Charter Grove Grain elevator

This was originally the Charter Grove branch of the Holcomb-Dutton Lumber Company of Sycamore. The original elevator was constructed around 1902. Based on the appearance of the main elevator house in this photo, it is likely the original structure was still standing in 1971.

In December 1937, Holcomb-Dutton was reported in the national newswire for offering "half of Charter Grove" for sale for $3,500 and the entire village of nearby New Lebanon for $8,000. The sale was offered to settle the estate of one of the company's partners. In 1940, the Charter Grove grain elevator was sold to Merriman & Sons of Genoa.

The April 24, 1964 edition of the Dekalb Daily Chronicle published a 1963 photo of the elevator and described it as "deserted". In 1972, the Chronicle advertised a special one-year subscription to its newspaper which could be purchased for 20 bushels of corn. The Charter Grove elevator was listed as a delivery point, and was described as the Holcomb-Dutton elevator. It's unclear who owned the elevator in the 1975 photo above. Aerial photos show the elevator house surviving through most of the 1990s.