"Judge" Flanagan Residence
John C. Flanagan House Museum is located in Peoria County, Illinois
John C. Flanagan House Museum
Location942 NE. Glen Oak Ave., Peoria, Illinois
Coordinates40°42′14″N 89°35′7″W / 40.70389°N 89.58528°W / 40.70389; -89.58528
Area< 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1837
Architectural stylePost-Colonial, Federal
NRHP reference No.75000670[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 5, 1975

The Judge John C. Flanagan Residence is a historic house in Peoria, Illinois, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is currently operated as a museum by the Peoria Historical Society.

History

The home was constructed for John C. Flanagan, a Philadelphia native, in 1837.[2][3] The house was either part of an original 620-acre (250 ha) tract purchased by Flanagan's father or part of a 20-acre (8.1 ha) tract purchased by Flanagan when he came to Peoria in 1831.[2][4]

The house was built in the post-Colonial or American Federal style with Italianate elements.[2][5][6][7] It is constructed of local walnut timber, locally made brick, and Kickapoo Valley limestone, supplemented with lumber, lime, and glass from Chicago.[2] Ornamental ironwork was shipped from France in 1852.[2][6] It is the oldest home still standing in Peoria.[3] In 1834, the area only had seven frame houses and about 30 log cabins.[2] The brick mansion overlooks the Illinois River from the East Bluff[2] and was referred to by locals as the "Mansion on the Hill" or "the Manse".[6][8]

The Peoria Historical Society acquired the property in 1962.[3]

Legacy

It is believed that Abraham Lincoln was once a guest in the home during the Lincoln-Douglas debates from 1854 to 1860.[2] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 5, 1975.[1] It was also designated as a City of Peoria Local Historic Landmark in November 2022.[9]

The house is now operated by the Peoria Historical Society as the John C. Flanagan House Museum, a 19th-century period historic house museum.[10] The house also serves as the headquarters for the Peoria Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.[5] Exhibits include antique glass, china, furniture, toys, quilts, tools, and clothing.[10][3]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Judge Flanagan Residence," (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, HAARGIS Database. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d Tarter, Steve (2015-09-28). "Peoria's oldest standing home, Flanagan House, finally has air-conditioning". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  4. ^ Demeter, Richard (1997). Irish America : the historical travel guide. Internet Archive. Pasadena, Calif. : Cranford Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-9648253-3-8.
  5. ^ a b "Peoria Chapter, NSDAR : Our History". ildar.org. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  6. ^ a b c McCarthy, Stephanie E. (2009). Haunted Peoria. Arcadia Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-7385-6008-3.
  7. ^ The National Register of Historic Places. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. p. 146.
  8. ^ "John C Flanagan House Museum". Victorian Preservation Association. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  9. ^ "Local Landmarks - Historic Residences | Peoria, IL". www.peoriagov.org. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  10. ^ a b "Houses". Peoria Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-10-06.

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