Libertyville 's most prominent building , the Cook Mansion , was built in 1879 by Ansel Brainerd Cook , very close to the spot where Vardin 's cabin was built in the 1830s . Cook , a teacher and stonemason , became a prominent Chicago builder and politician , providing flagstones for the city 's sidewalks and taking part in rebuilding after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 . The two-story Victorian mansion served as Cook 's summer home as well as the center of his horse farm , which provided animals for Chicago 's horsecar lines . The building was remodeled in 1921 , when it became the town library , gaining a Colonial-style facade with a pillared portico . The building is now a museum with furnishings of the period and other relevant displays . It is operated by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Libertyville, Illinois