Editor's Note: This column originally ran in November 2010.

Last week, two other members of the Huntley Historical Society and I spoke to the Huntley Senior Citizens' Club about our town's history and the goals of the new historical society.

Historical society Vice President Barb Conley addressed the mission and progress of the fledgling group, and her husband, local historian Tom Conley, told tales and anecdotes of Huntley long ago.

I presented a brief quiz on Huntley history, and thought Patch readers might enjoy testing their knowledge of the village's past.  I have added a few questions for this column, to make it more challenging. The answers are given at the end of the article.   

Test yourself and see: How Well Do You Know Huntley History?

1.  From 1876 to 1893, John Hawley operated a general store on the town square. Today, that building houses which of the following:

1. Parkside Pub
2. Strode's Furniture
3. Luigi's Pizza

2.  The oldest church in continuous use in McHenry County is located in Huntley.  Is it:

1. The First Congregational Church
2. Trinity Lutheran Church
3. St. Mary Catholic Church

3.  Which former U.S. President came to Huntley as a young man to hunt birds?

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. Bill Clinton
3. Theodore Roosevelt

4.  The park in Huntley's town square is named in honor of the man who was serving as village president when he died in 1999.   Is the park named for:

1. Thomas Stillwell Huntley
2. James C. Dhamer
3. Henry Marlowe

5.  In the 1930s, the Huntley Brewing Company produced which brand of beer?

1. Schlitz
2. Bel Boy
3. Blue Moon

6.  The first supervisor of Grafton Township, in 1850, was:

1. Stewart Cummings
2. Otto Schmalz
3. Thomas Stillwell Huntley

7.  The Pabst Building on Main Street today houses Strode's Furniture.  At one time it was a lunch room called:

1. The Sweet Spot
2. The Village Inn
3. Granny's

8.  The Village of Huntley celebrated the centennial of its founding in what year?

1. 1900
2. 1951
3. 1972

Answers:

1. C.  Luigi's Pizza. The building has been in continuous use since it was built in the 1870s. The Huntley Area Public Library's local history collection houses two of the store's ledgers from the 1880s.
2. A.  The Congregational Church was built in 1863 on land donated by Thomas Stillwell Huntley, who was a founding member of the church.
3. C.  Roosevelt hunted here in the 1880s and wrote letters to his sister describing Huntley.
4. B.  The land for the town square was donated by Thomas Huntley, but the park never had a name until 2000, when it was dedicated in honor of Dhamer, who had served 14 years as village president.
5. B.  From 1933 to 1939, the Huntley Brewing Company was located in the south Church Street building that most recently housed Catty Corp. The brewing company produced Bel Boy, Copperhead and Indian Maid beers.
6. C.  This was the only public office ever held by Thomas Huntley.
7. A.  After returning from World War I, the Amos Brothers opened the Sweet Spot.
8. B.  The town was founded in 1851 and the first train came through to Huntley in September of that year.  In 1951, the village celebrated its 100th anniversary with a parade, contests, festivals and more.