Gannon Log Cabin: An Irish Farmer's Story

The Gannon log cabin making its way to its final home at the McHenry County Historical Society & Museum in Union.

Irish Immigrant’s modest 1840s log cabin preserved for all to enjoy.

In 1843, an Irish immigrant built something in McHenry County that – although commonplace at the time – was well cared for so we could all enjoy it today.

It was that year when Luke Gannon built a log cabin in what is now Crystal Lake. A native of Ireland, Gannon was 15 years old when he immigrated to the United States. After helping build the Erie Canal in New York and working for a time on the Illinois and Michigan Canal in Chicago, he and his wife, Margaret, settled on farmland that is now part of the Turnberry Golf Club.

Following the pattern of the day, Gannon’s first task was to fell some surrounding oaks, square them into logs and assemble a cabin that would serve as temporary shelter until a "permanent" house could be built.

Measuring just 16 by 18 feet, the cabin was the birthplace of at least one of Gannon’s eight children, James, whose own son, Ed, donated it to the McHenry County Historical Society in 1966.

Today, your can see the Gannon Log Cabin in front of the historical museum at 6422 Main St. in Union.