Dowling House | |
 | |
   | |
| Location | 220 Diagonal Street, Galena, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°25′2″N90°25′37″W / 42.41722°N 90.42694°W Coordinates: 42°25′2″N90°25′37″W / 42.41722°N 90.42694°W |
| Built | 1826–27 |
| Architectural style | Single-pen |
| Part of | Galena Historic District (ID69000056 [1] ) |
The Dowling House is the oldest building in Galena, Illinois, United States, now a historic house museum.
John Dowling arrived in Galena with his son Nicholas in 1826. The limestone house was built in 1826–27 in the single-pen style. The first floor was used as a trading post while the Dowlings lived upstairs. Dowling was an important early resident of Galena. He served on the 1834 fire committee and was elected to the 1838 town board of trustees. He also sold the county a plot of land for its first court house. Nicholas was elected alderman in 1841, serving until his election as mayor in 1843. Though he resigned after only a few months, he was again elected to the office in 1851, serving for two years. [2]
The building sat abandoned for several decades, It was rehabilitated by William McCauley in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the building was opened to the public. [3] Thirty minute tours of the building, furnished with period supplies and furnishings, are now offered from May to November. It was recognized as a contributing property to the Galena Historic District on October 18, 1969. [1]
Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,429 at the 2010 census. A 581-acre (235 ha) section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The city is named for the mineral galena, which was in the ore that formed the basis for the region's early mining economy.
Oscar Stanton De Priest was an American politician and civil rights advocate from Chicago. A member of the Illinois Republican Party, he was the first African American to be elected to Congress in the 20th century. During his three terms, he was the only African American serving in Congress. He served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois' 1st congressional district from 1929 to 1935. De Priest was also the first African-American U.S. Representative from outside the southern states and the first since the exit of North Carolina representative George Henry White from Congress in 1901.
John Marshall Hamilton was the 18th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1883 to 1885. Born in Union County, Ohio, Hamilton became interested in politics at a young age, joining the Wide Awakes when he was thirteen and the Union Army four years later. After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University he studied law and was admitted to the bar. A notable attorney in Bloomington, Illinois, Hamilton was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1876. He served there until 1881, when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois on a ticket with Shelby Moore Cullom. When Cullom resigned after election to the United States Senate, Hamilton became Governor of Illinois. He was not selected as a candidate for re-election, but did serve that year as a delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention. He spent the rest of his life as an attorney in Chicago, where he died in 1905.
Roscoe Harold Zook was an American architect best known for his work in suburban Chicago, Illinois. He received a degree in architecture from the Armour Institute of Technology in 1914. In 1916 Zook married his first wife, Mildred Barnard. They divorced in the late 1930s. They had one son, Harold Barnard Zook, who followed in his father's footsteps to become an architect in Corona del Mar, California. In the early 1940s, Zook married his second wife, Florence (Barkey) Nissen, whom he met through mutual friends. Zook died in April 1949, just short of his 60th birthday.
John Mills Van Osdel was an American architect who is considered the first Chicago architect. He is considered a peer of the most prominent architects in the history of Chicago. He has also done significant work throughout Illinois and the Midwest, although much of it no longer exists.
The Elihu Benjamin Washburne House, also known as the Washburne-Sheehan House, is a 1+1⁄2-story Greek Revival house located at 908 Third Street in Galena, Illinois. Constructed in 1844–45, the building was built for and owned by Elihu Benjamin Washburne, a prominent Galena lawyer who served in Congress during the American Civil War, and as Secretary of State and Minister to France under President Ulysses S. Grant, another famous Galenian. The Washburne House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Millville is a defunct settlement in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, located within the boundaries of Apple River Canyon State Park. Founded in 1835 and platted in 1846, the community was washed away completely by a flood in 1892. No visible remnants of its structures remain today. The site of Millville was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as the Millville Town Site in 2003.
