HUNTLEY – If there’s someone to go to for Huntley artifacts, it’s Jake Marino.
“[He is] a guy that’s really becoming one of Huntley’s leading historians,” Huntley Historical Society President Barb Conley said while presenting Marino to an audience at the July 28 annual meeting and election for the Huntley Historical Society.
(Photos by Hannah Sturtecky/Sun Day)
When asked about their Huntley memorabilia, most members give a few words of their own and then point their finger over to Marino. That’s his thing.
“I was interested in Huntley history for a long time, and I thought it’d be cool to find the pieces themselves,” Marino said.
Marino, who has been collecting since the ripe age of nine, has amassed a collection of over 600 items. His love for collecting brought him to the Huntley Historical Society, where he is on the board of directors. He lugged some of his collection to American Community Bank & Trust where the meeting was held.
The event — titled Huntley’s Rendezvous with History — filled the basement of the bank with 59 members from the community of Huntley, as well as some precious artifacts out for display. Among the artifacts on display were notecards with historical sites and photos, a District 7 school ledger that covered the years 1681-1920, and the patents for the Latimer Bicycle.
“I live in Thomas Stillwell [Huntley]’s house, the founder of Huntley,” said Tom Conley, who provided the ledger as well as the patents. “We’re trying to nail down the history as we find artifacts and buy them.”
Conley is the fifth generation of his family who lives in the historic house.
After people had time to look at the artifacts presented, the Historical Society’s meeting began with Don Purn, who walked members through a PowerPoint presentation of soldiers from Huntley and McHenry County who battled in the Civil War.
After Purn’s presentation, the Historical Society’s second year of existence culminated with the election of directors. All 11 board members on the ballot were accepted unanimously.
Afterward, those present at the meeting went to look at why they were there: to learn a little more about the town they love to live in.
“[When you collect], you learn there’s never an end,” Marino said. “You learn little pieces about history. When it comes to history, it’s something that should be shared with everybody.”
