On May 2, 1987, an exhibit opened at the 1850 Beith House about some of the earliest homes built in St. Charles. The houses featured were built between 1840 and 1860. Along with the exhibit was a self-guided walking tour of 20 of these early settlement homes that still exist in St. Charles. The exhibit was funded by grants from the Illinois Humanities Council, Illinois General Assembly and Department of Conservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. As the photos show, St. Charles has done a remarkable job preserving a large number of some of the earliest homes built in the city. Take a walk around the St. Charles historic downtown area and see how many early settlement homes you can find!
PHOTOS: (clockwise from upper left) 116 State Ave, Nathan Dearborn home, unknown build date; 211 S. 3rd St., John Pettinghill home, built c. 1855; 8 Indiana St., William Beith home, built in 1850; 421 S. 4th St., John Lloyd home, built c. 1848.
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SOURCES: Janet and Elizabeth Safanda, "Oh, for Just One Hour (in 1850) to Explore St. Charles!" Restoration Advocate 6, no. 2 (April 1987): 4-5; "Architectural Lecture Scheduled," St. Charles Chronicle, April 29, 1987.