Before we hit the Reagan landmarks in Dixon, we stopped at Paw Paw, Illinois, a small town that many of you Illinois residents have probably passed by on Interstate 39, you know you are there when you see the big mills of wind generating electricity on the horizon. Prior to 2005, the village of 850 Paw Paw had no properties listed on the Federal National Register of Historic Places. Stephen Wright House’s list changed that in May of that year.
After mingling among the windmills of the Mendota Hills Wind Farm for a moment, I headed into town and looked for the Wright house. The home was built sometime between 1895 and 1906 by the 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 cross pediments (wiki) found in about 50 percent of Queen Anne style homes. Ceiling style is a quick way to identify many less obvious Queen Anne examples. Seen from the transverse gables, the hipped roof is less obvious, making for an interesting visual game, depending on where the viewer is.
Tomorrow we will visit our first Reagan landmark in Dixon. Paw Paw is a village in Lee County, located in northern Illinois. Norther Illinois is full of interesting places that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are well worth a search for any student or history buff. Feel free to Google it and check it out.
Online resources
Stephen Wright House: National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (PDF)
Wikipedia: Stephen Wright House, Mendota Hills Wind Farm (both from me, for you).