remnants of our rural pastElgin, Illinois was founded before the advent of motorized vehicles. For transportation, people primarily used horse drawn carriages, coaches, and wagons. There was a need for structures to protect the vehicles, and to house the animals who pulled them. Stables, coach houses, barns, and other outbuildings were common in the city in Elgin's early days. By 2005 many of these structures had already been razed. Others had been altered to serve different functions, most for use as garages. This study focuses on buildings used for accommodation of horses, carriages, and their grooms and drivers which are still standing in Elgin today.
