Andrew C. Cook (1801–1884) came out to Illinois from Vermont in 1839, buying 380 acres of newly surveyed land from the U. S. government. In 1850, he replaced his original log cabin with a brick house, the first non-log cabin dwelling to be built in the area. The bricks were fired in a kiln on the property, and the building was built in three stages. The original floor plan had a kitchen, living room, parlor, and one bedroom downstairs, with five bedrooms upstairs; first-floor rooms were heated by wood-burning stoves and the upstairs rooms were unheated. Andrew and his wife Mary (whose brother-in-law was town founder Justus Bangs) raised their 9 surviving children in the house, which remained in the Cook family for more than 100 years. The Cook House was the site of the first town meeting.
Although the Cook House has been extensively remodelled in the intervening years, the original structure is still standing. In 1977 it was sold to the school district, which intended to demolish it and put the land to other use. The Wauconda Township Historical Society stepped in to prevent this. The property is now held on a lease by the township, although the school district remains dedicated to its eventual destruction. Other parts of the original Cook property include what is now Homer Cook Park (home of the Wauconda Park District), and the lands occupied by Wauconda High School and the Wauconda Area Public Library.
Andrew C. Cook House interior (parlour) Kitchen
In 1992, the Cook House was dedicated by the Illinois State Historical Society as an historical site; located at 711 N. Main Street, Wauconda, it is maintained as a museum and open for tours during the summer months. It is the home of the WTHS.
