
Elihu B. Washburne was a U.S. Congressman and a friend of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Grant was in the Washburne library when he learned he was elected President. The brick, Greek revival home was built in 1843, with additions in 1859 and 1860. The house has been refurnished to show what life was like for a well to do Midwestern professional in the late 1800s. Tours discuss Washburne’s friendships with Lincoln and Grant and provide insights into the region’s French and Native American cultures.