Moving Day For Joliet's Casseday House Creates Unique Parade

JOLIET, IL ­­– Considering all of the homes he and his brother have moved over the years, Jason DeVooght never tires of the attention his line of work draws. And so on a day when many local residents remained indoors under Illinois’ recently enacted shelter in place order that is part of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, DeVooght took pleasure in the number of locals who came out to watch as the historic Casseday House was moved to its new home on Monday.

The limestone house, which was built in 1851 and that weighs 1.2 million pounds, embarked on a four-block journey that -by the time it was set into its new location on Monday evening, required nearly 12 hours, according to DeVooght, who, along with his brother, David, own DeVooght Home Lifters, which is based out of New Jersey. Monday’s move came nearly two years after Thorntons announced plans to build a large gas station and convenience store on the busy east-side corner of Jackson and Collins streets – a process that has been slowed by preservationist’s attempts to keep the home from being destroyed.

But after an agreement was reached to keep the 169-year-old structure in tact, plans surged ahead culminating with Monday's move.

Work crews began preparing for the move at 7 a.m. Last week, DeVooght told Patch that he needed a dozen semi-trailers from five states to move the Casseday House, which has been off of its foundation for a couple of weeks in anticipation of Monday’s move. The biggest challenge of the process, which is completed with a wireless remote control, is moving the structure off of its old site and then getting the house eventually settled at its new location, DeVooght said.

The house-moving crew uses 20 hydraulic dollies, four of which include drive axles. The company’s hydraulic machine then powers all of the steering and the drive mechanisms to keep the home on course throughout the moving process. Getting a home of this size from Point A to Point B involves and on-line what DeVooght describes as a very slow walk. Given its age, the house is deteriorated and although the exterior stone walls of the structure are 22 inches thick, it's the inside the home’s interior where the condition worsens, according to DeVooght.

Yet, when everything goes as planned – as it did on Monday – the moving process can be made to look easy from an onlooker’s perspective. But DeVooght admitted there are a lot of moving parts, including steering and keeping the house on course, which is a part of the moving process that people don’t typically see, but that factors greatly how successful of move is made .

“Nobody knows about anything we’re doing and so if we have a problem, nobody would know it,” DeVooght said Monday evening.

Despite the shelter in place order which went into effect Saturday evening across Illinois, DeVooght said that Monday’s move drew a fair amount of residents. The house-lifting company worked with utility companies to streamline the process, which included about a three-hour delay due to a couple of unforeseen issues.

But despite the minor hiccups, the sight of a house finding a new home is one that never gets old for DeVooght, who said Monday night as the end of the process drew closer that no matter how many times he completes a job, he enjoys the spectacle of it all. But it’s also an event that he knows most local residents likely won’t see again in their lifetime – especially involving a home that holds such a special place in the hearts of Joliet residents.

Monday was no different.

“We’re used to a parade,” DeVooght said. “It’s like putting on your own personal parade.”