Vandals hit Lockport’s historic Heritage Village
11 windows smashed on three buildings Friday
An 1856 one-room schoolhouse, an 1863 farmhouse and a newly built visitor’s center all sustained heavy damage over the weekend in Lockport apparently at the hands of vandals.
“Because these buildings are irreplaceable, we can’t get insurance on them,” said Sandy Vasko, director of the Will County Historical Museum which manages the site at 248 W. Second St.
She said the vandals must have been there for some time Friday night because there was so much damage.
In all, 11 windows were smashed on the three buildings.
Vasko said rocks weighing about 10 pounds were found inside the building.
She said she’s worried about mold forming in the historic buildings due to rain on Sunday.
“It just makes me cry,” Vasko said. “We put so much hard work and so much effort into these buildings.”
She said police have been notified of the damage and she’s hoping that motion activated cameras caught the suspects.
Lockport police had no comment about the incident on Sunday.
Vasko said three windows were damaged at the schoolhouse about two months ago, but nothing was seen on the video surveillance at that time.
Besides the windows, she said some of the original framework was damaged in this latest incident and she’ll have to search for specialized craft workers who can repair it while maintaining the buildings’ historical integrity.
Vasko said the historical society is accepting donations to help repair the damage through its Facebook page at the Will County Museum and Research Center, checks by mail at 803 S. State St. or by credit card on the phone, 815-838-5080, during regular business hours.
Capstones on a decorative wall on the site also were damaged.
Vasko said some people have suggesting fencing off the site and closing it when it is not in operation.
But she said she would like to keep it open to visitors since there is a picnic area there and it sits along the Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail.
“I don’t want to make it offlimits,” Vasko said.