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"Let the record be made of the men and things of to-day, lest they pass out of memory to-morrow and are lost. Then perpetuate them not upon wood or stone that crumble to dust, but upon paper, chronicled in picture and in words that endure forever." --Kirkland

Cragg Cabin

The old Cragg Cabin was built in 1835 by John Cragg and stood on its original location for one hundred years giving it historical landmark status in Grundy County. Mr. Harry L. Hough, a Mazon resident, had played near this cabin as a boy.  Mr. Hough became interested in local history as an adult and obtained permission to remove the parts that could be used to rebuild the cabin from the owner, Mrs. Jennie Cragg. Using local tradesman, he built an almost exact replica of the old Cragg Cabin as it had been in pioneer days using period furnishings and antiques. He and his wife, Zula, lived in the cabin and opened it up to many visitors as a museum for 30 years until 1966 when Mr. Hough died. The cabin was deeded to the Mazon High School and moved to school property.  The school district did not have a procedure in place to maintain the cabin and it was disassembled and moved in 1975 to Goose Lake State Park. The Park Director, Mr. Joseph Nyhoff, planned to reassemble the cabin as a pioneer home.

Sources: This is Grundy County - It's History from Beginning to 1968 by Helen Stine Ullrich, copyright 1968 (by Grundy County) Library of Congress No. 68-21499; The Grundy County Pageant Spectacle, Official Souvenir Program, June 13-15, 1941, page 19.