The Village of Barrington promoted itself with a great deal of pride as early as 1872, when a handbill described lots for sale from one to five hundred dollars, on clean streets, fringed with beautiful maples. The Village retains to this day many tranquil, residential streets, rich with a mixture of architectural styles typical to collar county communities, along the railways of northeastern Illinois.

A walking tour of the Village covers an area of later development west of Hough Street. Until 1867, when an assessors sub-division was established, the area within this tour boundary was farmland, with few surviving or documented residences. M. B. McIntosh platted and sold lots on West Lake Street in the mid 1880s, and West Station Street was not opened up until 1892, when Billy Spriggs had to move his house over from the middle of the new intersection close to Hough Street. Until that time, a few farmers on West Main Street near Dundee Avenue, had properties which extended south to West Lake Street.

The Barrington Area Historical Society is fortunate to have a complete Archive facility right in our building. Here we archive, catalog and store the collective memories of the area; maps, letters, glass negatives, photos, and print material. Below are a few photos of our research office and archival storage.

The Barrington Area Historical Society's mission is to collect, preserve, document, and exhibit the history of this area and to provide specialized education programs from pre-school through adult.

The Barrington Area Historical Society was founded in 1968 by local residents dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the Barrington area. Since that time, the Society has become an integral part of the Barrington area communities. Currently the Society operates from two restored folk Victorian houses on Main Street in Barrington. The Society's Store is located on the first floor of the Donlea-Kincaid House. The Society's offices are located on the second-floor of the Applebee House.