Larry Kuster has heard stories about Fred Francis for most of his life.
But unlike most Kewaneeans who have heard about the eccentric genius who built Woodland Palace on his acreage three miles east of Kewanee, Kuster heard those stories from people who actually knew Francis.
Kuster, who is an attorney who lives in Jacksonville, Ill., is the son of Don and Rosemary Kuster, and grew up on a farm just east of Francis Park.
“I grew up with stories about Fred Francis sitting around the dining room table,” he said.
Kuster heard the stories from his grandfather, who had known Fred Francis, and from his parents, who had taken a deep interest in him. Don and Rosemary were leaders in efforts to restore the park and Woodland Palace in the 1970s.
Kuster has detailed the Fred Francis story — and debunked some of the myths — in a new book, “Fred Francis, a Prairie State Genius.”
He will give a presentation and sign copies of his book starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at the Kewanee Historical Museum in downtown Kewanee. On the same day, members of the Kewanee Preservation Society will conduct their annual cleanup of Woodland Palace.
Kuster’s book will be for sale at the Kewanee Historical Society Museum in downtown Kewanee, and all proceeds will go toward the renovation of Woodland Palace, which has fallen into disrepair.
Fred Francis was born in 1856 and attended the college that became the University of Illinois. While at the school he was involved in the design of a memorial clock donated by the Class of 1878. Today, that clock is in a museum on the U of I campus. . .and it’s still running.
After graduation, Francis remained in the timekeeping business, taking a job with the Elgin Watch Co. While there he developed a tool that allowed the mainsprings in their watches to be wound tighter.
The company marketed it as the “unbreakable” mainspring, and they paid Francis a dollar for every watch with that feature that they sold.
Years later, after he had left Elgin and moved to his property east of Kewanee, Francis wrote the company and told them to stop sending his checks, as he already had all the money he needed.
Francis designed and built Woodland Palace for himself and his wife Jeanette. The house had innovating appointments like baseboard heating and air conditioning and a solarium for Jeanette, who was in poor health.
Kuster said there is a myth that Fred bought all the materials for Woodland Palace in Kewanee and carried them to his property on his bicycle.
While some smaller items were hauled on the bike, Kuster said, Fred borrowed horse-drawn wagons to carry most of the building materials.
While he was somewhat of an introvert, Fred enjoyed having people visit his park-like home and have picnics. He was also said to have a great sense of humor.
Kuster said one myth about Francis is that he was an atheist. Rather, Fred was a “spiritualist,” a member of the “physical culture” movement. Much of that movement’s philosophy has been proved true in later research.
Fred Francis died in 1926, just three days shy of his 71st birthday.
