In 1837, when McHenry County was in its infancy, Dr. Luke Hale and William H. Beach and their families arrived from Vermont, to settle in this beautiful spot entirely surrounded by a ring of timber or woods, hence the name decided upon for the settlement was Ringwood.
The first Ringwood Post Office was established in 1845 and has served the Ringwood Community for more than 150 years. Today’s Ringwood Post Office still has many of the qualities of the first in 1845. You can still mail letters, catch up on the news of the community and always get a friendly smile and cheerful greeting.
The Ringwood United Methodist Church was established in 1855. The land for the church was donated by Solomon Dodge. In 1954 the 99-year-old church burned to the ground. Another church was built on the original site and for many generation of Ringwood residents the church was not only a place to worship, but also a meeting place for service organizations and a polling place. Today the church is called El Santuario Church of Ringwood.
Ringwood began to grow with the advent of the Railroad in 1855. There were general stores, grocery stores, a post office, a feed mill, a blacksmith shop, a drug store, and a nursery. The largest business, notably handling thousands of pounds of milk daily from surrounding farms, was the Bowman Dairy (today is Dow).
By the 1980’s most of the retail developments disappeared. However our historic post office and the Ringwood Commons are still the cornerstones of our downtown. Ringwood still maintains its rural crossroads ambiance, but today there is plenty of traffic in all directions.
In July of 1993 the sleepy hamlet of Ringwood received a wake up call prompted by an article in the Northwest Herald that noted that the Johnsburg 2010 Long Range Land Use Plan included eventual inclusion of Ringwood as part of that Village. This began a chain of events that began with the formation of the Citizens for Ringwood (CRO). This organization would be lead by residents Rick Mack, Kevin Bauer, Wes Bruce and Althea Walkington. The CRO was successful in getting legislation passed called the “Ringwood Law.” A referendum was held on November 8, 1994. The question was asked, “Should the territory of Ringwood be incorporated on the general law”? The results were YES 219 – NO 21, which demonstrated the community’s resolve that Ringwood endure. Ringwood’s first elected Village board, included; Rick Mack – President, Kelley Kepes – Clerk, trustees: Kevin Bauer, Wesley Bruce, Darrell Everett, Mike Hogan, Larry Schmitt and Marti Swanson.
Since incorporating in 1994, Ringwood Village officials have established Ringwood’s legal and financial foundation. In September of 2001, Ringwood opened the doors of our first Village Hall, an adaptive reuse of a barn – symbols of Ringwood’s past and future. The Barn was acquired through a developer donation. The funding for the renovation came largely from developer donations, grant funds, local business donations and a limited amount of local funds.
Today Ringwood development is very diverse for a community of its size. It contains many historic structures. It is a blend of farms, single-family subdivisions, over 40 small and mid-size businesses and home to Nature’s Scholars Enrichment Center, Inc. and the Ringwood Primary Center (District 12). Ringwood truly has a rich past and a bright future.
6000 Barnard Mill Rd.
Ringwood, IL 60072,
815-653-5511
See Village Hall for Hours