The Galena Historic District is a historic district located in the city of Galena, Illinois, United States. The historic district encompasses 85 percent of the city of Galena and includes more than 800 properties. The downtown area consists of three successive tiers made up of Main, Bench and Prospect Streets. Within the boundaries of the district are such notable homes as the Ulysses S. Grant Home and the Elihu B. Washburne House. The Galena Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
Jesse Burgess Thomas Jr. was born in Lebanon, Ohio; an Illinois politician, he served as the Illinois Attorney General from 1835 to 1836 and later on the state Supreme Court.
The Galena–Chicago trail was a stagecoach route located in northern Illinois that ran from the mid-to-late 1830s until 1854. As indicated by its name, the route linked Chicago, located in the northeast of the state, with Galena which was located in the lead mining district of the northwest. The Chicago-Galena trail includes the "Stagecoach Trail" that runs between Galena and Lena, Illinois. East of Lena the stage route follows U.S. Route 20 and Business U.S. Route 20 through Eleroy, Freeport and Rockford to Belvidere. This road began as the old State Road number 2 established on 15 January 1836 and laid out by June 1837.
William McMurtry was the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The Elgin Historic District is a set of 697 buildings in Elgin, Illinois. Of these, 429 contribute to the district's historical integrity. The district is the oldest portion of the city, and contains mostly residences and churches. Other buildings in the district include an art museum, a masonic temple, and the Elgin Academy. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, the district also contains three properties that were already individually listed: the academy, the First Universalist Church, and Gifford-Davidson House.
John Hawkins Rountree was an American farmer, businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the founder of Platteville, Wisconsin, and was instrumental in the early development of that village. He was also one of the founders of the Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company, and remained a director in the company until his death. In politics, he represented Grant County for five years in the Wisconsin Legislature, and was a delegate to Wisconsin's 2nd constitutional convention in 1847.
The Belvidere North State Street Historic District is a historic district on the north side of the Kishwaukee River in Belvidere, Illinois. It is primarily composed of commercial building representative of architectural trends from 1865 to 1962. The district has remained largely intact since the mid-1930s.
Elijah Iles was an American businessman, pioneer, and politician who was one of the first settlers of Springfield, Illinois. He was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1826 and fought in the Winnebago and Black Hawk Wars. During the latter engagement, Iles commanded future President Abraham Lincoln.
William Brown was an English American businessman and politician. He served one term in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1864 to 1866, then was elected mayor of Rockford, Illinois for one term. Brown was elected to the Illinois Circuit Courts in 1870 and served there until his death in 1891.
Mark T. Skinner was an American politician, attorney, and philanthropist from Vermont. The son of a Vermont politician and judge, Skinner decided to follow his father into the legal profession. He moved west to Chicago, Illinois and was named City Attorney for Chicago and United States Attorney for the Illinois District. In 1846, Skinner was elected to a term in the Illinois House of Representatives. During the Civil War, during which he lost his only son, Skinner served on the United States Sanitary Commission and oversaw a similar organization in Chicago. After retiring from law and politics, he managed real estate and focused on charitable endeavors.
John Corson Smith was an American military officer and politician from Pennsylvania. Coming to Galena, Illinois in 1854, Smith first practiced carpentry before receiving a commission at a customhouse. Smith fought in the American Civil War with the 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was brevetted a brigadier general for his actions at the Battle of Chickamauga. Returning to Galena, Smith work in Internal Revenue until moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1874. There, he was named Chief Grain Inspector, then was elected Illinois Treasurer. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 1884. Smith was also a prominent Freemason, leading the Illinois chapter and serving as Grand Scribe for twenty-five years.
William Fithian was an American physician and politician reputedly born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Moving to Danville, Illinois after success in medicine, he became a supporter of the Whig Party. Fithian served in the Illinois General Assembly for ten years, mostly in the Senate. A supporter of Abraham Lincoln, Fithian was appointed a Provost Marshal for the Civil War.
 | This Illinois museum-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |