Harvard, Illinois

Coordinates: 42°25′36″N 88°37′22″W / 42.42667°N 88.62278°W / 42.42667; -88.62278

Harvard
Home of Milk Days
City
People gathered for the Harvard, Illinois Milk Days Parade. June 2, 2007
Motto: Success Comes Naturally Here
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	McHenry
Townships	Chemung, Dunham
Elevation	922 ft (281 m)
Coordinates	42°25′36″N 88°37′22″W / 42.42667°N 88.62278°W / 42.42667; -88.62278
Area	5.3 sq mi (14 km2)
- land	5.3 sq mi (14 km2)
Density	1,498.2 / sq mi (578 / km2)
Founded	February 28, 1867
Mayor	Jay Nolan
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60033
Area codes	815, 779
Location of Harvard within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Harvard, Illinois
Website: http://www.cityofharvard.org
[1]

Harvard is a city located in McHenry County in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. The population was 7,996 at the 2000 census. The city is 63 miles (101 km) from the Chicago Loop, and it is the last stop on the Union Pacific/Northwest Line.

Geography

Major streets

• Diggins Street/Brink Street
• Division Street
• Marengo Street
• Lawrence Road
• Oak Grove Road
• Ramer Road
• Flat Iron Road
• Airport Road
• Ayer Street

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 7,996 people, 2,610 households, and 1,853 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,498.2 people per square mile (578.1/km²). There were 2,723 housing units at an average density of 510.2 per square mile (196.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.25% White, 0.85% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 18.76% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.81% of the population.

There were 2,610 households out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.56.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,363, and the median income for a family was $48,087. Males had a median income of $30,578 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,253. About 6.9% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

History

Looking southwest on Ayer Street. Downtown Harvard, Illinois.

"Milk Day" redirects here. For the article on milk itself, see Milk.

In 1855 the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company built toward Janesville, Wisconsin, from Cary. Projecting where trains from Chicago would have to stop for servicing in the days of wood fuel, Elbridge Gerry Ayer and two other North Western stockholders platted a community in southeastern Chemung Township. They purchased the land without mentioning their railroad affiliation. In April 1856, the railroad accepted Ayer's town plat as a station named Harvard. When the North Western's Kenosha-Rockford line entered Harvard in 1859, the railroad built engine-handling facilities there.

As railroad employment expanded, Harvard's population ballooned. In 1868 voters incorporated the community, and elected Ayer as president.^[3]

In 1942, Harvard instituted an annual celebration called Harvard Milk Days. A lavish parade down whitewashed streets presided over by a large fiberglass Holstein cow named (since 1970) Harmilda attracted thousands.

Statue of a cow commemorating Milk Days

Hispanics comprise the largest and most recent immigrant group in an area which had not received new populations in some time.

Motorola opened a 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m²) mobile telephone manufacturing and distribution facility on Harvard's north side in 1997. The plant employed more than 5,000 at its peak. However, a combination of factors, including a significant decline in Motorola's business in the early 2000s, compelled the company to shutter the facility in 2003.^[4]

In 2006, Harvard held a year-long Sesquicentennial Celebration.^[5]

The Greater Harvard Area Historical Society is located on Hart Street. The society identifies and marks historical sites in the area. It also works to obtain histories of Harvard families, and businesses and farms which have been in operation for more than 100 years.

Education

Historic Central School, Harvard, Illinois

Harvard is served by Harvard School District #50, which operates five schools within Harvard:
Harvard High School: grades 9-12;
Harvard Junior High School: grades 6-8;
Jefferson School: grades 4 and 5;
Richard B. Crosby Elementary - Harvard's newest state of the art school offering grades K-3 opened September 7, 2010 ^[6]

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford operates one school in Harvard:
St. Joseph's School: pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1-8

Fire protection

Harvard's Fire Protection District consists of 47 trained firefighters, of which 22 are Emergency medical technicians and 14 are paramedics. The district traces its history to 1865 when 5 men got together to purchase a fire engine for the village of Harvard. In 1871 the engine was sent to Chicago via the railroad to assist in the Great Chicago Fire. In 1892 it was again placed on a train to assist with a fire in the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin. In 1899 the first constitution and by-laws were drawn up for the Harvard Fire Department. The Harvard Rescue Squad was founded in 1956 with a $7000 donation from the Harvard Jaycees. In 1971 the City and Rural Fire Department merged to form the Harvard Fire Protection District.^[7]

Currently the Harvard Fire Protection District is governed by a 3 member board of trustees appointed by the McHenry County Board. While the Fire District works very closely with the city of Harvard, it is a separate government agency. The district provides fire and emergency medical service for 108 square miles (280 km²), and is funded by ambulance user fees and property taxes. It is part of the Rock River Region EMS System, which is affiliated with Rockford Memorial Hospital, a Level I trauma hospital. The district also has a SCUBA dive team, trained for water rescue. This team is part of the McHenry County MABAS 5 Dive Team.

