More Findings

Restoration work at the Strawbridge-Shepherd House.
Here, stored items lie in front of the summer kitchen.

Shutters, wood work, lightning rods, tables, chests, windows, and doors.
Note the prairie acreage at the rear.

A fireplace surround, probably from the house second floor.

Two bent wood wheel chairs.

Charles and Dennis power-wash the shutters.
Almost fifty have been recovered.

The restoration contractor, Tom Bundy, says the shutters are original.
He plans to have them painted and reinstalled.

Charles Taylor power-washes a brick sidewalk by the kitchen.

Results of the power-washing.
Summer kitchens were used to keep heat out of houses.

Early visitors to the house. Left to Right:
William Siles, UIS Professor of History; Ian Hunt, UIS student; Rosie Serio, UIS student; Christine Morris, Program Officer for the Midwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; and Carol Dyson, Senior Preservation Architect, IHPA

All pictures by Richard Hart

Happy Spring

On Saturday, March 31st, Iles House volunteers rose early to provide water to half-marathon runners. The House was their first water stop on the 13-mile journey. For more pictures of the race, see the DS Digitals site.

At noon a ribbon-cutting ceremony opened the new brick patio, which provides outdoor dining and easy access to the ground floor and elevator. Mr. Iles (left) joined visitors for nibbles.

In the afternoon, local experts continued their round-table discussion of historic preservation issues in Springfield and Sangamon County. All in all, a very busy day to welcome spring!

Pictures by Dulany Sriner

Busy Day for Elijah

Mr. Iles kept very busy on his birthday.
First, check the watch.
Yes, time for a little coffee and cake downstairs.

Do we have enough reminders of age around here?

Next, escort the first rider to the new elevator lift.

Watch her snip the ceremonial ribbon.

A moment for contemplation.
How time has gone by!

Finally, take in the round table discussion.
Here's to all those who remember and honor the past.

Pictures by Dulany Sriner

Iles Day

March 28 is the birthday of Elijah Iles (1796-1883), and opening day of Iles House for the 2007 season. We are now entering the third year of operation and the house has evolved considerably from the picture above, taken on Opening Day in September, 2005.

Today begins regular House tours, offered from 10 am to 4 pm every Wed and Sat until late December. Tours are led by period costumed guides or well-informed docents. At 11:15 am we will have a dedication and opening ceremony for the new elevator lift, providing service to disabled visitors. A program of 19th-century American music will follow, with service of free cake and Melinda Iles punch.

In the afternoon, students from the Iles School will perform choral and instrumental music, and experts will deliver a round table on historic preservation in Sangamon County. Iles House is the oldest home in Springfield, and it is open again to everyone.

Layers of the Past

Restoration work at the Strawbridge-Shepherd House on the UIS campus has proceeded this winter, despite heavy snows and bitter cold. Above we see a worker removing a drop ceiling on the second floor. Peeling back layers of the past brings to light constant discoveries.

First floor, northeast room: removal of wall paneling and dropped ceiling exposes an early fireplace location, which fits a mantle found stored in the summer kitchen. The original wall paint is a mustard color, and stencils appear on both ceiling and walls.

First floor, southeast room: removal of carpet and floor reveals the original wide planks. The top part of the mantle is Greek Revival and also came from the summer kitchen.

Second floor, northeast room: workers uncover an original firebox and flue. Most of the rooms have fireplaces, a fact that reflects on the winters those early residents faced.

Pictures by Dick Hart.

Brinkerhoff House

A Victorian monument on the north side of Springfield, the George M. Brinkerhoff House stands at 1500 North Fifth Street. Built in 1869 for $17,000 ($250,000 today), the home was occupied by the Brinkerhoff family until 1926.

G. M. Brinkerhoff was a teacher at Illinois State University, helped organize railway and iron companies in Springfield, and served in city government as comptroller and auditor.

In 1926 the Ursuline Order bought the home and used it as an administration building. In the 1970s Doris Bucari of the Springfield College Board helped to save it from demolition. Today it is available for private events and remains a treasure of historic preservation.

Photographs by Dulany Sriner; see more at his site.

Strawbridge-Shepherd House

Today the University of Illinois at Springfield and the Iles House Foundation announced an agreement on the Strawbridge-Shepherd House, an 1845 home on University land.

The University has granted the Foundation a 10-year lease and the two institutions will work together to preserve and maintain the property. Some restoration work began in late November, as seen in these pictures.

Details about the agreement appear in today's issue of the State Journal-Register. The Foundation has raised seed funds to launch this project, and it welcomes contributions from the public. Eventually the Strawbridge-Shepherd House will serve Sangamon County as the Iles House serves Springfield, as places for preserving and learning about a remarkable past.

Pictures by Dick Hart

Robert Davis

On Feb 20, Iles House hosted the Sangamon County Historical Society. The guest speaker was Robert Davis, who delivered a moving first-person account of Andrew Lewis, a slave who escaped to freedom and fought in the Civil War with the 29th Illinois Regiment.

