Historic Photo Revealed: Playhouse Log Cabin

Did you guess correctly in this week's ?

Patch reader JB first guessed it was the Kenilworth Club but then later guessed that "you are a log cabin playhouse that Joseph Sears had for his children."

And JB was right! Click on the video on the right to see a video JB shared of the log cabin.

The log cabin is currently nestled in the park at , across the street from the .

The Ever-Moving Playhouse

Chicago

The log cabin was originally built for Joseph Sears’ children when they lived at 1815 Praire Ave., Chicago, in 1882. The children, and their friends, used the log cabin as their playhouse while living in the city. In 1892, the log cabin was moved to Joseph Sears’ home in Kenilworth. The log cabin continued to be a playhouse for his children and their new Kenilworth acquaintances. 

Northbrook

Once the children grew up and had families of their own, the log cabin was moved from Joseph Sears’ home to his son Alden Sears’ home in Northbrook in 1945. Alden Sears’ children played in the playhouse log cabin, just as he had when he was a child.

Kenilworth

After Alden Sears’ children had grown up as well, the playhouse log cabin was moved a final time in 1968, when it was given to the Kenilworth Historical Society to be used as a playhouse. 

A log with the names of boys, who had played in the log cabin while it was in Chicago on Prairie Avenue, was lost en-route from Prairie Avenue to Kenilworth. One of the names on the log was Carl Keith, who organized the first Boy Scout troop in Kenilworth, in 1918, and was the first Scoutmaster.