Law enforcement

The Harvard Police Department is located in the lower level of the old City Hall building. It consists of 20 full time police officers, 4 full time emergency dispatchers, 3 part time emergency dispatchers and 1 full time police assistants. The department has three bicycles for officers to patrol the city streets, parks, and downtown area. It also has a canine unit.^[8]

Post office

Harvard, Illinois Post Office.

The U.S. Post Office is located on Harvard's North Eastman Street. The current building was constructed during the Kennedy Administration in 1962, when J. Edward Day was the Postmaster General.

Library

Harvard Diggins Library was established when in 1908 Delos F. Diggins, a former resident, bequeathed to Harvard the sum of $40,000 to buy a site and build a library. Harvard became the first town in the county to have a library building. In his will, Mr. Diggins appointed the first library board, with instructions as to how members should be replaced when individuals died or moved from the town. The library was constructed by W. H. Ward and Son, dedicated in May 1909, and opened to the public for use in August of that year.

When the library moved to its new facilities in 2001, the name was changed to Harvard Diggins Library. The library is a municipal library and receives its financial support from city taxes and endowment funds. It is governed by a nine-member City Library Board appointed by the mayor. The original Diggins Trustee Board assists with special funding. As an online member of the Prairie Area Library System's automation project, the library shares a database with other libraries in the system. Patrons may access these materials as well as local materials. Patrons are also able to use their card at the PALS libraries.^[9]

Transportation

U.S. Route 14, locally known as the Northwest Highway and Division Street, runs north-south through Harvard. Illinois Route 23 begins in southern Harvard and connects the city with other locations to the south. Illinois Route 173 also runs east-west through Harvard, and it connects many other towns along the Wisconsin border to Harvard. The nearest Interstate Highway to Harvard is Interstate 90 in Belvidere; Interstate 39 is also nearby, as is Interstate 43 in Wisconsin.

Harvard is also served by multiple forms of public transportation. Pace operates Route 808 in Harvard. This route links the city to the communities of Woodstock and Crystal Lake. Metra's Union Pacific/Northwest Line has a station in Harvard and operates daily service to Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center. The Harvard station is the most remote point in the Metra system at 62.8 miles (101.1 km) from downtown Chicago.^[10]

Notable people

• Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford, mother of President Gerald Ford.
• Levi Addison Gardner and Adele Augusta (Ayer) Gardner, maternal grandparents of Pres. Gerald Ford.
• Edward E. Ayer, (1841–1927) helped found the Field Museum of Natural History and the Newberry Library in Chicago.
• Elbridge Ayer Burbank, (1858–1949) portrait painter of Native Americans, especially known for Geronimo.
• Bobby Cook, (1923-2004) NBA player
• Clarence Darrow, (1857–1938), of Scopes Trial fame, had a law office in downtown Harvard.
• Paul Galvin, (1895–1959) founder of Motorola Corporation.
• John Hughes, Jr., (1950–2009) film director, producer and writer.

See also

• List of mayors of Harvard, Illinois

References

1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: City of Harvard
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/567.html Retrieved Sept. 23, 2006
4. ^ Happy end for Harvard? | Northwest Herald
5. ^ harvard150.com
6. ^ Harvard to dedicate first new elementary school in 48 years
7. ^ Harvard Fire Protection District
8. ^ CITY OF HARVARD | Police Department
9. ^ Harvard Diggins Library
10. ^ Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/Northwest Line

External links

• City of Harvard
• Harvard Diggins Library
• Harvard Fire Department
• Harvard Milk Days
• Harvard Police Department
• Harvard School District 50 website
• Harvard Sesquicentennial
• Postcards (historic) of Harvard
• St. Joseph's Catholic School