Mr. Davis is pictured here with his wife, Patricia J. Davis, who works in recruitment for the SIU School of Medicine. A fiscal officer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Mr. Davis holds degrees from Princeton and Chicago, and he has taught at Lincoln Land and the University of Illinois at Springfield.

He grew up in Detroit, where he heard stories about the Civil War from his parents and grandparents. Born in 1886 and 1889, his grandparents lived near Comer, Georgia, and spoke often about General Sherman's army marching through Georgia.

Mr. Davis is active with Civil War re-enactors and hopes one day to form an African-American cavalry unit, complete with uniforms and horses. Recently he joined the board of directors of the Abraham Lincoln Association.

Pictures by Dick Hart

Meacham Reception

The speaker of the hour on Lincoln Day was Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek, seen here making a hasty departure to try to beat the Feb 12 blizzard. (See below for update.)

On the evening of February 11, the Iles House hosted a reception for the Abraham Lincoln Association. The event capped a year of presidency of the ALA for Richard Hart, seen above in the center, and flanked by Robert Lenz and Richard Marroc.

Also attending was Kathryn Harris, Director of Library Services for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

Update: Mr. Meacham's jet taxied to the end of the runway at Capitol Airport, but it could not take off. Thanks to the Big Snow, he spent part of Valentine's Day still in Lincoln Land.

Pictures by Dulany Sriner.

Lincoln Days

Much excitement in Springfield this weekend, as citizens gather to mark the 198th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. A reception for distinguished guests will be held at the Iles House at 6 pm on Sunday, February 11.

On Monday, February 12, the Abraham Lincoln Association will hold its annual dinner at the Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center. The Association president this year is Richard E. Hart, a Springfield attorney and founding member of the Iles House board.

The banquet speaker is Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek and author of distinguished books on civil rights, the Roosevelt-Churchill friendship, and religion in American political life. His address title is "The Will of God Prevails: Abraham Lincoln and American Religion."

Also of historic note: on Saturday, February 10, the junior U. S. Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, declared his candidacy for President in the 2008 election. His setting was the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln made his famous "House Divided" speech against slavery.

Lifelong Learning

Recent visitors to the Iles House included members of the Academy of Life-Long Learning, sponsored by Lincoln Land Community College.

Over forty seniors from the Springfield area enjoyed a tour of the House and a presentation by John Alexander. Mr. Alexander was a member of the Illinois Constitutional Convention in the 1960s. He now owns Books on the Square, a store in Virden that specializes in the history and genealogy of Macoupin County.

As you may tell from the presence of heavy coats, the winter afternoon was cold, but good cheer and warm smiles prevailed.

Pictures and story by Dick Hart.

Metamora Courthouse

In January-February, the Iles House closes and holds few scheduled events. To pass the winter, we will look in on other historic sites in Illinois and the Midwest.

Before Christmas, Dulany Sriner made a visit to the Peoria-Pekin area and took in the famous courthouse at Metamora, Illinois. Built in 1845, the two-story brick building served as the seat of Woodford County until that shifted to Eureka in 1896.

Abraham Lincoln practiced law on the Eighth Judicial Circuit in this building, one of only two that survive from that era. (The other is at Mt. Pulaski.) The flag above the judicial chair flew at one of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

The courtroom has original flooring but otherwise is restored with period furnishings and accessories. It's open to the public Wed-Sat and closed on major holidays. For information about hours, call (309) 367-4470.

Thanks to Dulany for his pictures and time.

Merry Christmas

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. —Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861.

Pictures of New Salem by Dulany Sriner

Questors Dinner

On Tuesday, December 19, Iles House played host to a Christmas party for the Questors of Rochester, who call themselves the Chickenbristle Chapter.

The word Chickenbristle is of uncertain origin. Vachel Lindsay uses the name in his poem, "Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan" to refer to a small hamlet near Riverton and Rochester.

At the dinner, Dave Barringer and Mike Denk acted as waiters to the 15 guests, serving up a green salad and baked lasanga. Linda Denk ran the kitchen with great aplomb.

Helen Duffey, an artist who is still active at 96, became our first visitor to use the new lift.

The house was decorated for Christmas and seasonal music in the background provided just the right mood.

Pictures by Dick Hart

Holiday Tours

Candlelight tours for the holiday season: Dec 8-9 and 15-16, 6:30-8:30 pm, with refreshments. The public is invited and admission is free. That was our plan for those two weekends, but on Friday, Dec 8, we had 0 attendees!

Problems with getting an ad published and delivered were responsible, and the weather of the past week didn't help. But to keep docent spirits high, Dick Hart returned from Gabatoni's with two pizzas, and everyone had a great time talking, telling stories and enjoying the house decorations.

Saturday Dec 9 was a different story. Visitors were on the front porch at 6:30 pm and the stream continued all evening. A great cross-section of Springfield turned out: young, old, and from every part of town. People made heart-warming comments, thankful that the House has been saved. One visitor exclaimed, "This is the real deal," meaning he'd never seen such an authentic restoration.

We are grateful that so many appreciate the preservation of Springfield's rich history. Beside Elijah Ile's candlelit fireplace, we may all glimpse the past on a cold winter's night.

Pictures by Dulany Sriner