The Elihu Benjamin Washburne House, also known as the Washburne-Sheehan House, is a -story

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

house located at 908 Third Street in

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The c ...

. Constructed in 1844–45, the building was built for and owned by

Elihu Benjamin Washburne Elihu Benjamin Washburne (September 23, 1816 – October 22, 1887) was an Americans, American politician and diplomat. A member of the Washburn family, which played a prominent role in the early formation of the Republican Party (United States), ...

, a prominent Galena lawyer who served in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, and as Secretary of State and Minister to France under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, another famous Galenian. The Washburne House was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1973.

History

Born to a prominent political family from Maine which played a major role in founding the Republican Party, Elihu Washburne moved to Galena to practice law in 1840, and the success and social standing he gained became reflected in his house, the design and construction of which was supervised by Washburne himself. The house was enlarged to its present size in 1859, while Washburne was serving in Congress. Washburne and his wife, Adele Gratiot Washburne, owned the house until 1882, when they moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Washburne died in Chicago in 1887, and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Galena. At some point after the Washburnes moved to Chicago, the house was purchased by the Sheehan family, which owned the house until 1968, when it was sold to the State of Illinois.

Architecture

The Elihu B. Washburne House represents a good example of late Greek Revival architecture. The house was built in the style of

Greek temple Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, s ...

s and features a two-story porch with four

fluted Fluting may refer to: *Fluting (architecture) * Fluting (firearms) * Fluting (geology) * Fluting (glacial) *Fluting (paper) Arts, entertainment, and media *Fluting on the Hump ''Fluting on the Hump'' is the first album by avant-garde band Kin ...

Doric columns.Campbell, Thomas A., Jr.
Elihu Benjamin Washburne House
, ( PDF), National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency'', pp. 1–5, accessed April 29, 2008.

State historic site

The Elihu B. Washburne House is administered by the

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency The Illinois Historic Preservation Division, formerly Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It is tasked with the duty of m ...

and is open to the public for tours.Washburne House
", ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency'', Historic Sites, accessed April 29, 2008. The Washburne House is a declared Illinois State Historic Site.Miller, Terry.

official site, accessed April 29, 2008. The house is open for guided tours of the first floor and two second-floor bedrooms. Tours emphasize Elihu Washburne and his Civil War-era friendships with

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and Ulysses S. Grant. The rooms are furnished to reflect the mid-19th-century life of a well-to-do midwestern professional.

Historic significance

The U.S.

added the Washburne House to its listings on July 5, 1973. The 1970s Illinois Historic Sites Survey noted the Washburne House for its importance architecturally as well as for its association with Elihu Washburne.Washburne-Sheehan House
, ( PDF), Illinois Historic Sites Survey Inventory, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency'', pp. 5–8, accessed April 29, 2008. The Washburne House also lies within the

Galena Historic District 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 ...

, designated in 1969, the district has more than 1,000

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

.Kriviskey, Bruce M.
Historic District of the City of Galena, Illinois
, ( PDF), National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, April 11, 1969, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency'', accessed April 27, 2008.

References

External links

Washburne House
- Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Property Information Report
Elihu B. Washburne House,

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washburne, Elihu Benjamin, House Galena, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Jo Daviess County, Illinois Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Illinois State Historic Sites Historic house museums in Illinois Museums in Jo Daviess County, Illinois Historic district contributing properties in Illinois Houses in Jo Daviess County, Illinois