The Orson Rogers House is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and located in the

McHenry County, Illinois McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 Census, it had a population of 310,229, making it the sixth-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Woodstock. McHenry County is one of the f ...

city of Marengo. The property consists of several outbuildings, currently and in the past, as well, those buildings are and were mostly agriculture related.

Ownership

The home was owned by the Orson Rogers family from 1847 until around 1869. William Boies owned the farmstead from 1869 and held it until the early part of the 20th century. Boies was the owner of a well-known dairy and creamery. From 1920 until 1961 Jesse Jackson owned the Rogers House and in 1961 it was purchased by Willis and Wilma Brown. Willis Brown had inherited the home from his grandparents. Robert and Beverly Kling purchased the home in 1979, the year it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the home is still owned by their daughter Candace Kling.Orson Rogers House
All About Marengo, the City of Marengo, Retrieved Jan. 13, 2007.

Orson Rogers

Orson Rogers, the home's namesake, was born in

Middletown, Vermont Middletown Springs is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 794 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.9 square miles (59.2 km2), all ...

in 1814. In the late 1830s he and his wife, Mary, moved, by wagon, from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

to the Marengo, Illinois area. Rogers' parents accompanied him and his wife on the relocation. Originally, Rogers settled in a town he liked called Coral. In the 1840s the area was home to a number of Native American settlements and the Rogers' were among the first white settlers of the Marengo area. Rogers built the first

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

house in the area and taught there as well. In the 1850s his farming savvy led him to purchase the revolutionary McCormick Reapers.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Orson, House National Register of Historic Places in McHenry County, Illinois Houses in McHenry County, Illinois Houses completed in 1847 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois 1847 establishments in Illinois