Will County Historical Society Headquarters

Last updated
Will County Historical Society Headquarters
WillCoHS.JPG
USA Illinois location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Will County Historical Society Headquarters
Interactive map showing the location of Will County Historical Society Headquarters
Location803 S. State St., Lockport, Illinois
Coordinates 41°35′21″N88°3′17″W / 41.58917°N 88.05472°W / 41.58917; -88.05472 Coordinates: 41°35′21″N88°3′17″W / 41.58917°N 88.05472°W / 41.58917; -88.05472
Area0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built1845 (1845)
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Late Victorian
Part of Lockport Historic District (ID75000676)
NRHP reference No. 72000467 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 17, 1972

The Will County Historical Society Headquarters is a historic building in Lockport, Illinois, United States, originally known as the Illinois and Michigan Canal Office Building. It served as the headquarters of the Canal Commission of the Illinois and Michigan Canal from 1836 until 1871, when control of the canal was transferred to the state.

Contents

History

The Illinois and Michigan Canal was a canal that connected Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River via the Illinois and Chicago Rivers. It was first conceived in 1824, when a survey of five potential routes was assessed. Three years later, the United States Congress approved the project. In 1829, the Canal Commission was formed to raise money and oversee the project. The project was dormant until ground was broken on July 4, 1836. That year, the Canal Commission laid out the town of Lockport, Illinois with the intention of locating the canal headquarters there. Slowed by the Panic of 1837, the canal was finally completed in 1848. The headquarters building was built in 1845. The first ship on the canal was launched in Lockport. The Canal Commission operated the canal from this building until 1871, when canal operation was turned over to the state. [2]

The building was later purchased by the Will County Historical Society as a headquarters and museum. On May 17, 1972, the building was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. When the Lockport Historic District was created three years later, the building was listed as a contributing property. [1]

Architecture

The former canal office building is generally Greek Revival in style, with a symmetrical facade, low hipped roof, rectangular transom, and recessed porch. The original building was one story and today corresponds to the northern portion. A two-story residence was added to the south end of the structure in the 1860s or 1870s. The residence reflects a more Victorian style with deeply molded eaves, heavy brackets, turned porch, and low-pitched roof. However, the two portions of the building share similar window patterns. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois and Michigan Canal</span> Defunct canal system in northeast Illinois, United States (1848-1933)

The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran 96 miles (154 km) from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Portage, and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, before the railroad era. It was opened in 1848. Its function was partially replaced by the wider and deeper Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900, and it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockport, Illinois</span> City in Illinois, United States

Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, and was the headquarters of the canal when the canal was operating. A section of the canal runs through Lockport, including the remains of the canal's Lock No. 1 from which the town received its name. The canal right-of-way is now the Illinois and Michigan National Heritage Corridor. Because of proactive efforts dating back several years, the city of Lockport is one of the best-preserved canal sites in existence today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockport Powerhouse</span> United States historic place

The Lockport Powerhouse is a run-of-the-river dam used by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to control the outflow of the Sanitary and Ship Canal and limit the diversion of water from Lake Michigan into the Des Plaines River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varina Farms</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Varina Farms, also known as Varina Plantation or Varina Farms Plantation or Varina on the James, is a plantation established in the 17th century on the James River about 10 miles (16 km) south of Richmond, Virginia. An 820-acre (330 ha) property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as "Varina Plantation". At that time it included two contributing buildings and one other contributing site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaylord Building</span> United States historic place

The Gaylord Building, constructed in 1838 in the downtown historic district of Lockport, Illinois, and on the canalside there, played a pivotal role in the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. It is on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and is one of 29 Historic Sites of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is constructed of yellow limestone, a common construction material in north central Illinois. It has an Italianate three story addition added in 1859. After falling into disrepair, it was the focus of a concerted restoration and preservation effort that began in 1983, which was later noted as setting a model for such efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Crook House</span> Historic house in Nebraska, United States

The General George Crook House Museum is located in Fort Omaha. The Fort is located in the Miller Park neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and is a contributing property to the Fort Omaha Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Furbeck House</span> Historic house in Illinois, United States

