Stories and Structures: Early Settler Homes

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Stories and Structures: Early Settler Homes

Winnetka, Illinois 60093, United States

Created By: Winnetka Historical Society

Tour Information

This 1-hour walking tour takes participants back in time, visiting eleven homes built in the 1800s for early Winnetka settlers. The tour begins at the Clinton House at 548 Willow (built in 1872) and weaves through several of the oldest neighborhoods on the east side of the village of Winnetka.


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What You'll See on the Tour

The beautiful Italianate Victorian at 548 Willow was built around 1870. In the early 1870s, the property was owned by Artemas Carter, who built several investment properties in the village in addition to his own home at 515 Sheridan. Carter... Read more
While Cook County records estimate that the quaint house at 618 Willow was built c. 1890, it was actually built much earlier and is one of the oldest early settler homes still standing in Winnetka. The original portion of the house was buil... Read more
The Greek Revival house at 654 Ash was built by 1860 reportedly as a loose replica of Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield, which was built c. 1839. The original owners of the house were Mary and Jacob Conrad, whose name is still well-kn... Read more
The large home at 596 Oak is likely the oldest on this tour and was built sometime in the early 1850s. The first known owners of this house were David P. and Mary Wilder, who lived here from about 1857 to 1876. David Wilder was born in Wort... Read more
Our next house is the attractive Italianate Victorian at 576 Oak, which is actually one of the oldest structures still standing in the village. The original portion of the house was built c. 1860 as an L shaped cube structure, which was a c... Read more
The beautiful Victorian house at 559 Oak was likely built by Austin Chamberlain in 1870 after he purchased the land from Artemas Carter. Carter built several Victorian investment properties in the village and it’s possible that he built t... Read more
The beautiful home at 532 Oak was built c. 1894 for the Sloate family. This was actually the Sloate’s second home in Winnetka. The first documentation of George and Cornelia Sloate in Winnetka appears in the 1855 census. Little is known a... Read more
The expansive Queen Anne Victorian at 555 Cherry was built c. 1876 for Jennie and Alexander J. W. Copelin, son of notable early settlers Thomas and Julia Copelin. Alex, as he was known to his friends and family, was born in New York in 1850... Read more
The Queen Anne Victorian at 530 Cherry was built in 1891 by early Winnetka settlers Thomas and Sallie Windes, but interestingly, it is not the first historic house built on this site. The original house at 530 Cherry, a beautiful Victorian ... Read more
The house at 381 Poplar was first built in 1888 by Carl and Johanna Mack after they purchased the land from Riley Graves. Several members of the Mack family made important contributions to the village. Carl and Johanna were both born in Ger... Read more
The Victorian house at 530 Willow was likely built in the early to mid-1870s. The first known residents were Charles and Caroline Lensing, who purchased the property with the house already built in 1879. Like many early settlers, both the L... Read more

 

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