Romance of the Old Arey House
The old Arey house that once stood in the middle of First Avenue faced north and was back about 100 feet from the bank of Rock River. It was built as a hotel in 1838 by Edward Atkins who had come from Canada two years earlier. This Hotel and four other buildings constituted the town of Rapids City.
The rooms on the ground floor of the hotel were a large kitchen, a dining room, bar room and ladies' parlor. Both the parlor and the bar were on the seat side of the hall. Between these two rooms the partition had an opening about four feet square, in which was placed the long wood stove, with the stove pipe going up on the far room side of the partition, thus heating both rooms with one stove. The second floor was divided into five rooms, four of them bedrooms and the rat of the upstairs was a large ball¬room. The finishing lumber in the house was all black walnut and the floors were white oak.
Several children were born to the Atkins family while residing here.
The same year the hotel was built the state of Illinois credit failed curtailing the river improvements and the canal which was being built around the Rapids, the town was practically vacated and the hotel was of no use. Capitalists from Boston, Mass., bought the vacant land around the old house except the two acres where it stood, which was the plat of Rapids City. The vacant land was owned by the Sterling Hydraulic Co. E. Cooley, a brother-in law of Richard Arey, owned the greater part of the company's holdings and he persuaded Mr. Arey to come west to Rapids city and occupy the hotel. Mr. Cooley also owned 160 acres south of the company's holdings.
Richard Arey, wife and five children came from Wellfleet, Mass., on Cape Cod, arriving at Rapids City, May 11, 1844. They were 30 days on the road, coming by canal from Albany, N. Y. to Buffalo and around the lakes to Chicago, and from there by team and wagon. Mr. Atkins and family moved to one of the smaller houses near the hotel when the Arey family arrived to occupy the hotel. Later, in 1849, Mr. Atkins joined the rush to California for gold.
There were no trees along the bank of the river from the west end of the canal for a mile below, but a bare strip of high bank with the old house silhouetted against a horizon beyond, reaching miles back from the river in a treeless expanse of unbroken prairie. A half mile above the house on the bank of the river was a narrow grove along the bank with two log unseen from above or below the canal.
Mr. Arey planted an orchard on the 160 acres to the south, also other trees, and later he set trees around the old house.
Pioneering did not prove as successful as they had hoped. Sickness was the great hindrance. Fever and ague attacked everyone. As none of the Arey family had been reared in the strenuous atmosphere of pioneer life, eight years were spent striving to better their condition when the mother, who had passed these years bravely with three more children added to their flock, passed away.
The old house was the family home for as long as its members stayed under the parental roof, but the spirit of hopefulness passed with the mother. Gradually the other houses around were moved away, until all that remained was an old stone barn built in 1850 by Mr. Arey.
The township in which Rapids City was located was a part of Sterling Township. In 1852 the township was divided, that south of the river becoming Coloma Township. The first town meeting was held in Richard Areys house and he was elected both chairman and clerk.
The plat of Rapids city was entirely vacated in 1857. In 1858 the house was moved to the lot where the S & K clothing store now stands and a year or tow later the old barn was torn down. Mr. Arey remodeled the old house making it into a double house. The west side was generally rented. The Arey family occupied the house as a home until 1888 when it was sold to Thomas Galt. He moved the old house to a site back of the Methodist Church, where it stood until 1928, when it was torn down.
If all were told of what transpired in this old building it would be a very complete history of the pioneer days of Rock Falls. All elect were held in the old house until the brick school house was built on the Dixon Road in 1855. It was the general headquarters for all missionary workers, the Bible repository was here for years, and the house was used for the first Sunday School in the township. Mr. Arey was known as “Deacon" Arey by the whole community. He passed away at the age of 88 years. Five boys left from this house in 1861 in answer to the first call for the Civil War. They were 17, 18, 20, 22 and 23 years of age. All but the 17 year old boy, who gave his life for his country, served the four years and returned to the Old house. Mr. Arey and the oldest son were the only ones who remained at home. Two of the boys who went to war were cousins but resided in the Arey family.
Mrs. Martha Arey Green, born in the old house in 1849, supplied the information for the above in 1929. At that time she was the only survivor, all the other children in the family having passed away. She was then living in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Author Unknown
Editor's note: This manuscript, written with the use of an old manual typewriter, was found in the paper files at the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society. It has been added as a story simply due to the fact that it talks about the home of one of Rock Falls earliest settlers.