The George W. Furbeck House is a house located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park. The house was designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1897 and constructed for Chicago electrical contractor George W. Furbeck and his new bride Sue Allin Harrington. The home's interior is much as it appeared when the house was completed but the exterior has seen some alteration. The house is an important example of Frank Lloyd Wright's transitional period of the late 1890s which culminated with the birth of the first fully mature early modern Prairie style house. The Furbeck House was listed as a contributing property to a U.S. federal Registered Historic District in 1973 and declared a local Oak Park Landmark in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard H. Mitchell House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The Richard H. Mitchell House is a historic residence in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Built of stone throughout, this large house was designed by prominent Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford. Converted into a school, the house has been named a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-Pound House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

White-Pound House is a historic home in Lockport in Niagara County, New York. The 2+12-story, 3,000+ square-foot stone structure was built in 1835 and remodeled in the Italianate style in the late nineteenth century. Today, the house retains its late nineteenth-century appearance on both its exterior and interior and is distinguished by its sophisticated detailing. The fine stone masonry workmanship, elaborate decorative detail and the high level of architectural integrity make the White-Pound house a prominent local landmark and an important example of Lockport's legacy of stone architecture. It is one of approximately 75 stone residences remaining in the city of Lockport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pleasant (Indian Falls, New York)</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Mount Pleasant is a farm complex located in the Town of Pembroke, New York, United States, east of the hamlet of Indian Falls. It was established in the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Avenue</span> Thoroughfare in Chicago, United States

Prairie Avenue is a north–south street on the South Side of Chicago, which historically extended from 16th Street in the Near South Side to the city's southern limits and beyond. The street has a rich history from its origins as a major trail for horseback riders and carriages. During the last three decades of the 19th century, a six-block section of the street served as the residence of many of Chicago's elite families and an additional four-block section was also known for grand homes. The upper six-block section includes part of the historic Prairie Avenue District, which was declared a Chicago Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Joliet East Side Historic District Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Joliet East Side Historic District is a set of 290 buildings in Joliet, Illinois. Of these 290 buildings, 281 contribute to the historical integrity of the area. Joliet was founded in 1831, deemed an ideal place for a settlement to reap the local natural resources. Most importantly, large beds of limestone provided a strong economic incentive to develop the area. Several important structures were constructed with Joliet limestone, including the Old State Capitol and Chicago Water Tower. Joliet incorporated in 1852 and prospered due to its location on the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Lockport Historic District Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Lockport Historic District, also known as the Canal and Downtown Area, is a set of fifty-nine buildings in Lockport, Illinois. Of these, fifty-six contribute to the historical integrity of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Milne House</span> Historic house in Illinois, United States

The Robert Milne House is a historic residence in Lockport, Illinois, United States. It was home to Robert Milne, Canal Commissioner of the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis P. and Clara K. Best Residence and Auto House</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The Louis P. and Clara K. Best Residence and Auto House, also known as Grandview Apartments and The Alamo, is a historic building located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was included as a contributing property in the Hamburg Historic District in 1983, and it was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creole House</span> Historic house in Illinois, United States

The Creole House is a historic residence in the village of Prairie du Rocher, an old French settlement in present-day Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Built at the end of the eighteenth century and later expanded, the Creole House is the last survivor in Illinois of its type of vernacular architecture, and it forms an important part of the built environment of a portion of the Upper Mississippi Valley that possesses an unparalleled connection to the French settlement period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John H. Clark House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The John H. Clark House is a historic residence in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, United States. Built during Mechanicsburg's most prosperous period, it was the home of a prominent local doctor, and it has been named a historic site because of its historic architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botsford Inn</span> United States historic place

The Botsford Inn is a nineteenth century inn and tavern located at 28000 Grand River Avenue in Farmington, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell-Spalding House</span> United States historic place

The Bell-Spalding House, also known as the Tuomy House, is a single-family home located at 2117 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha House (Detroit)</span> United States historic place

Alpha House is a fraternity house located at 293 Eliot Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is significant as the longtime headquarters of the Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Illinois Historic Preservation Agency