Quentin House

The Quentin House, 340 Old McHenry Road.

Our first stop south of the crossroads is this house,  formerly known as the Red Oaks furniture store, but currently under renovation by Jesse and Aaron DeSoto.

The house was probably built circa 1885 by Mine Lemker. Mine was a widow whose husband had recently died. She built the house on land she bought after her husband’s farm was sold. The house has had several owners since then.

The earliest maps of the area show no house there in 1861. But by 1885, a map shows a house owned by Mrs. Lemker. Records of land sales also show Mine Lemker bought the property in 1883. 

Later owners of the house included the Rupert, Quentin, Cordes, and Hershberger families. The Hershbergers owned the house the longest from 1918 to 1963. In 1963 they sold it to Bob McNitt who opened the Red Oaks antique business there. Red Oaks closed in 2016.

Former owner George Quentin was the Village Cheesemaker for a time, and was the manager of the Long Grove Crackerjacks baseball team. He also served as Chairman of the Lake County Board. 

The original part is the two-story section with a porch facing Old McHenry Road. There have been many additions in the transition from a residence to a business.

With the front of the Quentin House to your back, across the street and to your right is our next building, building #21. It is probably best viewed from this side of the street, so simply press NEXT STOP now to continue.