The Five Mile House, located five
miles southeast of Charleston, Illinois is one of the earliest remaining
structures in Coles County. The original two room brick house was
built in the 1840s and a frame kitchen ell was added in the 1850s or
60s.The stucco and porch were added in the early 20th century.
There is a long list of owners
of the property over the years, and it is thought to have been a stage
coach stop in it's early days as well as a departure point for wagons
heading west to the California Gold Rush. Legend and logic also
agree that Abraham Lincoln most likely visited the house on occasion while
traveling the Eighth Judicial Circuit.
By the late 1990s the house
had deteriorated to the point where the owner tore down the rear kitchen
ell and bricks were falling off the interior walls. In 1998, the
Five Mile House Foundation was formed to save and restore the house. Today
the restoration is almost complete and the Foundation is currently
acquiring furnishings,
implementing the beginnings of a living history program and making
improvements around the house including a parking lot, handicap ramp and
restroom.
The house is open in late April
for spring school programs and on certain weekends during the summer
months for living history open houses as well as an open house and
BBQ/auction fund raiser in the fall.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Five Mile House
Foundation is to preserve, research and restore the Five Mile House and
surrounding property; to develop interpretive and educational programs; to
complement existing historic attractions in the area; to support and
promote heritage tourism in the area through establishing the site as an
information point for those entering the area via Illinois Route 130; and
to raise funds and accept gifts and bestowments to accomplish its purpose
and mission.
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PLEASE NOTE: Hosting, design
supervision and difficult design elements are being donated by Scott
Kelley at
Webcraft
Marketing.
Basic design work is donated by Tom
Vance, resulting in no cost to the Five Mile House Foundation for this
website.
Look who's checking out the FMH
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