Benjamin Stephenson House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Benjamin Stephenson House
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The fully restored Benjamin Stephenson House in 2007.
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 409 S. Buchanan St., Edwardsville, Illinois |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1820; 1845 |
| Architect | Benjamin Stephenson (builder) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001395 |
| Added to NRHP | May 31, 1980 |
The Benjamin Stephenson House is a beautiful old home built in 1820 in Edwardsville, Illinois, United States. It's designed in the Federal style, which was popular back then. A very important person named Benjamin Stephenson built this house. He was a well-known citizen and politician in Illinois.
Sadly, Benjamin Stephenson passed away not long after the house was finished. Over the years, the house had many different owners, about 15 in total! Some of them made big changes to the building. For example, in 1845, a new section called an "ell" was added, changing how the house looked. The last two owners were a college group called Sigma Phi Epsilon and now, the city of Edwardsville.
In 1999, the city of Edwardsville bought the house. In 2001, they started a big project to restore it. Their goal was to make the house look exactly like it did in the 1820s. They also wanted to open it as a museum for everyone to visit. Some people have shared stories about strange things happening in the house since the 1970s, but there haven't been any recent reports. The Stephenson House is important because of its unique architecture and its connection to early Illinois politics. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1980, which means it's a special historic site.
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Where is the Stephenson House?
The Benjamin Stephenson House was first built on a large piece of land, about 172 acres (0.7 km2). This land was about two miles (3 km) from the center of Edwardsville, Illinois. It was located on the bluffs, which are like cliffs, above Cahokia Creek.
Today, the house is still on its original spot. However, the property is much smaller, only about one acre. You can find it on South Buchanan Street in Edwardsville. This street is one of the busiest parts of Illinois Route 159.
The History of the House
Colonel Benjamin Stephenson bought the 172-acre (0.7 km2) piece of land in 1819. He started building the house in 1820. The first part of the house, on the east side, was finished that year. It became his home, office, and a place for his political work. Benjamin Stephenson lived there until he passed away on October 10, 1822.
An Unfortunate Event
On January 29, 1825, an unfortunate event happened at the Stephenson House during a party. A man named Daniel D. Smith was found hurt in the dining room and later died. News reports from the time mentioned that Smith was "killed in an affray" at the house. Benjamin's son, James W. Stephenson, and two other men, James D. Henry and Palemon Winchester, were questioned about the event.
Winchester was the only one who went to trial. His lawyer argued that Smith had verbally insulted Winchester. Winchester was found not guilty. He later helped start the town of Carlinville, Illinois and married Elvira Stephenson, who was Benjamin's daughter.
Changes Over Time
After Benjamin Stephenson's death, the house had many different owners. In 1833, Benjamin's son, James Stephenson, owned it for a short time. Then, in 1834, Elvira Edwards, the wife of a family friend, owned it until 1837.
Another owner, Frederick Wolf, bought the house in 1838. He made big changes in 1845. He removed the separate kitchen building and added a new section called an "ell" to the house. His family lived there for a long time, until at least 1894. Other owners also made changes, like J. Frank Dickman in 1902. More updates were done in the 1940s.
In 1975, Rev. Stephen Weissman bought the house. He was the one who successfully got the house listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. After that, it was also named an Edwardsville Landmark.
The Fraternity and the City
In 1982, the Sigma Phi Epsilon college group at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE) bought the house. It became their fraternity house until the late 1990s. In 1998, the Edwardsville Historic Preservation Committee received money from the state of Illinois. They used a large part of this money to buy the Stephenson House from the fraternity. The city officially bought the house in 1999.
Restoring the House
On May 14, 2001, the city of Edwardsville held a special ceremony to start a big restoration project. The goal was to make the house look as much like its original 1820s condition as possible. The plan was to fill the home with furniture from the 1820s and open it as a house museum for the public.
The restoration project cost more than $1 million. This included money to buy the house, pay for the restoration work, and even buy a gas station nearby. The project was supposed to be finished by December 2003. By April 2004, most of the outside work was done. Inside, they were still working on the walls and putting in new wood floors. The restoration was almost completely finished by the time the official opening ceremony happened on July 1–2, 2006. This was more than six years after the city first bought the house.
