Full Text of HR0426 101st General Assembly
HR0426 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois House of Representatives wishes to | 3 | | recognize Ryan's Round Barn, located in Johnson-Sauk Trail | 4 | | State Park, as a significant cultural and historical treasure; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Ryan's Round Barn was built by Dr. Laurence Ryan, | 7 | | a prominent physician and surgeon; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Ryan grew up in the Kewanee area and later | 9 | | went to medical school; he was a renowned surgeon and served as | 10 | | the Dean of Loyola Medical University in Maywood; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Ryan purchased 320 acres of active farmland | 12 | | near Kewanee for use as a summer retreat away from the city; | 13 | | and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Inspired by the traditions of the Pennsylvania | 15 | | Dutch Shaker Community, Dr. Ryan built a round barn to house | 16 | | the 50 head of Black Angus cattle that he imported from | 17 | | Scotland; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, In 1908, Dr. Ryan commissioned Mr. Feurst of | 19 | | Kewanee, an immigrant from Germany, to build the barn; he | 20 | | purchased the materials in Chicago and transported them to the |
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| 1 | | construction site by rail and eventually horse and wagon; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Ryan's Barn was built 80 feet high and 85 feet in | 3 | | diameter with a ten-foot-tall cupola and an upper hay mow | 4 | | capable of holding up to 250 tons of straw; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Ryan's Barn featured many ingenious agricultural | 6 | | devices, including a suspended hay carrier that ran along a | 7 | | steel track in the ceiling, two granaries, and an ensilage | 8 | | chopper blower that was powered by a steam engine; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The lower level of Ryan's Barn housed Dr. Ryan's | 10 | | prized Black Angus cattle and contained special underground | 11 | | tanks to collect the cattle waste, as well as individual | 12 | | calving pens for pregnant cows; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Upon the death of Dr. Ryan, his widow sold the | 14 | | farm and barn to E.A. Johnson of Annawan in 1939 who, in turn, | 15 | | sold the farm and barn to the State in 1968; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, In 1984, the Friends of Johnson Park Foundation | 17 | | was organized with the purpose of preserving Ryan's Round Barn; | 18 | | therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 20 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| 1 | | we commend the Friends of Johnson Park Foundation for their | 2 | | continuing preservation efforts and recognize Ryan's Round | 3 | | Barn as a cultural and historical treasure; and be it further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 5 | | presented to the Friends of Johnson Park Foundation as an | 6 | | expression of our esteem and respect.
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