After our extensive tour of the Lexington “Castle,” we decided to continue on into Lexington and visit some other significant places of historic interest.  We pulled information from books, newspaper articles, the Lexington City brochure, S’monne Elder’s tram tour script, and even a few bits of hear-say.  Our list became so extensive, we decided to begin with the oldest ones first and try to visit sites in a somewhat chronological order.   If you have tidbits of interest to add about these places, please share with us by contacting The Fort. 

1829 Patton Cabin 

          The Patton Cabin is one of the oldest structures in McLean County, built in  1829 by John Patton near the junction of Patton Creek and the Mackinaw River, three and a half miles southeast of Lexington.  A host of Kickapoo and Delaware Indians assisted in raising the logs in place.

          The Patton Cabin is a good example of the kind of home built by the early white settlers. The hewed-to-square logs and the half dovetail corner notching was the way cabins were built in the area of Kentucky where Patton was raised.  Notice the corner joints, the ridge pole method of holding the roof shingles and the mud and stick chimney.  Patton was a careful craftsman and the original cabin was so tightly built it didn't need chinking and could have been lifted from above without falling apart.  In 1832 he built a second cabin of the same size several feet away and joined them with a roof, which created a "breezeway". This made what is called a dogtrot house. Patton delayed cutting windows in the second cabin because of the Indian scare of the Black Hawk War. In 1840 the double cabin had been sided with clapboard, as it is today. In 1969 the cabin was rebuilt in the Lexington Park District. The cabin was restored in 1984-1985 using some square notched logs, which distinguishes them from the original Patton logs. The Patton Cabin was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. 

Click here  to see Fort article of June 2004 for more detailed information.)

1836 Jacob Spawr House 

          One of the oldest and most famous houses of McLean County was the Spawr Inn which sat on lots where the George Stitcher residence was located in the 1950s near W. North Street.  Jacob Spawr, born in 1802, settled here in the early 1800s, and was one of the first to make this area his home.    He grew up with the new settlement and married a Trimmer daughter in 1826.   They moved from Money Creek to Lexington in 1836 just a year before the town was laid out and made their home into a hotel for travelers.  Jacob Spawr is credited with helping establish the old Chicago Trail in 1831.  Trail drivers with hundreds of head of cattle or hogs would stop at the Spawr Tavern while passing through Lexington on their way to markets in Peoria or Chicago.  The drivers would eat and sleep and Spawr provided corrals and pens for the animals.  The trail was an important route until the railroads arrived in the 1850s.  Mr. Spawr was also Lexington’s first postmaster.  The most famous and quite frequent guest at the Spawr Travern was Abraham Lincoln, who was a close friend of Jacob Spawr.  Mr. Lincoln loved to play with the eight Spawr children and many stories are told of the heart warming and amusing incidents which occurred at the Spawr Inn upon the occasion of Abraham Lincoln’s visits there. 

**If anyone knows the exact location of the old tavern, please let us know! 

1850 Scrogin Hill  Levin Scrogin was born in 1823, moved to Illinois in 1829, visited Lexington in 1835, and then, as an adult,  returned in 1948.  In 1850 he was awarded several hundred acres of land in the settlement of a lawsuit and when he was unable to sell his land, he decided to settle on the place permanently.  The Scrogins built a cabin, which later evolved into a house that is still standing up on the hill just northeast of the Scrogin Cemetery, which is still known today as Scrogin Hill. Levin was a staunch Abolitionist, Lincoln supporter, Temperance man, Baptist leader, Justice of the Peace, and supporter of public education.  The Scrogins also donated the land for the Baptist Church to be built in 1871.

1850 Carriage House 

          As you travel on W. Main Street notice the Carriage House mid-block on the south side of the street in the 700 block sitting back from the curb. We think it was built in the 1850's and might have been part of the old hotel that sat on Lee Street near the original train depot. It is said that a man froze to death in the hotel there because there was no central heating in those days. What do you think?

