Historical Home in Lexington, Illinois
(October 2005)
The current owners of the William Hopkins Kennedy's home are Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Heintzman. Shortly after purchasing the home a new roof was put on the house. They found that through the years the house has gone through many additions and renovations. A kitchen porch was added at one time, then five more rooms were added in about 1930. The original section of the home was post and beam construction. The pegs were still tight and in good shape after all these years. The studs and lathe were held together with iron nails. This kind of construction was very popular at the time, because they could rapidly frame and raise a building. The strength of the tongue and grove joints are very strong and last forever. After nearly 150 years after it was built, it still stands in Lexington as a reminder of the sturdiness of the settlers that founded Lexington.
When the original research was done on this house, I thought that it was Isaac Harness' home, but new information has come to our attention that Isaac's home was probably across the road from this house. The house in the photo most likely belonged to Isaac's daughter Caroline (Harness) Kennedy. The original Harness home has apparently been destroyed.
Isaac Harness came to the Lexington area in the 1830's as one of the early settlers of Money Creek Township, McLean County, Illinois. Purchasing a land claim for $150, which he sold for $300 and resettled near Pontiac for a time. Finding the land much poorer in that location returned to Lexington Township and purchased a 160 acre claim for $300, located one mile south of Lexington on the Mackinaw River, in what was later known as Harness Grove.
In July 1851, Ike lost three children to disease, most likely to cholera from unsanitary conditions of pioneer life in a log cabin. In the spring of 1852 he starting building one of the finest homes in Lexington for the time. It was located on the main road entering town, on the southwest corner of Lexington. The house replaced one which had served as the second school in town. Peter Hefner, Jim Vandolah and Isaac Harness went together and bought and hauled the lumber, which was shipped by canal from Chicago to Morris, Illinois, then drawn by 47 teams across country to Lexington. The round trip of 120 miles took five days to complete. Henry Hurst, a leading contractor and builder, erected Peter Hefner's home, Jim Vandolah's barn and Isaac's home and barn.
The story goes that Emma (Harness) Dawson was only two weeks old when her father Isaac's, home was finished. At the time the family lived in a double log cabin down in the timber near the Mackinaw, where the rats were thick. One night, a big rat proceeded to take a bite on her head. Emma screamed, and Isaac awoke and got up the entire family and declared, "If the rats are going to eat my children, it is time for the family to move." and right then and there, they moved up into the new house. That would mean that they moved into the home in June of 1852.
The main section of the home was 36 feet long and 18 feet wide and had two stories. It also had an ell in which there was a kitchen and some other rooms. .....
As an addition, there is a story that has been told that Abraham Lincoln used to visit Lexington when circuit riding, and one day as he rode into town by Isaac's house and saw little Belle (Isaac's youngest daughter) sitting on their fence waving a flag. Abe thought she looked so pretty and cute that he rode right up to her and gave her a kiss.