Stephen Wright House – Paw Paw, Illinois

Before we get to Reagan’s landmarks in Dixon, we stop in Paw Paw, Illinois, a small town that many of you Illinoisans have probably passed on Interstate 39, you know you’re there when you see the big windmills of wind generators of electricity on the horizon. Prior to 2005, the town of 850 Paw Paw had no properties listed on the Federal National Register of Historic Places. The Stephen Wright House listing changed that in May of that year.

After mingling among the windmills at the Mendota Hills Wind Farm for a while, I headed into town proper and looked for the Wright House. The house was built sometime between 1895 and 1906 by Paw Paw native and real estate speculator Stephen Wright.

The house is an excellent example of Queen Anne style architecture. It very clearly illustrates the hipped roof (wiki) with flanking crossed gables (wiki) found on approximately 50 percent of Queen Anne style homes. . The style of the roof is a quick way to identify many less obvious examples of Queen Anne. Viewed from the cross gables, the hipped roof is less obvious, making for an interesting visual play, depending on where the roof is located. viewer.

Tomorrow we will visit our first Reagan landmark in Dixon. Paw Paw is a town in Lee County, located in northern Illinois. Northern Illinois is packed with interesting places listed on the National Register of Historic Places and worth visiting for any student or history buff. Feel free to google it and take a look for yourself.

online resources

Stephen Wright House: National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (PDF)

Wikipedia: Stephen Wright House, Mendota Hills Wind Farm (both for me, for you).

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