What the House Looks Like (Architecture)
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The Stephenson House was built in the early Federal style. It was first designed as a two-story rectangular building with four square rooms. The walls, both inside and out, are made of very thick brick. These bricks were actually made right on the property by Benjamin Stephenson's workers. The outside of the house alone used at least 100,000 bricks!
Each of the four main rooms, two on the first floor and two on the second, is 18 feet (5.5 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m) square. Every room has its own fireplace. The second floor has five windows. The first floor has four windows and a special door that opens into the main hallway.
Inside the House
Inside, the Stephenson House also has brick walls. The central hallway is 7 feet (2.1 m) wide. It runs from the front to the back of the house, which was a common "Southern manner" design. The main staircase is also in this hallway. The fireplaces in the four rooms share two chimneys. These chimneys are built right into the north and south walls.
The original floors were made of wide pine boards. In the 1940s, oak wood was put over them. The staircase is made of red cypress. It has beautiful, detailed woodwork that is still original to the house. This design is in the Adam style.
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Later Additions
Originally, there was a separate kitchen building behind the main house. It was 20 feet (6.1 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) and built over a fruit cellar. This detached kitchen was taken down during the big remodeling in 1845. At that time, a new two-story wing was added to the house. This wing was 20 feet (6.1 m) by 40 feet (12.2 m). It changed the house's shape into an "ell" pattern. The new wing was built with the same type of brick. However, its construction covered six windows on the back of the original house. A wide, 13-foot (4.0 m) veranda (like a porch) was added to the south side of this new wing. This entire new addition was built in the Greek Revival style.
In 1902, another owner made more changes. They added a 20-foot (6.1 m) by 12-foot (3.7 m) Victorian front porch. This porch had a pointed roof and fancy wooden designs. The owner also changed the direction of the home's staircase. They filled in all four original fireplaces.
During the 1940s, the house was updated again to make it more modern. Inside, new plumbing was added. Outside, a small garage was attached to the west end of the house. The Victorian porch from 1902 was removed from the front. This helped bring the house back to its original look. Also, the round pillars on the south side were replaced with square ones. A French door was added to the north side, opening onto a brick terrace.
Stories of Ghosts
Stories about ghostly phenomena at the Stephenson House have been told since at least the 1970s. Some people think the spirit might be Benjamin Stephenson himself, since he passed away in the house.
One person who lived in the house in the 1970s told a local newspaper about hearing footsteps when no one was there. They also heard strange noises and saw someone on the terrace when no one was actually there. Members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, who lived there later, shared similar stories. They reported phantom footsteps, and even seeing "people" in military uniforms. However, a volunteer and historian who has worked at the Stephenson House for many years says she has never experienced any ghostly events herself.
Why the House is Important
The Benjamin Stephenson House is the oldest brick house in Edwardsville. It is considered very important because of its beautiful architecture. It is also significant because of its connection to important historical figures in Illinois. The house shows what homes looked like during that time period.
Most of the house's importance comes from its link to the Benjamin Stephenson family. The Stephenson family played a big role in early Illinois politics. Benjamin Stephenson was a colonel during the War of 1812. He also held several political jobs, like being a U.S. representative for the Illinois Territory. He was also a delegate at the first Illinois constitutional convention. In 1836, the Illinois government even named Stephenson County after him. One of his sons, James W. Stephenson, was also an important politician in Illinois.
The "Edwards House" Connection
Sometimes, people mistakenly call the house the "Edwards House." This is because the Stephenson family was very close with Illinois' first territorial Governor, Ninian Edwards. Benjamin Stephenson and Edwards were good friends and political partners. They led the Jacksonian Democratic Party in Edwardsville. When Governor Edwards' house burned down, he and his family actually lived in the Stephenson House for a while. The Benjamin Stephenson House is a lasting reminder of the friendship and shared history of these two important men.
Because of its architectural style and its connections to important political figures, the Benjamin Stephenson House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on May 31, 1980. Even as early as 1972, an Illinois State Senator tried to get the state to buy the house and open it as a public historic site. Although the bill passed one part of the government, the governor at the time did not approve it. However, during a survey of historic sites in Illinois, the Stephenson House was noted for its architectural and political importance.
