Birthplace of Ronald Reagan
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The Birthplace of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Graham Building, is located in an apartment on the second floor of a late 19th-century commercial building in
Tampico, Illinois Tampico () is a village located in Tampico Township, Whiteside County, Illinois, Tampico Township, Whiteside County, Illinois, Whiteside County, Illinois, United States next to Rock Falls and Sterling, Illinois. As of the 2010 census the village ha ...
,
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 ...
. The building was built in 1896, and housed a tavern from that time until 1915. On February 6, 1911, the future 40th
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
, Ronald Reagan, was born in the apartment there. The Reagan family subsequently moved into a house in Tampico a few months later. Architecturally, the two-story brick building is similar to its neighbors, all of which are part of a historic district added to the U.S.
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 ...
in 1982.


History

In 1896, the building was constructed by Fred Harvey Seymour for G.W. Stauffer, and later became known as the “Graham Building.”''Birthplace of President Ronald Reagan'', (
Brochure A brochure is originally an informative paper document (often also used for advertising) that can be folded into a template, pamphlet, or leaflet. A brochure can also be a set of related unfolded papers put into a pocket folder or packet or can ...
), Tampico Historical Society, Tampico, Illinois.
Ward, p. 4. From 1896 to 1915, the first floor of the building housed a
tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern t ...
, while the second floor contained an apartment. On October 1, 1906,
Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
and Nelle Reagan moved into the apartment above the tavern. The Reagans had two sons while they lived in the apartment. In 1908, they had their first son,
Neil Reagan John Neil Reagan (September 16, 1908 – December 11, 1996) was an American radio station manager, CBS senior producer, and senior vice president of McCann Erickson. He was the older brother of the Hollywood star and United States President R ...
. Their second son, Ronald Reagan, was born on February 6, 1911, inside of the second floor apartment. The Reagans lived at the address from 1906 until May 5, 1911, when they moved into a house on Glassburn Street, also in Tampico. While the Reagans lived in Tampico, Jack was employed at the H.C. Pitney Variety Store, which was located across the street from the Reagan Birthplace in the 100 block of Main Street. The Reagans were in Tampico until Pitney's store closed in 1914, after which they settled in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, Galesburg, and Monmouth for various periods of time. Pitney's store reopened in 1919, and the Reagans returned to Tampico for a short while, where they lived in an apartment above the store. Pitney's store again closed, and on December 6, 1920, the Reagans moved to Dixon, Illinois, where they occupied the house that would later be known as the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home. From 1915 to 1919, the building housed a bakery. The First National Bank was located in the structure in 1919, where it remained until 1931. The bank's owner and president, R.F. Woods, served as mayor of Tampico from 1917 to 1919. In 1968, the building was purchased by Paul Nicely and his wife. After Mrs. Nicely died in 2003, the building was put up for sale, and was then purchased by WPW Partners of Chicago.


Architecture

The Reagan Birthplace is similar to most of the commercial buildings along Tampico's Main Street. It is brick, two stories tall, has three second-story windows, and features a cornice. Only the area's oldest buildings differ from the Reagan Birthplace's metal cornices and flat-headed windows.Ward, p. 5.


Significance

The structure known as Ronald Reagan's Birthplace is most notable for being the place where Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911. The building's first floor interior has been restored as the First National Bank, which occupied the property from 1919 to 1931. On the second floor, the apartment's condition has been restored to reflect the historical period when Reagan was born. The site offers tours to the public, and is listed as a “significant” contributing property to the
Tampico Main Street Historic District The Main Street Historic District in Tampico, Illinois, United States is a historic district notable as home to the birthplace of Ronald Reagan. The district includes the late 19th century collection of buildings that comprise Tampico's centra ...
. The Main Street Historic District was added to the U.S.
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 ...
on June 3, 1982.


Footnotes


References

*Ward, Michael.
Main Street Historic District
, ( PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1 April 1982, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency''. Retrieved 10 July 2007. *Picone; Louis L. ''Where the Presidents Were Born: The History & Preservation of the Presidential Birthplaces'' (2012)


External links


Information about touring the museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reagan, Ronald, Birthplace Of Houses completed in 1896 Ronald Reagan Trail Main Street Historic District (Tampico, Illinois) Ronald Reagan Historic house museums in Illinois Museums in Whiteside County, Illinois Presidential homes in the United States Historic district contributing properties in Illinois Reagan family residences Birthplaces of individual people National Register of Historic Places in Whiteside County, Illinois