Newspaper Clippings for
December, 2001
from the News Sun 06 December 2001
Two teens hurt in crash
A one-car crash Tuesday near the intersection of Grass
Lake Road and Route 45 hospitalized two teen-agers and
caused "serious damage" to a historical building, the
Lake County Sheriff's Department reported.
Steven Stewart, 18, of Lake Villa was driving a 2001
Mazda 626 east on Grass Lake Road when for an unknown
reason the car left the roadway on the south side of the
road, police said. The car continued eastbound in an
adjacent ditch, crossed Route 45 at the T-intersection and
slammed into Martin's General Store about 5:45 p.m.
A passenger, Jeffrey Iannetta, 18, of Lake Villa, was
taken by helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General
Hospital in Park Ridge with serious injuries, and was
originally listed in critical condition, police said. His
condition was upgraded to stable on Wednesday.
Stewart was transported to Provena St. Therese
Medical Center in Waukegan with minor injuries, Police
said Stewart was cited for improper lane usage and failing
to reduce speed to avoid an accident. DUI charges are
pending results of a toxicology report, police said.
Martin's General Store is located in Millburn, and is
listed in the National Historic Register. Martin's
opened in 1887 and is the oldest general store in Lake
County. The store was once restored after a fire in
April 1959 badly damaged the structure.
[editors note: staff photos are available]
from the Pioneer Press newspaper 06 December 2001
Millburn museum hit by car Tuesday
by Korrina Grom
A car accident at the corner of Route 45 and Grass Lake Road in Millburn
Tuesday caused both structural and internal damage to one of Lake County's
oldest buildings.
Martin's Gen'l Store Museum was struck by a car, which was apparently
traveling eastbound on Grass Lake Road, said Lindenhurst Police Chief
Jack McKeever.
Th driver, Steven M. Stewart, 18, of Lake Villa, was charged with DUI,
improper lane usage and disobeying a traffic control device in connection
with the accident, said Lt. Fred Heidecke of the Lake County
Sheriff's Department.
The driver left the roadway on the south side, went into a ditch, crossed
Route 45 and then hit the building, Heidecke said Wednesday.
An 18-year-old passenger from Lake Villa was airlifted by Flight for Life to
Lutheran General Hospital where he remained in critical condition
Wednesday.
Dorothy Fettinger, chairman of the Historic Millburn Community Association,
Inc., which owns and operates the building, said the front window of the
store was knocked out and a corner of the building was hit.
"The vibrations (from the crash) caused extensive damage inside,"
she said. The interior of the building, she added, was a mess.
"We have many things in there that are totally not replaceable."
The store was built in 1862 by Richard Pantall. From 1864 until 1904, the
store also served as the Millburn Post Office, according to the
Martin's Gen'l Store Web site. Pantall served as postmaster.
In 1910, Edward Martin, who had served as Pantall's associate since
1887, took over the business. Martin retired from the general store in 1958.
The bulding was then rented to several different merchants.
Martin's son, Richard, passed away in 1985, leaving the building to the
Historic Millburn Community Association to be used as a museum.
"We want to go back to being a museum," said Fettinger. "We want to see it
preserved and protected."
Fettinger said it is going to take a long time to go through the inventory
lists to determine what items were damaged. The amount of structual damage
needs to be determined as well, she said.
Fettinger said had the car struck just 12 feet away, it would have hit a gas pipe.
She added the Historic Millburn Community Association Board was scheduled
to hold a meeting inside the store just 20 minutes after the accident occurred.
[editors note: staff photos are available]
