The story
George Ela arrived in the fall of 1835, cleared a field at Deer Grove and built a cabin. From it he kept a general store and, from 1844, the Surryse post office. He served in the Illinois House from 1846 and gave his name to Ela Township in 1849. After the railroad reached Barrington in 1854 he moved the store to what is now 235 East Main Street there and became Barrington's postmaster in 1858. The cabin outlived him: it was still on the farm when he died in 1882 and was cleared around 1928.
Everything that was here
- 1835–1854
George Ela Homestead and StoreGeneral Store
Palatine Township's first settler ran a general store out of a log cabin in Deer Grove, twenty miles from the nearest neighbor.
See the map in 1836 →
Did you know?
He married Mary Hazeltine in 1832, adopted Delia Murray in 1857, and married Caroline Hazeltine in 1870.
Between 1841 and 1857 he acquired more than 400 acres and lent money on mortgages across Cook County.
A 1978 real estate ad still referred to "the original George Ela home shown in first government survey in 1838."
Nearby history
Camp Reinberg
Camp Reinberg (Deer Grove Park), Dundee Rd · 1.0 km away
Palatine Hills Golf Course & Clubhouse
512 W Northwest Hwy · 2.3 km away
53 Drive-In
2050 North Hicks Road · 2.6 km away
Splinters Sports Pub
2070 N Rand Rd · 2.7 km away
Daisys Ice Cream
807 N Quentin Rd · 2.9 km away
Kosta's Gyros
401 E Dundee Rd · 2.9 km away
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