870 MILL STREET

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

John and Mary Logan had 870 Mill Street built for them in 1899. John had been an Alderman for the 7th District in Elgin and was also the Marshall in Elgin. He eventually formed Logan and Goetz Construction Company. Logan and Goetz was the contractor which designed and built the Elgin Sewer System.

This house has a connection to the McClure mansion, a landmark residence in Elgin. The legal description of this property includes both lots 8 and 9. John Logan came to acquire both lots through two warranty deed: one on June 24, 1893 from Finla McClure for lot 9 and the second from George Linkfield for lot 8 at a total of $1,130.

By 1900, the Elgin City Direct has John A. and Mary A. Logan as owners and occupiers of 870 Mill Street.

In 1902, Edward and Hannah Althen purchased the property after the Logans lived in the home for only 2 years. 14 years later, Adolph and Hulda Miller purchased the property for $6,000. The Miller family, in different iterations, lived in the home at 870 for the next 43 years, until 1959. Only a handful of families have lived in the home since.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

870 Mill Street is a nice example of a free classic Queen Anne. Identifying features include the wide porch, shingle and clapboard wall cladding, and its asymmetrical floor plan. 

In 1987, 870 was featured in the book Daughters of Painted Ladies: America’s Resplendent Victorians, a book published to showcase homes across the United States that are considered ‘painted ladies’ – usually a home from the Victorian era painted with at least three different colors.

TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS

 

Sources: 1999 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud