Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Oscar Taylor House

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Area
  
less than one acre

NRHP Reference #
  
84001165

Architectural style
  
Italianate architecture

Built
  
1857

Opened
  
1857

Added to NRHP
  
11 May 1984

Oscar Taylor House httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Location
  
1440 S. Carroll Ave., Freeport, Illinois

Similar
  
Krape Park, Famous Fossil Winery, Silver Creek Museum, Freeport Art Museum, Stephenson County Courthouse

The Oscar Taylor House is a historic house in the city of Freeport, Illinois. The house was built in 1857 and served as a "station" on the Underground Railroad during the American Civil War. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Contents

History

The Oscar Taylor House was built for Freeport banker and attorney Oscar Taylor in 1857. Taylor, the son of Speaker of the House John W. Taylor, opened Freeport's first bank in 1852. The house became a social and cultural center in Freeport, hosting many prominent guests. During the American Civil War the house was used as a station on the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves were hidden in the basement behind a secret door fronted with shelving. The door still remains. The house was in the Taylor family until 1944 when it was gifted to form the Stephenson County Historical Society and turned into a historic house museum.

Architecture

The Taylor House is an Italianate stone house of locally quarried, rough-faced limestone. It was designed by Otis L. Wheelock of the Chicago firm, Boyington and Wheelock. The house was the first of Freeport's large houses. The house is two stories tall with a full basement and full attic. It has a symmetrical plan but its symmetry is not plainly obvious because of the building's varied composition. It is topped by a cupola above and a projecting kitchen wing below, and also possesses projecting polygonal bays and a rear sunroom. These factors make the structure's symmetry difficult to discern.

Historic significance

The Oscar Taylor House is significant in the areas of commerce and architecture. In the commerce area it is significant because of its association with Oscar Taylor, a prominent local businessman. It is also a good example of an Italianate mansion and was important as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Oscar Taylor House was added to the National Register of Historic Places May 11, 1984.

References

Oscar Taylor House Wikipedia