Northerly Island Stone Structure


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Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: Deejo (---.pools.spcsdns.net)
Date: April 05, 2012 03:29AM

I recently visited Northerly Island on a beautiful spring day. All along the eastern side of the island are rocks and stones, somewhat like what you'll find all along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Chicago, but it seemed like there were more intact pavers and recognizable bricks and stones from houses than there are in other places, including pieces of bathroom floor tile still stuck to concrete.

At any rate, almost directly east across the island from the old terminal, the shoreline takes a 90-degree turn eastbound for about 75 yards. About 10 yards after it turns, there is a stone structure built a few feet above the waterline, with a doorway facing the lake. Upon first glance, it looked to be a relic - perhaps some pre-airport caretaker's house or pump house or something. However, the more I looked at it, the more it seemed like someone had built this house more recently, Inca-like, without mortar, out of the limestone slabs that are scattered along the shoreline. I am not totally sure. I It was tough to get close to it, but it looked as if there may have been a door in the doorway. Not sure.

Does anyone know anything about this structure, when it was built, who built it, and what it was for?

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Re: Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: jak378 (---.dhcp.embarqhsd.net)
Date: April 05, 2012 12:53PM

Pic?

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Re: Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: Deejo (---.pools.spcsdns.net)
Date: April 08, 2012 04:31AM

No, I do not have a picture. If you look on any online satellite map site you can see something just after the shoreline turns eastbound for that short stretch. It looks like a large pile of rocks from above, which I guess is what it is, in a sense.

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Re: Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: CrazyIvan25 (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: April 10, 2012 01:38AM

41.860046,-87.606896

[url=http://maps.google.com/maps?q=41.860046,-87.606896&hl=en&ll=41.860033,-87.606921&spn=0.000808,0.001206&num=1&t=h&z=20]mystery building on Northerly Island[/url]

are these the coordinates for it? i think i see it on the shoreline

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Re: Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: garpo3000 (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: April 10, 2012 01:48AM

I've done a lot of wandering around the Island and gotten very near to the corner and have never noticed it before! So cool! I don't think it's a remnant of the fair. There is no trace of it on Historic Arials. Not even in '07. That Google Map photo must be fairly recent.

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Re: Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: Deejo (---.chi.clearwire-wmx.net)
Date: April 13, 2012 01:41AM

Yes, the object in the photo is the structure. Thanks for finding and posting.

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Re: Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: kiernansanders (---.ssv1.iit.edu)
Date: April 15, 2012 03:32PM

I decided to do a little investigation yesterday after reading this post. I went to Northerly Island and found the hut, and it seemed like I could vaguely smell smoke coming from inside. I explored around Northerly Island for a little while and then ran into some other guys exploring the shore, whom I asked about the hut. They had never noticed it before, but we walked over and saw that now lots of smoke was coming from inside, along with voices and laughter. We went around the front and inside the door to see what was up. The people in the hut were Art Institute students, they were making smores in the tiny fireplace. They told us that one of their friends or classmates had built the structure recently as a project for an Art Institute class. They also told us not to touch the walls, because they aren't held together with any mortar!

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Re: Northerly Island Stone Structure
Posted by: davey7 (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: June 26, 2012 02:37PM

I've been biking on Northerly Island lately and keep meaning to check this out - you can sort of see some "ruins" over the weeds along the edges of the mowed center portion of the island.

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