Sugar shack damaged: The Thursay morning thunderstorms knocked trees over atop the sugar shack at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s Chellberg Farm. Today workers were removing limbs of the downed tree and Judy Collins, IDNL historical architect, was photographing and assessing the damage. (Tribune photo by Margaret L. Willis)

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore officials are assessing the damage caused by Thursday’s early morning storms, when two trees fell and damaged the Bailly Homestead and the Chellberg Farm’s sugar shack.

National Lakeshore spokesperson Bruce Rowe said the Bailly Homestead was scraped by a walnut tree that fell nearby. About 15 square feet of siding was damaged, and several windows were broken. The homestead also sustained some roof damage, he said.

It is not believed that there was any structural damage to the Bailly Homestead, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

“Our maintenance chief said all in all, we were pretty lucky,” Rowe said.

But that wasn’t the case at the nearby Chellberg Farm’s sugar shack.

The top of a “very large” beech tree broke off in the storm and fell on top of the small building, which dates back to the 1930s when the Chellbergs used it to cook the sap from maple trees. The shack is still in used for demonstrations during the National Lakeshore’s annual Sugar Maple festival in the spring.

Rowe said it appears that the shack has major structural damage and that one of its walls has become separated. Plans were underway this morning to assess the damage and remove the tree.

“The part of the tree is so massive, you can hardly see the building under it,” he said.

The Chellberg Farm and its buildings are under consideration for National Historic Landmark designation.

Posted 7/27/2007