The Homestead Barr has been family owned and operated continuously since its purchase. The Adomaitis family, who appreciates the historic significance of the property, helped foster the farmhouse’s designation as a Village of Oak Lawn local landmark. Oak Lawn’s Historic Preservation Commission approved the Homestead Barr’s landmark designation in 1998. 

Architecture of 9306 South Central Avenue

9306 South Central Avenue is a two-and-a half story frame farmhouse built sometime between 1869 and 1886. The farmhouse is the only remaining building on what had been a larger 80-acre farm. Farmhouses of this era in Worth Township were typically of frame construction built in Midwestern vernacular types. 19^th-century vernacular house types are generally non-stylistic with designs dependent on a builder’s craftsmanship.  They were usually built by an owner or builder who relied on simple, practical techniques and locally available materials for overall design and floor layout, which resulted in a consistency in structural systems, materials, and millwork throughout a given community.  Vernacular buildings are most easily classified by their general shape, massing, roof style, or overall floor plan, such as Cross-Form, Gabled Ell, Gable Front, L-Form or Upright and Wing. Often these simple designs feature applied architectural detailing that was fashionable during this period such as Italianate or Queen Anne styles. Although these vernacular types were first built in the 19^th century, they continued to be built into the early 20^th century.

The Charles Simpson Farmhouse is of the Cross-Form vernacular type, characterized by intersecting gable roofs. While mostly vernacular, the home does feature some elements of Queen Anne style architecture. The home exhibits projecting triangular sections in its gables with pent roofs. These features are often seen to add wall surface interest to Queen Anne style homes. A wrap around porch, three part windows and transoms, and full height bay windows with cutaway corners on each side façade also point to the Queen Anne style. With a dominating steeply pitched front gable roof and a raised stone foundation, this substantially-built vernacular home truly has a dominating visual presence at the corner of Southwest Highway and Central Avenue.

Although the Charles Simpson house was built as a farmhouse, it is best known for housing a longtime Oak Lawn business, the Homestead Barr. Changes over the years tend to obscure a building’s original character, and as a result of the building’s tavern use, the Charles Simpson House has been altered. Artificial siding may be covering original shingles or Queen Anne style wall textures, or original window and door openings. Its replacement wrap around porch has an inappropriate modern rail, standard spindlework and plain frieze board. The front entry has replacement doors in its current opening, likely replacing a single door with sidelights and transom above. Further alterations include two large rear additions, and a sizable covered exterior wood staircase with a shed roof added to meet egress codes for the 1^st floor bar and 2^nd floor apartment.

Because 19^th-century vernacular types are generally simple in plan and perhaps originally built with little stylistic ornamentation, they are frequently underappreciated. With a little vision, this historically significant 19th-century farmhouse turned tavern could be an architectural gem once again.

For business information on the Homestead Barr visit https://www.facebook.com/HomesteadBarr/,

Author’s note: The Charles Simpson farm, later the Parkside Terrace Subdivision, holds a special place in our family’s history. The Parkside Terrace addition is where my husband grew up, it is where the 1967 tornado destroyed the family home and the family rebuilt, and it is where my husband proposed to me following Midnight Mass at St. Gerald Church in 1993.

Endnotes

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[i] John Simpson purchased the West ½ of the Southwest ¼ of Section 24, Township 36 North, Range 11 East on October 27, 1835 and the Southeast ¼ of Section 24, Township 36 North, Range 11 East on May 29, 1840. Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database. Illinois State Archives. Accessed on September 18, 2021 at https://apps.ilsos.gov/isa/landsrch.jsp.

[ii] John Simpson purchased the Northwest ¼ and the Northeast ¼ of Section 9 on October 20 and 26, 1843. Abstract of Title. Lot 2 in Block 2 in Minnick’s Oak Lawn Subdivision, Section 9, Township 37 North, Range 13 East of the Third Principal Meridian. In the Local History Collections, Oak Lawn Public Library.

[iii] Find a Grave database. Accessed on September 2, 2021 at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151689956/george-w-simpson

[iv] Census Year: 1850; Census Place: Homer, Will, Illinois; Archive Collection Number: T1133; Roll: 4; Page: 673; Line: 1; Schedule Type: Agriculture. Ancestry.com. U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

[v] Now Homer Glen near 167^th and Will-Cook Road.

[vi] Schapper, Ferdinand. Southern Cook County and History of Blue Island Before the Civil War. Volume III, p. 823.

[vii] John Simpson is a landowner in Worth Township, Section 05, Township 37 North, Range 13 East, by the publishing of the 1861 and 1862 Maps of Cook County, Illinois.  Flower, W. L. Map of Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, Ill.: S.H. Burhans & J. Van Vechten, . Chicago: engraved, printed, colored & mounted by Edw. Mendel, 1862. Map. Accessed on September 20, 2021 at https://www.loc.gov/item/2013593075/.

[viii] Worth Township Minutes, 1850-1868. Book 1, p. 51.

[ix] Charles and Emma Simpson are residing with his parents in the 1870 United States Census. Year: 1870; Census Place: Worth, Cook, Illinois; Roll: M593_213; Page: 644A. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

[x] L.M. Snyder & Co. Snyder’s real estate map of Cook County, Illinois: indexed. Chicago: L.M. Snyder & Co, 1886. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013593088/.

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