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Location 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
15 S. George Street - Owen Rooney House
The
Owen Rooney House at 15 S. George is considered the oldest house in Mount
Prospect. The exact date of construction is unknown, but it is believe to be
sometime during the 1850s or early 1860s. It is considered “farmhouse
vernacular” meaning it was constructed by the owner without the help or design
of an architect.
Owen Rooney was an Irishman who came to this area in 1847 after living in the northeast. He bought 160 acres of land and farmed the land with his wife Ann and their seven children. After ownership by the Rooney’s, the Busse family owned the house from 1916 until 1924. The house has gone through a variety of owners since then.
The
original house was constructed of planks, unlike the usual logs or sod that made
up most of the homes of that era. It consisted of only two rooms until around
1900 when an addition was added to the right of the entrance. Also, of the
original acres bought by Rooney, a portion was bought by Ezra Eggleston in the
1870s as he began to plan the town of Mount Prospect. In the late 1920s, the
remaining acres surrounding the farmhouse were subdivided into 50 lots. The
house was again remodeled around 1929, adding arched walkways, stucco walls and
other contemporary designs. Since then, the house has undergone a number of
interior and exterior renovations.