1860 Dement  On the southwest corner of South and Cedar Streets at 302 W. South is a pink and white Greek Revival house that was the home of Nettie Dement, daughter of George Dement, and her husband. She was superintendent of the grade school for many years. The elements of a Greek temple can be seen in the pediment roof, the plain cornice, the pilasters on the side, which suggest columns, topped with simple ionic capitals. The transom and sidelights around the door are also typical of this style. Notice the natural stone foundation that is still supporting this old house after so many years.

1864 Davis Wagon Factory & Home   Entrepreneur and land owner George M. Davis built the two-story white frame house with the interesting curving front porch at 416 W. Main about 1864.  He also ran a dairy at 418 W. Main, but no sign of it remains today. 

          At 414 W. Main George Davis built a two-story modern wagon shop.  The wagon shop was moved in 1903 from the south side of Main to the north side, where it stands today, having been restored to its original appearance in 1991, and lately has been put into service as an antique shop. Click Here to listen to the Davis history in The Fort student article of January, 2006 which requires Media Player to work.) 

Davis home as it appeared several years ago.  

Davis house in summer of 2006

 Wagon factory restored        

Wagon factory summer 2006

          Wagon factory about 1960

1866 Franklin Mansion  On the southwest corner of Vine and South Streets at 402 W. South is the Franklin House built in 1866 for Jesse Trimmer and his family and after Jesse Trimmer’s death it was traded to the Franklins for a section of land.  The beautiful home has been occupied by the Franklin family for many generations and still contains many pieces of the original furniture.  The home is one of the finest Italianate houses in McLean County.  Notice the symmetry of design with traditional Italianate element and especially the effect of the long porches, which give a feeling of galleries.  The elaborate brackets show fine workmanship and add lightness to the structure without sacrificing dignity.  Elegance and harmony are achieved by the repetition of the window arch in the arches between the double columns of the porches.  The delightful wrought-iron fence is also original.

Click Here  to listen to a student article by Michael Meyer from January, 2006, which requires Media Player to work.)

1867  Waters House  On the northwest corner of Pine and Chestnut at 201 W. Chestnut is a home built in 1867 by Dr. Waters at a cost of $8,000 and was the residence of Dr. William H. Welch, President of the American Veterinary Association. Some restoration and additions have been done. It is an Italianate structure with the typical balanced placement of the tall arched windows, a simple porch which at one time extended along the east side of the house, and a decorative cornice. The traditional brackets have been removed but a subtle design is still visible in the banding.

(Date?) Ward House  

          On the northwest corner of Wall and Oak at 200 E. Wall stands another brick Italianate structure with some Greek Revival features. The proportions of the building, the placement of the tall, arched windows and brackets in the cornice determine its Italianate character. The Greek Revival elements are seen in the pediment (peaked) roof and the front portico. The fan light over the door is also a nice feature. In 1968 a tornado ripped the roof off this house, with little other damage.  Some modernization has been done over the years, but we don’t have much historical information available about this home.

1869 Hefner House   On the southwest corner of Main and Oak at 208 E. Main is the home of Peter Hefner, the great-grandfather of Hugh Hefner, the magazine publisher. The Hefners owned over 2,000 acres in Money Creek Township and a number of other houses in Lexington.   This home was built in the Italianate style in wood with heavy brackets dominating the cornice. Fanciful fretwork adds to the grace of the porch. The arches over the windows are done with much simplicity and are echoed in the arched front door, which adds unity and dignity to the design of the building. The interior was elegantly finished with a rosewood stairway and banister. The present owners, Chuck and Mary Beth Wright, continue to work on the restorations and improvements to the famous old home.

1870 Old Hotel – The old hotel at 103 S. West street was on the main route that settlers used as they traveled between St. Louis and Chicago until trains took over much of the hauling and old Route 4 was paved through Lexington. In the 1940s the hotel used to be the stop for the Greyhound Bus as it came through Lexington.  It boasts a sign on the front that claims it has been there since 1870, but we sadly have few details about the old place. 

Can you help fill in the gaps?