Ellwood House Museum
Ellwood House Museum is a museum in Illinois, at a modelled elevation of 266 m. Johnson’s Mound stands 273 m to the east-southeast, 17 miles off. The nearest named place is Ellwood, a park less than a tenth of a mile away. Lincoln Highway passes 0.3 miles off. 2 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
The Ellwood House was built as a private home by barbed wire entrepreneur Isaac Ellwood in 1879. It is located on First Street in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, in DeKalb County. The Victorian style home, designed by George O. Garnsey, underwent remodeling in 1898-1899 and 1911. The house was originally part of 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) which included a large stable complex known as "Ellwood Green." Isaac Ellwood lived here until 1910 when he passed the estate to his son, Perry Ellwood. After Perry Ellwood inherited the home he remodeled the interior and exterior, drastically altering the home's appearance. Thus, the Ellwood House incorporates elements from several architectural styles. In 1964 the home was donated to the city of DeKalb and converted into a museum. The house was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The Ellwood House Museum site contains six structures in addition to the main house. A 50-foot (15 m) tall water tower dominates the west side of the property while a 14-foot (4.3-m) tall miniature Stick style house is located nearer the main house. There is also a Visitor Center, built as an addition to the Perry Ellwood family's original garage, and a museum house that was once used to hold Harriet Ellwood's (Isaac's wife) collection of "curiosities." The property also includes the "Ellwood-Nehring House," the home given to Perry and May Ellwood as a wedding gift in 1898. From 1940 until 2011, the house was privately owned by Paul Nehring, son of P.A. Nehring who owned Nehring Electrical Works, and his wife Shirley.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1879.
Wikidata Q5366195, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What to expect
- Fee
- Yes
- Step-free access
- Limited
How to reach it
- 0.3 mi off the Lincoln Highway, National
- 36.0 mi off the Historic Route 66, National
Overlooks nearby
- Fabyan Windmill · 23 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Ellwood: 0.0 mi
- Raymond Park: 0.2 mi
- Library courtyard: 0.3 mi
- Memorial Park: 0.3 mi
- Annie's Woods: 0.4 mi
- P. A. Nehring Forest Preserve: 2.2 mi
- Merritt Prairie Forest Preserve: 5.7 mi
- Afton Forest Preserve: 7.9 mi
- Knute Olson Forest Preserve: 9.4 mi
- Riverwood Forest Preserve: 10.0 mi
- Kishwaukee Valley Heritage Museum: 11.6 mi
- Shabbona - Lee - Rollo Historical Museum: 13.1 mi
- Flagg Township Museum: 16.2 mi
- Garfield Farm Museum: 18.1 mi
- Garfield Farm Museum: 18.2 mi
- February 14th, 2008 Shooting Memorial: 0.8 mi
- Civil War Monument: 5.1 mi
- First School House Hooser's Grove 1845: 17.3 mi
- Geneva Park District Solstice Monument: 20.5 mi
- Homes of Chief Waubonsie and Madeline Ogee: 20.8 mi
- The Missing Piece: 0.5 mi
- The Elephant: 0.6 mi
- HIV Awareness Statue: 0.9 mi
- Huskies on Parade - Nestle: 2.2 mi
- Flowers: 11.3 mi
- MLK Commons: 0.7 mi
- Sycamore Speedway: 8.8 mi
- Donley Auctions: 21.4 mi
- Donley's Wild West Museum: 21.4 mi
- Blackberry Carousel: 22.1 mi
- Olivia's Party Deck: 22.1 mi
- Roadside Park: 22.8 mi
- Fox View Picnic Area: 23.8 mi
- Tall Oaks Picnic Area: 23.9 mi
- Jelkes Creek Bird Sanctuary: 24.8 mi
- DeKalb Oasis: 2.5 mi
- Willow Creek Rest Area - Southbound: 19.5 mi
- Willow Creek Rest Area - Northbound: 19.6 mi
- Belvidere Oasis: 21.0 mi
- Community Gardens at Prairie Green: 20.4 mi
- Community Garden: 23.7 mi
- Sherman Natural Prairie and Community Garden: 23.7 mi
- Stephanie's Garden: 25.0 mi
- Coltonville: 2.6 mi
- Brush Point: 6.4 mi
- Reeds Crossing: 18.5 mi
- Johnson’s Mound: 17.4 mi
- Maramech Hill: 23.2 mi
- White Rock: 22.5 mi
- Sandstone Wall: 23.4 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Ellwood House Museum. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson’s Mound | ESE 106° | 273 m | 17.4 mi |
| Maramech Hill | SSE 152° | 196 m | 23.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:59 | 18:31 | 19:07 |
| June solstice | 05:21 | 19:52 | 20:35 |
| September equinox | 06:43 | 18:17 | 18:54 |
| December solstice | 07:20 | 15:42 | 16:27 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 21 | 25 | 36 | 48 | 60 | 70 | 73 | 71 | 64 | 52 | 38 | 26 |
| Precip in | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — DE Kalb, 1 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/373320994
Day trips start here
- Aurora · 27 mi
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