Lincoln–Tallman House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Tallman House
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | 440 N. Jackson St., Janesville, Wisconsin |
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| Area | 1.6 acres (0.65 ha) |
| Built | 1857 |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000085 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1970 |
The Lincoln–Tallman House is a special historic home in Janesville, Wisconsin. It was built in 1857 in a style called Italianate. This house is famous because Abraham Lincoln once stayed here overnight. This happened before he became the President of the United States.
Contents
The Tallman House Story
Building a Dream Home
William Tallman was a lawyer from the East Coast. In the late 1840s, he bought a lot of land in what was then Wisconsin Territory. He was also a strong abolitionist, meaning he was against slavery. His home in New York had even been a secret stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
Tallman moved his family to Janesville to look after his land. A local builder, George Barnes, started building the house in 1855. It was placed on a bluff overlooking the Rock River. The house was designed in the beautiful Italianate style.
Modern Features for Its Time
The Tallman House was built with high-quality materials. It used "Cream City brick," which is a light-colored brick. It also had fancy cast iron on the windows. The doors were made of black walnut wood with hand-carved designs.
The house had many modern features for its time. These included central heating and gas pipes for lights. It also had running water and walk-in closets. There were even built-in storage drawers and an indoor bathroom. The house cost $33,000 to build at first. More work finished in 1870 brought the total to $42,000. This large house is 60 feet (18 m) tall and has six floors with 20 rooms!
A Home for Freedom
William Tallman continued to speak out against slavery after moving to Janesville. He might have used this house as a stop on the Underground Railroad too. However, it's not clear if any escaped slaves ever passed through it. The Tallman family lived in the house from 1857 until 1915. In 1950, they gave the house to the city. They wanted it to be a public museum for everyone to visit.
Abraham Lincoln's Visit
Abraham Lincoln visited Janesville from October 1 to 3, 1859. This was just a year before he was elected president. He had come to Rock County after speaking at the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee.
William Tallman drove to Beloit to ask Lincoln to visit Janesville. He invited Lincoln to stay at his house after a speech in Beloit. Lincoln then gave a speech in Janesville on Saturday, October 1, 1859.
That night, Lincoln left his boots outside his room, which was a common practice. But in the morning, his boots were gone! He was too embarrassed to leave his room without them. Because of this, he missed his train. So, Tallman invited him to go to church with his family. Lincoln then stayed another night. He finally caught a train to Chicago on Monday, October 3, 1859. This visit to the Tallman house is the only time Lincoln is known to have stayed in a Wisconsin home.
The Tallman House Today
The Tallman House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1970. This means it's a very important historic site. In 1995, it won an award from the Victorian Society in America for its preservation.
Today, the city of Janesville owns the house. The Rock County Historical Society runs it as a museum. When you visit, you can see what life was like for wealthy families in the late 1800s. More than 75% of the furniture and items inside are original to the home!
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