A magnificent piece of history is tucked away in the winding and heavily wooded area near Bruce and Parker roads in Homer Glen.
Stone Manor, also known as the Gorham-Frazer farmhouse, at 13044 W. Chicago Bloomington Trail, was once part of a massive working farm.
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Homer Township Supervisor Pam Meyers calls the Italian villa-style home “one of Homer Township’s most significant historical structures.”
“These historic places tell the stories of the evolution of our community,” she said, “and contribute to the spirit of the place it is today by promoting a sense of belonging whether your family has lived here for generations or you are new to the area.”
Only three families have owned the home since its construction in 1865.
Elijah Dodge Gorham, a New York native, bought the 400-acre property and built the house, which he owned until his death in 1906, although he’d moved to Kansas.
James D. Frazer, a township supervisor and also a native New Yorker, bought the property from Gorham’s widow. The Frazer family retained ownership until 1977.
Mark and Pat Muehler, the third and current owners, live and operate home offices for Country Manor Builders and HB&D Realty from Stone Manor, which has six rooms on the first floor, five on the second, a cupola and a full basement with limestone slab floors.
“I was really fascinated to find out it was built by Joliet limestone, a prolific building material that really defined Joliet in that era,” said Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum.
Joliet limestone also was used for the Chicago Water Tower and Illinois State Capitol, he said. The material fell out of use after the Great Chicago Fire, because it would structurally weaken in high temperatures.
There have been no changes to the structure of Stone Manor since its rendering in the Combination Atlas Map of Will County of 1873, Pat Muehler said.
The home’s interior features walnut throughout, likely from the trees on the property, she said.
“A finishing carpenter walked every day from Mokena to Homer Glen to work on this house,” she said of the home’s construction a century and a half ago.
“To be built in the 1860s and with only three families having owned it, shows that it is certainly worthy of a historic designation,” Peerbolte said, “and that the owners have obviously treasured the home.”
Vickie Jurkowski is a freelance writer.
Stone Manor
Building size: More than 4,000 square feet
What’s in a name? Also known as the Gorham-Frazer farmhouse, the structure gets its name from its limestone construction.
Building age: Built in 1865
Original use: Residence
Current use: Muehler residence and home offices of HB&D Realty and Country Manor Builders specializing in construction and historical restoration
Did you know? The walls were constructed with 19-inch-thick limestone bricks quarried by inmates at the Joliet State Penitentiary, according to the Will County Rural Historic Structural Survey. In exchange, the prison received lumber from the farm, current owner Pat Muehler said.
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