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Small–Towle House in Wilmington, IL
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Small–Towle House

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The Small–Towle House is an 1864 home in Wilmington, near Joliet, IL, on the National Register since 1979. Its owners' stories read like a small-town novel: the town's first mayor, a man who ran a canal steamboat, and a Depression-era sale for one dollar. It stands about 0.2 miles from the Gemini Giant, so Route 66 travelers can see both on one short stroll.

What is Small–Towle House?

The house is an upright-and-wing design, a plain local form with a taller main block and a lower side wing. It went up while builders were shifting from Greek Revival toward Italianate, and it carries a little of both.

History of Small–Towle House

In the 1850s Wilmington was a busy milling town, helped by the Chicago and Alton Railroad, which arrived in 1854. William McGinnis built this house in 1864 and sold it five years later for over ten times what he had paid for the lot. Among its early owners was Wilmington's first mayor, John H. Daniels.

The Small family bought it in 1870, and that year the owner's son married McGinnis's daughter. Eli Small worked the Illinois and Michigan Canal with his steamboat, the Mohawk Belle. The Towles moved in in 1883, and in 1933 let the house go for a dollar, provided the new owners looked after Julia Towle.

Visiting Small–Towle House: tips

This is a historic residence, so view it from the street and respect the owners' privacy. The Gemini Giant is about 0.2 miles away and the Eagle Hotel about 0.4 miles, which makes Wilmington an easy three-stop walk.

Practical info

On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Small–Towle House

All diners on Route 66 →

On the map

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Small–Towle House with the 6 closest stops and a place to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Small–Towle House

All of Illinois
Gemini Giant in Wilmington, IL

Gemini Giant

Wilmington, Illinois · on Route 66

A fiberglass astronaut holding a rocket, standing beside Route 66 in Wilmington.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit

0.2 mi from Small–Towle House

Eagle Hotel in Wilmington, IL

Eagle Hotel

Wilmington, Illinois · on Route 66

An 1838 hotel building in Wilmington, a short walk from the Gemini Giant.

Historic hotelPhoto credit

0.4 mi from Small–Towle House

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet, IL

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Joliet, Illinois · 0.7 mi from Route 66

The country's first national tallgrass prairie, on a former ammunition plant, now home to bison.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

5.0 mi from Small–Towle House

Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area near Joliet, IL

Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area

Joliet, Illinois · 4.3 mi from Route 66

A 5,000-acre state wildlife area on the floodplain where two rivers meet to form the Illinois River.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

6.7 mi from Small–Towle House

Briscoe Mounds in Channahon, IL

Briscoe Mounds

Channahon, Illinois · 5.6 mi from Route 66

Two Mississippian-era mounds on the Des Plaines River, the biggest mound site in northern Illinois.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit

8.5 mi from Small–Towle House

Millsdale

Millsdale, Illinois · 3.7 mi from Route 66

A vanished railroad village near Joliet that counted only about two dozen residents in the 1900s.

Ghost town

8.7 mi from Small–Towle House

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