The Creole House is a historic residence in the village of Prairie du Rocher, an old French settlement in present-day

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Built at the end of the eighteenth century and later expanded, the Creole House is the last survivor in Illinois of its type of

vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...

, and it forms an important part of the

built environment The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human a ...

of a portion of the Upper Mississippi Valley that possesses an unparalleled connection to the French settlement period.

History

French settlers founded Prairie du Rocher circa 1722. At least twelve surviving houses in the village were built in the eighteenth century, including the Meilliere House, which was constructed in 1735.Brown, Margaret K.
National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: French Colonial Historic District
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National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

, n.d. One of these is the Creole House, built around 1800,Gilster, Ruth, and A. Hahn.
National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Creole House
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, n.d. which was constructed in the

French Colonial French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architectur ...

style by an unknown English-speaking immigrant from the eastern United States.Drury, John.
Old Illinois Houses
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Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

: Illinois State Historical Society, 1948, 4-6. The builder was one of Illinois' earliest American settlers; only about eight hundred Americans lived within the bounds of the present state of Illinois in 1800, including just one hundred within present-day Randolph County. From 1830 until 1848, it was owned by William Henry, a local miller, although starting in 1845 it was home to the family of E.C. Hansbrough. In 1848, the property passed into the ownership of Henry's son-in-law A.H. Lee, who owned it until it was obtained by F.W. Brickey in 1855.French (Creole) House, Market Street, Prairie du Rocher, Randolph County, IL

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

, n.d. Accessed 2013-02-02. Brickey moved into the house around 1855, and three years later he arranged for the house to be doubled in size. His heirs owned the house for many decades, although by the 1930s, they were renting it instead of living there themselves. The house's most significant resident was Henry Clay Hansbrough; the son of E.C. Hansbrough, he grew up to be a nationally prominent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician and a U.S. senator from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

Architecture

Although it was built by Americans, the Creole House is a typical example of a French colonial style known as

poteaux-sur-sol Poteaux-sur-sol ("posts on a sill" – sol is also spelled sole and solle) is a style of timber framing in which relatively closely spaced posts rest on a timber sill. Poteaux-en-terre and pieux-en-terre are similar, but the closely spaced posts ...

, which is otherwise unknown in present-day Illinois. Such houses were constructed by erecting a palisade of logs on top of a stone

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

, rather than using horizontal beams or studs like more modern designs. While the roof is supported by oak beam

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated ...

s, the original roof no longer survives; it is presently composed of modern

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

shingles. Atop the stone foundation, pine boards have been laid to form the floor, and the interior walls are

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

ed. Multiple

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design ...

s are placed in the various rooms, with wooden mantels around them. The original portion of the house forms the southern half of the present structure; the northern half is the 1850s addition, which features a more modern stud-based form of construction. While the halves are separate from each other, the newer northern portion and older southern portion appear similar on the exterior, since both were sided when the northern portion was built. Because the shallow

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roof extends past the western front of the house, it forms a large overhang that has been adapted into a long porch. The partially wooded lawn is surrounded by a fence of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

Preservation

In 1973, the Creole House was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

; it was the fourth Randolph County property to gain this distinction. The house qualified for inclusion on the Register because of its colonial architecture, as it is the only known original house of its type remaining in Illinois. By that time, it was no longer a residence; although vacant, it was owned by the Randolph County Historical Society, which was in the process of restoring it. One year after it was added to the National Register, much of Prairie du Rocher and the surrounding portions of the

American Bottom The American Bottom is the flood plain of the Mississippi River in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois, extending from Alton, Illinois, south to the Kaskaskia River. It is also sometimes called "American Bottoms". The area is about , mo ...

were designated a historic district, the

French Colonial Historic District The French Colonial Historic District is a historic district that encompasses a major region of 18th-century French colonization of the Americas, French colonization in southwestern Illinois. The district is anchored by Fort de Chartres and Fort ...

, and listed on the National Register. Although the district included sites as varied as the remains of old

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were one of the indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...

, the site of

Fort de Chartres Fort de Chartres was a French fortification first built in 1720 on the east bank of the Mississippi River in present-day Illinois. It was used as the administrative center for the province, which was part of New France. Due generally to river floo ...

, and

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

s such as the historic

Kolmer Site The Kolmer Site is an archaeological site in the far southwest of the U.S. state of Illinois. Located near Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher in western Randolph County, it lies at the site of an early historic Indian village from the French per ...

and the prehistoric Modoc Rock Shelter, the Creole House was deemed one of the district's core components. By designating the area a historic district, Illinois

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

officials hoped to highlight the significance of places such as the Creole House because of their connection to the strong French influence on the region. The house remains in use by the historical society, which hosts historical events at the property.Civil War Re-Enactment Slated in Prairie du Rocher
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-De ...

'', 2011-04-25. Accessed 2013-02-02.

References

External links

Historic American Buildings Survey
{{National Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1800 Houses in Randolph County, Illinois Creole cottage architecture in the United States French-American culture in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Randolph County, Illinois Historic district contributing properties in Illinois Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois